Charleston: Shelby Rogers vs Madison Keys
Shelby Rogers takes on Madison Keys in the second round of the Volvo Car Open.
Shelby Rogers takes on Madison Keys in the second round of the Volvo Car Open.
No.10 seed Irina-Camelia Begu downed No.6 seed Samantha Stosur in straight sets to return to the quarterfinals at the Volvo Car Open.
March was packed with plenty of amazing shots – we narrowed it down to the five best.
In the end, it was Caroline Wozniacki’s sneaky lob that took top honors. Taking on Lucie Safarova in the Miami Open quarterfinals, the former World No.1 relied on her full defensive arsenal against the big-hitting Czech veteran. As Safarova approached the net, the eventual finalist pulled off an impressive lob that left her opponent frozen at net.
Click here to watch all of March’s finalists.
Final Results for March’s WTA Shot Of The Month presented by Cambridge Global Payments
1. Caroline Wozniacki (36%)
2. Kirsten Flipkens (24%)
3. Venus Williams (22%)
4. Bethanie Mattek-Sands (10%)
5. Elena Vesnina (8%)
2017 WTA Shot of the Month Winners
January: Agnieszka Radwanska
February: Angelique Kerber
How it works:
Five shots are selected by wtatennis.com
Winner is then determined by a fan vote on wtatennis.com
The ITF has issued a ruling in the case of Maria Sharapova. An independent tribunal has found that Sharapova has committed an Anti-Doping Rule Violation, and has therefore been imposed a period of ineligibility of two years, commencing on January 26, 2016.
“It is important at all times for players to be aware of the rules and to follow them,” says WTA CEO Steve Simon. “In this case, Maria has taken responsibility for her mistake from the outset. The WTA supports the process that the ITF and Maria have followed. The ITF has made its ruling and, under the Tennis Anti-Doping Program, the decision may be appealed to the Court Arbitration for Sport. The WTA will continue to follow this closely and we hope it will be resolved as soon as possible.”
Sharapova released the following statement on her official Facebook page:
For more information, click here.
Doi, Jurak & Ostapenko Visit Children’s Hospital
Earlier in the week, Misaki Doi, Darija Jurak and later Jelena Ostapenko stopped by the MUSC Medical Center to visit kids in the hospital. The players hung out and played with the kids in the atrium of the children’s wing.
Atawo Hosts Special Olympics Tennis Clinic
Meanwhile, Raquel Atawo went and hit with the tennis players from the Special Olympics South Carolina. They ran through some drills and she gave them pointers on their game, and later answered all their questions at a Q&A session.
Also as a part of WTA Charities initiatives in Charleston, Ons Jabeur acted as a celebrity server at a fundraiser for special needs and disabilities and Kayla Day also paid a visit to Joint Base Charleston, a military base housing the United States and Charleston’s Navy and Air Force facilities.
Suárez Navarro Visits Monterrey Hospital
Meanwhile in Monterrey, Carla Suárez Navarro took time out of preparation for the Abierto GNP Seguros to visit the Christus Muguerza Hospital.
The Spaniard got the chance to meet and chat with the young patients there, who were in recovery from advanced scoliosis, and even signed some tennis balls for them as a keepsake.
See more photos of Suárez Navarro’s visit here!
Americans Get Artsy With Special Needs Athletes
Ashley Weinhold and Caitlin Whoriskey spent Tuesday morning with a group of athletes that are part of the Special Needs Athletes Association of Nuevo Leon.
The American players helped the athletes paste small scraps of tissue paper on a banner filling the Abierto GNP Seguros logo with bright colors, and the morning ended with everyone enjoying some tasty tacos.
Click here to see the finished product!
– All photos courtesy of Volvo Car Open and Abierto GNP Seguros
WTA Charities is the WTA’s global philanthropic organization dedicated to making a positive impact across the globe. Our mission is to be a social responsibility vehicle built on the WTA’s values to empower and provide for a better future. We’re dedicated to combining, strengthening and enhancing the community and charitable efforts of the WTA through its members (players, alumnae and tournaments), along with our partners.
Click here to see more WTA Charities activities!
Garbiñe Muguruza takes on Serena Williams in the final of Roland Garros.
Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova takes on Angelique Kerber in the final of the Abierto GNP Seguros.
Volvo Car Open semifinalist Mirjana Lucic-Baroni rose back into the Top 8 on the Road to Singapore leaderboard while World No.1 Angelique Kerber isn’t far behind.
BIEL/BIENNE, Switzerland – 17-year-old Czech qualifier Marketa Vondrousova put together a commanding performance to stun Kristyna Pliskova, 6-2, 7-5 and reach the first WTA semifinals of her career at the Ladies Open Biel Bienne.
Earlier in the week, Vondrousova was named to the Czech Republic’s Fed Cup squad, set to make her debut as the defending champions take on the United States in World Group semifinals. Now Vondrousova’s backed up yesterday’s upset over Annika Beck with a win over a player ranked spots above her to prove why team captain Petr Pala made the right choice.
“It’s so super, because I didn’t even know I could play that good!” Vondrousova said after the victory. “I’ve had a great season so far, and I played qualies here and I’m so glad I made it through and keep playing so good.
“I’m just trying to focus on every match, every point, and just play like I have nothing to lose. I am calm and I feel confident.”
17 year old qualifier Marketa Vondrousova makes first #WTA Semifinal!
Beats Pliskova 6-2, 7-5 at @WTABielBienne! pic.twitter.com/SpAMUXUGBg
— WTA (@WTA) 14 de abril de 2017
Playing in her first WTA quarterfinal, Vondrousova wasn’t cowed by the occasion or by the big Pliskova serve. She set the tone early on, breaking in Pliskova’s opening service game and keeping her under pressure through the match. She brought up 12 break opportunities across both sets and converted five to put away her countrywoman in an hour and 20 minutes.
She joins Anett Kontaveit and Aliaksandra Sasnovich in the semifinals and awaits the winner between top seed Barbora Strycova and No.7 seed Julia Goerges,
Earlier in the day, Kontaveit survived a complicated three-set battle against the fast-rising Elise Mertens to advance 7-5, 6-7(2), 6-1.
Kontaveit was two points away from the match while serving at 5-4 in the second set when Mertens came roaring back to force a tiebreaker and a deciding set. But the Estonian stayed calm to break three times and reel off six games in a row in the final set to shut down the comeback and move into the Biel/Bienne semifinals.
Anett Kontaveit is first through to @WTABielBienne Semifinals!
Outlasts Mertens 7-5, 6-7(2), 6-1! pic.twitter.com/X4US4Co2kS
— WTA (@WTA) 14 de abril de 2017
Also through to the semifinals is Belarusian qualifier Sasnovich, who diffused the fast-paced Camila Giorgi in straight sets, 6-4, 6-4.
The Italian led by a break in each set – she was up 3-1 in the first and 4-2 in the second – but couldn’t hang on to the lead. Her eight double faults proved costly, coming at crucial times and allowing Sasnovich to break six times during the match.
Aliaksandra Sasnovich reaches @WTABielBienne Semifinals!
Tops Giorgi 6-4, 6-! pic.twitter.com/DcHCt8uZ8O
— WTA (@WTA) 14 de abril de 2017
More to follow…
No.6 seed Caroline Garcia overcame a slow start and mounted a major comeback to beat Carina Witthoeft for a spot in the second round of the inaugural Mallorca Open.