February was defined by four breakthrough players who brought some impressive performances on and off the court. Which one soared the highest?
Have a look at the nominees for February’s Breakthrough of the Month and cast your vote before Thursday at 11:59pm ET! The winner will be announced Friday, March 10.
February 2017 WTA Breakthrough of the Month Finalists:
Elina Svitolina: Svitolina surged up the rankings and into the upper echelons of the women’s game in February, debuting in the Top 10 and winning the biggest title of her career at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships. Along the way, she also won the Taiwan Open and amassed a 13-match winning streak, one that’s yet to be broken heading into the BNP Paribas Open.
Kristina Mladenovic: The Frenchwoman took home her first career title on one of the game’s biggest stages, surviving Yulia Putintseva to win a Premier title at the St. Petersburg Ladies Trophy. Mladenovic capped off the month with a win over Karolina Pliskova and another run to a WTA final at the Abierto Mexicano Telcel.
CiCi Bellis: The young American made waves in Dubai, stunning former World No.2 Agnieszka Radwanska to become the youngest quarterfinalist at the Premier 5 event since Lina Krasnoroutskaya in 2001.
Ashleigh Barty: Barty continued her impressive comeback by winning the singles and doubles titles at the Ayla WTA Malaysian Open; the former was her first career singles title and helped her make her Top 100 debut on Monday’s rankings.
MIAMI, FL, USA – Timea Bacsinszky came back from a set down to oust World No.2 Agnieszka Radwanska and earn her first ever quarterfinal berth at the Miami Open, 2-6, 6-4, 6-2.
Watch live action from Miami this fortnight on WTA Live powered by TennisTV!
The Swiss No.2 hadn’t played in Miami since 2011, but her current campaign has been her most successful yet – her previous best result here was a round of 16 appearance in 2010.
Motivated by her win against Ana Ivanovic in the last round, Bacsinszky headed into her clash with Radwanska with the confidence of having already defeated the Polish player in their last encounter.
Bacsinszky had a hard time finding her footing once play began, though, quickly falling into a 4-1 hole. Radwanska pulled from her arsenal of trick shots and variety to take the opening set at 6-2, hitting just seven unforced errors to Bacsinszky’s 19.
Dropping the first set just served to galvanize the Swiss, who grabbed her first break of the match early in the second. With a lead finally in her pocket, Bacsinszky’s confidence boosted and she swung more freely, her game clicking together as her groundstrokes found bigger angles. Though she was broken serving for the set at 5-3, Bacsinszky stayed steady to take it at her next chance, 6-4.
It was one-way traffic from there as Radwanska, who normally plays a clean and tidy game, found her errors piling up at the worst time and hitting 11 in the third set alone. Bacsinszky was exceptionally solid at the net, too, winning 14 of her 16 net points. In the end, an error from Radwanska sealed the match, 2-6, 6-4, 6-2. The win is the biggest of Bacsinszky’s career and her first over a Top 3 player.
“Even when I wasn’t playing quite well in the first set, I told myself, it might be a long match,” Bacsinszky said of mounting her comeback. “So I always tried to get a little more balls in and make her work.
“But I started to calm down a little bit – in the first set I was kind of nervous.”
“I feel great, it's been a long journey.” -@TimeaOfficial #WTA https://t.co/4xQkJpyBop
— WTA (@WTA) March 28, 2016
Bacsinszky’s reward comes in the form of a quarterfinal clash with No.6 seed Simona Halep, who made quick work of Heather Watson to advance 6-3, 6-4.
The doubles field for the WTA Finals is now set after events in Beijing saw the final four qualifying berths decided on Wednesday.
Defeat for Sania Mirza and Barbora Strycova in the Chinese capital confirmed that Timea Babos and Yaroslava Shvedova, Chan Hao-Ching and Chan Yung-Jan, Andrea Hlavackova and Lucie Hradecka, and Julia Goerges and Karolina Pliskova will all be heading to Singapore for the season finale.
The four join earlier qualifiers Caroline Garcia and Kristina Mladenovic, Martina Hingis and Mirza and Ekaterina Makarova and Elena Vesnina and Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Lucie Safarova in the eight-team knockout draw.
Matches to Watch in Beijing
Konta vs Ka.Pliskova (3R, Thursday): Johanna Konta is vying to move into the Top 10 spot on the Road To Singapore Leaderboard. With a win over Karolina Pliskova, Konta would move ahead of Svetlana Kuznetsova by 20 points and into the second alternate position. However, Konta could be bumped out of that position if Petra Kvitova advances to the final in Beijing.
Kvitova vs Keys (QF, Friday): Madison Keys is the only player who can still secure qualification this week, but she needs to reach the final of Beijing in order to do so. For Kvitova, she has been playing her best tennis of the season and has won her last eight matches, including the Wuhan title. Kvitova needs to reach the final to move into the RTS Top 10 and can move as high as No.7 on the Leaderboard if she wins the title.
If Keys wins the match, she will eliminate Kvitova from reaching the Top 8. (Kvitova will need to reach the final in Beijing to have a chance of qualifying). Kvitova is trying to make her 6th consecutive WTA Finals appearance.
Still in Contention – Currently No.9 to No.13 with points behind current projected cut-off (3352)
CARLA SUÁREZ NAVARRO
3061
-291
LOST 1R (SHVEDOVA)
SVETLANA KUZNETSOVA
3000
-352
LOST 3R (KEYS)
JOHANNA KONTA
2925
-427
3R VS PLISKOVA (QF = 3020; SF = 3195; F = 3455; W = 3805)
PETRA KVITOVA
2715
-637
QF VS KEYS (SF = 2890; F = 3150; W = 3500)
WHO IS PLAYING WHERE? Muguruza: currently not entered in any other events Cibulkova: Moscow Keys: currently not entered in any other events Suárez Navarro: Linz, Moscow Konta: Hong Kong Kuznetsova: Tianjin [will need to play Moscow to stay in contention, possible WC]Kvitova: Luxembourg [cannot enter a tournament next week]
INDIAN WELLS, CA, USA – As one might expect, there are plenty of players working hard on the practice court as Indian Wells gets under way – and they’re certainly enjoying the views.
Nice view from the office @BNPPARIBASOPEN ???Тренировка с видом??? #indianwells pic.twitter.com/TMq0WiI6R5
— Elena Vesnina (@EVesnina001) March 8, 2017
Lara Arruabarrena is soaking in the sights as well.
Not many places better than this one to play some tennis. Hello from the desert?? pic.twitter.com/ifBYwwcPHH
— Lara Arruabarrena (@laraarrua) March 8, 2017
Simona Halep is toiling away under the sun and watchful eye of coach Darren Cahill – and taking on the tough task of two opponents at once.
Double trouble for @Simona_Halep. That @darren_cahill forehand still has some stick. #BNPPO17 pic.twitter.com/INxQXpSs9b
— WTA Insider (@WTA_insider) March 7, 2017
There was still time for a bit of fun, though. For starters, WTA Insider Courtney Nguyen was out and about with players in a most unorthodox way – riding around on a golf cart.
Elina Svitolina shared her excitement for the week ahead.
Golf carting with 13-match win-streaker @ElinaSvitolina @BNPPARIBASOPEN. pic.twitter.com/u0B9nLY0xN
— WTA Insider (@WTA_insider) March 7, 2017
Timea Bacsinszky confessed her “blonde moment”.
Golf carting with @TimeaOfficial, who explains why she had a bit of a “blonde moment” this morning. #creds #BNPPO17 pic.twitter.com/mXKbrpvyJA
— WTA Insider (@WTA_insider) March 7, 2017
And Barbora Strycova talked about suffering from jetlag.
Last golf cart of the day with @BaraStrycova talking about life, love, and home improvement. Get some sleep, Bara! pic.twitter.com/JELl5rRrrR
— WTA Insider (@WTA_insider) March 8, 2017
Lauren Davis took some time out to try out a relaxing yoga session.
And Zhang Shuai smiled for the cameras in a photo shoot for the Tennis Channel.
And there’s no better way than to end the day having dinner with your best girls in Indian Wells – and Kristina Mladenovic got her posse of famous friends to synchronize their footwork.
Dinner with the girls in Indian Wells!? @DKasatkina @PutintsevaYulia @Daria_gav @BelindaBencic @anakonjuh pic.twitter.com/0y0ENFwEnZ
— Kristina Mladenovic (@KikiMladenovic) March 8, 2017
The BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells and the Miami Open pride themselves on being as great as Grand Slams, providing excellent facilities and thrilling matches, but the tournaments also bring top tennis fashion to the table. Marija Zivlak of Women’s Tennis Blog will show us the WTA styles that rocked the prestigious US courts in March.
After ruling the Australian Open fashion scene in the yellow Nike Spring Premier Crop Top and Nike Spring Premier Victory Skirt, world number one Serena Williams again stole the show with the outfit, introducing its omega blue version at Indian Wells. Everything about this combo is stunning, while Serena’s powerful tennis and rocking body make it mind-blowing. The crop top and the flirtatiously-swaying pleated skirt flawlessly suit Serena, while the generous use of mesh is both highly functional and stylish. This look confidently paved the way for crop tops in women’s tennis fashion.
Soft yellow and lilac are dominating Stella McCartney’s summer collection. This month, Andrea Petkovic, Caroline Wozniacki and Garbiñe Muguruza debuted the adidas Summer Stella McCartney Tour Tank, featuring a subtle side floral print, and the adidas Summer Stella McCartney Tour Skirt, highlighted by popular laser-cut details, this time in the shape of hexagon. Stella always manages to make a harmonious marriage between classic athletic and feminine elements.
Fila’s aqua and light grey hues from the Net Set collection perfectly fitted Karolina Pliskova on her way to the semifinals of the BNP Paribas Open. The Fila Spring Net Set Racerback Tank is unique for its contrasting pin-tuck detailing down the back, while the pleated skirt stands out with its alternating colors.
Jelena Jankovic showcased the Fila Spring Net Set Dress, specific for its textural chevron pattern at front and back and central contrasting stripe.
Venus Williams’ EleVen is firmly holding on to the place among tennis fashion elite, constantly releasing new designs that successfully compete with sports apparel giants. In the sole match the American played at the 2016 Miami Open, we got to see the new Strike collection, which captivates with its clean and subtle pattern. The multidirectional groups of thin lines create an appealing print that is not loud or distracting, while contrast grey colorblocking at center and back nicely breaks up the pattern, enhancing a feminine silhouette.
The exact items the seven-time Grand Slam champion wore were the EleVen Strike Print Excel Tank and the EleVen Strike Print Jamming Skirt, while the collection also features a wonderful EleVen Strike Miami Dress, which had been promoted as Venus’ choice for the tournament.
New Balance’s young and fresh spring kit perfectly accompanied Nicole Gibbs’ rise to stardom at Indian Wells and Miami. The American recorded breakthrough results at both tournaments, looking stylish in the New Balance Spring Tournament Tank, whose eye-catching orange logo nicely matches Gibbs’ accessories and shoes, while the New Balance Spring Reversible Skirt is coordinated with the logo at the headband and wristbands. Let’s also mention that New Balance has recently added Sorana Cirstea to their family, but the former world No.21 Romanian lost in the Miami Open qualifying, so we didn’t have much chance to enjoy her new clothes.
Tell us now which WTA outfits you dig the most this March:
BEIJING, China – Elina Svitolina continued her impressive end to the season by upsetting World No.1 Angelique Kerber in the third round of the China Open on Thursday.
Watch live action from Beijing on WTA Live powered by TennisTV!
A mature display saw Svitolina hold her nerve at the end of both sets to close out a 6-3, 7-5 victory and book a quarterfinal meeting with Daria Gavrilova.
“I was just trying to be really focused on every ball, and of course try to win,” Svitolina said in her on-court interview.
Earlier this week, Kerber suggested that she was feeling the strain of a hectic schedule that has now seen her play 35 matches since the start of July. However, against Svitolina she battled away until the last saving a couple a couple of match points in the final game.
Svitolina, who also beat then-No.1 Serena Williams at this summer’s Olympics, continued to be the aggressor and was rewarded when Kerber sent a forehand sailing wide at the third time of asking.
“I was trying to think about my next step, what I should try to do,” Svitolina added. “I tried to make my first serve and concentrated on the next shot, but still I was a little bit shaky!”
Elsewhere, Johanna Konta continued her own impressive recent run of form with a tense victory over No.5 seed Karolina Pliskova.
Konta, who reached the fourth round of the US Open and the quarterfinals last week in Wuhan, is making a late bid to reach the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global. Depending on other results, a run to the final could elevate her to a qualification spot and she moved one step closer to that rarget by overcoming Pliskova, 6-1, 3-6, 7-6(2).
The boldest decision Karolina Pliskova ever made came at a very young age.
She was 12 – and she made the choice to focus on tennis rather than education.
“I decided to start with tennis and quit with school,” she said in an exclusive WTA interview. “I didn’t study at all, I just put everything into the tennis and it worked.”
It proved a wise decision for the 24-year-old, who turned pro just five years later, in 2009. After reaching her maiden Grand Slam final at the US Open in 2016, she has taken her game to a new level this year and has two 2017 titles to her name already, at the Brisbane International in January and the Qatar Total Open in Doha last month. Her success in Brisbane saw her reach a career-high No.3 in the WTA rankings on January 30.
Pliskova’s comments mark 2017 International Women’s Day, the theme of which is ‘Be Bold For Change’.
International Women’s Day falls on March 8 every year, and celebrates women’s achievements in culture, the economy, politics and society.
MIAMI, FL, USA – Svetlana Kuznetsova emerged the victor after a late night, two-hour and forty-three minute battle against fellow Russian Ekaterina Makarova for a spot in the Miami Open semifinals, 6-7(3), 6-4, 6-3.
Watch live action from Miami this fortnight on WTA Live powered by TennisTV!
While on paper the indefatigable Kuznetsova came into the match with all the advantages – she leads the head-to-head 5-1, has won the Miami title before and last round she knocked out defending champion Serena Williams – she was facing a monumental task against Makarova.
Would her fitness hold up or would all the time spent on court take a toll?
All of Kuznetsova’s previous matches on her road to the quarterfinals had gone to three sets and lasted longer than two hours. Facing off against Makarova, her compatriot and Fed Cup teammate, Kuznetsova saw no reason to change the pattern while it’s working, though it did take some extra motivation to keep the 30-year-old going.
“I told myself just keep fighting and keep running,” Kuznetsova said afterwards. “I was feeling a little bit low on energy, so I was trying to keep myself going.”
Things looked more straightforward for the 30-year-old as she went up 5-2 in the first set against Makarova. But it started to slip away from her as the fatigue began to creep up leaving her unable to run down her compatriot’s shots. Makarova fought her way back to force a tiebreaker and win the first set.
“I lost a little bit of momentum in the first set when I had three set points and a 5-2 lead,” Kuznetsova reflected after the match. “Then Ekaterina got on top and she played really well.
“I was just trying to hang in there and trying to serve better. That’s it.”
What a point!!@SvetlanaK27 forces a decider over Makarova 6-7(3), 6-4! #WTA https://t.co/WHNyH1CwFa
— WTA (@WTA) March 30, 2016
Kuznetsova turned things around in the second set, coming up to the net more often and playing more aggressively to keep the rallies shorter. The change in tactic worked, and she took the second set 6-4. She had just enough in the tank to do it again in the final set, closing out the match after two hours and forty three minutes on court.
The Russians were very evenly matched during the whole encounter – Kuznetsova hit 66 percent of first serves in, Makarova hit 64 percent; Kuznetsova hit 32 winners, Makarova hit 35 – but their unforced errors count set them apart: Kuznetsova hit just 27 winners to Makarova’s 46.
The win sends Kuznetsova into the Miami Open semifinals for the first time since 2009 and sets up a clash against Timea Bacsinszky, but Kuznetsova can’t even think that far ahead to Thursday:
BEIJING, China – No.5 seeds Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Lucie Safarova defeated wildcards Christina McHale and Peng Shuai on Friday to reach the China Open semifinals and extend their unbeaten run.
Titles at the US Open and Wuhan have established Mattek-Sands and Safarova as the form team on tour and despite falling an early break behind the always looked in control against McHale and Peng, closing out a 6-4, 6-2 victory after an hour and 10 minutes.
The next team charged with snapping their winning streak – which now stands at 14 matches – is Gabriela Dabrowski and María José Martínez Sánchez after they edged past recent BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global qualifiers Julia Goerges and Karolina Pliskova, 6-4, 6-4.
In the top half of the draw, top seeds Caroline Garcia and Kristina Mladenovic stayed on course for their first title since June thanks to a 6-4, 6-3 win over wildcards Timea Bacsinszky and Jelena Ostapenko. Meeting the French duo for a place in the final will be No.3 seeds Chan Hao-Ching and Chan Yung-Jan.
Demain, nous disputons notre 1/2f au @ChinaOpen ?????? Tomorrow 1/2f day at #ChinaOpen @WTA pic.twitter.com/q6pGCJP6CR
— Kristina Mladenovic (@KikiMladenovic) October 7, 2016
WTA Insider | The Insider team addresses the withdrawal of top seed Serena Williams, the re-ascent of Angelique Kerber to No.1, and the similarly different BNP Paribas Open draw.
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