Indian Wells: Elena Vesnina's Road To The Final
See how Elena Vesnina progressed to the final of the BNP Paribas Open.
See how Elena Vesnina progressed to the final of the BNP Paribas Open.
Long-time doubles partners Andrea Hlavackova and Lucie Hradecka took to the court together once more at the Tianjin Open – as singles opponents – with the latter emerging victorious, 7-5, 6-4.
The Czech pair have long teamed up as doubles partners with great success, winning the 2011 French Open and 2013 US Open titles together. They will play together once more in a fortnight’s time at the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global.
However, their personal friendship was put to one side in Tianjin and Hradecka has admitted that it felt bizarre to meet Hlavackova for the fourth time in her career.
“You know, it was a tough match playing against Andrea,” she said after the match.
“It’s always tough because we play with each other in doubles and we’re going for the Masters. It’s really tough, you have to concentrate. It’s a strange situation, certainly.
“I’m so happy that I’m through and I’m looking forward to the next match.”
Looking forward, Hradecka says she and Hlavackova are excited to play in the Singapore, which gets underway on October 23.
“We’re looking forward to being in Singapore again, it’s great that we did it this year as well. You know, I think we’re both so excited to be there with the best doubles players in the world.”
Check out SAP’s stat of the day from the final of the BNP Paribas Open.
TIANJIN, China – Monica Puig booked her place in the second round of the Tianjin Open on Tuesday with a straight sets victory over Kurumi Nara.
The Puerto Rican made a slow start to the match, being broken in the opening game but she soon recovered, breaking back to level the score at 2-2 before moving ahead at 5-3 and serving out the set.
She soon skipped into a 5-2 lead in the second but, serving for the match, she lost four straight games and was forced to confirm her victory via a tie-break.
“I’m really excited to be back here in Tianjin and I’m really excited to have won my first match, so I’m really looking forward to continuing and playing some good tennis,” she said after the game.
Commenting on the colder conditions in Tiajin, she said: “I just try and warm up my body as much as possible before going out onto the court so I don’t feel that cold but you have to deal with it in the end.”
Meanwhile, American qualifier Shelby Rogers scored an eye-catching win over No.3 seed Elena Vesnina. Serving at 5-6 in the first set, the Russian succumbed to the pressure and went down 7-5.
The 30-year-old rallied in the second set, claiming it 6-4 but, having fought back from a break down in the decider, her tournament was ended on a tie-break.
Another American to cause an upset was Alison Riske, who overcame fourth seed Timea Babos in three sets. Having cruised through the first set 6-2, the Hungarian was broken late in the second to level proceedings.
Riske raced into a 3-0 lead with two breaks in the decider and though Babos recovered one, the 26-year-old held her nerve to claim a big-name scalp.
Puig, Rogers and Riske will be joined in the second round by Magda Linette, who beat Nina Stojanovic in straight sets, Naomi Osaka knocked out eighth seed Yaroslava Shvedova, 6-4, 6-2, Lara Arruabarrena overcame Fangzhou Liu in three and Evgeniya Rodina triumphed against Christina McHale, 6-1, 5-7, 6-0.
Find out who the highest WTA rankings mover is after the BNP Paribas Open.
LINZ, Austria – Roland Garros champion Garbiñe Muguruza edged closer to claiming her spot at the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global, dispatching Cagla Buyukakcay, 6-4, 6-4, in the first round of the Generali Ladies Linz.
“It was a tough first round. I think we both played well, so it was a battle out there, and a great feeling to start the tournament with a win like this,” she said after the match.
Making her debut in Linz, Muguruza overcame a tough test from the Turkish No.1, who made history for her country by taking home the Istanbul title earlier this season.
“I was looking forward to Linz because it’s new for me, new city, new tournament. I don’t play a lot of new tournaments, so I was excited.
“I just try to go out there and do my best, try to win somehow, playing my tennis and being aggressive. It’s funny because it when there’s no win, everyone plays perfect. The conditions makes things equal.”
Holding on to take the first set after five breaks of serve, the Spaniard broke to 15 to start the second and served out the win in one hour and 38 minutes.
“I was calm and concentrated, even when she was playing great shots and solid in the important moments. I hung in there and waited for my opportunities.”
Up next for the former World No.2 is Monica Niculescu, who won a thrilling three-setter over Madison Brengle on Monday.
“I’ve never played against her, or even practiced together, so it’ll be interesting. I think we have opposite styles, so I think it’s going to be a fun match.”
The highest-ranked woman on the Road to Singapore leaderboard yet to qualify for Singapore, Muguruza could guarantee a second straight WTA Finals appearance by winning the title; if Johanna Konta and Dominika Cibulkova both lose their matches on Thursday, she qualifies by beating Niculescu.
“It’s something great to accomplish, to be part of the eight best players, so you obviously always have it in the back of your mind, wanting to achieve that. But I’m more focused on holding the trophy here.
“I have no idea what I have to do, but hopefully I keep winning, and I earn my spot. I go with the flow!”
The highlights from the first-round matchup between Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Katerina Siniakova.
SINGAPORE – The BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global is blessed with the support of nine WTA Legends: Alicia Molik, Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario, Chris Evert, Iva Majoli, Martina Navratilova, Mary Pierce, Monica Seles, Tamarine Tanasugarn and Yayuk Basuki.
Who played at record 21 editions of the WTA Finals? Which Legends competed in Dancing With The Stars? And who has a Triple Crown winning horse named after her?
Reem Abulleil brings you some facts you may or not have known about these remarkable women, right here on wtatennis.com.
Alicia Molik
Molik won a bronze medal at the Olympic tennis event in Athens in 2004, beating the then reigning French Open champion Anastasia Myskina in the bronze-medal match.
The Adelaide-born former World No.8 says Michael Jordan was her childhood hero.
She is Australian but is very proud of her Polish heritage and jokes that she probably got her good footwork from the Polish dance classes she took when she was young.
Also, she’s won two Grand Slam doubles titles – the 2005 Australian Open with Svetlana Kuznetsova and the 2007 French Open with Mara Santangelo.
Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario
Sanchez-Vicario was the singles runner-up at the WTA Finals to Steffi Graf in 1993 – back then the final was best-of-five sets and she lost in four – in Madison Square Garden and won the doubles title twice, in 1992 with Helena Sukova and 1995 with Jana Novotna.
She qualified for the WTA Finals 13 times throughout her illustrious career.
The Spaniard was affectionately nicknamed the “Barcelona Bumble Bee” by the late Bud Collins.
Before playing the 1989 French Open final, where a 17-year-old Sanchez-Vicario was going to face World No.1 Steffi Graf, the Spanish press were asking her how many games she thought she was going to muster against the German favorite. She ended up beating Graf in three sets to become Spain’s first female Grand Slam champion in the Open Era.
She is a five-time Olympian – from 1998-2004 – with doubles silver and singles bronze won at her home Games in Barcelona in 1992, and singles silver and doubles bronze captured in Atlanta 1996.
Her four medals made her the most decorated Spanish Olympian at the time, a record later broken by canoeist David Cal.
She reached 12 Grand Slam singles finals, winning four of them (three French Opens and one US Open).
Chris Evert
Evert was the winner of the inaugural edition of the WTA Finals in 1972, triumphing on the clay of Boca Raton against Kerry Melville Reid in the final at the tender age of 17.
But her amateur status meant that she had to forfeit her 1972 winner’s check of $25,000.
She made the final of each of the first six editions of the WTA Finals, capturing four titles in total.
Her epic rivalry with Martina Navratilova featured heavily in the WTA Finals and they faced off in three championship matches, with Navratilova owning a slight 2-1 edge over Evert in those finals.
Carl Rosen, owner of clothing manufacturer Puritan Fashions Corp, named a horse after her. The horse, Chris Evert, went on to win the 1974 U.S. Filly Triple Crown and was inducted into the Hall of Fame.
In 1976, she was named Sports Illustrated’s ‘Sportsman of the Year’ – one of only four occasions the award was given to a tennis player.
Iva Majoli
Majoli qualified to the WTA Finals four times, from 1994 to 1997.
Her best result at the WTA Finals was reaching the semifinals in 1996.
The former World No.4 ended Martina Hingis’ 37-match winning streak by beating her in the final to capture the 1997 French Open. Seeded No.9, Majoli was the lowest seeded woman to win a slam in the Open Era.
She was the first Grand Slam champion from Croatia.
Majoli stepped out of retirement, 11 years after her last professional match, to play doubles in Moscow with Anastasia Bukhanko in October 2015.
In 2007, Majoli participated in the second season of the Croatian version of Dancing With The Stars.
Martina Navratilova
Navratilova is the player with the most appearances in WTA Finals history, taking part in 21 editions between 1974 and 1994.
She is also the most successful player at the WTA Finals with eight singles titles – including five in a row from 1983 to 1986.
In 2003, she became the oldest Grand Slam champion, capturing the Australian Open mixed doubles trophy with Leander Paes at the age of 46 years and three months. She broke that record by winning the 2006 US Open mixed title with Bob Bryan, just shy of her 50th birthday.
She competed on Dancing With The Stars in 2012 partnering Tony Dovolani.
She wrote three mystery novels with Liz Nickles: The Total Zone (1994), Breaking Point (1996), and Killer Instinct (1997).
Mary Pierce
The Frenchwoman was twice runner-up at the WTA Finals, to Jana Novotna in 1997 and to her compatriot Amelie Mauresmo in 2005.
She was born in Montréal, Canada (to an American father and French mother), played for France, and now lives in Mauritius.
When she won her second major, and first French Open title in 2000, she was the first Frenchwoman to win her home slam since 1967. No French player has won it since.
She made seven appearances at the WTA Finals.
Monica Seles
Seles competed at the WTA Finals nine times between 1989 and 2002.
She won the WTA Finals three times in a row from 1990 to 1992. She lost the 2000 final to Martina Hingis.
She was coached by the late Jelena Gencic, who also mentored a young Novak Djokovic.
Seles became the youngest-ever French Open champion when she won it aged 16 in 1990.
She won nine Grand Slam singles titles, eight of which were captured before her 20th birthday.
She took Olympic bronze in singles in Sydney 2000.
Also made a guest appearance as herself on the TV show, The Nanny.
Tamarine Tanasugarn
The California-born Thai trailblazer holds a Master’s of Business Administration from Bangkok University and this year enrolled to become an officer in the Royal Thai Police Force.
She owns four WTA titles and made the Wimbledon quarter-finals in 2008 where she lost to eventual champion Venus Williams. Her career-high ranking of No19, reached in 2002, is the highest ever achieved by a Thai female player.
She won two doubles title partnering Maria Sharapova in 2003 in Luxembourg and Tokyo. They also played together in the 2004 Australian Open.
She was Thailand’s flag-bearer at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta.
Her father was a basketball player and competed at the 1960 and 1964 Games.
Yayuk Basuki
Basuki qualified to the WTA Finals in doubles three times with Dutchwoman Caroline Vis from 1996-1998.
Basuki and Vis beat top seeds Martina Hingis and Jana Novotna in their first match at the WTA Finals in 1998.
She is the highest-ranked tennis player ever from Indonesia, hitting a career-high No.19 in 1997. Was ranked as high as No.9 in doubles.
She admired Jimmy Connors growing up and her favorite athlete is swimmer Janet Evans.
She has won four Asian Games gold medals.
All photos courtesy of Getty Images
The Romanian reflects after her match at the Miami Open against Monica Puig.
LINZ, Austria – Top seed Garbiñe Muguruza retired in the deciding set to hand Viktorija Golubic a semifinal spot at the Generali Ladies Linz.
Muguruza had narrowly taken the first set, 7-5.
Golubic struck back 6-3 in the second set, though, having raced to a 4-0 lead as she broke the Muguruza serve twice.
And after Muguruza suffered a fall and sustained an apparent sprain to her ankle, she looked less and less comfortable, eventually withdrawing with the score at four games all in the deciding set.