Tennis News

Months that follow Grand Slams typically don’t feature new tennis fashion releases, but that doesn’t prevent the WTA courts from being stylish.

This February we’ve enjoyed a range of outstanding outfits that had been launched at the Australian Open, but got the true attention they deserve at the tournaments following it.

Marija Zivlak of Women’s Tennis Blog gives us an overview of the best outfits in February (photos courtesy of Getty Images):

Kristina Mladenovic enjoyed the comfort of the extra light and breathable adidas Melbourne Dress en route to her maiden singles title at the St. Petersburg Ladies Trophy. The slit on the side of the magnificent blue design helped the Frenchwoman move freely during her astonishing 62 winners in the final.

The dress comes paired with coordinating print compression shorts, which match the sun-bleached print insets at the sides of the top, while pops of color are provided by sleek orange spaghetti straps and accessories.

The adidas Adizero Ubersonic 2 shoes supported Mladenovic’s feet as she eliminated Australian Open finalist Venus Williams and defending champion Roberta Vinci from the Premier-level tournament in Russia.

Elina Svitolina rocked both her tennis and her fashion game in the month of February! Wearing this striking black and white Nike outfit, the 22-year-old won two WTA titles and became the first Ukrainian to crack the Top 10.

The performance-packed Nike Spring Print Power Spin Skirt beats the competition with its graphic inspired by the shadows cast on a court. Elastic in Nike Power fabric stretched as Svitolina covered the court and then got back to its original shape to keep the new World No.10 supported, Dri-FIT Technology helped keep her dry and comfortable by wicking sweat away, while inner shorts confidently provided coverage.

A classic white Nike Spring Premier Slam Tank perfectly balanced out the look. Although the design is very simple, the top is made from a well-thought-out engineered mesh with a more open knit pattern in high heat areas.

With designer Stella McCartney keeping her style strong, Caroline Wozniacki could focus on her tennis, playing eleven matches in eleven days and making two WTA Premier finals in a row. The Dane’s adidas Spring Stella McCartney Tank in bold blue offers moisture-wicking performance and super soft feel. The form-fitting top nicely goes with an A-line adidas Spring Stella McCartney Skirt, equipped with Climalite technology, built-in compression shorts and laser-cut hem for increased breathability.

With top-level matches day in and day out, Wozniacki’s feet were helped by the revolutionary foam of the adidas by Stella McCartney Barricade Boost shoes that stored and unleashed energy every time the Dane’s foot hit the ground. With the weather in the desert being anything but favorable this year, Wozniacki also made good use of her aviator-style adidas Spring Stella McCartney Jacket.

Timea Babos came to the inaugural Hungarian Ladies Open without even one singles match win in 2017, but that all changed at her home tournament as the 23-year-old went all the way to the title, sporting Fila’s Sleek Streak collection designed for the urban-chic player.

The Hungarian made her way to the champion’s trophy in style, wearing the Fila Sleek Racerback Tank and the Fila Sleek Insert Skirt, unique for their black/white/ruby rose tie-dye print and color-blocking.

Even though Mona Barthel didn’t go far at February’s tournaments, her Bidi Badu Avril Tech Dress managed to steal my attention with its wonderfully refreshing yellow and pink hues. The ombre effect is executed beautifully, just as the feminine silhouette of the dress.

Vote for your favorite outfit in the poll below!

1. Who is healthy?

Top seed Angieszka Radwanska reclaimed the World No.2 ranking last week when reigning Australian Open champion Angelique Kerber failed to defend her title at the Volvo Car Open. Arguably the most consistent player of the last six months, Radwanska has reached the semifinals or better of all but one of her five WTA appearances in 2016 – that being a hard-fought Miami Open loss to eventual semifinalist Timea Bacsinszky in the round of 16.

However, all of those matches might be catching up with the Pole, who withdrew from her home tournament in Katowice and the Fed Cup World Group II Play-off due to a right shoulder injury. Heading onto what has traditionally been her least successful surface, Radwanska has few points to defend through the French Open, winning just two matches during last season’s clay court swing.

Click here to check out the Stuttgart draw.

Still, Stuttgart’s notoriously stacked draw means she will have to hit the ground running after a first round bye, facing one of two Fed Cup heroines in Andrea Petkovic and Kristina Mladenovic. No.8 seed Lucie Safarova, Karolina Pliskova, and 2008 French Open champion Ana Ivanovic are all possible quarterfinal opponents.

With far more to defend ahead of the second Grand Slam of 2016 is former French Open finalist Simona Halep. One of the most natural clay court players in the field, the Romanian reached the semifinals of Stuttgart and Rome, but admitted to picking up a left ankle injury in her three-set win over Andrea Petkovic in Fed Cup. Unsure if she would play her second match against Germany on Sunday, Halep won only four games against Kerber, who had never beaten Halep in three previous encounters.

Seeded fourth in Stuttgart, the former World No.2 will have a few extra days ot recover, but is in a section full of dangerous floaters like Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, 2011 champion Julia Goerges, Alizé Cornet and Ekaterina Makarova. No.6 seed Roberta Vinci rounds out the top half of the draw.

2. Can Kerber and Suárez Navarro rebound on red clay?

Kerber won the second of four Premier titles in Stuttgart last year, outlasting an in-form Caroline Wozniacki in three grueling sets. The German shook off a minor post-Melbourne slump to reach the semifinals in Miami and Charleston, where a viral illness forced her to retire against Sloane Stephens. More at home on faster surfaces, Kerber can still get things down in Stuttgart’s slow conditions; seeded second, she’ll play either a qualifier or countrywoman Annika Beck, whom she beat en route to her Australian Open title.

Her possible quarterfinal opponent could be another Aussie redux in semifinalist Johanna Konta, but all eyes will be on No.7 seed Carla Suárez Navarro. The story of the season’s first six weeks, Suárez Navarro rocketed up the rankings with a solid Middle Eastern Swing and a title in Doha, but an ankle injury halted her momentum and her inability to defend her Miami Open points caused her to fall from No.6 to No.11.

A finalist last year in Rome, the Spaniard had few problems in Fed Cup, dropping just two games against Roberta Vinci. She may trail Kerber in the overall head-to-head, but their only clay court meeting came two years ago in Stuttgart. The winner? Suárez Navarro, in straight sets.

3. Will Garbiñe Muguruza bring her Fed Cup form to Stuttgart?

Despite a slow start to 2016, Muguruza appeared to be putting the pieces together in Miami, playing one of the best matches of the year against former No.1 Victoria Azarenka. Traveling to Lleida for a relegation Fed Cup tie against the once unstoppable Italians, the Spaniard made a seamless transition to the terre battue with a pair of straight set victories over 2010 French Open champion Francesca Schiavone and Vinci, whom she defeated, 6-2, 6-2.

Known for her breakout run to the 2015 Wimbledon final, Muguruza is perfectly capable on clay, having twice made the quarterfinals of Roland Garros – defeating World No.1 Serena Williams in the second round back in 2014. The No.3 seed in Stuttgart, she will open against Sabine Lisicki or Timea Babos, a fast-rising Hungarian who nearly upset Kerber under the lights in Miami.

No.5 seed Petra Kvitova is her projected quarterfinal opponent, but Monica Niculescu or Caroline Garcia could just as easily take their own impressive form from Fed Cup to take out the two-time Wimbledon winner.

4. Which hometown favorite is poised for a breakout run?

Though Germany boasts six women in the Top 60, only four may be eligible for the Olympic Summer Games; with less than two months before the teams are selected, the results through the clay court swing will be crucial to determining which women make the cut to qualify for Rio.

How tight is the race for the German Olympic team? As of April 18th, No.4 and No.5 Sabine Lisicki and Anna-Lena Friedsam are separated by just two places in the WTA rankings, at No.50 and No.52, respectively. Not too far behind at No.59, Julia Goerges is in the midst of a stellar season, having already reached a final in Auckland and another in doubles at the BNP Paribas Open.

All six women are in action this week in Stuttgart, led by Kerber and Petkovic, who are the only two ranked inside the Top 30. Goerges defeated then-No.1 Wozniacki to win the title here in 2011, while Lisicki will be hard-pressed to turn around a disappointing start to her season. Will any make strides towards those coveted Olympic spots?

5. How will Santina fare as they search for a second wind?

Martina Hingis and Sania Mirza began this season much as they ended the last, roaring through back-to-back titles in Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, and St. Petersburg before their 41-match winning streak came to an end in Doha. Since narrowly losing to Daria Kasatkina and Elena Vesnina in a match tie-break, Santina have been unable to string together wins, losing in the round of 16 in both Indian Wells and Miami – titles they won to cement their partnership in 2015.

Opting against the trip to Charleston, Hingis and Mirza look to regain their mojo as they aim to achieve their ultimate goal of a fourth straight major tournament, a “Santina Slam.”

Playing on their least favorite surface, the co-No.1s should be able to play their way into form in the 16-team draw with only four seeds. Their biggest opposition looks to be No.2 seeds Caroline Garcia and Kristina Mladenovic. The French Connection swept the Charleston title in Santina’s absence – defeating reigning French Open champions Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Lucie Safarova in the final – and battled through a decisive doubles rubber to send France into the Fed Cup final on Sunday.

Under the radar is the unseeded Kveta Peschke. The former No.1 and 2011 Wimbledon champion is playing her first tournament since last year in Dubai; pairing with Anna-Lena Groenefeld, Peschke will open against No.4 seeds Raquel Atawo and Alicja Rosolska.

All photos courtesy of Getty Images.

SINGAPORE – Semifinal spots are on the line as the White Group takes center stage on Wednesday at the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global. We preview the action.

Wednesday, White Group, Round Robin

[4] Karolina Pliskova (CZE #5) vs [8] Svetlana Kuznetsova (RUS #9)
Head-to-Head: Pliskova leads 1-0

Key Stat: Pliskova, the WTA aces leader, hit 14 aces in her opening win over Muguruza. She is the first player to record consecutive seasons with 500+ aces.

Svetlana Kuznetsova’s magical run continued in full force on Monday in Singapore as she saved a match point to defeat Agnieszka Radwanska in a two-hour and 48-minute cliffhanger. Kuznetsova heads into her second career meeting with Karolina Pliskova with brimming confidence after taking the Kremlin Cup title to complete an eleventh-hour qualification for Singapore. Now that she’s here, the Russian is playing with house money and loving every minute of it.

“Sometimes it’s not easy, and sometimes you’re pulling through,” Kuznetsova said on Monday after defeating Radwanska for the 13th time in 17 career matches. “I put aside that I’m tired, put aside the emotions, the jet lag – I didn’t want to think about it. We came here to fight, let’s put everything else to one side.”

There was plenty of fight coming from Pliskova on Monday as well. The Czech also fought off a match point as she battled past Garbiñe Muguruza to earn her first WTA Finals victory in dramatic
fashion. Pliskova’s big-match composure has been a recurring theme in the second half of the season, and she has made a habit out of delivering her best tennis in the clutch. But she’ll have to be on song once again on Wednesday if she is to get past the scorching-hot Kuznetsova. There’s much on the line in this the second ​career meeting between these two – the winner has a good chance of securing safe passage into the semifinals.

Pick: Kuznetsova in three

[2] Agnieszka Radwanska (POL #3) vs. [5] Garbiñe Muguruza (ESP #6)
Head-to-Head: Muguruza leads 4-3

Key Stat: On six occasions, a player has lost a match in the round-robin stage and gone on to win the WTA Finals title.

Two players eager for a shot of redemption and facing possible elimination will meet for the eighth time on Wednesday when Agnieszka Radwanska and Garbiñe Muguruza lock horns in the nightcap at Singapore Indoor Stadium. Both squandered match points in heartbreaking fashion on Monday, as Muguruza blew a double-break lead in the third set against her long-time nemesis Karolina Pliskova while Radwanska failed to convert a match point late in the third set against Svetlana Kuznetsova. The pair have not met since last year’s WTA Finals, when defending champion
Radwanska snapped a four-match losing streak against the Spaniard en route to the biggest title of her career. The Pole will seek to replicate the magic against a player that can be as formidable as they come when she is on her game. Will Radwanska be able to keep the powerful Muguruza at bay again in Singapore, or will the Spaniard rebound from a disappointing opening loss to earn a much-needed victory?

Pick: Muguruza in three

White Group Semifinal Qualification Scenarios…
1. If Kuznetsova and Radwanska win, Kuznetsova qualifies for semifinals, Muguruza is eliminated.

2. If Pliskova and Muguruza win, Pliskova qualifies for semifinals, Radwanska is eliminated.

3. Any other combination of results will mean White Group semifinal qualification comes down to Friday’s matches.

By the Numbers…
14 – Pliskova hammered 14 aces in 16 service games in her win over Muguruza on Monday.

8 – Radwanska is bidding to become the eighth player to successfully defend a WTA Finals title.

3 – No. of Czech players that have claimed a WTA Finals title (Navratilova, Novotna, Kvitova).

0 – Muguruza is bidding to become the first Spaniard to win the title at the WTA Finals.

SINGAPORE – Out of the 16 semifinal scenarios that could have come to fore in the Red Group, only one involved No.7 seed Dominika Cibulkova reaching the semifinals of the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global in her debut appearance. By knocking out No.3 seed Simona Halep, 6-3, 7-6(5), she did all she could do to make that lone scenario happen on Thursday, outlasting the Romanian and playing her best tennis of the week to keep herself in semifinal contention.

With Angelique Kerber’s straight-set win over Madison Keys, Cibulkova advances into her first Singapore semifinal after a statement victory from the Slovak.

Read how the match unfolded in the WTA Insider Live Blog.

– Cibulkova shows off her refined mental toughness.

The second set was crucial for both women. Win it, and remain in contention for the semifinals; lose it, and book your first ticket home.

Cibulkova admitted she very nearly did that before taking the court on Thursday.

“I was like, ‘Okay if I lose today, tomorrow we fly for holidays.’ So we booked…well, no, we didn’t book the flight, but it was like, ‘Okay, if I lose today we fly tomorrow at 10:00 a.m. to holidays.’

“So I just give everything into this match today. I knew it could be possibly the last. All the circumstances made me play really well today.”

Perhaps the mind game helped her stay focused through the tensest set of the week, but even that is a symptom of a successful tenure with a sports psychologist, whom she began working with last year.

“I was playing such good rallies, and then somehow she’d put the ball back again. There were few situations I was like, ‘Okay, I want to leave the court. This is unreal.’

“That’s what made me so strong, the mental toughness, that I knew I cannot lose even one point. I had to just think about what I want to do on the next point. That’s what made me win the second set. It was extremely tough mentally and physically, but tennis-wise, it was such a high level.”

Out of challenges is @Cibulkova, as she didn't realize that. What drama! #WTAFinals pic.twitter.com/QuEF6CDaEp

— WTA (@WTA) October 27, 2016

Out of challenges late in the second set, Cibulkova refused to be rattled, and gamely won the last three points of the second set’s sudden death.

“The pressure of me winning in two sets, that’s what made me like, ‘Okay, breathe and just forget it.’ Because I saw the ball was in. I think I have a good eye. I knew it was in.

“Maybe in a different match, different time, it would make me go crazy and I could lose two, three points likes this and the set would be over. I knew I cannot do this right now. I just had to refocus. This is what I’m talking about, the mental strength I had today.”

– Halep ends the season how she started.

Injuries and illness plagued the start of Simona Halep’s 2016, to the point where she hardly thought it possible to return to Singapore in the spring. Sporting a left knee strapping against Cibulkova, there were some clear movement issues for most of the match, which, while it made her fight all the more impressive, it kept her from taking the aggressive stance necessary to take the second set.

“I think she saw that backhand is not very strong because of the leg,” Halep said in press. “It was not easy for me to push.”

Not wanting to talk too much about the injury, Halep heads into the off-season with plenty of positives: another Premier Mandatory title at the Mutua Madrid Open, a return to the Top 3 after dropping as low as No.7, all under the umbrella of a successful tenure with coach Darren Cahill.

“You're doing a hell of a job!” @Darren_Cahill tells @Simona_Halep! #WTAFinals pic.twitter.com/imCRrVkiu4

— WTA (@WTA) October 27, 2016

“This tournament was a bonus for me. At the middle of the year I said that I cannot qualify because I was very far after four months, tough four months.

“But once I qualified I say that it’s a bonus, and I have just to give everything I have. I didn’t have enough to qualify in the semis, but it was a good experience again, third year in a row, so it’s a good thing.”

Heading back to Romania to visit her newborn niece, Halep plans to revamp her pre-season with a trip to Australia with Cahill.

“The plan is to go to Australia in December. Before he is coming to Romania, so we will mix. I wanted to change something and get used to that time, weather before Shenzhen and before Australia.”

“Danke, Domi!” – @AngeliqueKerber, probably. pic.twitter.com/b8hM69GUr1

— WTA Insider (@WTA_insider) October 27, 2016

– Core team key to Cibulkova’s success.

A tennis player is often only as good as his or her team, and Cibulkova has spent years bonding with hers, headed by longtime fiance – now husband – Michal Navara.

“He’s really important. He’s there for me. Sometimes when there are tough, tough times he can make me see the other side. You know, he always says, ‘Okay, the life is not that bad, you know.’

“He can make me sometimes be more relaxed. Even if I lose a match, he can make me see different things. That’s what really helps me. There are so many things that he’s helping me with, but this is one of them.

“He’s really one of the biggest positive energy in our team.”

.@Cibulkova with her #WTAFinals Kids Fan Club! pic.twitter.com/EGx9IaSbQw

— WTA Finals Singapore (@WTAFinalsSG) October 27, 2016

Accenting her team this week in Singapore is the addition of both parents – Cibulkova typically travels with just one or the other to any given tournament – and it’s clear the Slovak’s passion and determination is genetic.

“My father, after my win today, he jumped down and again the security took him away. He’s a little bit emotional. You can see me on the court. I get emotions. Maybe probably it’s from him I get these emotions.

“Do you remember Stanford when he jumped down on the court? Yeah, today he didn’t get on the court but he jumped down from the stands.

“Mostly I’m looking in my box. My coach, they are more calm. But I’m happy my parents are here with me and they can see me playing a great tennis at the WTA Finals in Singapore. When I was starting playing tennis it was never, never in our dreams to be here.”