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Halep Eases Into Wuhan Quarterfinals, Closes In On Singapore Spot

Halep Eases Into Wuhan Quarterfinals, Closes In On Singapore Spot

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

WUHAN, China – No.4 seed Simona Halep moved smoothly into the quarterfinals of the Dongfeng Motor Wuhan Open after a straight set win over Yaroslava Shvedova.

Watch live action from Wuhan on WTA Live powered by TennisTV!

On a gusty afternoon, Halep produced a tidy performance to complete a 6-3, 6-3 victory in an hour and 15 minutes.

“I felt the wind. It was really difficult to play against the wind. She’s very strong and could attack the ball very easily,” Halep said. “She came out very aggressive, but I blocked the ball well, returned well and I’m happy with the way I played and that I could win in two sets.”

On Tuesday, Halep celebrated her 25th birthday and Shvedova gave her a belated gift in the opening game, surrendering serve with three unforced errors. From this point on the Romanian was in control, breaking once more in the final game to take the set.

Showing no sign of the hamstring injury that ruled her out of Tokyo, Halep continued to impress in the second set, moving 3-1 ahead before confidently closing out victory to reach the quarterfinals for the first time. There she will face Madison Keys, a 6-1, 4-6, 6-4 winner over Daria Kasatkina.

“I’m really happy to be back in Wuhan. Last year was a little bit tough for me because I lost from 5-1 [ahead] in the third set,” Halep said. “I’m here to do my best, and give everything I have to try and win matches.

“I’ve played really well this year and I’m really happy with the way I played in the big tournaments. I feel good here and that I have a chance to play until the end. At this level, every match is going to be hard.

The result also moves Halep, who currently sits in third place on the leaderboard, withing touching distance of qualifying for the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global. Halep has appeared in the past two season finales, finishing runner up in 2014, and will guarantee her return with victory over Keys on Thursday.

WTA Finals: Get Your Tickets!

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Vote: Social Fan Favorites Best Dressed On Court

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

Vote: Social Fan Favorites Best Video

December 14, 2016

Spelling challenges, emoji challenges, cracker challenges, selfie challenges and, of course, the WTA Frame Challenge – which video was the best of the year? Click here to vote!

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Hibino Snaps Tsurenko's Streak To Reach Tashkent SFs

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

TASHKENT, Uzbekistan – Nao Hibino stayed on course to defend her Tashkent Open title after Lesia Tsurenko retired from their quarterfinal on Thursday.

Watch live action this week from Tashkent and Wuhan on WTA Live powered by TennisTV!

Tsurenko arrived in Tashkent fresh from a run to the title in Guangzhou, and against Hibino this hectic schedule finally took its toll when a back injury brought her seven-match winning streak to a sudden end.

The anticlimactic conclusion to the contest was all the more disappointing given the competitive nature of the set they did play; after trading breaks, Hibino fended off two set points to take it 7-6(6). “I’m relieved after winning the first set. It was very close and I managed to hold on and fight in spite of being down,” Hibino said.

Standing between Hibino and another final in the Uzbekistani capital is World No.114 Denisa Allertova, a surprise 7-5, 6-4 winner over No.2 seed Kirsten Flipkens. Allertova produced the steadier tennis to edge the opening set, before claiming the decisive break in the final game of the match courtesy of a brilliant running passing shot.

In the top half of the draw, Kateryna Kozlova reached her second semifinal of the year after taking little over an hour to defeat Stefanie Voegele, 6-3, 6-3.

“I’ve played here before and made it to the quarterfinals last year, it’s great to play here,” Kozlova said. “I started to play aggressively from the word go and put my opponent under pressure early. I think I played brave and aggressive tennis, I’m happy with my level.”

Her reward is a meeting with big-serving Kristyna Pliskova, who fired down 12 aces during a 6-3, 6-4 win over Irina Khromacheva.

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Svitolina Hoping Big Changes Bring Bigger Gains In 2017

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

Elina Svitolina

2016 Quick Hits
Week 1 Ranking: No.20
Year-End Ranking: No.14 (Career-High No.14, March 7)
Season Highlights: Title at Kuala Lumpur, finals at New Haven & Zhuhai
Best Major Result: QF (French Open)

2017 Outlook

Some players adhere to the policy of “If it’s not broken, don’t fix it,” but Elina Svitolina isn’t one of those people.

After a career-best season – which saw her rise to her highest ranking of No.14, upset two different WTA World No.1s, pocket a title at Kuala Lumpur and reach the finals at New Haven and Zhuhai – the always-improving Svitolina announced a new coaching team with the goal of getting herself past the final hurdles and cementing her spot at the game’s upper echelons.

A busy off-season schedule in 2015 stunted Svitolina’s progress earlier this year, but she learned her lesson and heads into 2017 with a clear objective:

“Of course, the main goal is to be Top 10,” Svitolina told WTA Insider at the Huajin Securities WTA Elite Trophy Zhuhai. “I’ll try to have a normal off-season this time, work really hard physically, and mentally. It’s all about the small details, so I’ll be trying to work on those and make little changes.”

Looking ahead to 2017, Ukraine’s No.1 player will start out the year rested and in prime position to make big gains. With just a handful of points to defend in the first two months of the year, Svitolina looks ever closer to a big leap into the WTA’s highest rankings.

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Halep Clinches Singapore Spot, Qualifies For Third Straight WTA Finals

Halep Clinches Singapore Spot, Qualifies For Third Straight WTA Finals

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

WUHAN, China – Simona Halep has secured a spot at this year’s BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global. The Romanian joins Angelique Kerber and Serena Williams in the singles field.

Halep has secured her third consecutive qualification at the WTA Finals by reaching the semifinals with a 6-4, 6-2 win over Madison Keys at the Dongfeng Motor Wuhan Open on Thursday. Both of her previous appearances were in the first two editions of the WTA Finals held in Singapore – highlighted by her win over then World No.1 Serena Williams in the round-robin stage in 2014 en route to the finals followed by last year’s showing, where she defeated the 2015 US Open champion Flavia Pennetta in the round-robin stage.

“Congratulations to Simona on qualifying for the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global for the third consecutive year,” said WTA CEO Steve Simon. “She is an outstanding player who has enjoyed a very successful year with three Tour wins and fans in Singapore and following along around the world will enjoy watching her competitive spirit against the other top WTA athletes.”

Simona Halep

Halep is one of four players to win three WTA singles titles in 2016 (also Azarenka, Kerber and Stephens), clinching her second Premier Mandatory trophy at the Mutua Madrid Open and back-to-back titles at the BRD Bucharest Open and Rogers Cup in Montréal, bringing her win-loss record to 43-14 (thru Wuhan QF). In addition, the 25-year-old reached two semifinals at the Apia International Sydney and Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati and four quarterfinals at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, Miami Open, Wimbledon and the US Open.

“It means a lot to qualify for the WTA Finals Singapore – it was one of my goals this year,” said Halep. “It will be my third time in a row competing at the WTA Finals and I hope I play great. I have great memories from 2014 and am confident I can do well. I will be very focused.”

The current Road to Singapore Leaderboard as follows (as of September 26, 2016):

 

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WTA To Launch A Unique All-New Women’s Tennis Livestreaming Service In 2017

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

ST. PETERSBURG, FL, USA – The WTA will launch a unique WTA Livestreaming subscription service in 2017 where tennis fans can view every WTA singles and many doubles semifinals and finals matches. That’s over 2000 WTA matches – everywhere the tour is playing around the world.

This is a breakthrough for women’s tennis.

We’re excited to create a new digital home where you will be able to follow your favorite players and share the thrills, suspense and fun moments on and off the court. WTA Livestreaming will be available to subscribers on smartphones, laptops and tablets soon. We regret there will be an unavoidable gap until we are able to bring this new service to you. We are working hard to bring this to you as fast as we can. Updated scheduling and subscription information will be provided on wtatennis.com as soon as possible.

Please stay tuned. We believe it’s worth the wait. Thank you for your patience and continued support of women’s tennis.

Click here to follow the tour on the wtatennis.com web site offering live results point by point, live press conferences at selected WTA events, live and exclusive off court and behind the scenes content, player-commented match and video highlights, and breaking news. Follow the tour in real-time on WTA social channels like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Snapchat.

Click here for information about where to watch the WTA on TV and digital channels today via your local broadcaster.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:

Q: Why aren’t WTA matches livestreamed on TennisTV any longer?

A: We’re launching a new and exciting WTA livestream subscription service in 2017 dedicated to viewing women’s tennis both on and off court.

There will be an unavoidable gap before we can make this exciting service available to subscribers via smartphones, laptops and tablets. We regret any inconvenience this may cause.

Q: When will the new service be available?

A: We are working hard to bring this service to you as soon as we can. We appreciate your patience and we look forward to welcoming you as a new subscriber when we launch WTA Livestreaming.

Q: Where will I find out more information about this service?

A: Updated information will be available on wtatennis.com.

Q: How can I view WTA matches via livestream until then?

A: In the meantime, please find up to date “Where to Watch” live WTA matches on your local broadcaster’s TV and digital channels on the wtatennis.com/tv-schedule page.

We invite fans to follow the tour on the wtatennis.com web site which offers live results point by point, live press conferences at selected WTA events, live and exclusive off court and behind the scenes content, player-commented match and video highlights, and breaking news. Follow the tour in real-time on WTA social channels like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Snapchat.

Q: How much is it to subscribe?

A: Updated information will be provided on wtatennis.com closer to launch date.

Q: Why should I subscribe to the WTA Livestreaming service?

A: Fans will have access to every singles match live and many doubles semifinals and finals matches. For the first time ever, fans can pick and choose from over 2000 WTA matches and follow their favorite players behind the scenes like never before. Subscribers can follow the thrill and fun on and off court day in and day out all season long. This is new and it’s exciting.

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