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Notes & Netcords: July 11, 2016

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

THE WINNERS

It was a tightly drawn match from start to finish, but Serena Williams outgunned Angelique Kerber in straight sets to win her seventh Wimbledon title – a record-tying 22nd Grand Slam title.

Playing in their second Grand Slam final of 2016, the No.4 seed Kerber came out on fire against the World No.1, and neither player gave an inch. But when it was all said and done it was Serena, again, who clinched the match and The Championships, 7-5, 6-3.

With 22 major titles under her belt, Serena is now tied with Steffi Graf for the most Grand Slam titles in the Open Era. She now sits just two behind Margaret Court’s all-time record of 24.

“It’s been incredibly difficult not to think about it. I had a couple of tries this year and I lost to two incredible opponents – one of them being Angelique!

“But it makes the victory even sweeter, to know how hard I’ve worked for it.”

Read the full story and watch highlights here | As It Happened: Game by game analysis from WTA Insider

Not content to with just one Wimbledon crown, hours after her win in singles Serena was back out on Centre Court to join Venus Williams in the final of Ladies Doubles.

The sisters extended their doubles dominance and improved their record to 14-0 in Grand Slam finals by taking the title, powering past Timea Babos and Yaroslava Shvedova 6-3, 6-4.

“It was really special to be out there again, to win Wimbledon in doubles. We love it, we love playing doubles, we love being together,” Serena said after the match.

“I had just enough time to change and get the ankles re-taped. It was fine. I didn’t want to warm down.”

Read the full story here.

Finally, Britain enjoyed a local champion as Heather Watson’s Wimbledon ended on the best possible note, triumphing on the final day of the fortnight in mixed doubles. She partnered with Finland’s Henri Kontinen to defeat doubles specialists Anna-Lena Groenefeld and Robert Farah, 7-6(5), 6-4.

Watson became the first British woman to win a Wimbledon Championship of any kind since Jo Durie, who also captured a mixed doubles crown in 1987. Virginia Wade remains the last women’s singles winner back in 1977.

Read the full story here.

RANKING MOVERS:
Notable singles ranking movers for the week of July 11, 2016.

Yaroslava Shvedova (KAZ) +47 (No.96 to 49): The week’s biggest ranking jump belongs to Shvedova, who reached her first Wimbledon quarterfinal.

Elena Vesnina (RUS) +26 (No.50 to 24): Vesnina had to wait a long time to reach her first ever Grand Slam semifinal – it took her 42 tries – but the feat earned her a spot back inside the Top 25. Even more impressive: she started the year ranked No.122 in mid-February.

Svetlana Kuznetsova (RUS) +4 (No.14 to 10): Kuznetsova’s run to the fourth round of Wimbledon earns her four very important ranking points, putting her back in the Top 10 for the first time since 2010.

Angelique Kerber (GER) +2 (No.4 to 2): Although she didn’t walk away the Wimbledon champion, Kerber grabbed a sweet consolation prize. The German returns to World No.2, her career-highest ranking.

Find out how the Road To Singapore shapes up here.

UPCOMING TOURNAMENTS

BRD Bucharest Open
Bucharest, Romania
International | $226,750 | Clay, Outdoor
Monday, July 11 – Sunday, July 17, 2016

Ladies Championship Gstaad
Gstaad, Switzerland
International | $226,750 | Clay, Outdoor
Monday, July 11 – Sunday, July 17, 2016

Bank Of The West Classic
Standford, USA
Premier | $687,900 | Hard, Outdoor
Monday, July 18 – Sunday, July 24

Citi Open
Washington DC, USA
International | $226,750 | Hard, Outdoor
Monday, July 18 – Sunday, July 24

Ericsson Open
Bastad, Sweden
International | $226,750 | Hard, Outdoor
Monday, July 18 – Sunday, July 24

TOP 20 PLAYER SCHEDULES
1. Serena Williams
2. Angelique Kerber – Bastad
3. Garbiñe Muguruza
4. Agnieszka Radwanska
5. Simona Halep – Bucharest
6. Victoria Azarenka
7. Venus Williams – Stanford
8. Roberta Vinci
9. Carla Suárez Navarro
10. Svetlana Kuznetsova
11. Madison Keys
12. Dominika Cibulkova – Stanford
13. Petra Kvitova
14. Samantha Stosur – Washington DC
15. Belinda Bencic
16. Karolina Pliskova
17. Timea Bacsinszky – Gstaad
18. Johanna Konta – Stanford
19. Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova – Stanford
20. Elina Svitolina

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!
Best wishes to those celebrating birthdays this week:

Mona Barthel (GER) – July 11, 1990
Abigail Spears (USA) – July 12, 1981
Olivia Rich (AUS) – July 14, 1992
Alisa Kleybanova (RUS) – July 15, 1989

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Vote: June's Player Of The Month

Vote: June's Player Of The Month

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

June POTM

It’s time to vote for June’s WTA Player of the Month!

Have a look at the nominees and cast your vote before Thursday at 11:59pm ET! The winner will be announced Friday, July 15.

June 2016 WTA Player Of The Month Finalists

Serena Williams: An athlete who needs no introduction, the World No.1 captured a record-tying 22nd Grand Slam title – matching Stefanie Graf’s record – at Wimbledon. She dropped just one set en route to the title – her seventh at the All England Club – and held onto her spot atop the WTA rankings for a 301st consecutive week. 

Angelique Kerber: Kerber eased into her grass court season with a run to the quarterfinals of the Aegon Classic, but caught fire at Wimbledon, racing into the final without losing a set and knocking out five-time champion Venus Williams in the semifinals. The German played a hard-fought final before losing to Serena in straight sets.

Madison Keys: The young American became the first to make her Top 10 debut since Serena in 1999 by reaching the final of the Aegon Classic in Birmingham (eventually winning the title over Barbora Strycova), and reached the second week of Wimbledon for the second year in a row.

Dominika Cibulkova: Cibulkova cemented her comeback with a title at the Aegon International in Eastborne, defeating Agnieszka Radwanska from a set and a break deficit en route to the trophy, and reached the quarterfinals of Wimbledon by defeating Radwanska again in what may already be the best match of 2016.

2016 Winners

January: Angelique Kerber
February: Carla Suárez Navarro
March: Victoria Azarenka
April: Angelique Kerber
May: Garbiñe Muguruza

How it works:

Finalists are selected by wtatennis.com
Winner is then determined by a fan vote on wtatennis.com

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Insider RTS Update: Final Stretch

Insider RTS Update: Final Stretch

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

The first half of the 2016 season is in the books and as the tour turns back to hardcourts, the possible field for the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global is beginning to take shape. The Road to Singapore leaderboard saw some subtle but important movement through the clay and grass seasons, with Serena Williams taking over the top spot in the RTS for the first time, French Open champion Garbiñe Muguruza soar into contention, while question marks over Victoria Azarenka’s season continue to mount.

Breaking down the RTS Top 10:

1. Serena Williams – 6,270 points.

It speaks volumes of the impossible expectations for the World No.1 that a season that included two Slam finals, a title at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia on Rome, and a final of the BNP Paribas Open, were all signals of a “slump.” As Serena said at Wimbledon, any other player on tour would dream of those results.

But: Serena isn’t any other player.

After making her second major final of the season at the French Open, Serena took over the No.1 spot on the Road to Singapore leaderboard for the first time in 2016; she consolidated that move last week after winning her seventh Wimbledon title and tying Stefanie Graf’s Open Era record of 22 major titles.

Listen to the newest episode of the WTA Insider Podcast, which looks into Serena’s season so far and her place in tennis history.

2. Angelique Kerber – 4,837 points.

Kerber’s best season of her career continued on grass. She relinquished the top spot on the RTS to Serena after the French Open, but after making her second major final of the season at Wimbledon, she extended her lead over No.3 Victoria Azarenka and the rest of the field by nearly 1,800 points. In fact, with Kerber less than 1,500 points behind Serena, the German has a larger lead over the rest of the field than Serena has on her.

3. Victoria Azarenka – 3,061 points.

After a blistering start that saw her win three titles – including the Sunshine Double (BNP Paribas Open, Miami Open) – Azarenka left the spring hardcourts as the woman to beat. Since then, the former No.1 has played just six matches, with various injuries leaving her sidelined. Her last match ended in a retirement to Karin Knapp in the first round of the French Open; she withdrew from the entire grass court swing, including Wimbledon.

It all begs the question: When will we see a healthy Azarenka back on court?

Garbine Muguruza

4. Garbiñe Muguruza – 3,038 points.

The Spaniard went into Roland Garros sitting at No.17 in the RTS. Two weeks later the 22-year-old became the third consecutive maiden Slam winner, beating Serena in straight sets in the final, and surged up to No.4. A semifinalist in Singapore last fall, Muguruza’s strong run on clay – she also made the quarterfinals in Stuttgart and the semifinals in Rome – has taken her from well outside the qualifying range to right in the thick of things.

Given her prowess on hardcourts, Muguruza’s move up the RTS charts should continue over the summer.

5. Agnieszka Radwanska – 2,696 points.

The reigning WTA Finals champion started her season among the most consistent women on tour, making the semifinals or better at her first four tournaments. Since then she has made just one semifinal (Stuttgart) and has been undone by a series of tough draws and unexpected circumstances.

Radwanska has lost to Dominika Cibulkova in three of her last five tournaments, all in three sets and capped off by the three-hour epic between the two that Cibulkova won 9-7 in the third in the fourth round of Wimbledon. She drew a red-hot CoCo Vandeweghe in her first match on grass, losing in three sets, and held a seemingly insurmountable lead over Tsvetana Pironkova at the French Open before getting distracted by the wet conditions at the French Open.

All that is to say, Radwanska is playing good tennis. If she continues this level through the summer there’s no reason to think the pendulum of luck won’t swing back her way.

Agnieszka Radwanska

6. Carla Suárez Navarro – 2,518 points.

Suárez Navarro has yet to ever qualify for the WTA Finals in singles, narrowly missing out a post last fall (she and doubles partner Muguruza made the doubles final). This year, the Qatar Total Open champion continues to keep pace, performing consistently without posting any breakthrough results to surge forward. The Spaniard went into the French Open at No.5 on the RTS and heads to the summer hardcourt season ranked at No.6, making the Round of 16 at both the French Open and Wimbledon, as well as the semifinals at the Aegon Classic.

7. Dominika Cibulkova – 2,487 points.

Twelve months ago, Cibulkova was ranked No.56 after missing four-and-a-half months due to foot surgery. Now she’s one of the best players on tour, as evidenced by her RTS ranking at No.7. Cibulkova had a strong clay season, making the Mutua Madrid Open final, but her grass court season took everyone by surprise. The 27-year-old had so little faith in her grass court abilities that she scheduled her wedding on the day of the Wimbledon final.

Cibulkova won nine consecutive matches on grass, including her first grass title at the Aegon International, before making her first Wimbledon quarterfinal since 2011.

Dominika Cibulkova, Simona Halep

8. Simona Halep – 2,299 points.

After a slow start to the season due to illness and injury, Halep seems to have found a consistent base. It started with her title run on the clay courts of Madrid and it continued at Wimbledon, where she made the quarterfinals before losing to Kerber. The most important news for Halep: She’s healthy. An Achilles injury that knocked her out most of the grass court season never flared up at Wimbledon.

Last year Halep went on a tear through the North American hardcourt season, making back-to-back finals at the Rogers Cup and Western & Southern Open before making her first US Open semifinal. Can she do it again?

Hear from Halep’s coach Darren Cahill here:

9. Madison Keys – 2,121 points.

If the season were to end today, the 21-year-old American would be the first alternate in Singapore. Keys has soared up the rankings thanks to her sustained run of play across the clay and grass season. She marched her way to the finals of Rome, beating Muguruza en route, won the Aegon Classic, and made the Round of 16 at both the French Open and Wimbledon.

Hear from Keys, who made her Top 10 debut during the grass season here:

10. Svetlana Kuznetsova – 2,082 points.

The Russian veteran is sitting in the second alternate position, backing up her fairytale run to the final of the Miami Open with solid results at both Roland Garros and Wimbledon.

Hear from the resurgent Russian on how she resolved to improve on grass, leading her into the second week of the All England Club for the first time since 2008:

All photos courtesy of Getty Images.

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News | WTA Tennis English

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

MONTERREY, Mexico – World No.1 Angelique Kerber was taken to three sets by Italian veteran Francesca Schiavone but came away with a hard-fought victory in her opening match at the Abierto GNP Seguros.

A finalist here in 2013, Kerber was back in Monterrey after a three-year absence from the tournament and needed an hour and forty minutes to shake off the rust and move on 4-6, 6-0, 6-4 against the 36-year-old wildcard Schiavone.

“It was not so easy to find the rhythm in the first set, because she played very well from the first ball and I was trying to find my game,” Kerber told press after the victory.

“I was a little bit tight today, but after the second set I was playing my game and moving good. I’m happy that I stayed positive.”

Schiavone, who previously announced that this year would be the end of her nearly two-decade-long career, opened her final Monterrey campaign in commanding fashion against the World No.1. She broke early and raced ahead to a 3-0 lead before Kerber found her footing.

Kerber stayed patient to pounce on her first opportunity as the Italian faltered while serving out the set, striking her first double fault. The German came up with a laser-accurate forehand winner to finally earn the break back, but Schiavone calmly struck back in the next game to take the set.

The World No.1 finally found her range – and her forehands – in emphatic fashion in the second set, breaking Schiavone three times in a row and dropping just three points on her own serve to take the second set in less than 15 minutes and level the match.

After going down an early break in the third, Schiavone finally stopped the rot of Kerber’s eight games in a row. The Italian refused to fade away and stayed within touching distance, but wasn’t able to pressure the German’s serve the way she did in the first set. Kerber didn’t face any break points and stayed solid to serve out the match and take the hard-fought opening victory.

Kerber will take on Mandy Minella in the next round after the Luxembourger defeated Elitsa Kostova in a tight straight sets earlier in the day, 7-6(3), 6-3.

“I will be looking more on my side of the court,” Kerber said. “I’ll be trying to go out and enjoy the match and try to be aggressive. I think I’ve never played against her, but I think it will be a good match as well.”

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News | WTA Tennis English

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

CHARLESTON, SC, USA – Good friends and doubles partners Daria Kasatkina and No.9 seed Daria Gavrilova did battle for well over two hours at the Volvo Car Open, with Kasatkina emerging victorious, 6-3, 4-6, 6-0 to reach her second straight quarterfinal in Charleston.

“Today was very tough to play,” she said in her post-match press conference. “You go on court, you are tossing the ball for the serve and it goes in the tribune, you know. It was very difficult, and I was playing against my very good friend, so it was like double portion of toughness, but it was I think a good match, so I’m happy that I won.”

The pair’s last singles match came at the 2015 US Open, which Kasatkina won as a lucky loser in her Grand Slam main draw debut. Since then, the two have become fast friends and nearly upset Sania Mirza and Andrea Hlavackova earlier this week in doubles.

“Every tournament we are talking like, ‘Ah, imagine we play against each other.’ When the draws come out, we’re like, ‘For sure we play against each other first round,; and it never happens. And today we’ll go for dinner.”

On the singles court, it was the Russian who made the better start on a windy Thursday on stadium court, taking the opening set and breaking serve at the start of the second.

Gavrilova is three spots shy of the career-high ranking she first earned last fall, and battled through the blustery conditions to win four straight games to put the match nearly on level terms.

Kasatkina regained her rhythm from there, breaking the Aussie as she served for a decider, and engaged Gavrilova in a lengthy tenth game on her own serve before the No.9 seed took it on her fifth set point.

Still, the unseeded Russian took momentum into the third, breaking serve in the opening game and raced to a 5-0 lead, winning one last epic battle and converting the two hour, 17 minute victory of a service winner.

“In the second set my coach came on the court. He told me I was start to play quite soft, and I stopped moving. He was right, because in the third set I pushed myself to play more aggressive, to start to move with the legs, and I did the job.”

There were no hard feelings at net for the two combatants, showing off a choereographed handshake after a tough match.

“She was like, ‘Okay, let’s do the weird handshake. And I said, ‘Let’s go like fake handshake!’ So we just were trying to make some fun.”

“I had a few tough months. I couldn’t win a match,” she added, discussing a tough season that nonetheless saw her earn two wins over World No.1 Angelique Kerber. “So I came here with not a lot of expectations for sure. I was just happy that I came back on the clay so I can play my favorite tennis, and I’m happy that I’m moving on and I’m in the quarters here.”

Up next for Kasatkina is No.10 seed Irina-Camelia Begu, another 2016 quarterfinalist who stunned 2010 champion Samantha Stosur to start the day in Charleston.

“She will be very motivated because she lost our last two matches. For sure she will try to do her best, and she’s better on the clay for sure. All her best results are on the clay. And I lose our only clay court match in Rome last year. “So for sure I have to prepare well to show my best tennis tomorrow.”

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News | WTA Tennis English

News | WTA Tennis English

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

Injury kept Risa Ozaki from making her Miami Open debut in 2016, but the Japanese youngster made it count this spring, earning her career-best result at a Premier Mandatory tournament.

Qualifying for the main draw with a win over Julia Boserup, her tournament began with a win over Mutua Madrid Open semifinalist Louisa Chirico, and took a dramatic turn in a second round thriller against No.16 seed Kiki Bertens.

Playing well into the night thanks to rain delays, Ozaki outlasted Bertens in three tough sets to reach the third round. Keeping up that momentum, she pulled off one last upset against Julia Goerges, this time in straight sets.

Those wins earned her the right to battle World No.1 Angelique Kerber in the round of 16, where she ultimately fell in two.

Still, it was a banner week for the the 23-year-old, and looking to build on her new career-high ranking of No.72, Ozaki is your Breakthrough Player of the Month!

Risa Ozaki

Final Results for March’s WTA Breakthrough Performance Of The Month

1. Risa Ozaki (55%)
2. Kayla Day (45%)

2017 Breakthrough Performance Of The Month Winners

January: CoCo Vandeweghe
February: Kristina Mladenovic

How it works:

Finalists are selected by wtatennis.com
Winner is then determined by a fan vote on wtatennis.com

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Notes & Netcords: July 18, 2016

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

THE WINNERS

Top seed Simona Halep was nearly flawless in the final of the BRD Bucharest Open, putting on a clay court masterclass in her 6-0, 6-0 win against Anastasija Sevastova to claim her second hometown title in three years.

“I am very happy, especially because I won like this,” Halep said. “I was very strong, I was confident and I can also say I was determined from the very beginning.

“It was a beautiful final and it’s also my 13th title. I will never forget this day.”

Read the match recap here.

Over in the Swiss Alps, local favorite Viktorija Golubic capped off a dream week by winning her first WTA title at the inaugural Ladies Championship Gstaad. Golubic defeated Kiki Bertens 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 after a two-hour battle to claim the title in her home country.

Earlier in the year, Golubic’s performance at the Ricoh Open turned heads when she reached her first ever WTA-level quarterfinals. Now just over a month later, the 23-year-old has claimed her first WTA title.

“Yeah, it’s really amazing,” Golubic reflected on her meteoric rise. “In March, I qualified for Katowice and won one round – that was the first time in more than a year that I qualify for a WTA event. In ‘s-Hertogenbosch, I played quarterfinals. That was such a new experience too.

“From that point on I improved even more, and to be here now as a winner is really incredible and amazing feeling.”

Read the match recap here.

RANKING MOVERS:
Notable singles ranking movers for the week of July 18, 2016.

Viktorija Golubic (SUI) +33 (No.105 to 72): Golubic’s performance at the Ladies Championship Gstaad earned her a maiden WTA title in front of her home crowd, as well as this week’s biggest ranking jump. The 23-year-old now sits at a career-high of No.72.

Anastasija Sevastova (LAT) +17 (No.66 to 49): Despite the lopsided score line in the Bucharest final,

Kiki Bertens (NED) +5 (No.26 to 21): Golubic’s opponent in the Gstaad final also notched a big ranking jump this week. Bertens continues her steady climb with a new career-high of No.21, a hair away from breaking into the Top 20 for the first time.

Timea Bacsinszky (SUI), +2 (No.17 to 15): Another deep run – this time to the semifinals at her home tournament in Gstaad – bumps up Bacsinszky two spots to No.15.

UPCOMING TOURNAMENTS

Bank Of The West Classic
Standford, USA
Premier | $687,900 | Hard, Outdoor
Monday, July 18 – Sunday, July 24

Citi Open
Washington DC, USA
International | $226,750 | Hard, Outdoor
Monday, July 18 – Sunday, July 24

Ericsson Open
Bastad, Sweden
International | $226,750 | Hard, Outdoor
Monday, July 18 – Sunday, July 24

Rogers Cup
Montreal, Canada
Premier | $2,413,663 | Hard, Outdoor
Monday, July 25 – Sunday, July 31

Brasil Tennis Cup
Florianopolis, Brazil
International | $226,750 | Hard, Outdoor
Sunday, July 31 – Friday, August 5

Jiangxi Women’s Tennis Open
Nanchang, China
International | $226,750 | Hard, Outdoor
Monday, August 1 – August 7

TOP 20 PLAYER SCHEDULES
1. Serena Williams – Montreal
2. Angelique Kerber – Bastad, Montreal
3. Garbiñe Muguruza – Montreal
4. Agnieszka Radwanska – Montreal
5. Simona Halep – Montreal
6. Victoria Azarenka
7. Venus Williams – Stanford, Montreal
8. Roberta Vinci – Montreal
9. Carla Suárez Navarro – Montreal
10. Svetlana Kuznetsova – Montreal
11. Madison Keys – Montreal
12. Dominika Cibulkova – Stanford, Montreal
13. Petra Kvitova – Montreal
14. Samantha Stosur – Washington DC, Montreal
15. Timea Bacsinszky –
16. Belinda Bencic – Montreal
17. Karolina Pliskova – Montreal
18. Johanna Konta – Stanford – Montreal
19. Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova – Stanford, Montreal
20. Elina Svitolina – Montreal

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!
Best wishes to those celebrating birthdays this week:

Teliana Pereira (BRA) – July 20, 1988
Luksika Kumkhum (THA) – July 21, 1993

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News | WTA Tennis English

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

MONTERREY, Mexico – World No.1 Angelique Kerber needed an hour and twenty-three minutes to see off the defending champion Heather Watson in straight sets and book her spot into the semifinals of the Abierto BNP Seguros, 6-4, 6-4.

“I think it was a good match, especially at the end,” Kerber assessed in her post-match press conference.
“We both struggled a little bit but I’m happy to be in the semis right now.

“I tried to play my game aggressive, and it’s always tough to play against Heather, especially because she was the defending champion here. But I’m happy I’m through it.”

Although Kerber, a runner up here in 2013, drew first blood early on by grabbing an early break, Watson kept pace with the World No.1 for much of the opening exchanges. The Brit’s backhand was on song throughout the match, despite being the constant target of Kerber’s booming forehand.

Watson kept Kerber under constant pressure – she brought up five break chances to try to erase the German’s lead, but Kerber held on to her serve after a mammoth struggle.

She opened the second set with another comfortable break of the Watson serve, but the defending champion kept herself within touching distance, needing a nearly 10-minute game to hold serve and avoid going down a double break.

But despite being able to hang with the World No.1 in the baseline exchanges, Watson was never able to break down the Kerber serve. She went 0/8 on break opportunities – two of these chances coming while Kerber served for the match.

Carla Suárez Navarro lies in wait in the next round for Kerber – the No.4 seed ousted Alizé Cornet in straight sets, dropping just two games in the 6-1, 6-1, 57-minute demolition.

“I’ve played against Carla a lot of times before, and we always have tough battles. I think it will be another good match tomorrow, I know I will have to play good tennis.

“But the goal is just to try to enjoy the semis and try, of course, to win the next match.”

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