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Wozniacki Returns To Tokyo Final After Radwanska Upset

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

TOKYO, Japan – Former World No.1 Caroline Wozniacki continued her late-season resurgence by upsetting Agnieszka Radwanska in the semifinals of the Toray Pan Pacific Open.

Watch live action from Tokyo this week on WTA Live powered by TennisTV!

Continuing the form that took her to the US Open semifinals, Wozniacki, who lifted the title in the Japanese capital six years ago, returned to the final after a thrilling 4-6, 7-5, 6-4 victory over the No.2 seed.

Radwanska had her chances, serving for the match at 5-3 in the second set, but ultimately Wozniacki, who committed just 29 unforced errors during their two hours and 51 minutes on court, was just too consistent.

“I think every time I play her, we play really tough matches – and long ones. Luckily I managed to win that second set and then we both fought so hard in that third one,” Wozniacki said.

In the final she will face Japanese wildcard Naomi Osaka, who fought back to reach her maiden WTA final with a 1-6, 6-3, 6-2 win over Elina Svitolina.

“I don’t really think too much about it,” Osaka said. “I just know [Wozniacki] is gonna get a lot of balls back and I feel like I’m just going to have to be patient and stick to the game plan – when I think of a plan.”

Osaka entered the tournament having never won a match at Toray, and has now become the first Japanese finalist since Kimiko Date-Krum 21 years ago. It’s also the first WTA-level final for the 18-year-old.

“I don’t really feel pressure here since the first match, since everyone is ranked higher than me. I’m a wildcard, so I just try to do my best. But this, for sure, it’s my best tournament.”

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Vote Now: 2016 WTA Shot Of The Year – Group B

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

It’s time to crown the 2016 WTA Shot Of The Year!

Each WTA Shot Of The Month winner has been placed into one of two groups:

• Voting for Group A and Group B will close Sunday, November 20 at 11:59pm ET
• The two shots from each group that receive the most votes will then be placed into a final group
• Final Group voting opens Monday, November 21 and ends Monday, November 28 at 11:59pm ET
• The 2016 WTA Shot of the Year winner will be announced Tuesday, November 29

Group B

June: Agnieszka Radwanska
July: Simona Halep
August: Agnieszka Radwanska
September: Kirsten Flipkens
October: Angelique Kerber

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Safarova Advances In Wuhan, Injury Ends Bencic's Hopes

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

WUHAN, China – Lucie Safarova returned to winning ways after edging past Varvara Lepchenko on the opening day of the Dongfeng Motor Wuhan Open.

Watch live action from Wuhan on WTA Live powered by TennisTV!

A difficult summer for Safarova brought just two wins in four outings, and her 7-5, 6-3 triumph will provide some much-needed confidence heading into the final stretch of the season.

In a closely contested opening set, the Czech whipped a brilliant forehand return to claim the decisive break in the penultimate game then held onto the momentum to take her place in the second round, where she will face compatriot and No.5 seed Karolina Pliskova.

Elsewhere, Belinda Bencic’s injury-riddled season continued when she was forced to retire following a nasty tumble against No.9 seed Svetlana Kuznetsova.

The Swiss teenager began the year in fine fashion, reaching the second week of the Australian Open and becoming the youngest player in nearly seven years to break into the Top 10.

Since then, though, it has been one injury mishap after another; a back injury stalled her progress in spring – forcing her to miss the French Open – before a wrist problem forced her to retire from Wimbledon then pull out of the Olympics.

“I felt it in exactly the same place where I was injured – I think it’s the coccyx bone. I’m going to get some tests to figure out more, and we will see,” Bencic said.

Kuznetsova was leading 6-3, 3-4 when the match came to its premature conclusion. In the next round she will meet Heather Watson or Madison Brengle.

And Bencic was not the only big name to suffer misfortune. No.12 seed and 2014 quarterfinalist Timea Bacsinszky retired with a viral illness when trailing 6-3, 4-3 against Louisa Chirico.

Also advancing were No.13 seed Roberta Vinci, who defeated Olympic champion Monica Puig, 6-3, 6-3, and Ekaterina Makarova, a comfortable 6-1, 6-2 winner over wildcard Sabine Lisicki.

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Cibulkova, Bencic Shine In Bratislava Exhibition

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

BRATISLAVA, Slovakia – Dominika Cibulkova took the court for the first time since capturing the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global to play the Tennis Championships Slovakia, a one night exhibition event featuring fellow WTA star Belinda Bencic, Yannick Noah, Dominik Hrbaty, Radek Stepanek, and Monsour Barami.

Cibulkova and Bencic met the press and participated in a kid’s clinic sponsored by Tennis Arena before the main event began. The WTA Finals champion even got to sit on a throne to commemorate a career-best season, one that saw her reach a career-high ranking of No.5 and win a tour-leading four WTA titles.

Check out the best tweets from the night:

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