Sydney: Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova vs Samantha Stosur
Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova takes on Samantha Stosur in the first round of the Apia International Sydney.
Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova takes on Samantha Stosur in the first round of the Apia International Sydney.
Highlights from all the first-round action on Day 2 of the Apia International Sydney.
An interview with Eugenie Bouchard after her win in the second round of the Apia International Sydney.
LONDON, England – Venus Williams moved one step closer to a sixth Wimbledon crown after a straight set win over Yaroslava Shvedova in Tuesday’s quarterfinals.
Playing her 12th quarterfinal at the All England Club, Williams’ experience came to the fore as she withstood some early difficulty to run out an ultimately comfortable, 7-6(5), 6-2 winner.
“What a tough day on court! The first set I had so many opportunities but she played so well,” Williams said. “When you walk to the net as the winner that’s the goal.
“To play so well when it’s your first quarterfinal is a credit to her. I love playing the game, always have. And when you’re winning matches it’s so much sweeter. Wins and losses lead to these moments. Everyone has to take the losses. Unless you’re Serena Williams!”
At 36, Williams is the oldest player to make it this far at a major since Martina Navratilova finished runner-up at Wimbledon in 1994.
“I love playing the game,” Williams said in her post-match interview with the BBC. “When you’re winning matches it makes it that much sweeter.”
Shvedova had her chances, most notably in the first set tie-break which she led 5-2, but found herself faced with an opponent who refused to wilt. Williams pinched the set when Shvedova fired long and tightened her grip of the contest thereafter, a run of four straight games plotting a path into the last four.
“What a tough day on the court,” Williams added. “The tie-breaker, it felt like she would win. I felt like my opponent was on fire. I felt like the crowd enjoyed all the great points. She got them involved in the last game. We gave them good tennis today.”
Remarkably, it is Williams’ first major semifinal since the 2010 US Open. There she will face No.4 Angelique Kerber, who saw off Simona Halep, 7-5, 7-6(2).
“The road was six years. They go by fast thankfully. But I’ve been blessed, been really blessed, to have an opportunity to be here, have had an opportunity in the past to do this. I don’t have any regrets about anything that’s taken place in between. It’s been a journey, but it’s made me stronger,” Williams said.
Williams’ evergreen showing also raises the tantalizing prospect of another showdown with sister Serena – who won her quarterfinal with Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, 6-4, 6-4, over on Centre Court – in south-west London. The siblings have met six times at Wimbledon – more than at any other tournament – although Williams has no intention of looking beyond Kerber.
“We don’t really talk about [the final] because we are focused on the next match. Even though we both won today, our opponents played really well. We actually have to get out there and play well to win. So it’s very focused.
“We get out there and we’re focused on that moment because we have to be. So the talk about what could happen is not as important as what’s happening in that round.”
My respect for @Venuseswilliams just keeps growing ! So happy to see her in the semi-finals again. ???
— Kim Clijsters (@Clijsterskim) July 5, 2016
SHENZHEN, China – Alison Riske exacted revenge for her defeat in last year’s final with victory over Agnieszka Radwanska at the Shenzhen Open on Thursday.
In a topsy-turvy encounter, Riske maintained her composure brilliantly to run out a 6-2, 3-6, 6-0 winner. In the semifinals she will face either Camila Giorgi or Wang Qiang.
.@Riske4rewards has done it!!
The American reaches the #ShenzhenOpen Semifinals with a 6-2, 3-6, 6-0 win over defending champion Radwanska! pic.twitter.com/MaLQcQVnT8
— WTA (@WTA) January 5, 2017
“I was just kind of focusing on one point at a time, and I know that’s what Aga does – she’s there for every single point – so I felt that I had to match her in that regard,” Riske said in her post-match press conference. “I also tried to keep my energy high, and I think that I did a good job of that today.”
Twelve months ago, Radwanska capped a dominant week with a masterful performance against Riske – then ranked just inside the Top 100 – in a one-sided final. Since then, the American has made steady progress, finishing last year with another final in China and a career-best ranking of No.39.
Her improvements were immediately apparent in the rematch, bossing the exchanges to surge into a 5-0 lead. Radwanska roused herself to register a couple of games before the set’s end, then harnessed this momentum to level the match with some typically cerebral tennis.
Riske, though, refused to be stymied for long, calmly dispatching an overhead to break at the start of the decider. From then on, it was one-way traffic as the No.8 seed calmly closed out the biggest win of her career.
“The ultimate goal is to go one better than last year, but I can only look to the next match and I feel if I keep focusing on myself, my game, then who knows what can happen.”
LONDON, England – On Saturday afternoon Serena Williams tied Steffi Graf’s long-standing Open Era record of 22 Grand Slam titles with victory over Angelique Kerber in the Wimbledon final.
To celebrate the historic feat, wtatennis.com is going to run down 22 of the more memorable numbers from a truly remarkable career…
750,000 – The amount in dollars Serena received for winning her first major, the 1999 US Open; the prize money for victory at this year’s Wimbledon was around $2,590,000
346 – It has taken Serena 346 matches to win her 22 majors; Graf won her 22nd title (1999 Roland Garros) in her 303rd match
304 – Serena has the second-most Grand Slam match wins in Open Era with 304 (Martina Navratilova 306)
83 – At all four Grand Slam tournaments, Serena has an 83% or better winning percentage: Australian Open (74-10, 88%), Roland Garros (60-12, 83%, Wimbledon 66-10, 90%), US Open (84-10, 89%)
79 – Serena has won nearly 79% of her 28 Grand Slam finals. Her only defeats came at the 2001 US Open (to Venus Williams), 2004 Wimbledon (to Maria Sharapova), 2008 Wimbledon (to Venus Williams), 2011 US Open (to Sam Stosur), 2016 Australian Open (to Kerber) and 2016 Roland Garros (to Garbiñe Muguruza). This is the second-best winning percentage in the Open Era after Court (11-1)
64 – Remarkably, Serena has won more than a third of the 64 Grand Slams that she has contested
30 – Nine of Serena’s 22 majors have come after turning 30; by winning the Wimbledon final, Williams (who is 34 years and 287 days old at the end of the tournament) also broke her own record as the oldest Open Era Grand Slam champion
22 – She has now equaled Steffi Graf’s Open Era record of 22 Grand Slam titles and moved within touching distance of Margaret Court’s all-time leading tally of 24
20 – Since Serena lifted the 1999 US Open, 20 different women have tasted Grand Slam success
18 – The age Serena won her first Grand Slam title, at the 1999 US Open
16 – Serena has the longest winning span between majors of any woman in the Open Era at 16 years and 10 months between 1999 US Open and 2016 Wimbledon (Chris Evert, Navratilova and Graf had 12-year spans)
14 – Of her 22 Slam final victories, 14 have come in straight sets
12 – This fortnight Serena was playing her 22nd major as the No.1 seed. She has won 12 of them
9 – Nine of Serena’s Grand Slam titles have come alongside current coach Patrick Mouratoglou
8 – Serena won eight straight Grand Slam singles finals between 2012 Wimbledon and 2015 Wimbledon; losses on each side were 2011 US Open (Samantha Stosur) and 2016 Australian Open (Kerber)
7 – Victory over Kerber brought Serena her seventh title at Wimbledon – her most successful Grand Slam venue; she has six titles at both the Australian and US Opens, and three at Roland Garros
6 – Serena has successfully defended major titles on six occasions during her career: 2003 Wimbledon, 2010 Australian Open, 2010 Wimbledon, 2013 US Open, 2014 US Open, 2016 Wimbledon
5 – Against Top 5-seeds at Grand Slams Serena has a better record than any other player in the Open Era (minimum five matches), winning 26 and losing just four
4 – On two separate occasions in her career, Serena has held all four Slams simultaneously – 2014 US Open to 2015 Wimbledon, and 2002 Roland Garros to 2003 Australian Open
3 – Third time’s a charm: before Saturday, the only woman in tennis history who had won the third major of a year after losing in the first two finals – as Williams has now done – was Navratilova in 1987
2 – Just two of Serena’s 22 major final wins have come over left-handers (2015 Roland Garros – Lucie Safarova, 2016 Wimbledon – Kerber)
1 – Serena’s only victory at a major as an unseeded player came at the 2007 Australian Open, when she had slipped to No.81 following a series of injuries.
BUCHAREST, Romania – Aliaksandra Sasnovich snatched victory from the jaws of defeat against Anna Karolina Schmiedlova at the Bucharest Open on Monday.
Watch live action from Bucharest this week on WTA Live powered by TennisTV!
A contest lasting nearly two-and-a-half hours eventually went the way of Sasnovich, who fended off a match point to knock out the defending champion, 6-4, 1-6, 7-5.
After a bright start, the match looked to be slipping away from Sasnovich when Schmiedlova romped through the second then opened up a 5-2 lead in the decider. However, the No.3 seed was unable to deliver the knockout blow, coming within a point of victory when serving for the match.
Liberated by the apparent hopelessness of the situation, Sasnovich threw off the shackles, unleashing a courageous forehand winner to reach the sanctuary of deuce, then breaking back when Schmiedlova sent a nervous second serve into the net. A few games later she had a match point of her own, firing an ace out wide to complete the escape.
“It was tough today because I had 5-2 in third set and I had a match point so it’s disappointing and really sad I didn’t win,” Schmiedlova said. “I need to win some matches and I just need to go from first round to second round, to do as many matches as I can.
“I was hoping to get back to it but it didn’t happen today but I hope it’s going to be better next time.”
Also advancing to the second round were Cagla Buyukakcay, who beat Kristina Kucova, 6-0, 7-5, and Vania King, a 7-6(4), 6-0 winner over Paula Kania.
GSTAAD, Switzerland – UNAIDS has appointed Timea Bacsinszky, top seed at the Ladies Championship Gstaad, as a Global Advocate for Young People.
Bacsinszky will work to ensure that young people have access to the information and services needed to protect themselves from becoming infected with HIV and will encourage young people to get tested for the virus and seek immediate treatment if necessary to keep them alive and well.
“My generation has never known a world without HIV, but we have the power to change this for future generations,” said Bacsinszky. “Ending the AIDS epidemic by 2030 will require commitment and perseverance to get the job done and this will only happen if we break down the stigma that still surrounds HIV.
“In tennis we are all equal on court – no matter what our nationality, gender, religion, or sexual orientation is. It is just you and your opponent. The rules of the game are the same for both players. Working with UNAIDS made me realize that in many countries, young people living with HIV/AIDS do not have equal rights and opportunities.
“Oftentimes, young people do not have access to relevant HIV prevention services, voluntary HIV testing, affordable treatment, and high quality care and support services. Or else, the fear of stigma and discrimination discourages them from disclosing their HIV status, which undermines their ability and willingness to access and adhere to treatment.
“If we want to end the AIDS epidemic by 2030 we need to change this and I want to be part of that change – by lending my voice to spread the word about the needs of young people most affected by HIV, promoting HIV testing via social media channels and engaging young people in the AIDS response.”
Bacsinszky is supporting the UNAIDS #ProTESTHIV campaign, which encourages young people to become actively involved in promoting HIV testing and linkage to care and treatment services. People can find more information at protesthiv.org.
“Timea Bacsinszky’s energy and dedication on the tennis court are very clear,” said Michel Sidibé, Executive Director of UNAIDS. “These are valuable qualities that will help to mobilize young people to join the global movement in response to HIV and become the generation to end the AIDS epidemic by 2030.”
There are 36.7 million people living with HIV globally, 3.9 million of whom are young people aged 15 to 24. Young people are especially vulnerable to HIV infection. In 2015, there were an estimated 670 000 new HIV infections worldwide among young people aged 15 to 24, with young women accounting for 58% of new infections among this age group.
UNAIDS is the main charitable beneficiary of the Women’s Tennis Association Ladies Championship Gstaad in 2016.
All photos courtesy of the Ladies Championship Gstaad.
On this episode of Behind The Tour we take you inside the daily routine of our groundskeepers at Birmingham as they make sure the courts stay in top shape.
What did the top seeds have to say on Day 1 of the Bank of the West Classic? Venus Williams, Dominika Cibulkova, Johanna Konta, and CoCo Vandeweghe all shared their thoughts on their seasons thus far, the Olympic Summer Games in Rio de Janeiro, and the wedding fever that’s gripped the WTA tour…
Venus Williams
On her break after Wimbledon:
It was a short break, but I’m happy for it because I played a lot of matches where I had to wait three weeks to play, so I’m hoping this will help me keep my momentum and continue to play well.
On the physicality of adding doubles to the schedule:
The doubles is a lot, but it’s what we wanted. We were thrilled ot have been out there and hope to play more toghether this year. If we could play double severy tournament, we would, but it’s a test, and I think I stood up pretty well to it.
On her memories of making her WTA debut in Stanford and nearly beating Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario in the second round:
I remember being pretty nervous in the warm-up, but once I got into the first game, I wasn’t nervous anymore. I have no idea how I won the match; I had no strategy, and zero understanding on how to win a match. But I guess I was good enough; I would love to see a replay of that match. I always believed I could win any match, but I didn’t know how to win that second match, especially when you’ve almost won the match and then you don’t win another game. I remember more than anything that she took a bathroom break, and after that I didn’t win another game. So, it was a pretty good strategy against a youngin’. But after a while, I got the hang of it.
On being a mature figure on the tour:
I’m pretty much the most mature on tour. There aren’t a lot of people older than me, but I take it as a compliment because I love being out here. It proves you don’t have to go until you’re good and ready. When I’m good and ready, I’ll be gone, but now is not the time.
Dominika Cibulkova
On delaying her honeymoon to the end of the year…
Everybody’s asking, ‘What are you doing here? You should be on your honeymoon!’ But it’s the middle of the season and I’m a professional athlete, so I can’t just go on a honeymoon. We were really happy that we found a date, but we’ll have a honeymoon after the season.
On shifting from Wimbledon to her wedding…
I came home on Wednesday and for two-three nights, I didn’t sleep well because I was so excited about the wedding. I didn’t relax too much, and on Monday I was just so tired, so I took a couple of days off. I talked with my coach and he asked me if I was motivated to play [Stanford], and I said, ‘Of course, because I’m motivated to get into the Top 10.’ It’s a great opportunity.
On American wildcard Caterine Bellis, who defeated her in the first round of the 2014 US Open as a 15 year old:
I haven’t seen her too much since then. I don’t remember too much from the match because I was really nervous and put too much pressure on myself. I’d had a great start to the season that year and at the US Open, I wanted to get points to qualify for Singapore. I was just so stressed and couldn’t play good tennis, but she was playing really good there. For her age, she was playing great. I think this is the first time she’s playing a WTA tournament, so we’ll see. She’s still young.
Johanna Konta
On Andy Murray and Heather Watson’s Wimbledon wins:
It was really exciting. We had the TV on at home and I got to watch Andy and also Heather in the mixed doubles. I’m sure it made the atmosphere that much more electric.
On managing a hectic second half of the season:
It does make the schedule that much more busy because of the Olympics, and it’s that much more important to stay healthy and as fresh-minded as possible, but I’m really looking forward to the challenge. It’ll be my first Olympics, and it’ll be my first time playing here, Montreal and Cincinnati, so I have a lot of firsts coming up. I’m really looking forward to enjoying my time in the US and on this side of the world. I really love this part of the season; I have a lot of good memories in terms of tournaments I’ve played and results I’ve had. In terms of staying fresh, it’s just about being able to switch off when you can, even just little parts of the day, watching an episode of Game of Thrones.
On the one year anniversary of her rise:
I’m playing some of the best events in the world now, and I’m very grateful and happy for that. But in terms of myself, I’m very much the same, same goals and ideals, and desire to keep going. It’s not too surprising because I lived through it. It’s not like I went to sleep and woke up and all this happened. It was a constant battle and constant fight on every single match that I played. I was very lucky to play them and to win a lot of them. I’m trying to keep pushing on; hopefully the best is yet to come.
On what she’s looking forward to most at the Olympics:
It’s really strange because I’m super excited about how it sounds, but I have no idea what to expect. Everyone I’ve spoken to, the first thing they say is, ‘It’s not like any event on tour, it’s not like any other tournament.’ So right now, I’m really tense, like ‘Oh my god, what to expect? I don’t know!’ But I’m really looking forward to the Athlete’s Village. I’m really looking forward to seeing all the disciplines, how they train and eat. I’m going to be one of those weirdos that just stares at everyone. So I’m really looking forward to just being a part of it.
CoCo Vandeweghe
On how she spent her post-Wimbledon break:
Nothing I was supposed to get done got done. I was supposed to get my phone fixed; it had a crack in it since January. I managed to do it the day I was leaving. But hopefully I can express a little bit of the tan I was working on at the beach. I spent time with friends, went to a concert. I played a little golf, but mostly just vegged. Hopefully the week I spent at home will help keep me rejuvenated and excited to play through the summer.
On missing out on a singles spot at the Olympics:
I’m a singles player. Bethanie Mattek-Sands and I were talking about playing together, but it was up to the USTA, so it wasn’t set in stone. They could have said no. It was disappointing for me to miss singles, and now to see players pulling out because I wanted it so bad and they don’t want it as bad as I do. Whatever reasons they have are their own, but I can’t wrap my head around it.
On Serena Williams:
I think Serena is an amazing athlete and an amazing tennis role model for all players. She’s one of the greatest players of all times. I think Serena should definitely be praised for all of her accolades on and off the court. She’s definitely a role model for all players to look up to.
On the court surface at Stanford:
I did pretty well at Wimbledon and the grass court season with quick courts, so I think it definitely suits my game more than it goes against it. The practice courts here are pretty fast, and I’ve been practicing well, but we’ll see on the day. Perfect practice makes perfect play, so all I can do right now is focus on my practice and routines to get me ready and raring to go.