Stuttgart: Shot Of The Day (Thursday)
Monica Niculescu has Thursday’s shot of the day at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix.
Monica Niculescu has Thursday’s shot of the day at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix.
MELBOURNE, Australia – Serena Williams won her 23rd Grand Slam title with a 6-4, 6-4 win over sister Venus Williams at the Australian Open, earning an Open Era record in tennis.
Click here to relive Serena’s 23rd Grand Slam title courtesy of the WTA Insider Live Blog.
“It’s such a great feeling to have 23,” she said after the match. “I’ve been chasing it for a really long time. When it got on my radar, I knew I had an opportunity to get there, and I’m here. I’m here.
“It’s a great feeling, and no better place to do it than Melbourne.”
Williams, 35, had equaled Stefanie Graf’s record with her 2016 Wimbledon triumph. The German’s original 22-slam mark had stood since the 1999 French Open.
Serena now has seven Australian Open titles, making it her joint-most successful Grand Slam alongside Wimbledon. She has also won six US Open titles and three at Roland Garros.
SHE’S DONE IT! No. 23@serenawilliams is your #AusOpen 2017 women’s singles champion. ? pic.twitter.com/LC6fpWi3Ik
— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 28, 2017
Venus and Serena mowed throught the draw playing vintage tennis to book their first meeting in Melbourne in 14 years, when Serena took a three-set thriller to capture the first of two Non-Calendar Year “Serena” Slams.
“My first Grand Slam started here, and getting to 23 here, but playing Venus, it’s stuff that legends are made of. I couldn’t have written a better story.
“I just feel like it was the right moment. Everything kind of happened. It hasn’t quite set in yet, but it’s really good.”
The sisters were facing off in the 28th match of their storied rivalry, and their ninth Grand Slam final, but the first since 2009.
“I don’t think I felt at all awkward,” Venus said in her post-match press conference. “I felt ready. I mean, I haven’t played in a final for a number of years, but I don’t think it’s something you forget. I mean, I played a good amount of ’em, so…
“Experience was right there for me.”
Saturday’s match was similarly tense, with both sisters aware of what was on the line; a win for Serena would not only break the Open Era record but also restore her atop the WTA rankings after dropping to No.2 last summer at the US Open.
There was plenty at stake for Serena in the #AusOpen 2017 final. pic.twitter.com/LRx7Fl48uP
— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 28, 2017
Venus and Serena exchanged breaks to start the match, with the No.2 seed settling in sooner to take the opening set behind seven aces and 16 winners.
The crowd did its best to lift Venus in the second set in the hopes of seeing a decider, and the Americans continued performing at a high level throughout the 81 minute match.
“I feel like I had opportunities, for sure,” Venus said. “Just missed some shots. But it’s not like I missed shots that I wasn’t going for. I went for those shots. It’s a matter of inches.
“Some errors here or there can mean the difference between a break of serve or a hold.”
But Serena, who came into the match with a 20-0 record after winning the first set in Grand Slam finals, proved too strong in the end, breaking serve just once in the seventh game to serve out the record-breaking victory, hitting a total of 27 winners to just 23 unforced.
Serena improved her overall head-to-head against Venus to 17-11, and an impressive 7-2 in Grand Slam finals – the only two losses to big sister coming at the 2001 US Open and 2008 Wimbledon Championships, which was, incidentally, the last time the Williams sisters and Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal all met in the same major final.
“Thank you Venus for inspiring me to be the best player that I can be.” Well done @serenawilliams on your 23rd Grand Slam title #AusOpen pic.twitter.com/LPtr9G52B0
— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 28, 2017
The win was Serena’s 316th at Grand Slam tournaments, improving on her already-record total, and returns her to No.1 in the world, usurping Angelique Kerber.
As for Venus, the result is still her best at a major tournament in seven years, and brings her back to within 200 points of returning to the Top 10.
In the meantime, she was more than happy to give kudos to her younger sister after her historic achievement.
“[23], it’s a great number,” Venus said. “I know she would like to have a little more. Who wouldn’t? It was a great moment. I’m very happy that she’s been able to, you know, get to No.23 because there’s 22 ahead of that that she also earned, and she earned it.
“It was great to have an opportunity to play for the title. That’s exactly where I want to be standing during these Grand Slams, is on finals day, having an opportunity. That’s the highlight of all this, is to be in that moment.”
STUTTGART, Germany – Reigning Australian Open champion Angelique Kerber won her second title of the season at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix, dispatching qualifier and countrywoman Laura Siegemund, the tournament’s Cinderella story, 6-4, 6-0.
Watch live action from Stuttgart & Istanbul this week on WTA Live powered by TennisTV!
Siegemund had played inspired tennis throughout the week, taking out three Top 10 players – including top seed and World No.2 Angieszka Radwanska – and showed few signs of stopping from the outset of Sunday’s final, twice moving ahead by a break in the opening set.
But Kerber has only lost one completed match since Indian Wells (Miami Open, Azarenka) and continued to press her opponent, who was playing in her first WTA singles final, into increasingly more grueling rallies – exposing her fatigue from eight matches in nine days and a left hip issue for which she took a medical timeout early in the second set.
Though Siegemund finished the match with more winners (22 to 16), Kerber played her counterpunching style to perfection, hitting just nine unforced errors in 80 minutes to win the final 10 games of the match.
It was nonetheless a stellar week for the 28-year-old veteran, who will bound up nearly 30 spots to a career-high ranking of No.42; more importantly, she leapfrogs four of her compatriots to become the No.4 German woman on the WTA rankings – putting her in pole position to round out the national team who can be sent to the upcoming Summer Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.
Kerber remains at No.3, but her title in Stuttgart was not only her first career title defense, but the win makes her the fastest player to back up a maiden Grand Slam title since Petra Kvitova, who won the Generali Ladies Linz three months after capturing her first Wimbledon title in 2011.
The doubles final took place less than an hour later, featuring Top 2 seeds, Martina Hingis and Sania Mirza against Caroline Garcia and Kristina Mladenovic.
Vroom, Vroom ??@AngeliqueKerber enjoys a ride in her new @Porsche! #PTGP https://t.co/BspFDdO9QX
— WTA (@WTA) April 24, 2016
More to come…
TAIPEI CITY, Taiwan – No.6 seed Misaki Doi survived a rollercoaster encounter against her countrywoman Nao Hibino to record the first win of the tournament at the Taiwan Open, 6-2, 2-6, 6-4.
“It was a very tough match, she was playing really good and very aggressive,” Doi told press after the win. “After the second set, I just tried to believe in myself and that I could do it, and just focused my tennis.”
The No.41-ranked Japanese, who reached the final here last year, started out strong against Hibino, breaking twice to ease through the opening set. But Hibino, ranked No.102, hit back in the second – breaking twice and saving two break chances to restore parity.
“When he came to the court my coach told me to be more aggressive and add more spin, because [Hibino] likes to play with a flat ball,” Doi explained. “I tried to move her around a lot, too.”
In the third set, Doi saw her 2-0 lead erased as Hibino climbed back to level the match at 4-4. The pair wrestled for momentum until Doi finally broke for a third time to close out the two-hour battle and move into the second round.
No.7 seeded American Shelby Rogers had a more straightforward road into round two, breezing past local wildcard Lee Ya-Hsuan in an hour and 15 minutes.
“Playing a local girl like Lee was pretty fun,” Rogers enthused after the match. “She had a lot of fans out there, and she had a really great game. She’s definitely got a lot of potential.
“The first round is never easy, especially with the crowd against you but I’m happy I got through it and being in the second round.”
Lee thrilled the Taiwanese fans when she grabbed the first lead of the match with a well-earned break to the Rogers serve, but it was short-lived as the American broke straight back. From then it was all Rogers, who eased into the second round in straight sets, 6-3, 6-4.
Also through at the Taiwan Open are No.4 seed Anastasija Sevastova and No.5 seed Katerina Siniakova, who moved past Kato Miyu and Galina Voskoboeva, respectively.
Tunisian qualifier Ons Jabeur knocked out Nicole Gibbs in a three-set battle, 6-4, 4-6, 6-1, while Mandy Minella advanced after a 1-6, 7-6(2), 6-4 win over Jana Cepelova. Romania’s Sorana Cirstea saw herself being forced to retire in her match due to a left wrist injury, sending Risa Ozaki through, 7-6(3), 3-2.
Highlights from quarterfinal action at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix.
The 2016 Aces For Humanity campaign was launched by USANA and the WTA at the BNP Paribas Open and continued in Stuttgart at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix, 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 Eugenie Bouchard, Samantha Stosur, Kristina Mladenovic, Madison Keys, Sloane Stephens, Monica Puig, and Zheng Saisai.
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 Mutua Madrid Open in Madrid. Last year there was a total of 400 aces hit. It’s now your turn, take your best guess of how many will be hit 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
• Madrid deadline is May 1st at 11:59pm ET
• The winner will be announced May 9th
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.
Russia’s No.1 Svetlana Kuznetsova sealed her very first WTA victory in her hometown with a dominating performance over Daria Gavrilova at the St Petersburg Ladies Trophy.
RABAT, Morocco – No.2 seed Ekaterina Makarova grabbed the first win of her clay court campaign, advancing into the second round of the Grand Prix SAR La Princesse Lalla Meryem with a 6-4, 6-2 win over Alexandra Dulgheru.
Watch live action from Rabat & Prague this week on WTA Live powered by TennisTV!
The international-level tournament is the WTA’s lone stop in Africa, and has been staged in several cities in Morocco including Casablanca, Fes, Marrakech and finally Rabat.
Makarova, a former Top 10 player who reached the final in 2009 at the tournament’s Fes staging, had little trouble against the Romanian. Dulgheru has struggled recently and hasn’t won a match since January, but she owns the head-to-head record against Makarova with two wins in both of their previous encounters.
The match started out with five breaks of serve in the first six games, and Makarova scoring the lone hold to get ahead at 3-1. The Russian fought off three break points to keep the lead at 5-3, and stayed steady to close out the first set. Makarova cruised in the second set and closed out the match after one hour and thirty-six minutes.
No.5 seed Timea Babos – a finalist last year in the tournament’s Marrakech staging – had a tougher road to the second round, surviving a rollercoaster second set to advance 6-3, 6-7(8), 6-1.
A pair of seeds weren’t so lucky, as No.3 Anna Karolina Schmiedlova and No.6 Annika Beck were sent crashing out of the first round. Kiki Bertens dropped just one game in her 6-0, 6-1 romp over Schmiedlova, and Teliana Pereira eased into the second round with a 6-3, 6-1 win over Beck.
No.1 seed Timea Bacsinszky will wrap up Rabat’s first round action tomorrow when she takes the court against Russian wildcard Anna Blinkova.
Watch Venus Williams’ practice session on Day 3 of the St. Petersburg Ladies Trophy.
PRAGUE, Czech Republic – Lucie Safarova returned to winning ways by battling past Mariana Duque-Mariño at the J&T Banka Prague Open on Tuesday afternoon.
Watch live action from Prague & Rabat this week on WTA Live powered by TennisTV!
Since returning from the bacterial infection that blighted the end of her 2015 campaign and forced her to skip the Australian Open, Safarova has found wins hard to come by. In fact, the Czech had fallen at the first hurdle at all five tournaments since making her comeback.
When she dropped the opening set to Duque-Mariño, another disappointment looked on the cards. However, perhaps buoyed by the home crowd, the No.2 seed fought back to complete a 3-6, 6-3, 6-3 victory in a fraction over two hours.
“I’m so happy because this is my first win this year in singles and obviously it means a lot,” Safarova said. “I was trying to be positive after coming back from this long sickness, but obviously it’s about the wins. That’s why I was so excited.”
Having dropped the first set, Safarova began her comeback midway through the second, a sliding drop shot in response to a net cord bringing the decisive break. She carried this momentum into the decider, breaking once more when Duque-Mariño sent a tired backhand long. The Colombian had her chances to get back into the contest, seeing several chances to draw level slip by in the sixth game as a relieved Safarova held on.
“I fought so hard and it wasn’t easy – I lost the first set but came back well in the second and played really well in the third,” Safarova added. “I hope to continue to play well here because the crowd was fantastic. It’s so nice to play in front of your home crowd and hopefully I can continue to do so for some more matches.”
Fellow Czech Lucie Hradecka is next up after she saw off doubles partner Andrea Hlavackova, 6-4, 6-1.
Victories for Barbora Krejcikova, Barbora Strycova and 2015 champion Karolina Pliskova provided further cheer for the locals on another chilly day. Pliskova began the defense of her title with a straightforward 6-, 6-3 win over Stefanie Voegele, while Strycova saw off Olga Govortsova, 6-3, 7-5, and lucky loser Krejcikova made the most of her second chance by upsetting No.7 seed Dominika Cibulkova, 6-2, 6-2.