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WTA Player Of The Month: Azarenka

WTA Player Of The Month: Azarenka

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

Former No.1 Victoria Azarenka began the month of March ranked outside the Top 10 and heads into April back inside the Top 5 for the first time since 2014, having captured back-to-back titles at the BNP Paribas Open and Miami Open.

Gritting out several tough three-setters in Indian Wells, Azarenka enjoyed a comprehensive upset of top seed and 21-time Grand Slam champion Serena Williams for her fourth career victory over the American and second title in the California desert. She followed up the feat by winning Miami, becoming the third woman in WTA history to win the prestigious and elusive Indian Wells-Miami “Sunshine” Double.

“It’s been a really long month and to be able to contain this determination and that intensity throughout all the matches is definitely not an easy task,” Azarenka told WTA Insider in the latest Champion’s Corner.

“The last couple of days especially have been a lot of expectations and pressure from the outside to complete the Sunshine Double and so I’m very proud that I kept myself present, kept myself really focused and focused on the job before anything else.”

Focused and intense throughout the Miami fortnight, Azarenka didn’t drop a set en route to her third Miami title; the win increased her 2016 total to three WTA titles and brought her up to the top spot on the Road to Singapore Leaderboard.

“Pressure is something that I want to go after, something that I want to face, and the challenge I always want to face.

“I’m never going to be the type of person who runs away from a challenge, no matter how hard it is, because that’s what gets me excited and a hardened competitor.”

With more challenges ahead of the Sunshine Double winner, Azarenka appears ready to move even higher as March’s WTA Player Of The Month!

Final Results for March’s WTA Player Of The Month

1. Victoria Azarenka (70%)
2. Svetlana Kuznetsova (17%)
3. Serena Williams (13%)

 Victoria Azarenka

2016 WTA Player of the Month Winners

January: Angelique Kerber
February: Carla Suárez Navarro

How it works:

Finalists are selected by wtatennis.com
Winner is then determined by a fan vote on wtatennis.com 

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Stephens, Vesnina Into Charleston Final

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

CHARLESTON, SC, USA – Sloane Stephens is into her first WTA singles final on clay after the defending champion Angelique Kerber saw herself forced to retire, 6-1, 3-0, in the semifinals of the Volvo Car Open.

Watch highlights, interviews and more video from Charleston right here on wtatennis.com!

“It’s been a little tough out here but I’m happy to be through to the final,” Stephens said. “It’s sad that it had to be that way. It’s not the way I’d wanted it.

“I wish Angie a speedy recovery – she’s a really nice girl and a really great player.”

Stephens, who already has two titles in 2016 with wins at Auckland and Acapulco, took the first set after a dominating 24 minutes, outhitting a sluggish Kerber. The American scored 10 winners and hit just two unforced errors, while the out-of-sorts Kerber hit just seven winners to 10 unforced errors.

After consulting with the trainer and doctor, Kerber took the court again after a lengthy break trailing a set and 2-0. She was forced to retire from the match after one more game due to viral illness, sending Stephens into the Volvo Car Open final.

“When I was warming up this morning, I felt a little bit like something is wrong,” Kerber said afterwards. “I was thinking that when I’m going on court, the energy will come back and I will feel okay.But after the first few games in the first set I was feeling that, yeah, something is not good.”

Back into a WTA final, Stephens is putting a rough four-week stretch behind her. Despite the roaring start to her 2016 season that saw her claim two titles, she lost in straight sets at the last two tournaments she’s played before heading to the green clay at Charleston.

“Making a final is making a final, but I think there’s kind of a buildup to that,” Stephens said. “It wasn’t just because of today she wasn’t feeling well.I think the matches I played previously, like yesterday I was down a match point and things like that.

“Today I was just looking forward to getting out there, and the same I’ll do tomorrow, just looking forward to getting back on the court.”

Joining Stephens in the Volvo Car Open final is Russian qualifier Elena Vesnina, who’s into her first WTA singles final since 2013 after battling past Sara Errani 6-4, 4-6, 6-2.

Vesnina had a tough 2015 season, recording 13 first-round losses (across all levels), but 2016 has seen her come up from the qualifying rounds to score consistent main draw wins. Playing in her first semifinal of the year, former No.21 Vesnina found herself up against Errani, a clay court heavyweight – seven of the Italian’s nine titles have been won on clay, along with 12 of her 19 finals appearances.

“I had some great memories from being in that final five years ago, and I knew that I can do that again,” Vesnina said. “But of course, I knew that it was going to be very difficult coming from the qualifying.I was just thinking match by match, to improve my game on the clay.

“I’m pretty impressed with my game level, today as well because Sara is a clay court specialist. She had most of her wins on this surface and she really understands the strategy on this surface.”

Errani applied her tried-and-true clay court prowess early on, breaking Vesnina’s serve to go up a 3-1 lead. Vesnina got the break back to level up the score at 4-4, and her sudden changes of pace gave the Italian trouble, winning the first set with a drop shot that barely edged over the net.

A drawn out battle at 3-3 in the second set changed the momentum for Errani, giving her a lead to take back the second set. In the decider, Vesnina was more focused and sharper on the big points; she created and converted more break chances – three conversions for five chances – than Errani.

“It’s going to be a little bit different match tomorrow against Sloane because Sloane is playing in a different style than Sara,” Vesnina said. “It’s going to be difficult to show the same level in the final, and in general in the finals it’s really difficult to show your best tennis.

“You need to be solid.You need to be consistent.You need to come on the court and you have to know what you have to do there.

“So you have to be ready, and hopefully tomorrow it will be a great match between me and Sloane.”

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10 Things You Need To Know About Madison Keys

10 Things You Need To Know About Madison Keys

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

SINGAPORE – In 2016, Madison Keys has continued her upward career trajectory, reaching the second week of all four majors and establishing herself in the Top 10. Next stop: Singapore.

1. Dazzling Debut.
Madison Keys is making her debut at BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global.

2. Peak Performance.
It is the culmination of a career-best season. She broke into the WTA Top 10 in June, becoming the first American to enter the elite ranking bracket since Serena Williams in 1999.

3. Hitting the Heights.
After a wonderful Asian Swing, Keys reached a career-high ranking of World No.7 on Monday, October 10 following her run to the semifinals at the China Open.

4. Tremendous on Tour.
It all follows terrific achievements on tour: a second WTA title, at the Aegon Classic Birmingham, runner-up slots at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia and Rogers Cup, plus quarterfinals at the Miami Open and Dongfeng Motor Wuhan Open.

Madison Keys

5. Amazing Americans.
Keys is flying the flag for the USA at the pinnacle of women’s tennis – along with the Williams sisters. All three of them were top ten seeds at Wimbledon this year: the first time there had been three American women seeded at a Slam since the 2005 US Open. When she played Serena in Rome, it was the first all-American final there since 1970, and the first all-American clay-court WTA final since Roland Garros in 2002.

6. Slam Success.
She was one of just four players to reach the round of 16 at all of the Grand Slams this year – showing she is really getting to grips with the big occasions.

7. Going the Distance.
She’s also dramatically improved her record in matches that go the distance – in 2016 she’s 17-6 in three-setters. That’s a marked contrast to her record in 2015 (7-8) and 2014 (6-10).

8. Tying it Up.
Keys currently boasts an impressive 2016 track record in tie-breaks – winning 14 of them.

9. On the Climb.
Keys has been on a sharp upward trajectory – 2015 was her first season in the WTA Top 20 rankings. The two years previously had seen her in the top 40 – with 2014 including a win at Eastbourne.

10. Teenage Dream.
21-year-old Keys has been on the circuit since she was a teenager. In 2009 she played her first WTA event as a wildcard at Ponte Vedra Beach, reaching the second round, and in the process becoming the seventh-youngest player ever to win a WTA match at the age of 14 years and 48 days, beating Alla Kudryavtseva.

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