Indian Wells: Friday Highlights
Highlights from the semifinal action at the BNP Paribas Open.
Highlights from the semifinal action at the BNP Paribas Open.
Svetlana Kuznetsova takes on Venus Williams in the third round of the Dongfeng Motor Wuhan Open.
Women’s tennis is in full bloom in Zhuhai, China for the Huajin Securities WTA Elite Trophy Zhuhai!
Elina Svitolina was ready to get going! She arrived first in Zhuhai, where she reached the semifinals last year.
She’s already got a huge fan club in Zhuhai too!
Also popular with the Chinese fans, Petra Kvitova and Zhang Shuai were on hand for the official draw ceremony.
Following the flowers theme, Kvitova and Zhang drew the players into four groups: Rose, Camellia, Peony and Azalea.
The court is ready at custom-designed and state-of-the-art Zhuhai Hengqin International Tennis Centre!
Timea Bacsinszky took the court against Zhang for the first match of the tournament!
Despite her best effort, Bacsinszky suffered a straights sets drubbing against China’s No.1.
Meanwhile, Svitolina had to mount an epic comeback, but after two Rose Group victories she’s through to the semifinals.
It wasn’t a good day in the office for singles alternate Timea Babos though. She bowed out after two straight sets losses.
Zhang delighted Chinese fans as she booked the first semifinal spot, winning the Camellia Group with a pair of dominating performances.
Despite falling in the group stage, Bacsinszky gave us the most memorable press conference moment when she donned a Chinese opera mask she received as a gift.
Will we see more of Roberta Vinci in 2017? The Italian veteran left her future up in the air after leaving Zhuhai with two group stage losses.
But the tournament continues, and there are still two semifinal spots up for grabs! The Azalea Group spot could go to Johanna Konta…
…unless her opponent Caroline Garcia defeats her and snatches it away.
In the Peony Group, Barbora Strycova hits the court looking for a semifinal berth…
…but she faces stiff competition from Kvitova, whose tennis has flourished in recent weeks during the Asian Swing.
WTA Insider Courtney Nguyen | Serena Williams renews her rivalry with Victoria Azarenka as they battle for the BNP Paribas Open title. Follow it all live right here!
An interview with Simona Halep after her win in the quarterfinals of the Dongfeng Motor Wuhan Open.
ZHUHAI, China – Johanna Konta guaranteed that she will end the year ranked inside the Top 10 following Wednesday’s victory over Samantha Stosur at the Huajin Securities WTA Elite Trophy Zhuhai.
Four weeks ago, Konta became the fourth Briton in WTA history to reach the Top 10 when she finished runner-up at the China Open, in Beijing. By winning her opening round-robin match in Zhuhai, she will remain among the elite until the year’s end, becoming the first British player to do so for 33 years.
Jo Durie was the last to achieve the feat, when she finished 1983 ranked No.6, following in the footsteps of Grand Slam champions Virginia Wade (1975, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979) and Sue Barker (1976, 1977, 1979).
Impressive! ??? https://t.co/aFXNFWKQd3
— Jo Durie (@Jodurie) November 2, 2016
For Konta, it is the latest accomplishment of a memorable campaign that has already seen her lift a maiden WTA title, in Stanford, and reach the semifinals of the Australian Open.
Last summer, a 16-match winning run, which began at a lowly ITF Circuit event in Granby, Canada, and ended in the second week of the US Open, sent Konta skyrocketing up the rankings and, more importantly, imbued her with a sense of belonging. Since then she has been a regular at the business end of tennis’ showpiece events, runs at Stanford, Beijing, Montréal, Eastbourne, Miami and the Australian and US Opens cementing her place at the WTA’s top table.
The 25-year-old has a work ethic rivalled by few on tour and unsurprisingly is now concentrating on taking the next step.
“I think [being in the Top 3] is what I dreamt of as a little girl. I dreamt of being No.1 in the world, being the best player out there,” Konta said after her win over Stosur. “I think you got to put also dreams aside a little bit separate just because you got to focus on the work and you got to focus on things that you can control. That’s the effort and attitude that I approach my job, what I do.”
No.3 ranked Angelique Kerber – along with the rest of the Miami Open’s top seeds – met the press at All-Access Hour on Tuesday ahead of the start of play.
“I have much more confidence inside of me. It feels a little bit different but at the end, I know that I need to go to work again, going on practice courts, working hard,” said Kerber on how she’s coping with the added pressure of being a Grand Slam champion.
Last year’s Miami Open finalist, Carla Suárez Navarro, is hoping to do one better this year and claim her first title at Crandon Park.
“Always when she’s in the tournament, she’s the favorite,” said Suárez Navarro on top seed Serena Williams, who defeated her in last year’s final. “She’s always the best because she always wants more.”
“It’s great to be around all these champions and great players, and it was very inspiring for me,” said Belinda Bencic, the youngest member of the Top 10. “That’s why I felt quite good here, and I’m starting to really feel like I’m a part of this whole thing.”
Defending champion Serena Williams has reached two finals this year, and the nine-time Miami Open champion hopes familiar ground will lead her to her first 2016 title.
For Williams, Miami is the closest thing to a home tournament: “This is the tournament that I’ve grown up coming to. Being a local it’s so easy for me to go home, come here, and it’s been just so great to tennis for decades.”
Though Simona Halep comes into Miami with no expectations, her objective is clear: “It’s tough to have expectations after three tough months this year. Always, when I go on court, I want to win the match. I fight for it.”
World No.2 Agnieszka Radwanska, who’s made the semifinals or higher at every tournament since October, is hoping her consistent run of form will help to grab a second Miami Open title this year.
Petra Kvitova is happy to be back in Miami: “I missed it last year, and I’m very happy to be here again. I missed the tournament; it’s just beautiful up here.”
Petra Kvitova takes on Johanna Konta in the quarterfinals of the Dongfeng Motor Wuhan Open.
As we’re approaching the end of the season, tennis apparel launches are few and far between. Still, in the month of October we did have some tennis fashion releases, while some older designs reminded us just how good they are. Marija Zivlak of Women’s Tennis Blog will give us an overview of the best clothes that graced the courts during the month highlighted by the $7,000,000 BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global.
It’s been a while since Lacoste has launched a truly different design, but Dominika Cibulkova’s powerful and inspiring title run at the WTA Finals helped us better notice just how good the blue dress with orange built-in racerback sports bra suits the courageous Slovak. Every inch of the Lacoste Fall Racer Dress fits Cibulkova just right, so much that I thoroughly enjoyed watching the determined 27-year-old work the design that we’ve been seeing around the courts, in one form or another, through most of the year.
The sporty mini skirt and thick straps complemented Cibulkova’s 5’3″ frame perfectly, the peeking mango tree bra and 3D Lacoste script at mid-back reflect her drive and energy, while the mesh racerback overlay and white zipper create an absolutely winning look. What’s more, Cibulkova paired the dress with a classic white head tie, for an overall perfect blend of sporty, modern, retro and functional.
Before being stopped by inspired Cibulkova, Angelique Kerber confidently marched through the WTA Finals, wearing winter colors (white and light green), brightened by the vibrant coral contrast. The World No.1 opted for the white version of the adidas Fall Pro Tank, whose flash red racerback provides just the right amount of warm contrast, and the adidas Fall Pro Skirt, whose print is one of the best prints this season, and you know how tough the competition is.
The impression wouldn’t have been complete without the beautiful Adizero Ubersonic 2 shoes that offer confidence and stability even in ultra fast on-court movements.
Karolina Pliskova made her first appearance at the WTA Finals in style, wearing classic black and white hues from Fila’s Court Couture line characterized by feminine ruching, fashion-forward draping, and elegant, gold finishing touches. The Czech No.1 showcased the Court Couture Halter Tank, featuring a built-in bra and 30+ UV protection for the perfect melding of fashion and function, and the Court Couture Skirt, another timeless piece with classic contrasting colors.
Another player rocking the classic black and whites this October was Venus Williams, but the queen of prints used them to create a busy floral pattern, pairing it with solid colorblocks.
During her short campaign at the Prudential Hong Kong Tennis Open, Williams presented the EleVen Casablanca Glide Back Tank, a sleek black top featuring printed contrast elastic binding that enhances a feminine silhouette, and the EleVen Casablanca Triple Threat Skirt, equipped with EleVen Pro-Dri for moisture-wicking performance and superior breathability.
World No. 87 Carina Witthoeft lost in the first round of the Generali Ladies Linz as a qualifier, but in the fashion battle the German would have progressed much further at the tournament. Her purple Nike outfit consisted of the NikeCourt Maria Tank in color plum fog and the NikeCourt Maria Skort. The tank is made of stretch mesh fabric that provides stylish and breathable coverage. Carina decided to tuck the top in, not exposing split hems that offer a different, yet just as stylish look.
The 2016 Aces For Humanity campaign was launched by USANA and the WTA at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells this year, where every ace hit by a WTA player at Premier-level events translates into a donation to the USANA True Health Foundation, whose mission is to provide the most critical human necessities to those who are suffering or in need around the world. For every ace hit by any player the WTA donates $5, and for every ace hit by a USANA Brand Ambassador, it’s $10.
USANA Brand Ambassadors Caroline Wozniacki, Eugenie Bouchard, Samantha Stosur, Kristina Mladenovic, Madison Keys, Sloane Stephens, Monica Puig, Zheng Saisai and Alizé Cornet (who did not play in Indian Wells) have hit 42 of the 489 aces so far – raising a grand total of $2,655 over the fortnight.
Read more about the campaign here and see below to find out who’s hit the most aces so far!
#AcesForHumanity Fan Giveaway
It’s simple: before each WTA Premier tournament guess how many total aces will be hit.
Next up is the Miami Open in Miami. Last year there was a total of 411 aces hit. It’s now your turn, take your best guess of how many will be hit in the desert this year.
How To Enter:
• Follow @WTA and @USANAFoundation on Twitter and before each WTA Premier tournament tweet the number of aces you predict will be hit during the whole tournament (Singles, Main Draw)
• Include the hashtag #AcesForHumanity
• Miami deadline is March 23rd at 11:59pm ET
• The winner will be announced April 4th
Aces For Humanity is a joint WTA and USANA initiative that benefits the USANA True Health Foundation, which provides critical human necessities to those in suffering or in need around the globe.
For full rules on how to enter, click here.
