Puig Gives Clay Court Warm-Up A Spin
Olympic champ Monica Puig tweeted out a video of her bringing new meaning to giving it a whirl as she prepared for the European clay court season.
Olympic champ Monica Puig tweeted out a video of her bringing new meaning to giving it a whirl as she prepared for the European clay court season.
As the top seed at the Grand Prix SAR La Princesse Lalla Meryem, Timea Bacsinszky was treated to a special tour.
Bacsinszky got to visit Rabat’s medina and walk through the historic maze-like streets.
There’s much to see in Old Rabat: the entire quarter is listed as a World Heritage site.
Bacsinszky also saw “La Rue Des Consuls,” a part of the old town with local traditional shops.
There she was able to check out Rabat’s well known craftsmanship and jewelry.
After shopping, the Swiss player was treated to another Morocco tradition…
…she learned the art of bartering!
Check out Bacsinszky’s new necklace!
Rabat is the WTA’s lone stop in Africa, and has been staged in several cities in Morocco including Casablanca, Fes, Marrakech and finally the Moroccan capital.
PRAGUE, Czech Republic – Lucie Safarova’s clay court revival at the J&T Banka Prague Open gathered further momentum on Thursday with a straight set win over Hsieh Su-Wei.
Watch live action from Prague & Rabat this week on WTA Live powered by TennisTV!
Going into her home tournament, Safarova had not registered a win all season, but after unraveling Hsieh’s unorthodox game in two tight sets she now has three in as many days.
In a topsy-turvy encounter, Safarova failed to serve out the opening set at 5-4, before coming within a few points of losing it two games later. In the tie-break, it was the Czech that held her nerve, taking it when Hsieh miscued a backhand into the tramlines.
Hsieh continued to pose problems in the second set, but once again it was Safarova that came out on top at the crucial moments, returning from a late rain delay to reach the semifinals
Safarova’s 7-6(3), 7-5 victory followed on from an even more impressive performance from her compatriot and next opponent, Karolina Pliskova. Eager to minimize her time exposed to the elements on another chilly day in the Czech capital, defending champion Pliskova blew away Camila Giorgi, 6-2, 6-1, in just 51 minutes.
Pliskova and Safarova met only last week in Stuttgart, the former coming through a third set shootout, to add to victories over her Fed Cup teammate the previous year in Antwerp and Dubai.
Following her showing in Stuttgart and her run this week Safarova is feeling positive heading into the rematch. “I was on the way back already in Stuttgart, where I had a great match, and I was hoping the results would come. I’m happy and excited that it’s going this well.
“It was a tough match today; she’s always a very tricky player, defending the court very well and I’m very excited to be through to the semis.”
Petra Kvitova had some encouraging news for fans and followers on Monday, as the World No.14 penned an update on her road to recovery on Instagram.
Though it is unclear whether she will be ready to compete, steady progress in her recovery has seen the two-time Wimbledon champion enter the French Open.
“My name will appear on the entry list for Roland Garros tomorrow because, as the entry deadline approached, I had made good progress in my recovery process and I want to give myself every last opportunity to be able to compete at one of my favorite events,” Kvitova wrote.
“This unfortunately does not mean necessarily that I will be ready to play in Paris, but that I’m doing everything possible to give myself the chance and keep a positive mindset.”
Kvitova continues on her road back to tennis following a knife attack in her home last December, and her latest update is welcome news to the tennis community which has shown immense love and support for her across the world in the months since.
Great news! Hope this all goes well https://t.co/mfqgZY9iDA
— victoria azarenka (@vika7) April 17, 2017
In Monday’s post, Kvitova added: “There remains a long road ahead but I wanted to share this update with you. Thanks for your continued support and I hope to see you soon.”
First round action from Paris begins on May 28.
It’s time to crown April’s WTA Shot Of The Month. There were some incredible shots to choose from this month, and we narrowed it down to the five best – have a look at the nominees in the above video and cast your vote for your favorite shot before voting ends Thursday at 11:59pm ET!
The winner will be announced Friday, May 6.
How it works: five shots are selected by wtatennis.com, and the winner is then determined by a fan vote on wtatennis.com.
STUTTGART, Germany – Miami Open winner Johanna Konta will play her first clay court event of 2017 at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart, having accepted a wildcard to the event on Wednesday.
Konta claimed the biggest title of her career at the Miami Open, and though injury forced her out of the Volvo Car Open, the British No.1 is set to return in Stuttgart, where she will make her second main draw appearance.
Welcome, @JoKonta91! The #WTA #7 receives a #PTGP Wild Card: “The field is very deep so I'm sure every match will be an exciting challenge.” pic.twitter.com/RlzVLxtMBs
— Porsche Tennis (@PorscheTennis) April 18, 2017
MADRID, Spain – 2014 Mutua Madrid Open finalist Simona Halep got her outdoor clay court campaign off to a flying start on Court Manolo Santana; opening the night session on Sunday, the Romanian eased past Japan’s Misaki Doi, 6-0, 6-3, to reach the second round.
Watch live action from Madrid this week on WTA Live powered by TennisTV!
“It was a good match, a good start for me,” she said after the match. “The first set was fast; I had a good start because I was confident, and practicing very well the last few days here. In the second set, she started to hit faster, and I was hitting flatter than I was at the start of the match. That was good for her.
“I had to make it more of a clay court game, and that’s why I won.
Halep was suffering from the lingering effects of an ankle injury and breathing problems in a stunning loss to Laura Siegemund just two weeks ago in Stuttgart, but exhibited none of those health concerns in Madrid, racing through the first eight games of the match, hitting five aces and 19 winners in the match.
A dangerous floater, Misaki Doi came closest to preventing Angelique Kerber’s Australian Open run back in January – having held a match point on the German in their first round encounter – and leveled the second set by winning three games in a row after falling behind a break. Halep’s coach Darren Cahill took to the court to advise his charge, who brushed off the string of games to win the final four of the match to reach the second round.
Converting six of eight break point opportunities, Halep maintained an impressive 66% first serve percentage and won all four of her points at net.
Awaiting the former World No.2 in the second round will be Italy’s Karin Knapp. Knapp has spent much of the season dealing with a right knee injury, played some emphatic tennis to defeat rising Russian Margarita Gasparyan, 4-6, 6-3, 6-2.
“I have great memories from two years ago, so the game is ok here. It was a bit cold, but it’s always cold here in the evenings. It was ok, I was playing good and it was a good day for me.”
In just twenty-two minutes, @Simona_Halep drops a bagel on Doi 6-0! #MMOpen https://t.co/kXbyMNb3JZ
— WTA (@WTA) May 1, 2016
Sunshine Double winner and former No.1 Victoria Azarenka maintained an unbeaten streak that now stretches to 15 matches (including Fed Cup) with a 6-4, 6-2 win over Laura Robson. A former No.1 in Great Britain, Robson has been off the court for much of the last two and a half years, and had entered Madrid’s main draw with a protected ranking.
Nonetheless, she kept things close against the two-time Australian Open champion – particularly in the first set, where she maintained even footing until the crucial ninth game, in which the Belarusian broke serve to run away with the match. Azarenka’s next opponent will be Frenchwoman Alizé Cornet; though she trails 4-0 in their head-to-head, the last three matches have gone three sets.
Porsche Tennis Grand Prix finalist Laura Siegemund had retired from her doubles match on Saturday citing dizziness, but pushed through another impressive singles result on Sunday, dispatching 2015 Madrid runner-up and No.9 seed Svetlana Kuznetsova, 6-0, 3-6, 6-3. A qualifier in Madrid, Siegemund is currently the No.4 German; should she hold onto that position, she is a likely candidate to qualify for the Summer Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. She will next play fellow qualifier Mirjana Lucic-Baroni, who won a second straight match over Kristina Mladenovic, having narrowly taken out the young French star in a third set tie-break in Charleston. Mladenovic’s countrywoman and doubles partner Caroline Garcia reached the second round when Australian Open semifinalist Johanna Konta was forced to retire in the second set of their first round, citing an upper respiratory illness.
Earlier in the day, 2008 French Open champion Ana Ivanovic captured a thrilling three-set win over qualifier Katerina Siniakova; the No.14 seed emerged victorious out of a titanic final game to win, 6-3, 3-6, 6-4. No.11 seed and J&T Banka Prague Open champion Lucie Safarova enjoyed a seamless win over American CoCo Vandeweghe, while Romanian wildcard and former World No.21 Sorana Cirstea continued her charge back up the rankings with a 6-4, 6-3 win over Jelena Jankovic.
25th win of 2016! ?@Vika7 Azarenka tops Robson 6-4, 6-2 in @MutuaMadridOpen first round! pic.twitter.com/J2DhcNZ0V0
— WTA (@WTA) May 1, 2016
MADRID, Spain – Romania’s Irina-Camelia Begu backed up her win over 2014 Wimbledon finalist Eugenie Bouchard with an even bigger result, toppling No.3 seed and 2015 Wimbledon runner-up Garbiñe Muguruza, 5-7, 7-6(4), 6-3, to reach the third round of the Mutua Madrid Open.
Watch live action from Madrid this week on WTA Live powered by TennisTV!
Begu needed three sets to battle past Bouchard on Sunday, and things hardly differed on Monday night against Muguruza; despite leading 5-2 in each of the first two sets, the hometown favorite battled back each time – saving three set points at 5-3 in the second – to take the opening set and get within four points of victory in the second set tie-break.
“I was a little bit disappointed in my game when I was leading; I wouldn’t be as aggressive as I was before,” Begu said about her lost leads after the match. “My coach told me I’m really close, and really playing well. I just had to keep fighting for every ball, and that was the key.”
The Romanian, however, wouldn’t be denied; becoming something of a marathon woman – winning her last six three-setters reaching the quarterfinals of the Volvo Car Open with a trio of grueling matches – Begu recovered from a mini-break down to level the match and lead by a break in the decider.
“In Spain and especially in Madrid, there are a lot of Romanians, so I think it was 50/50!” Begu laughed when asked about the crowd support. “It’s tough to play a local player, and especially against Garbiñe, one of the best players. I was ready for this match, and I think that was the key as well.”
Muguruza hit 39 winners in the two hour and 42 minute epic, and managed to draw level once more, but Begu swept three of the final four games, hitting 30 winners of her own and only 34 unforced errors to 42 from the World No.4.
“I think I could have started better, but I managed to come back,” Muguruza said in her post-loss press conference. “I managed to fight and find my game.
“But I think it has been a very good game. I think she played pretty well. I played against Begu before and I think that today she played much better than previous times.
“I think that she served very well. I had to fight everything that I can, but just didn’t go my way this time.”
Up next for Begu is Christina McHale, who began the day with a win over No.13 seed Karolina Pliskova in straight sets.
April was defined by three breakthrough players who brought some impressive performances on and off the court. Which one soared the highest?
Have a look at the nominees for April’s Breakthrough Performance of the Month and cast your vote before Thursday at 11:59pm ET! The winner will be announced Friday, May 6.
April 2016 WTA Breakthrough Performance of the Month Finalists:
Laura Siegemund: In the midst of a breakthrough season, Siegemund announced herself to the tennis world in a big way at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix, where she reached the finals as a qualifier. Brushing past the likes of Simona Halep, Roberta Vinci, and Agnieszka Radnwaks – all in straight sets – the German veteran who wrote a thesis on the psychology of athletes’ mental strength showed impressive grit and determination to ride the wave of momentum and home support into her first WTA singles final. Should she maintain her No.4 standing in her country’s race to the Olympic Games, she could well qualify for Rio by the French Open.
Cagla Buyukakcay: Speaking of hometown favorites, Cagla Buyukakcay made Turkish history in front of an enthusiastic Istanbul crowd to win the TEB BNP Paribas Istanbul Cup. All in one week, Buyukakcay became the first Turkish woman to reach a WTA semifinal, final, and title at the expense of Danka Kovinic in three grueling sets. The result helped her crack the Top 100 for the first time in her career, and guarantee a Wimbledon main draw debut later this year.
Irina Falconi: Falconi had an emotional run of her own at the Claro Open Colsanitas, taking out clay court specialist Lara Arruabarrena to win her first career WTA title at 25 years old. A former college star at Georgia Tech, Falconi’s win came on the heels of a devestating earthquake that ravaged her birthplace of Portoviejo, Ecuador. Vowing to do all she can to help, the American has already raised over $20,000 in relief money.
2016 Winners:
January: Zhang Shuai
February: Jelena Ostapenko
March: Nicole Gibbs
How it works:
Finalists are selected by wtatennis.com
Winner is then determined by a fan vote on wtatennis.com
NEW YORK, NY, USA – Every spring the Costume Institute at New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art puts on a new fashion exhibit, and with it there’s a brand new themed party: the Met Gala. It’s probably one of the flashiest – and most exclusive – red carpet events of the year, and WTA stars Maria Sharapova and Caroline Wozniacki were right in the thick of it.
Hosted by Vogue editor Anna Wintour, this year’s theme was “Manus x Machina: Fashion in an Age of Technology,” and Sharapova and Wozniacki chose red as their as their color for the night. Sharapova enlisted Colombian designer Juan Carlos Obando, and Wozniacki wore Prabal Gurung.
Here’s some of the best pictures of their red carpet arrivals, courtesy of Getty Images:
