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Vote: January's WTA Shot Of The Month

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

Julia Goerges, Karolina Pliskova, Yulia Putintseva, Agnieszka Radwanska, Alizé Cornet – who will win January’s WTA Shot Of The Month presented by Cambridge Global Payments? Vote now!

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Flavia & Fabio Get Tie The Knot

Flavia & Fabio Get Tie The Knot

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

In keeping with her style on court, Flavia Pennetta’s wedding to long-term boyfriend Fabio Fognini was a classy affair.

The couple, who have been together since 2014, tied the knot on Saturday in Pennetta’s hometown of Ostuni, Italy.

Among the guests were many of the tennis family, including Pennetta’s former doubles partner Gisela Dulko and her teammates in the all-conquering Italy Fed Cup team, Francesca Schiavone, Sara Errani and Roberta Vinci.

Flavia Pennetta, Fabio Fognini

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News | WTA Tennis English

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

ST. PETERSBURG, Russia – Unseeded Kristina Mladenovic pulled off a stunner at the St. Petersburg Ladies Trophy, dispatching No.4 seed and former World No.1 Venus Williams, 6-3, 6-1 in just 54 minutes.

“Venus is a top player, a top champion,” Mladenovic said after the match. “It must have been difficult for Venus to come here after playing back-to-back weekends. I was just trying to play aggressive tennis.

“To be on the same court is a big honor. I’m very happy to say I played with her and that I won today.”

Mladenovic enjoyed a bright start to her first encounter with the Australian Open runner-up, attacking her second serve and raced into a 5-0 lead. The Frenchwoman’s aggressive game plan paid off even as Williams soon warmed up: she blitzed eight forehand winners into the corners and beyond the player almost 14 years her senior.

“It was a very difficult match. I just tried to be very aggressive from the beginning. I was quite sure it would be difficult for her to adjust from Australia, as it was for me the first couple of days.

“I tried to be solid and aggressive, trying not to give her time to adjust into her game. I think I did that pretty well today and I’m happy to get the win.”

Even as things got tenser in the opening set, world No. 51 kept her nerve and served it out on her second attempt.

“I had a good feeling at the beginning of the match. I started very well, playing powerfully and serving good. The 5-0 lead was kind of surprising in a way, but it put me in a good position and even when I got tight, I stayed composed to close out the first set. It gave me confidence to continue putting the workd in and win the match.

The No.4 seed staved off four break points to start the second set but Mladenovic wore her down and broke at her fifth opportunity to take the early lead and keep up the momentum. 

She broke again en route to an emphatic a 5-1 lead, breaking one more time to clinch her spot in the last eight, where she’ll face defending champion and No.6 seed Roberta Vinci.

“It’s going to be a very tough match. Roberta is such a great player, with a lot of variety and tactics. Our last battle was a very good one at the quarterfinals of the 2015 US Open. She plays very well on this surface, so it’ll be a tough match, but I hope to play my best tennis.”

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News | WTA Tennis English

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

Elina Svitolina closed out a competitive Aussie squad while Fed Cup debutantes Natalia Vikhlyantseva and Rebecca Sramkova sealed impressive World Group II wins over Chinese Taipei and Italy, respectively.

Catch up on how Day 2 went down:

Ukraine 3-1 Australia

Svitolina started off Day 1 with a comeback win over Ashleigh Barty, and picked up where she left off against Daria Gavrilova, taking a 6-3, 6-2 win to lead Ukraine back into World Group I Play-Offs.

Not content to leave Kharkiv empty-handed, Australia pulled off a thrilling three-set win in the doubles rubber, with former Grand Slam finalists Barty and Casey Dellacqua beating Nadiia Kichenok and Olga Savchuk, 6-2, 2-6, 10-8.

Russia 3-1 Chinese Taipei

Coming into Day 2 on level terms, it was up to the experienced Ekaterina Makarova to keep her young teammates ahead in Moscow. Her opponent has had success against big-time Russians in the past, having knocked out then-World No.1 Dinara Safina back in 2009 at the Toray Pan Pacific Open, and was eager for another upset on Sunday.

Twice recovering from deficits against the former World No.85, Makarova edged over the finish line, 6-4, 7-5, opening the door for rising teen sensation Natalia Vikhlyantseva to clinch the tie.

Fresh off a run to the St. Petersburg Ladies Trophy semifinal, Vikhlyantseva put down a decisive, 6-1, 6-2 win over Lee Ya-Hsuan.

The win earned praise froum countrywoman and reigning Olympic Gold medalist Elena Vesnina, who thought the youngster handled the situation like an old pro:

Slovakia 3-2 Italy

Italy won their fourth Fed Cup title in 2013, but could be on the verge of relegation into Zonal play after a shocking loss to Slovakia.

Level after Day 1, former World No.5 Daniela Hantuchova earned her first Top 50 win since 2015 to defeat Sara Errani, 6-2, 6-0, setting the stage for a tense fourth rubber between Rebecca Sramkova and Francesca Schiavone.

The 2010 French Open champion declared 2017 would be her last, but couldn’t tap into that inspiration against an on-fire Sramkova, who hit through the Italian veteran in her Fed Cup debut.

Clinching the tie, 6-2, 6-4, Slovakia moved onto the World Group I Play-Offs, while Italy faces a must-win tie to prevent descending into the Euro-Africa Zone for the first time since 1997.

Belgium 3-1 Romania

Belgium pulled off an dramatic win over Romania, with Elise Mertens taking a 3-6, 7-5, 7-5 win over Irina-Camelia Begu.

Mertens started the year debuting in the Top 100 with a title run at the Hobart International, and held her nerve to see off Begu and clinch the tie for Belgium.

Romania roared into World Group back in 2015 with the help of former World No.2 Simona Halep, but with Halep nursing an injured knee, the 2014 French Open finalist could only watch from the sidelines as her team falls to within one match of returning to Euro-Africa Zone I.

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