WTA Net Dash: Daria Gavrilova
Daria Gavrilova makes her first attempt at the WTA Net Dash. Check out her personal best right here.
Daria Gavrilova makes her first attempt at the WTA Net Dash. Check out her personal best right here.
Elina Svitolina closed out a competitive Aussie squad while Fed Cup debutantes Natalia Vikhlyantseva and Rebecca Sramkova sealed impressive World Group II wins over Chinese Taipei and Italy, respectively.
Catch up on how Day 2 went down:
UKRAINE WINS!!! @ElinaSvitolina defeats #Gavrilova 63 62 and ?? will advance to the World Group play-offs in April! pic.twitter.com/ysCalK39Gl
— Fed Cup (@FedCup) February 12, 2017
Ukraine 3-1 Australia
Svitolina started off Day 1 with a comeback win over Ashleigh Barty, and picked up where she left off against Daria Gavrilova, taking a 6-3, 6-2 win to lead Ukraine back into World Group I Play-Offs.
Not content to leave Kharkiv empty-handed, Australia pulled off a thrilling three-set win in the doubles rubber, with former Grand Slam finalists Barty and Casey Dellacqua beating Nadiia Kichenok and Olga Savchuk, 6-2, 2-6, 10-8.
Thanks THE TEAM???!!!! @FedCup #fedcup #goukraine pic.twitter.com/unhytgkovG
— Lesia Tsurenko (@LTsurenko) February 12, 2017
Russia 3-1 Chinese Taipei
Coming into Day 2 on level terms, it was up to the experienced Ekaterina Makarova to keep her young teammates ahead in Moscow. Her opponent has had success against big-time Russians in the past, having knocked out then-World No.1 Dinara Safina back in 2009 at the Toray Pan Pacific Open, and was eager for another upset on Sunday.
#RUSTPE @katemakarova1 defeats Chang #KaiChen 64 75 to give Russia a 2-1 lead over Chinese Taipei! pic.twitter.com/Rc1nsh34po
— Fed Cup (@FedCup) February 12, 2017
Twice recovering from deficits against the former World No.85, Makarova edged over the finish line, 6-4, 7-5, opening the door for rising teen sensation Natalia Vikhlyantseva to clinch the tie.
Fresh off a run to the St. Petersburg Ladies Trophy semifinal, Vikhlyantseva put down a decisive, 6-1, 6-2 win over Lee Ya-Hsuan.
The ?? team celebrates its victory in the #FedCup World Group II first round pic.twitter.com/1xUBxHWUCk
— Fed Cup (@FedCup) February 12, 2017
The win earned praise froum countrywoman and reigning Olympic Gold medalist Elena Vesnina, who thought the youngster handled the situation like an old pro:
Ура!!!Девчонки молодцы!???А Наташа Вихлянцева без нервов,как-будто на опыте,всегда решающие одиночки играет?Браво!#fedcup #ShowYourColours
— Elena Vesnina (@EVesnina001) February 12, 2017
Slovakia 3-2 Italy
Italy won their fourth Fed Cup title in 2013, but could be on the verge of relegation into Zonal play after a shocking loss to Slovakia.
Level after Day 1, former World No.5 Daniela Hantuchova earned her first Top 50 win since 2015 to defeat Sara Errani, 6-2, 6-0, setting the stage for a tense fourth rubber between Rebecca Sramkova and Francesca Schiavone.
#ITASVK Daniela #Hantuchova wins the first set against #Errani, taking it 62! Can she put ?? 2-1 up in the tie? pic.twitter.com/5nsOYkMQZY
— Fed Cup (@FedCup) February 12, 2017
The 2010 French Open champion declared 2017 would be her last, but couldn’t tap into that inspiration against an on-fire Sramkova, who hit through the Italian veteran in her Fed Cup debut.
Clinching the tie, 6-2, 6-4, Slovakia moved onto the World Group I Play-Offs, while Italy faces a must-win tie to prevent descending into the Euro-Africa Zone for the first time since 1997.
SLOVAKIA WINS!!! @RebeccaSramkova defeats #Schiavone 62 64 to send ?? into April's #FedCup World Group play-offs! pic.twitter.com/FWfKN9PI1Z
— Fed Cup (@FedCup) February 12, 2017
Belgium 3-1 Romania
Belgium pulled off an dramatic win over Romania, with Elise Mertens taking a 3-6, 7-5, 7-5 win over Irina-Camelia Begu.
Mertens started the year debuting in the Top 100 with a title run at the Hobart International, and held her nerve to see off Begu and clinch the tie for Belgium.
Romania roared into World Group back in 2015 with the help of former World No.2 Simona Halep, but with Halep nursing an injured knee, the 2014 French Open finalist could only watch from the sidelines as her team falls to within one match of returning to Euro-Africa Zone I.
Great team = great victory. Congrats @yaninawickmaye8, @FlipperKF, @zanevskamaryna & @elise_mertens! #FedCup #ROUBEL pic.twitter.com/Gsff53iu6b
— BelgianFedCupTeam (@FedCupBelgium) February 12, 2017
Serena Williams’s mom Oracene Price says her daughter is the happiest she’s ever been – with silverware in her hands and a ring on her finger.
We all love colorful prints and vibrant colors in tennis outfits, but isn’t it nice to get back to basics from time to time? Let’s hand it over to Marija Zivlak of Women’s Tennis Blog and see the pure whites that tennis apparel companies prepared for Wimbledon 2016.
Serena Williams will try to defend her title in the NikeCourt Premier Dress, whose mock neck is a new aesthetic in the world number one’s tennis fashion. The skirt design is the continuation of Williams’ looks from the previous 2016 Grand Slams, while two tiers of pleats in the back add a special flash of style.
Eugenie Bouchard and other NikeCourt team athletes will wear the NikeCourt Premier Slam Dress, which means that skirt-top combinations are taking a back seat. Stunning power pleats that stretch all the way from the chest of this simple swing silhouette make this a truly unique piece that has daringly departed quite a bit from a classic tennis dress. When it comes to the much-talked-about length of the dress, Bouchard says that it’s perfect.
adidas’ Climachill collection is equipped with a trio of advanced technologies that provide an instant chilling sensation and lower the body temperature, an ideal choice for high temperatures.
Industry-first 3D aluminium-cooling spheres on the back and neck, the warmest parts of the body, have an immediate cooling effect on contact, mesh-like micro fibres take moisture away from the skin, and SubZero flat yarns containing titanium maximize surface contact with the skin, thus transferring the heat away from the body.
Stella McCartney’s adidas line stands out with the abundance of laser-cut holes that serve both as fashionable elements and as functional features that improve breathability. The collection’s supreme performance is supported by Climacool and Climalite heat regulation.
Caroline Wozniacki has the adidas Fall Stella Barricade Primeknit Dress ready for her Wimbledon campaign. Besides the stylish abundance of holes in the skirt, the dress is specific for its scoop neck and back and engineered mesh fabric in targeted breathability zones. Last year’s runner-up Garbiñe Muguruza is expected to wear one of the top-skirt ensembles from the London collection. One possible combination includes the adidas Stella McCartney Core Tank, which features a large mesh section at upper back, and the adidas Fall Stella McCartney Skirt, that includes exposed elastic waistband.
Venus Williams’ EleVen Game Day Dress is a classy cap-sleeve item with very subtle details: a boomerang-shaped contrast binding at waistband and light silver company logo at center chest.
Agnieszka Radwanska’s clean white Lotto look consists of the Nixia Dress made from lightweight fabrics that even the most demanding players feel comfortable in. The clean and elegant style combines technical and breathable materials with a large mesh back panel for added heat control and touch of femininity. The Stratosphere W shoes are designed to take your footwork to new heights, owing to their advanced cushioning and responsiveness, as well as maximum transpiration.
New Balance’s WTA players, led by Heather Watson, will wear the white version of the popular Spring Tournament Dress, which captivates with its sleek strappy racerback and subtle functional details such as the “N” houndstooth burnout mesh back panel. The 996v2 tennis shoes are made for players that want a stable shoe which rises up to the challenge during sharp lateral movements.
For the second Grand Slam in a row Fila’s Jelena Jankovic will exhibit Marion Bartoli’s tennis designs. The all-white Trophee collection contains six pieces of clothing created by the 2013 Wimbledon champion: a dress, a tank, two skort styles, a blazer, and pants. Details such as mesh inserts and a feminine flounce adorn the collection.
Other representatives of Fila will wear the Lawn collection which boasts a selection of tops, dresses and two different lengths of skorts. These Wimbledon whites are focused on waist-accentuating cut lines stylized with details such as curved seam lines, princess seams, and pintuck accents. The promo image shows Yaroslava Shvedova in the Fila Lawn Full Coverage Tank, which brings all the attention to the waist by a strategic use of pintuck detail at sides and peplum-inspired curved hem.
Lacoste’s designs are never too far from tradition and their Wimbledon collection is along those lines as well, although in these promotional photos of Elena Vesnina, Dominika Cibulkova and Christina McHale we can see that quite a bit of color is included in the clothes prepared for the grass-court Grand Slam, as each item has a pop of blue and fluo yellow colorblocking.
As we can see, even within Wimbledon’s strict clothing rules, there are limitless possibilities for unique and breathtaking designs.
Watch all the best shots from this week at the Qatar Total Open – right here on wtatennis.com!
LONDON, England – There are fast starts and there are fast starts. And Sabine Lisicki’s opening game at this year’s Wimbledon certainly falls into the latter category.
Three aces and another booming serve down the T saw Lisicki wrap up the opening game of her first-round match with Shelby Rogers in just 52 seconds.
The German, a finalist at the All England Club in 2013, barely slowed down as the match progressed, living up to her ‘Boom Boom’ nickname by hitting 19 winners and wrapping up a 6-1, 6-3 victory after a minute shy of one hour on court.
In the second round she will face Samantha Stosur, a 7-5, 6-3 winner over Magda Linette.
Sabine Lisicki wastes no time.
She won her first #Wimbledon 2016 game in under a minute. https://t.co/6mq8IcASjj pic.twitter.com/rfpHZg2Gou
— BBC Tennis (@bbctennis) June 27, 2016
Olympic champion Monica Puig advanced to the second round of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships after defeating Yaroslava Shvedova 6-3, 4-6, 6-4.
“My serving was pretty good today so I think I just believed that I could serve it out and be as positive as I could,” said Puig. “She played a great match, she put me under pressure a lot and I’m just happy to get through.”
Following a confidence-building run to the semifinals of the Qatar Total Open, Puig continued her rich vein of form by taking the opening set 6-3 but squandered a handful of break points against the Kazakh’s serve before being broken twice to lose a tight second set 6-4.
.@MonicaAce93 downs Shvedova 6-3, 4-6, 6-4!
Plays @CaroGarcia next in @DDFTennis Second round! pic.twitter.com/xHzY75zLu1
— WTA (@WTA) February 20, 2017
Puig took an injury timeout before the start of the decider and it seemed to have the desired effect as the Puerto Rican gained the decisive opening break in the seventh game for a 4-3 lead before serving out for the win.
“There was just some soreness,” Puig said after appearing to be in back pain. “I came from the semis in Doha so obviously I need to get my body as recovered as possible but I’m feeling good after this win.”
Victory for Puig marks her best run in Dubai in only her second appearance and she next faces France’s Caroline Garcia, who beat Johanna Larsson on Sunday.
“I know she (Garcia) is a very feisty player. She plays really well and she’s had a great couple of years so I have to go out there and play my best game and whatever happens, happens but I’m just happy with what I’m doing.”
For Shvedova, her challenging start to the season continues. She made 44 unforced errors and 11 double faults and is yet to win a match in 2017.
DUBAI, UAE –
Garbiñe Muguruza has taken quite a climb in the last 12 months, winning her maiden major title at the French Open. The Spaniard climbed even higher before kicking off her campaign at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships, scaling the world’s tallest building at the Burj Khalifa.“I’m very excited to see what’s upstairs!” said the No.5 seed before beginning her journey up into the heavens.
Muguruza enjoyed a leisurely ride up the world’s fastest elevator to take in the view from the observation deck on the 148th floor.
“I’ve been told when you’re up this high, you can see the earth starting to curve,” she mused.
Muguruza plays her opening round match on Tuesday against Kateryna Bondarenko; check out the rest of her trip to the Burj Khalifa right here on wtatennis.com!
After a rollercoaster week in Doha, World No.3 Karolina Pliskova took home the title, posting back to back wins over Dominika Cibulkova and Caroline Wozniacki along the way. Her efforts vault her into the No.2 spot on the Road To Singapore leaderboard, leapfrogging past Australian Open finalist Venus Williams.
She’s now the first player to win two WTA titles in 2017, and she’s also 15 of the 16 matches she’s played this year (including Fed Cup).
“I don’t feel like I lost just once! I feel like I lost more times but it didn’t happen and I got two trophies. Yeah, it’s an amazing start [to the season],” Pliskova told WTA Insider after her win in Doha.
“It’s always tough after the off-season to get in a good shape at the tournaments and get back on track. I think it’s the best that I’ve ever had and the longest streak of winning matches that I had.”
Another major RTS move this week belongs to reigning BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global champion Dominika Cibulkova, who reached the semifinals in Doha to storm into the Top 8.
Here are the biggest moves on the Road To Singapore this week:
Karolina Pliskova +2 (No.4 to No.2)
Venus Williams -1 (No.2 to No.3)
Johanna Konta -1 (No.3 to No.4)
Dominika Cibulkova +6 (No.14 to No.8)
Elina Svitolina -1 (No.8 to No.9)
Caroline Wozniacki +20 (No.29 to No.9)
Click here to check out the full Road to Singapore leaderboard, updated as of February 20th.
DUBAI, UAE – Day 2 of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships got underway in earnest as Monica Puig and Kristina Mladenovic scored solid wins while former World No.1 Caroline Wozniacki put on a decisive display against young Russian Daria Kasatkina.
Catch up on the top stories right here, courtesy of WTA Insider:
.@CaroWozniacki happy to be back at @DDFTennis! pic.twitter.com/YhEYAbveOt
— WTA (@WTA) February 20, 2017
Caroline Wozniacki welcomes Sascha Bajin to the team.
Less than 48 hours after playing the final at the Qatar Total Open, Caroline Wozniacki was back on court in Dubai, scoring a solid 6-2, 7-5 win over Daria Kasatkina in the first round. In her player’s box for the second week in the row was a familiar face, Sascha Bajin, former hitting partner to Serena Williams and coach to Victoria Azarenka. Wozniacki and Bajin are working together until Charleston, when they plan to re-evaluate the set-up, but so far so good. The Dane is now 5-1 since their partnership began last week.
With the experience he brings to the table, Bajin is more than just a traveling hitting partner for Wozniacki. He’s more of a “hitting partner plus”.
“He helps my dad,” Wozniacki said. “He looks at the matches, too. He scouts and they talk a lot what they feel I can improve on and things like that. He comes with inputs and practices. He’s definitely a hitter plus. Assistant coach, I guess.”
Good win today! On to the next one! @DDFTennis pic.twitter.com/FBUwYIlj7L
— Caroline Wozniacki (@CaroWozniacki) February 20, 2017
Before joining forces with Bajin, Wozniacki said she ran the arrangement past Serena to get her blessing.
“I definitely talked to Serena about it,” Wozniacki said. “Just wanted to hear. And also how she feels about me working with him. You just want to know that you don’t clash. She said he’s a very hard worker, and she has nothing bad to say about him. She likes him a lot.”
Riske moves to 8-2 on the season (includes Fed Cup). Not easy playing a compatriot, but as she says, Americans have to get used to it. pic.twitter.com/4AZlfM48do
— WTA Insider (@WTA_insider) February 20, 2017
The Americans run wild on Day 2.
Alison Riske got the better of her Fed Cup teammate CoCo Vandeweghe, putting in a focused effort to knock out the No.11 seed 6-4, 6-4. Christina McHale beat No.13 seed Kiki Bertens 6-7(5), 6-3, 6-4, while Catherine Bellis notched the most surprising result of the day, beating Yulia Putintseva 6-1 7-5.
The shortest straw had to go to Riske, who just over a week ago was playing alongside Vandeweghe in Hawaii for her Fed Cup debut. Riske admitted the match-up was awkward, but with the insurgence of Americans in the Top 100, it’s something they’re all going to have to get used to.
“It can be difficult, especially we just had the best week together at Fed Cup. So it was unfortunate that we played each other first round. But at the end of the day you have to focus on you, and there are so many Americans now in the top. We are all friends, or at least I feel like we are,” she said with a laugh.
“We’re going to be [playing] each other week in and week out, and it’s something that we’ve got to get used to. You just have to focus on you and not worry about the other person on the other side of net.”
Bellis on her comeback from 1-5 down in the second set. #DDFtennis pic.twitter.com/2wraveZ16M
— WTA Insider (@WTA_insider) February 20, 2017
CiCi Bellis starts her season with an upset.
Catherine Bellis’ start of the season was derailed by hamstring and glute injuries, forcing her to skip January. In her first main draw match of the year, the 17-year-old American conjured a stunning comeback, rallying from 1-5 down in the second set to beat St. Petersburg finalist Yulia Putintseva 6-1, 7-5.
“I got myself in a bit of trouble in the second set, but I’m glad I got out of it,” Bellis said. “I just thought to myself, stick to my game plan, just keep steady, I can come back.
“I can come back against anyone I set my mind to. I’m really glad I got through it.”
The youngest player ranked in the Top 100, Bellis said her two qualifying matches last week in Doha helped her find her match rhythm quickly. “I think it was a little bit nerve-wracking just in certain parts of it, because I’m still getting used to matches again and getting back into the season. But I think it went well. I didn’t feel too rusty.”
.@KikiMladenovic on what has clicked in her game over the last few weeks. #DDFtennis pic.twitter.com/NW3GQ6FcWz
— WTA Insider (@WTA_insider) February 20, 2017
Kristina Mladenovic readies for the Pliskova challenge.
The Frenchwoman is on a roll as of late, winning six of her last seven matches, including a strong 6-3, 6-3 win over Katerina Siniakova on Monday. Next up? The hottest player on tour: Karolina Pliskova.
“It’s a big challenge. First of all, we know each other very well. I mean, we are great friends. We always had tough matches, especially the last one.”
Last season, Mladenovic finished her singles season with a 6-3, 4-6, 16-14 loss to Pliskova in the Fed Cup final. It’s a match that still haunts her. “When I think about it, I still have the ‘I don’t want to see you that soon again’ [feeling],” Mladenovic said laughing. “That was a long one that I had in my mind for quite a long time because it was at the end of the season, and it was a tough one, a tough loss for our team.
“But she’s definitely up there, on fire, like full confidence, I have to say. She’s been improving like for the last two or three years like all the time and being now like a serious tough player, like she proved it with lots of titles already. And especially her game, it’s tough. It’s tough to play. You know, you have to be very, very consistent, try to read her serve, especially. That’s her biggest weapon. So I’m expecting a very difficult match.”
Ana Konjuh said she got her Wednesday after Fed Cup, had lots of time to adjust to conditions. It showed. Lost one game to Zhang. #DDFtennis
— WTA Insider (@WTA_insider) February 20, 2017
Ana Konjuh drops just one game to Zhang Shuai.
The 19-year-old rolled in her opening match, winning 6-0, 6-1 to score the first main draw win of her career in Dubai. Next she’ll get her first look at No.12 seed Sam Stosur. When asked if there are any specific players she’s looking forward to playing for the first time, the Croatian teenager’s eyes lit up.
“I haven’t played Serena,” she said with bit smile. “And I grew up watching her, and I think it will be a dream come true to share the court. I think, you know, she’s a legend. Hopefully that day is gonna come soon.”