Insider Podcast: Looking Back On A Stirring, Surprising 2016 Season
WTA Insider | The Insider team takes a long look back at the 2016 season’s ups and downs, Angelique Kerber’s rise to the top, and break down the best moments of the year.
WTA Insider | The Insider team takes a long look back at the 2016 season’s ups and downs, Angelique Kerber’s rise to the top, and break down the best moments of the year.
SINGAPORE – Johanna Konta has been overwhelmingly voted as 2016 WTA Most Improved Player Of The Year.
Konta has enjoyed her best season to date, starting at the Australian Open, where she became the first British woman to reach a Grand Slam semifinal since Jo Durie in 1983. She went on to match Durie in ranking as well as result, finally ending the drought of British women in the Top 10 after reaching the final of the China Open, a Premier Mandatory event.
In between, Konta captured her first WTA title at the Bank of the West Classic, stunning former No.1 and Stanford champion Venus Williams in three scintillating sets. In 10 matches against Top 10 players, Konta won six encounters, and also has a 12-2 record in tie-breaks – the second best on the tour this season.
Her achievements have not gone unnoticed and she received 40 votes, ahead of Monica Puig with five, Kiki Bertens with three and Laura Siegemund with one.
Thank you everyone who voted!!!! https://t.co/jYI9R9pz2s
— Johanna Konta (@JoKonta91) October 21, 2016
WTA Most Improved Player Winners
2016: Johanna Konta
2015: Timea Bacsinszky
2014: Eugenie Bouchard
2013: Simona Halep
2012: Sara Errani
2011: Petra Kvitova
2010: Francesca Schiavone
2009: Yanina Wickmayer
2008: Dinara Safina
2007: Ana Ivanovic
2006: Jelena Jankovic
2005: Ana Ivanovic
Complete listing of the historical WTA Awards.
Angelique Kerber and Simona Halep have been drawn in the same group for the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global, which starts on Sunday.
The German, who will finish the year as World No.1, is seeded top for the tournament and she has avoided an early meeting with defending champion Agnieszka Radwanska.
Kerber, who is bidding to qualify from the round robin stage of the WTA Finals for the first time, has been drawn in the Red Group, alongside Halep, the winner of three titles in 2016, Dominika Cibulkova, whose late-season from carried her into the tournament and Madison Keys, who has reached a career high of World No.7 this year.
Radwanksa, who defeated Petra Kvitova in last year’s final, leads the White Group, which also features Garbiñe Muguruza, who won her first-ever Grand Slam at the French Open in June. Karolina Pliskova, who was defeated by Kerber in the final of the US Open, is the final known player in the group, with one place yet to be determined.
That spot will be filled by the Brit Johanna Konta unless Svetlana Kuznetsova wins the Kremlin Cup. The Russian plays Elina Svitolina in the semi-final in Moscow later on Friday.
Read: Kerber, Radwanska Lead Red & White Groups In WTA Finals Round Robin Draw
The partnership of SAP and the WTA took home the award for Best Partnership, Single Sport, on Friday’s 2016 Sports Technology Awards.
The Sports Technology Awards celebrate breakthrough technologies in sports. The partnership between SAP and the WTA triumphed over other successful entities including WSC Sports/NBA and Toshiba/Rugby World Cup 2015.
In 2013, SAP and the WTA began working together to create solutions in order to elevate the sport for players, coaches and fans. Last year at the Bank of the West Classic, SAP and the WTA unveiled SAP Tennis Analytics for Coaches, which gives coaches access to real-time performance data during live match play.
SAP and the WTA were also shortlisted for Best Use of Technology by a Sponsor. To see all winners and nominees from the 2016 Sports Technology Awards, click here.
To read more about SAP and the WTA partnership, click here.
An interview with Svetlana Kuznetsova after her win in the final of the Kremlin Cup.
Speaking to the media for the first time since facing down a knife-wielding intruder in her Prostejov flat, Petra Kvitova delivered a strong address to the tennis world, vowing to look towards a bright future where she returns to the court once again.
“While what has happened to me was very scary, I do not see myself as a victim,” she said in a statement. “I do not feel sorry for myself, and I will not look backwards.”
Kvitova was attacked in her home on Monday, suffering multiple lacerations in her left hand as she fought off the attacker, posing as a gas inspector. Following a surgery that repaired two nerves, Kvitova’s doctor recommended the two-time Wimbledon champion not resume training for at least six months, and can bear no weight in that hand at all for up to three.
“I will use all my energy to focus on my recovery, and will do everything I can to return to the sport I love as soon as possible.”
The former world No.2 finished 2016 on a high note, winning the Huajin Securities WTA Elite Trophy Zhuhai without dropping a set; though she fell out of the Top 10 earlier in the season, she finished the year ranked No.11, and appeared poised to make a strong surge back up the rankings – even as a foot injury attempted to derail her pre-season.
Updating fans on her recovery, Kvitova discussed being able to move the fingers in her left hand for the first time since the attack, describing it as “the greatest Christmas present I could have wished for.”
Check out Kvitova’s full press conference below (in Czech), and click here to read the full transcript of the Czech star’s statement, in English.
BOGOTA, Colombia – Irina Falconi and Sílvia Soler-Espinosa will meet for the first time as they face off on Sunday in the final of the Claro Open Colsanitas, after advancing past tough semifinal matchups in three-set battles.
The Ecuadorian-born American Falconi overcame a mid-match wobble to move past the on-fire Lara Arruabarrena, who had only dropped five games in the three matches leading up the semifinals. But the Spaniard couldn’t find any answers for Falconi’s dictating play or her short-angled inside out forehands in the day’s first semifinal match.
Arruabarrena quickly found herself down a set and 2-4, but she was able to bring herself back from the brink of defeat as Falconi’s groundstrokes misfired. The American held steady in the third set though, breaking early to get a lead ahead at 3-1, and hanging on to win the match 6-3, 4-6, 6-2 after almost two hours.
Falconi, who is into her first WTA final at the Claro Open Colsanitas, is set to face Soler-Espinosa for the title, who overcame a tough challenge from Brazil’s No.2, Paula Cristina Goncalves.
The 25-year-old from Sao Paolo has found great success on the South American red clay: she made her WTA main draw debut in Rio de Janeiro, where she made the quarterfinals and her semifinal appearance here in Bogota is her career best. By contrast, Soler-Espinosa came to Bogota having only won one match all year. She found her game on the red clay, and in the last round she ended Amra Sadikovic’s fairytale comeback – the Swiss retired in 2014 and reached the quarterfinals in her WTA return this week.
Goncalves found her usually reliable serves under fire early on. She lead the pack having hit 22 aces in three matches, but against Soler-Espinosa she was broken in the fifth game of the match, giving the Spaniard just enough of an edge to take the opening set. They stayed in touching distance during the second set, with Goncalves recovering from 2-4 down to force a tiebreak and send the match into a deciding set. But the tide turned as the Brazilian lost her serve in the longest game of the match to go down 2-4 again in the final set. Soler-Espinosa didn’t let her escape a second time, though, and booked her spot in the final 6-4, 6-7(4), 6-2.
More to come…
“Of course, it’s always great to be back in the place that you have a lot of good memories,” Radwanska told reporters during All-Access Hour on Saturday. “As you know, time flies, so I really feel like it was a week ago. It’s always great to come back, especially [as]I really hope that I can still play my best tennis here and try to do the same [as last year].”
While much of the focus on Radwanska’s recent surge has been on her success through Asia, her initial improvements began over the summer on North American hardcourts. She is 21-4 since the Olympic break, winning two titles at the Connecticut Open and Beijing. She comes into Singapore on an eight-match win streak.
.@ARadwanska came to @WTAFinalsSG early, feels the court's gotten faster through a week of practice, esp compared to last year. pic.twitter.com/7lEGgkXd3P
— WTA Insider (@WTA_insider) October 22, 2016
“I think I had really great couple of weeks in Asia, so I’m feeling good. I’m pretty confident,” she said. “I just hope I can keep it up and really play the same good tennis that I was playing especially in the China Open.
“There is always a little bit more pressure when you really have to defend a big title, a lot of points. But on the other hand, when you’re Top 5, Top 10, you’re pretty much defending every week, more or less. So just trying not to really think about it and of course just try to repeat what I did last year.”
Radwanska will begin her campaign on Monday when the White Group gets underway, but as of Saturday morning she did not know who she would be playing. Radwanska is set to play the No.8 qualifier, which will be either Johanna Konta or Svetlana Kuznetsova. The Russian can knock Konta out of the eighth qualifying spot if she wins the Kremlin Cup on Saturday. The uncertainty shouldn’t bother the Pole. Tennis players regularly get less than 24 hours’ notice of their opponent during regular tournament weeks.
In addition to either Konta or Kuznetsova, Radwanska will also face Roland Garros champion Garbiñe Muguruza and US Open finalist Karolina Pliskova in round-robin play.
“I think it’s always very interesting because pretty much every match is 50/50 and you’re really going to see good tennis,” Radwanska said.
And will there be any more trick shots on tap in Singapore for the WTA’s Hot Shots leader? Radwanska explained the technique behind her signature style.
“Well, I think sometimes when you have this half a second to think what you going to do with the shot, I think most of the players maybe will hit as strong as possible,” she said. “I’m the one maybe just to want to do something else, because I can’t really hit as strong as the others. So that’s why I was always trying to do something else. Just use my hands.”
SINGAPORE – No.3 seed Simona Halep made an impressive start as round-robin play got underway on Sunday. Making her third BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global appearance, Halep dismissed No.6 seed Madison Keys, 6-2, 6-4, to move into first place in the Red Group.
Watch live action from Singapore this week at WTA Live Powered By TennisTV!
“I felt very well on court today,” she said after the match. “It was better that I knew her. I played [her a] few times this year. I won every time, so I had an advantage.
“But still I played good tennis. I think I played exactly what I had to play against her. I was focused, everything went as I wanted, so I’m happy with the way that I played.”
Emerging onto Centre Court following the opening ceremonies, Halep converted her fourth break point in a long third game to grab the early momentum from Keys, herself a WTA Finals debutante.
“I played in Montréal against her and the court there was faster, the game. I felt really a lot [of] her power.
“[The court] here was less. I could maneuverate [sic] the game as I wanted. The ball is staying low here, so I think [it] fits me. It’s good that I can be strong on my legs.”
A sensational backhand pass from @Simona_Halep to now serve for the match! #WTAFinals pic.twitter.com/Na7q8vXvfF
— WTA (@WTA) October 23, 2016
Falling behind a set and a break to the confident Romanian, Keys took a coaching timeout with Thomas Hogstedt that helped her break serve for the first time all match, but was ultimately undone by 41 unforced errors to only 16 winners.
“I just think having a match under my belt there is a little bit less nerves going out next time and I can go and play with nothing to lose,” Keys noted in her post-match press conference.
“But I think I the biggest thing is just being excited that I am getting to go out and play another match here.”
.@Simona_Halep talked to @AndrewKrasny about her win vs Keys in the @WTAFinalsSG opening match #WTAFinals pic.twitter.com/no7cASgreb
— WTA (@WTA) October 23, 2016
Hitting five winners to 12 errors of her own, Halep kept her cool and her consistency to break straight back on a sensational backhand pass. On her third opportunity, she served out the win in one hour and eight minutes.
The former World No.2 moves into the lead in the Red Group, while Keys will need strong performances in her next two matches to have a chance of making the semifinals.
“The atmosphere is like I’m home every time I play, so it’s really nice,” Halep said. “I saw many flags in the crowd, so [that] makes it special.”
Click here to catch up with the match courtesy of the WTA Insider Live Blog, as well as an exclusive Insider Reaction.
ISTANBUL, Turkey – No.6 seed Nao Hibino overcame a slow start to defeat wildcard Dayana Yastremska and book her place in the second round of the TEB BNP Paribas Istanbul Cup.
Watch live action from Stuttgart & Istanbul this week on WTA Live powered by TennisTV!
Having played just a handful of clay court tournaments during her time on the ITF Circuit, Hibino’s unfamiliarity with the surface was betrayed by a number of tumbles. And by the start of the second set she looked to be slipping out of the tournament as World No.509 Yastremska threatened to move a double break ahead.
However, the Japanese player hung on, drawing herself level before breaking decisively in the final game of the set when Yastremska erred on the forehand wing. With confidence now coursing through her veins, Hibino reeled off 12 of the next 14 points to take a stranglehold of the match. It was a grip she would not relinquish, wrapping up a 2-6, 6-4, 6-3 with a crosscourt backhand winner.
“I didn´t know how she played. I struggled in the first set, but I found a way to win as the match went on,” Hibino said. “This is the first proper clay court season of my career. I practiced very hard in Japan. It was tough but I got used to the clay and hope to feel better on it in my next match.”
In the only other main draw match, No.5 seed Danka Kovinic recorded a straightforward 6-3, 6-3 victory over Kurumi Nara. Meanwhile, in the final round of qualifying there were wins for Maria Sakkari, Kristina Kucova and Sorana Cirstea.
