On Episode 9, Courtney Nguyen talks to Madison Keys and CoCo Vandeweghe, two young Americans who left their mark on the 2015 season.

First up, hear from 20-year-old Keys, who started the year off with a bang, defeating Petra Kvitova and Venus Williams en route to her first major semifinal at the Australian Open. Keys also made the quarterfinals at Wimbledon and final at the Family Circle Cup, but as she looks to 2016 she’s hoping to put her rollercoaster season behind her.

Then you’ll hear from 23-year-old CoCo Vandeweghe, who also notched her best major result this year with a fantastic run to the quarterfinals at Wimbledon, an impressive feat given she entered the season having never progressed past the second round at any major. She overcame a spate of injuries to finish inside the Top 40 for the second year in a row.

Vandeweghe joins the podcast from her training base in San Diego to talk about her season as well as her current charity efforts on behalf of the Women’s Sports Foundation, an organization founded by Billie Jean King in 1974 dedicated to advancing the lives of girls and women through sports and physical activity. Vandeweghe is one of over a dozen athletes working to raise money for the WSF’s Travel & Training fund, which provides direct financial assistance to aspiring athletes who have the potential to achieve even higher performance and rankings. Past grant recipients include Kristi Yamaguchi, Michelle Kwan, Picabo Street, and Kerri Strug. It’s a cause close to Vandeweghe’s heart. Despite her famous lineage, the financial obstacles to pursuing her dream of becoming a pro tennis player were very real.

You can donate to the Women’s Sports Foundation’s Travel & Training Fund, click here: https://www.crowdrise.com/cocovandeweghesfaceo

WTA Rising Star Madison Keys’ athletic game and easy power, particularly on serve, have earned plenty of rave reviews, as well as some favorable comparisons with one of her childhood idols, Serena Williams.

In 2015, Keys did nothing to discourage these parallels with her illustrious compatriot, making regular forays to the business end at tennis’ flagship events. And, while consistency across the season still proved elusive – she failed to register back-to-back wins at 12 of 19 events – there were plenty of signs to suggest that a major breakthrough may not be that far off.

Her penchant for rising to the big occasion was showcased in the opening month of the season, brushing aside early exits at tune-up events in Brisbane and Sydney to reach the semifinals at the Australian Open.

Williams ended this run Down Under and seven months later was also responsible for dashing her US Open hopes, winning their much-ballyhooed fourth round encounter in two flawless sets to send Keys back to the drawing board.

“She was playing really, really well. I feel like I had to play my absolute best,” Keys said after her loss in New York. “If I wasn’t hitting a winner, I feel like she was. She put a lot of pressure on me to have to kind of almost overplay. I felt like I was going for it more than I normally would have. I felt like if I didn’t hit a winner, I wouldn’t get to the next ball.”

Such are the standards set by those at the pinnacle of the WTA, the 20-year-old will need to hit these heights if she is to take the next step, namely, a place in the Top 10 and lifting some major silverware.

Luckily, in Keys’ corner is someone who has been there, done that and got the t-shirt: former World No.1 Lindsay Davenport.

Since joining forces late last year, Davenport and Keys have formed one of the more intriguing relationships in tennis. Add Davenport’s husband Jon Leach to the mix and the 20-year-old has all the pieces in place to make the most of her boundless potential.

“It’s been a really fun so far,” Davenport said during the summer hardcourt season. “There’s a lot of excitement about everything coming up.”

As for the here and now, Keys eased herself into the ardors of pre-season training back home in Rock Island, Illinois, before moving to warmer climes to fine-tune her preparations. Davenport, though, knows that there is no rushing her young charge.

“She’s developing on her own timeline. When she’s ready everyone will know. And she’s still getting there.”

SINGAPORE – After winning the biggest title of her career at the WTA Finals in Singapore a few weeks ago, Agnieszka Radwanska stepped out into the city with her trophy for a special photo shoot at Gardens by the Bay. And while she was there she met up with Pat Cash from CNN Open Court.

The two talked about everything from Radwanska’s final battle with Petra Kvitova, a drop volley that turned heads around the world and how her phone died with all the messages she received afterwards.

The World No.5 also makes a huge statement on just how much she wants to win a major in 2016.

Check out Radwanska’s interview with CNN Open Court right here, right now on wtatennis.com:

Serena Williams photographed by Annie Liebovitz for Pirelli: Looking great, Serena.

WTA 125K Roundup: Yanina Wickmayer took home the title at the inaugural Carlsbad Classic over the weekend, beating Nicole Gibbs, 6-3, 7-6(4). Wickmayer’s win capped off the WTA 125K Series season, which also crowned Caroline Garcia (Limoges), Timea Babos (Taipei), Yaroslava Shvedova (Hua Hin), Zheng Saisai (Dalian), and Jelena Jankovic (Nanchang).

Nicole Gibbs’ sobering season summary: This is some real talk:

Sam Stosur calls for patience: The Australian No.1 hopes Australia’s lack of numbers in the Top 100 is just an issue of timing.

Sania Mirza’s Olympic prospects: The World No.1 isn’t thinking about India’s mixed doubles prospects quite yet.

Maria Sharapova snags an elusive table: Sharapova spent her Thanksgiving with a behind the scenes tour at NOMA, the famous avant garde restaurant in Copenhagen, Denmark. That’s a tough ticket.

GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOL: Andrea Petkovic nails it during a German television appearance over the weekend:

Hitting the target like ⚽ pic.twitter.com/CYQGMZYCaP

— WTA Reactions (@WTAreactions) November 28, 2015

The Best Shots From The WTA Finals

November 02, 2015

Petra, Maria, Aga, Aga, Aga – the hot shots just kept coming at the WTA Finals in Singapore last week. Catch up on all of them in one video right here on wtatennis.com.