Stanford: Final Preview
A preview of the Bank of the West Classic final between Venus Williams and Johanna Konta.
A preview of the Bank of the West Classic final between Venus Williams and Johanna Konta.
BASTAD, Sweden – No.6 seed Laura Siegemund captured her maiden WTA title after a stunning week at the Ericsson Open, dispatching rising Czech star Katerina Siniakova, 7-5, 6-1.
Watch live action from Bastad, Stanford and Washington DC this week on WTA Live powered by TennisTV!
“This is one of my favorite tournaments, and I can’t believe I won this one!” Siegemund said after the match.
“I was in good shape, and was playing well last week as well. I knew I could do well here but winning the whole thing is something you might not really expect or think about.”
Siegemund, who made her main draw debut in Bastad back in 2010, first showed off her clay court prowess earlier in the season at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix – where she defeated Simona Halep, Roberta Vinci, and Agnieszka Radwanska to reach her first WTA final as a qualifier.
“I remember being a qualifier was a big deal back then, and I’ve always played well here from some reason. I guess it has to do with really liking the place and enjoying your off-court time.”
But the 28-year-old came full circle in Bastad, outlasting former Stuttgart finalist and countrywoman Julia Goerges in the semifinals and surviving a tricky opening set against Siniakova to run away with the win in 83 minutes.
“I tried to find my game from the beginning. I wanted to be aggresisve and play some clay court tennis because she certainly likes to hit and be inside the court to dominate. I wanted to make her move; it didn’t work quite as well as I’d hoped, and at times I wasn’t happy with my game, but it’s not about perfection, it’s about making it work in that moment. Obviously, it worked out in the end.”
Set to make her Olympic debut at the Summer Games in Rio, Siegemund is projected to not only crack the Top 40, but also tentatively reach a career-high ranking of No.32, putting her in contention for a seed at the upcoming US Open.
“I got a new perspective on tennis; it’s a great sport, and that kind of gave me some freedom on the court to try things and change my game.
“When I’m tight, like today in the final, I take a minute to sit on the bench, close my eyes. If it all gets too much, I think about how this is amazing, and who wouldn’t want to be here? It’s great weather, your favorite place to be, and all these people are here to watch you play and do what you love to do. It might be a feeling of thankfulness, and trying to stay out of that narrow, unhappy perspective. I try to see the big picture more now, than before.”
Time to celebrate! Pop the ? @LauraSiegemund!! #EricssonOpen pic.twitter.com/Iq0WTimmD3
— WTA (@WTA) July 24, 2016
Johanna Konta takes on Venus Williams in the final of the Bank of the West Classic.
UPDATE: Serena Williams withdrew from the tournament on Sunday citing inflammation in her shoulder, leading to a reshuffling of the draw that caused the following shifts:
– Halep has been drawn into the bottom half of the draw, along with No.2 Angelique Kerber, and No.8 Roberta Vinci, and No.10 Svetlana Kuznetsova. Before Serena’s withdrawal she had a tricky road to the final, but with No.3 Garbiñe Muguruza now moving up to replace Serena in the top half of the draw, Halep’s path is slightly easier. She opens up against either Daria Gavrilova or Annika Beck, with a potential third round match against Karolina Pliskova. Her projected quarterfinal opponent could be either Kuznetsova or Petra Kvitova.
– Muguruza replaced Serena on the top line of the draw and will open against either Monica Puig or a qualifier. She could play Stanford finalist Johanna Konta in the third round with either Dominika Cibulkova or Carla Suárez Navarro looming in the quarterfinals. If the draw holds to form, she could see Venus Williams, Agnieszka Radwanska, or Madison Keys in the semifinals.
Can Simona Halep match her 2015 summer season?
This time last year Simona Halep was down in the dumps. She was still smarting from two bad early losses at the French Open and Wimbledon, and in her mind her season was over. That mentality freed her up to play some of her best tennis of the season, making the final in Toronto, final in Cincinnati, and her first-ever semifinal at the US Open.
Now she has to defend it.
So can Halep, currently ranked No.5, replicate or better that run? One thing is for sure: her decision to skip the Olympics can only help. The Romanian star announced last week that she would opt out of Rio due to concerns over the Zika virus. While missing the Olympics will be disappointing, the decision does free Halep up to focus on a real shot at winning the US Open. In fact with the bulk of the players interrupting their season by heading down to the Olympics, she could be the who takes advantage of an unfocused, fatigued, depleted field this summer.
Can Garbiñe Muguruza get back on track?
It took a month and a half before Angelique Kerber came down from the high of winning her first major title at the Australian Open. But by the end of March she was back to playing high-quality tennis and imposing herself in the draws. Since winning the French Open, Muguruza has gone 1-2, losing to Kirsten Flipkens in Mallorca and Jana Cepelova at Wimbledon. Again, a dip is expected earning your first major title, but when will it turn around for Muguruza?
The summer offers a big opportunity for the young Spaniard. She floundered here last year – again, after making her first Slam final at Wimbledon – winning just one match through the entire Emirates Airlines US Open Series (including the US Open). That opens up a big point grab for her this year, where she can gain some ground on Kerber and Serena in the rankings.
Can Angelique Kerber play healthy?
The World No.2 withdrew from Bastad last week due to an elbow injury and is now in a tough situation of balancing her need to play with her need to rest, especially with the upcoming Olympics.
Can Venus Williams ride that momentum?
Could we see Venus in Singapore for the BNP WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global? She’s currently 18th in the Road to Singapore rankings but she could make a big move if she continues her current form. After making the fourth round of the French Open and the Wimbledon semifinals, she’s into the semifinals of the Bank of the West Classic this weekend. She looks relaxed and calm on court, and when she’s needed it she’s been able to elevate her game to get some tough wins. Another deep run in Montréal could really boost her chances not only to qualify for Singapore but also get her back in the Top 5.
First Round Matches to Watch: Lucie Safarova vs. Eugenie Bouchard, Monica Niculescu vs. Jelena Ostapenko, Yulia Putintseva vs. Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, Madison Keys vs. Elena Vesnina, Caroline Garcia vs. Barbora Strycova, Alizé Cornet vs. Andrea Petkovic, Misaki Doi vs. Daria Kasatkina.
All photos courtesy of Getty Images.
An interview with Johanna Konta after her win in the final of the Bank of the West Classic.
WTA Insider Courtney Nguyen | Former World No.5 Eugenie Bouchard will make her Olympic debut in Rio, the Canadian confirmed ahead of the Rogers Cup in Montréal.
Highlights from semifinal action at the Bank of the West Classic.
MONTRÉAL, Canada – It’s going to be a big week in Canada, as all the major contenders continue to fine-tune their game ahead of the Olympics and US Open. Here are 10 facts to feast on ahead of the visit to one of the oldest stop-offs on tour…
1) The draw is out.
The official draw ceremony took place on Friday night – check out the draw right here!
2) This is the last chance for most to find their game before the Olympics.
For the majority of leading names, Montréal represents the final opportunity for match practice ahead of the Rio Olympics – the tennis competition begins on August 6.
3) Twelve of the Top 14 players in the world are in Toronto.
It’s a Grand Slam-quality field – 13 of the Top 14 players in the world are here, with the only absentees being World No.1 Serena Williams and mother-to-be Victoria Azarenka. Also missing out is defending champion Belinda Bencic (read more here).
4) Serena has never triumphed in Montréal.
Serena Williams has won titles galore at the Rogers Cup. Just not in Montréal. The World No.1 has lifted the trophy three times – 2001, 2011 and 2013 – but each of those triumphs came at the event’s other home, the Rexall Centre in Toronto. Her last visit to Montréal ended in a semifinal defeat at the hands of sister Venus in 2014.
5) And there is some added pressure this time…
Serena has reigned supreme atop the rankings since February 2013, and should she enjoy her usual bountiful summer on cement, the likelihood is that she will break Steffi Graf’s record for most consecutive weeks (186) at No.1. However, should she falter then any one of Angelique Kerber, Garbiñe Muguruza or Agnieszka Radwanska are close enough to overhaul her in the next few months. Should one of the aforementioned trio get on a roll, it could conceivably happen before the US Open.,
6) The leading four seeds all have potential banana skins lying in their path.
After a first-round bye, top seed Serena could meet Monica Puig then Stanford finalist Johanna Konta after that. Kerber will begin against either a qualifier or upset specialist Mirjana Lucic-Baroni, while Muguruza has been paired with the winner of Annika Beck versus Daria Gavrilova. Radwanska, winner the last time the Rogers Cup was held at the Stade Uniprix, opens up against either Jelena Ostapenko or Monica Niculescu.
7) Before then there are plenty of eye-catching first-round match-ups to feast on…
Arguably the pick of the bunch is hometown favorite Eugenie Bouchard’s clash with Lucie Safarova. Also sanding out is Madison Keys’ meeting with recent Wimbledon semifinalist Elena Vesnina.
8) There are contenders throughout the draw.
Rounding out the Top 8 seeds are Simona Halep – last year’s runner-up – Venus Williams, Roberta Vinci and Carla Suárez Navarro. Another former finalist, Dominika Cibulkova, is seeded No.11, while Ekaterina Makarova, Safarova, Barbora Strycova and Sloane Stephens are all lurking in the unseeded contingent.
9) If you’re good enough, you’re old enough.
Twelve months ago, opportunity knocked and Bencic pounced to announce herself to the wider sporting world. Can another precocious youngster do the same this time around? Daria Kasatkina, Daria Gavrilova and Elina Svitolina have all shown glimpses of what they are capable of, or perhaps Madison Keys will rediscover the momentum that took her into the Top 10 earlier this summer?
10) Find out where you can watch the action from Montréal here!
Johanna Konta has Saturday’s shot of the day at the Bank of the West Classic.
WASHINGTON, DC, USA – No.7 seed Yanina Wickmayer withstood the tricky conditions at the Citi Open to outlast unseeded American Lauren Davis, 6-4, 6-2 to win her fifth career WTA title.
Eager to shake off a disappointing end to her grass court season – one that saw her lose a heart-breaking three-setter to Karolina Pliskova in the first round of Wimbledon – Wickmayer faced down a row of tough opposition to win her first title of 2016, recovering from a set down to defeat No.4 seed Kristina Mladenovic in the quarterfinals and surviving the extreme heat in the semifinals against fiery No.6 seed Yulia Putintseva.
Across the net was Davis, playing in her first WTA final after outsteadying French Open quarterfinalist Shelby Rogers and No.3 seed Monica Puig in her first two rounds. The 22-year-old American took out two more big hitters in Camila Giorgi and resurgent countrywoman Jessica Pegula to face Wickmayer for the chance to win her maiden WTA title.
It proved not to be for Davis in DC, as Wickmayer broke serve five times and won 67% of second serve return points. The American bravely saved two match points on her serve late in the second set, but Wickmayer made no mistake on her third opportunity, serving out the title in just over 90 minutes.
The win tentatively puts the Belgian star back into the Top 40 and within touching distance for a seed at the US Open; Wickmayer made her major breakthrough in Flushing back in 2009, where she made it all the way to the semifinals.
Wickmayer also struck gold in the doubles final on Saturday, pairing with Monica Niculescu to defeat the all-Japanese pair of Shuko Aoyama and singles quarterfinalist Risa Ozaki, 6-4, 6-3.
So happy after an amazing week! Thank you for all the support.. Feel so blessed to do what i love! ?❤️ pic.twitter.com/OWQVe6KYTd
— Yanina Wickmayer (@wickytennis) July 25, 2016
More to come…