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Zhang's Moment Finally Comes

Zhang's Moment Finally Comes

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

MELBOURNE, Australia – This was a win for the journeywomen. The ones who slog away on tour, always fighting for ranking points and prize money in the shadow, hoping that their day will come. Because as cruel as this sport can be – good results forgotten every Monday, nearly every week punctuated by a loss – your luck can change at any moment. For China’s Zhang Shuai, her moment finally came.

On Tuesday night, Zhang, ranked No.133, walked onto Margaret Court Arena under a cloud. The 26-year-old, who reached a career-high ranking of No.30 in 2014, was 0-14 in main draw matches at the Slams. Across the net from her was the No.2 player in the world in Simona Halep, a back-to-back quarterfinalist here. And to add more stakes to the night, Zhang took the court knowing this very well could be her last appearance at a major.

Less than 80 minutes later, Zhang was in tears as she pulled off the biggest upset of the tournament so far, beating Halep 6-4, 6-3 to earn her first win at a major.

Three months ago, Zhang was hovering just inside the Top 200. She was struggling to win matches and even qualify for tournaments, dipping back and forth between the WTA and ITF levels.

“Feeling so sad,” Zheng told reporters. “Couldn’t win one match even. Ranking from 30 drop to 200 [in] only few months, so feeling so sad.”

It was then, after the US Open, that she says she considered retirement.

“Before when I have this thinking [about retiring], everybody say, No. C’mon, you’re a great player. You can come back soon. You have to keep going.

“But I feeling sad. I didn’t know how can keep going. But when [they] say, Okay, retire, no problem [and] nobody said, No, I’m feeling no, I want come back. I want [to] try one more time, only one more time, yeah. If no good, I say, Okay, I will try last tournament Australia Open. If Australia Open not good, maybe finish tennis.

“But I never think I can win in the here, win the first round.”

To break her Grand Slam duck, Zhang played as good of a match as she’s played in years. Playing with no pressure and with the support of her coach and family, she rode the support of the crowd and took the match by the reins. Behind a firing forehand that kept Halep on the run all night, Zhang finished the match with 31 winners to 24 unforced errors.

After the match, Zhang said the bigger courts suit her. “Feels more exciting and so many people supporting me watching the match, so feeling more relax. I want to show how good I am.”

“I think wasn’t my good day, but I give her a lot of credit because I think she played really well,” Halep said. “She played without fear and she hit every ball. So she had good rhythm. I think I played a little bit too short in the first set. Then she was dominating me because she felt the ball really well.”

Said Zhang: “I think the last three matches [in qualifying] help me a lot for [confidence]. Especially last round, final round, play against Virginie Razzano. Very tough match. 8-6 in the final set. So give me a lot [confidence] and feeling very good.”

You know a result resonates in the locker room when players puts down their knives and forks to celebrate:

Well done to Shuai& her coach Robert ?? they had a very difficult year last year… But hard work always pay off ?? https://t.co/YBjeI0D3sk

— Caroline Garcia (@CaroGarcia) January 19, 2016

In preparation for possibly playing her final Australian Open, Zhang convinced her mother and father to come along on the trip. Neither had ever traveled with her. She wanted to give them a glimpse into the life that she leads and the sport she loves.

“This is big-time for me,” Zhang said. “Because I think, Oh, maybe this is last time in Australia Open, so I wanted they coming to maybe see last match in Melbourne.

“I want [them to] come to see the last 20 years what I’m [doing]. This is my life already like 20 years. They never see. So I want [them to have the] feeling [of] what I’m [doing]. So, yeah, this is so lucky my parents coming and I win.”

For now the retirement talk is on hold. These two sets of tennis on a warm Melbourne night have reinvigorated Zhang, filing her with belief that the best is yet to come.

“I’m training hard, more hard than before,” she said. “I didn’t think in two months I can win [against] the top-two player. Feeling like dream coming true, yeah.”

Yeah.

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Konta Prevails In Kuznetsova Marathon

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil – Johanna Konta won a marathon encounter with Svetlana Kuznetsova on Tuesday afternoon to advance to the quarterfinals of the 2016 Olympics.

After just over three hours on court a weary Kuznetsova tugged the ball wide to hand Konta a thrilling 3-6, 7-5, 7-5 victory.

“That’s the longest match I’ve had for ages! I’ve been very fortunate to be part of some spectacular matches in my career and that definitely ranks up there because it’s my first Olympics,” Konta said.

Konta has been playing the tennis of her life this summer, but for the first hour against Kuznetsova it looked like this hectic schedule was finally catching up with her.

Trailing 2-0 in the second set, Konta’s punchy groundstrokes finally began to penetrate her opponent’s defenses, a run of four straight games hauling her back into the contest. Despite surrendering this advantage, the Briton hit back to level the match and then forge ahead in the decider.

Kuznetsova has enjoyed an enviable career, yet has failed to end either of her previous Olympic campaigns on the podium. And even when the cause appeared lost, her desire for this missing medal ensured a tense finale.

Serving for the match at 5-3, Konta came within two points of victory only to falter. This saw the momentum swing back towards the Russian and in Konta’s next service game she carved out three more break points.

Back came the World No.13, a sequence of fearless ball striking enabling her to edge ahead once more. With the finishing line within reach once more, Konta’s nerves reappeared, squandering three match points closing out a famous victory at the fourth time of asking.

Konta, who was ranked outside the Top 200 four years ago, is making her Olympic debut and has found it hard not to become swept up in the spirit of the Games: “Well once you get on court it’s about the opponent, it’s about yourself, it’s about competing. But I do think there are slight differences especially this year there are no ranking points. A lot of players play inspired when it comes to their country and that’s how it should be.”

In the last eight, Konta will face either No.2 seed Angelique Kerber after she brushed aside Samantha Stosur, 6-0, 7-5.

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Sam Stosur's Pre-Match Waffles

Sam Stosur's Pre-Match Waffles

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

USANA brand ambassador Samantha Stosur shared with us her tried and true recipe for her favorite pre-match snacks – which you can make right at home with only three ingredients and some waffles.

For a healthy, anytime snack (or for some pre-match fuel), spread toasted waffles with a layer of peanut butter for a dose of protein then top with freshly sliced bananas. Sprinkle in some chia seeds, which are packed with omega-3 fatty acids, fiber, and calcium, for a nutritious energy boost.

Here’s everything you need:

Samantha Stosur

USANA is the Official Vitamin & Supplement Supplier of the WTA, and over 170 Athletes – including 8 out of the Top 10 and 15 out of the Top 20 use USANA products. Former No.1 Caroline Wozniacki, Samantha Stosur, Eugenie Bouchard, and Madison Keys are among several USANA ambassadors, and 2016 marks the 10th Anniversary of the USANA-WTA partnership.

 

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Insider: Hingis & Mirza Part Ways

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

The World No.1 team of Martina Hingis and Sania Mirza have split, according to multiple reports. Mirza and Hingis – self-dubbed “Santina” – dominated the doubles tour for over a year, having joined forces for the first time at the 2015 BNP Paribas Open. Together the pair won 13 titles over a 16-month span, including three consecutive majors at 2015 Wimbledon, the 2015 US Open, and 2016 Australian Open, as well as the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global last fall.

But ever since their 41-match winning streak was snapped in February at the Qatar Total Open by Elena Vesnina and Daria Kasatkina, the team never fully recovered. After their lightening start to 2016, winning their first four tournaments of the year, Hingis and Mirza have won just one title since. As defending champions they lost in the second round at both the BNP Paribas Open and Miami Open this spring and lost back-to-back finals at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix and Mutua Madrid Open to the No.2 team of Caroline Garcia and Kristina Mladenovic.

After winning their first title in nearly three months at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia, Hingis and Mirza took two surprising straight-set exits at the French Open and Wimbledon. In all, they failed to make it past the quarterfinals of their last four events.

So what does this mean for Hingis and Martina going forward?

Who will they play with now?

According to reports out of India, Hingis will pair with CoCo Vandeweghe and Mirza with Barbora Strycova. Mirza will link up with Strycova at next week’s Western & Southern Open before partnering with Bethanie Mattek-Sands at the Connecticut Open. The plan is to re-team with Strycova at the US Open.

What about the No.1 ranking?

The pairing was a milestone launcher for Mirza. She became the first Indian woman to hold the No.1 ranking after the pair won their third straight title last year at the Volvo Car Open and she won her first major doubles title at Wimbledon a few months later. The two became joint No.1s in January of this year and they will continue to hold the top spot through the US Open unless one of them either reaches the Cincinnati final or wins New Haven.

What does this mean for the WTA Finals in Singapore?

Hingis and Mirza were the first doubles team to qualify for this year’s WTA Finals. Despite their struggles over the last four months they still sit atop the Road to Singapore. Under WTA Rules, Hingis and Mirza can still play as a team in Singapore, but if one of them qualifies with another partner, that player may then choose which team she competes with for the WTA Finals. The player she chooses not to complete with will then be ineligible unless that player has also qualified as part of another team.

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Insider Notebook: Generation Next

Insider Notebook: Generation Next

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

MELBOURNE, Australia – On Day 3 at the Australian Open, a smattering of upsets was overshadowed by the youth movement through the draw. Will 2016 be the year the next generation makes an impact? They certainly think so.

– Serena, Sharapova, and Radwanska roll on: Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova each dropped just three games en route to easy wins, with Serena beating Hsieh Su-Wei 6-1, 6-2, and Sharapova beating Aliaksandra Sasnovich 6-2, 6-1. Agnieszka Radwanska played some of her best tennis of the year to hold off Eugenie Bouchard 6-4, 6-2.

– Kristyna Pliskova sets a record…only to lose: You have to feel for Kristyna Pliskova. She broke Sabine Lisicki’s record of 27 aces in a match, firing 31 aces against Monica Puig. Yet despite the cannonballs coming off her racket and holding five match points, Pliskova lost 4-6, 7-6(6), 9-7 in a heartbreaker.

Said a disappointed Pliskova: “I would rather hit 20 aces and win.”

– Daria Gavrilova embraces her moment: Inspired by the crowd, the court, and a vulnerable opponent, Gavrilova knocked out No.6 seed Petra Kvitova 6-4, 6-4 in 90 minutes on Margaret Court Arena. It’s a disappointing trip down to Australia for Kvitova but Gavrilova was one of the most dangerous unseeded players in the draw. It was never going to be easy.

– Kataryna Bondarenko douses Svetlana Kuznetsova: Kuznetsova has been on fire over the last week, dating back to her title run at the Sydney International. But Bondarenko took it to her, firing 28 winners to 14 unforced errors to end the No.26 seed’s Australian Open and advance to her first third round at a major since 2011.

– Don’t look now: Belinda Bencic is cruising through the draw. She plays Bondarenko in the third round and could play Sharapova in the Round of 16.

– Spoilers back-up their upsets: It’s a common pattern. Pull off a big win and go out meekly in the next round. But that hasn’t been the case in this year’s Australian Open. Five of the seven players who knocked out seeds in the first round — Kasatkina (d. Schmiedlova), Margarita Gasparyan (d. Errani), Yulia Putintseva (d. Wozniacki), and Lauren Davis (d. Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova), and Elizaveta Kulichkova (d. Petkovic), won through today.

Daria Gavrilova

– Youth Brigade: 10 of the 16 players into the third round in the top half of the draw are aged 22 and under, with three of them being teenagers: Daria Kasatkina (18), Margarita Gasparyan (21), Yulia Putintseva (21), Belinda Bencic (18), Lauren Davis (22), Monica Puig (22), Anna Lena Friedsam (21), Elizaveta Kulichkova (19), Kristina Mladenovic (22), and Daria Gavrilova (21).

Of that group, six are into the third round of a major for the first time in their careers. Nice to see some fresh faces to start the season.

“It’s great,” Gavrilova said. “We’re all excited. We’re all pretty friendly. We hang out together. Yeah, like I said, we’re all supporting each other. I think it’s going to be awesome.”

– Bouchard bows out: Bouchard led 4-2 in the first before Radwanska reeled her back in for a 6-4, 6-2 win, but the Canadian once again showed flashes of her brilliant 2014 form. She just couldn’t sustain the level throughout the match. With the loss, Bouchard will drop out of the Top 50 for the first time since 2013.

“That was a great challenge for me to play somebody like Eugenie in the second round,” Radwanska said. “But I think I was doing everything right today. That’s why I win that match in two sets. Definitely not an easy draw.”

Notable: Radwanska is 14-0 in sets this year. She plays Puig next.

Monica Puig

– Puig’s change of perspective: Puig has had a strong start to 2016, making her first Premier final at the Sydney International and now into the third round at the Australian Open for the first time. It’s a strong rebound from a disappointing 2015 campaign and Puig says she’s playing better simply because she’s fallen back in love with the sport.

– Top half of the draw set: Here are Friday’s third round matches: Serena vs. Kasatkina, Gasparyan vs. Putintseva, Bencic vs. Bondarenko, Davis vs Sharapova, Radwanska vs. Puig, Friedsam vs. Vinci, Suarez Navarro vs. Kulichkova, Mladenovic vs. Gavrilova.

– The Origins of DropshotPova: Turns out Sharapova’s decision to add the dropshot to her arsenal was driven by pure competition.

“It’s something that I have added. It’s actually something that I had to add, because I was getting really frustrated losing to my hitting partner all the time. He just stood so far back behind the baseline I was like, just can’t handle him beating me so often. I have to just change things around. That’s kind of when I started getting into that a little bit.

He was a little surprised (laughter). But it started working, so that was good.

– Serena’s sarcasm: I think it’s safe to say Serena probably isn’t too excited to hear Roberta Vinci’s name anymore. When a journalist asked Serena whether she’s watched her US Open loss to Vinci — this was the third question about Vinci in the press conference — Serena quipped: “Yeah, I watch it every day. Every night to get ready.”

Li Na

– Catching up with Li Na: The 2013 Australian Open champion was downright chatty on a wet Wednesday morning as she met with reporters. The main conversation point surrounded the four Chinese women — Wang Qiang, Han Xinyun, Zhang Shuai, and Zheng Saisai — who progressed to the second round. It’s the first time four Chinese women have made the second round at a Slam since 2006.

“I remember last year in Wuhan, one reporter asked me what do you think about the Chinese players, they always lose in the first round,” she said. “I got a little bit angry. They need more space. They need more time.” She was right.

– Simona Halep’s off-season problems: After her first round loss on Tuesday, Halep revealed to the Romanian press that she fell ill during her off-season training block and had to be hospitalized and put on antibiotics.

– Hate the player, not the game: Liked this from Radwanska, who went out of her way to point out that the increased depth on tour means every player is dangerous: “As we see now the ranking, it sometimes didn’t really showing the game, what the player actually showing. You play against the player, not the ranking.”

– Best Friends Forever: Kasatkina and Kulichkova are best friends with very different personalities and interests. One example: Kasatkina worships at the throne of Rafael Nadal. Kulichkova is a Federer fan. Somehow their friendship survives.

All photos courtesy of Getty Images.

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Around The Grounds At The Australian Open

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970
Caroline Wozniacki and Victoria Azarenka were joined by four colorful characters at the Australian Open Kids Tennis Day – as well as the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

Caroline Wozniacki and Victoria Azarenka were joined by four colorful characters at the Australian Open Kids Tennis Day – as well as the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

Eugenie Bouchard’s loyal fans, the “Genie Army,” were out in full force in sunny Melbourne.

Eugenie Bouchard’s loyal fans, the “Genie Army,” were out in full force in sunny Melbourne.

Australian player Daria Gavrilova thrilled Aussie fans with her spirited performance at her home slam. The 21-year-old made the Round of 16, her best result ever at a slam.

Australian player Daria Gavrilova thrilled Aussie fans with her spirited performance at her home slam. The 21-year-old made the Round of 16, her best result ever at a slam.

Down the road from Melbourne Park, Johanna Konta stands under the distinctive clocks of Flinders Street Station. Konta made British tennis history by becoming the first woman in 33 years to reach the quarterfinals of the Australian Open.

Down the road from Melbourne Park, Johanna Konta stands under the distinctive clocks of Flinders Street Station. Konta made British tennis history by becoming the first woman in 33 years to reach the quarterfinals of the Australian Open.

Australian Open tournament director Craig Tiley presents Maria Sharapova with a cake commemorating a major milestone: she reached 600 career singles wins after her victory in the third round.

Australian Open tournament director Craig Tiley presents Maria Sharapova with a cake commemorating a major milestone: she reached 600 career singles wins after her victory in the third round.

Australian Open quarterfinalist Angelique Kerber makes a young fan happy at Autograph Island.

Australian Open quarterfinalist Angelique Kerber makes a young fan happy at Autograph Island.

Naomi Osaka wants to be the very best, like no one ever was. The 18-year-old Japanese – pictured here meeting the penguins at Melbourne Aquarium – made the third round at the Australian Open.

Naomi Osaka wants to be the very best, like no one ever was. The 18-year-old Japanese – pictured here meeting the penguins at Melbourne Aquarium – made the third round at the Australian Open.

Serena Williams signs autographs after her Round of 16 win. The World No.1 has yet to drop a set in her Australian Open title defense.

Serena Williams signs autographs after her Round of 16 win. The World No.1 has yet to drop a set in her Australian Open title defense.

Annika Beck dealt the No.11 seed Timea Bacsinszky a second-round upset, and doled out many autographs at the Australian Open Autograph Island.

Annika Beck dealt the No.11 seed Timea Bacsinszky a second-round upset, and doled out many autographs at the Australian Open Autograph Island.

World No.113 Zheng Shuai was contemplating retiring after the Australian Open – until she upset the No.2 seed Simona Halep in the first round. Zheng – pictured here with coach Liu Shuo at the Chinese Museum – is now in her first ever Grand Slam quarterfinal.

World No.113 Zheng Shuai was contemplating retiring after the Australian Open – until she upset the No.2 seed Simona Halep in the first round. Zheng – pictured here with coach Liu Shuo at the Chinese Museum – is now in her first ever Grand Slam quarterfinal.

Two-time champion Victoria Azarenka signs a camera lens after her victory – can the undefeated No.14 seed make it three Grand Slams in Melbourne?

Two-time champion Victoria Azarenka signs a camera lens after her victory – can the undefeated No.14 seed make it three Grand Slams in Melbourne?

Daria Kasatkina, who made the third round in Melbourne, tries on a bit of Aussie spirit – and a cork hat – at the Australia Pop Up Shop.

Daria Kasatkina, who made the third round in Melbourne, tries on a bit of Aussie spirit – and a cork hat – at the Australia Pop Up Shop.

Carla Suárez Navarro is always calm – whether she’s on court or holding a freshwater crocodile. A quarterfinalist here in Melbourne, she’s looking to move into the final four for the first time in her career.

Carla Suárez Navarro is always calm – whether she’s on court or holding a freshwater crocodile. A quarterfinalist here in Melbourne, she’s looking to move into the final four for the first time in her career.

Garbiñe Muguruza during her post-match interview. The World No.3 made the third round of the Australian Open.

Garbiñe Muguruza during her post-match interview. The World No.3 made the third round of the Australian Open.

The spotlight is on World No.4 Agnieszka Radwanska, behind the scenes at her ESPN Player Montage. The reigning WTA Finals champion is seeking to make the Australian Open her first Grand Slam title.

The spotlight is on World No.4 Agnieszka Radwanska, behind the scenes at her ESPN Player Montage. The reigning WTA Finals champion is seeking to make the Australian Open her first Grand Slam title.

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Serena Celebrates Instagram Milestone

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

Serena Williams never misses a chances to show off her dance moves, and a major social media milestone is no exception. The World No.1 just crossed the four million followers mark on Instagram, and she debuted a move that she dubbed the “4 million follower dance.”

So how exactly does one react when reaching that many million followers?

Click right here to find out!

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WTA Stars Celebrate NGWS Day

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

February 3rd marks the 30th annual National Girls and Women in Sports Day. NGWSD is a celebration created by the Women’s Sports Foundation, an organization founded by none other than WTA Founder Billie Jean King.

The theme for the 2016 NGWSD is entitled Leading the Way, and “is a nod to all those individuals and organizations who are on the front line for girls and women in sports: the organizations committed to advancing women’s issues, athletes who have overcome barriers, coaches who challenge their teams to succeed, girls who have faith in their own potential, and all those who continue to use the power of example to inspire greatness.”

Click here to learn more about NGWSD, and check out King’s tweet celebrating the day’s 30-year milestone:

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