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Cibulkova Claims Eastbourne Crown

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

EASTBOURNE, England – Dominika Cibulkova capped off a fantastic week on the English seaside by winning her career-first grass court title at the Aegon International Eastbourne, blasting past Nottingham champion Karolina Pliskova 7-5, 6-3.

Watch live action from Eastbourne this week on WTA Live powered by TennisTV!

Cibulkova, who was forced to miss much of the 2015 season after undergoing Achilles surgery, seems to have firmly put her injury woes behind her. The resurgent Slovak was into her fourth final of the year at Eastbourne – including a run to the title in April at the Katowice Open. In fact, she’s tied only with Serena Williams for most finals appearances so far this year.

Things started off a little complicated for the 2014 Australian Open finalist as she went down a break right away. However, the swirling seaside winds wreaked havoc on Pliskova’s normally imperious service games, restoring parity and making for a topsy-turvy first set that saw them trade breaks three times. Cibulkova finally came away with the fourth and decisive break in the final game to take the first set 7-5.

With both players more acclimated to the conditions, the second set was more tightly drawn until Cibulkova clinched the break off a blistering backhand passing shot for a 3-1 lead. She tamped down a late surge from Pliskova to hold serve in a marathon 11-minute game to bring herself to 5-2 and within striking distance of the title.

Watching the ball sail long, Cibulkova could hardly contain her emotions after winning her second WTA title of the year.

“It’s very hard to describe, this has been my best week on grass and it just feels – it just happened and I can’t believe it,” Cibulkova said. “I was playing really well today but the conditions were really hard for me and my opponent. It was a great week for me.

“This is my second time here and I’m gonna come back many more years.”

Despite missing out on the Eastbourne title, Pliskova — who earlier this month won the title at the Aegon Open Nottingham and captured the doubles title at the Aegon Classic Birmingham — can’t complain about her grass court preparations.

“I’m really happy with the way I played this year on grass, with Wimbledon coming so I hope to have better results there,” she said after the match. “I have at least one title and now a final so it’s not that bad.”

With the win, Cibulkova is projected to grab a coveted Top 8 spot on the Road To Singapore Leaderboard, jumping from No.12 to No.7 after Monday’s rankings. She will now be ranked No.18, back into the WTA Top 20 for the first time in almost two years.

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Behind Watson’s Show-Stopping Party Look

Behind Watson’s Show-Stopping Party Look

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

LONDON, Great Britain – The 2016 WTA Pre-Wimbledon Party presented by Dubai Duty Free was all about elegance and extravagant outfits and although it was obvious that the WTA stars invested a lot of thought and energy into looking special, some players took things up a notch with attention-grabbing designs that are bound to make history when it comes to fashion at tennis red carpet events. Among them was Heather Watson, who left nothing to chance when it comes to British weather, making sure to have on hand an umbrella matching her dress, so that an unexpected rain wouldn’t ruin her glamorous look.

Our contributor Marija Zivlak of Women’s Tennis Blog got in touch with Brett Mettler, Creative Director at Mettler London and the designer behind Watson’s intriguing olive green latex look.

 For the second year in a row you are designing Heather’s WTA Pre-Wimbledon Party dress. How did you two start working together?

I was invited to a party by my brother-in-law Dom Inglot (member of the British Davis Cup team) and I met Heather there. We started chatting and hit it off immediately! She is such a playful and friendly person and we started having fun, talking about style, outfits etc. Inevitably the conversation came around to how we might be able to do something fun and exciting for one of her public appearances and with the 2015 Pre-Wimbledon Party on the horizon, we decided to focus on that.

Can you tell us something about the creative process behind the 2016 WTA Pre-Wimbledon Party dress design?

With the 2015 blue and pink chiffon dress, Heather wanted something playful, light and with a lot of movement to it. That was the starting point for the concept. This year’s dress, she wanted something really different. She wanted something a little more risqué and edgy but still very playful.

A lot of my own experience lies in using latex in a high fashion way, trying to bring it to a different audience through light and fun colors, cuts and formats. It seemed a great overlap for us to explore, so I started coming up with some latex concepts and we worked through a few iterations to make sure that it was something Heather could get excited about.

Are there some elements of the outfit that are Heather’s input?

Absolutely. As with anything I do for clients, I wanted the dress to reflect her personality and accentuate her best assets. Heather is such a complete package in terms of beauty; it is quite a tricky thing to know where to start from! But last year’s dress really let her legs do their thing because they are so lean and long and so we knew that this year, we would do the same. Sophia Webster’s shoes are so sensational that we wanted to give them their room to shine as well.

Heather was also keen to make sure that we changed the color palette, but of course it had to work with her striking skin tone. We felt the olive color really did that well. Finally, Heather really wanted something that drew attention to her back and shoulders, so the design features around those areas were there to draw attention.

Heather Watson

Whose idea was to include an umbrella in the look?

That was all Heather! It was genius! She knew the color the dress would be, so she found an umbrella that obviously went with the whole get up, but it perfectly captured her playful character. She had been getting fed up with rain delays over the previous week or so, and it was raining on the day, so instead of letting it get her down, she decided to have fun with it.

I think it was the perfect accessory and I think everyone at the Party really got into it. To be honest, I wish it had been my idea!

Did you expect that the outfit would turn out to be one of the biggest fashion hits at the WTA Pre-Wimbledon Party?

You never really know to be honest. You always hope, but we knew that this year, going out in latex was always going to be a point of conversation. It was either going to push the envelope, or push the envelope too far. I think we got it just right: unique and cheeky, but playful and elegant. I am glad that it got such huge and positive interest and of course I need to thank Heather for being such a wonderful character and model and also for being bold enough to go for the concept.

You completed postgraduate studies at London College of Fashion. How have you become a Latex Specialist?

My BA in Fashion Womenswear was at Central St. Martins and my final collection there in 2011 included latex. I got into latex before them, around 2008, through some friends who modelled in it. I thought it was such a striking material but one that by and large had a poor reputation with very few designers exploring all its possibilities. I also wanted to really see how latex could be incorporated with non-latex materials to create more exciting outfits and looks.

Since 2008 I have worked with some of the biggest names in latex and took that to my stints at Alexander McQueen and Gareth Pugh, and I am really excited generally to see how else I can bring it to a new audience. It really does makes you feel sexy though, so I recommend everyone have at least one signature latex piece in their closet: that pair of leggings or jacket that sets a look off!

Have you and Heather already discussed some looks for future red carpet appearances?

Of course, but you will have to wait for the next red or purple carpet to see what we’ve cooked up!

Heather Watson

– Photos courtesy of Getty Images

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Halep Heads Into Second Round

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

WIMBLEDON, Great Britain – No.5 seed Simona Halep kicked off her Wimbledon campaign with a decisive 6-4, 6-1 win over Anna Karolina Schmiedlova to reach the second round in just over an hour.

“I had many days practicing here,” the 2014 semifinalist said in her post-match press conference. “I feel the grass. I feel the court. I feel the atmosphere here. So I’m happy that I could win today. I’m looking forward for the next round, and maybe I will play better after two days.”

Halep was clearly keen to avoid repeating the stunning first round loss she took at last year’s Championships, promptly racing out to a 4-1 double break advantage. Schmiedlova, by contrast, started the year just outside the Top 25 but hasn’t won a WTA main draw match since the Apia International Sydney, struggling to back up her strong 2015 season.

Still, the young Slovak has shown flashes of brilliance this spring, and was the only woman to win a set off Garbiñe Muguruza during the Spaniard’s run to the French Open title. Leveling the set at four games apiece, Halep looked on course for a long day at the All England Club, but quickly shifted into turbo on Court 2, dropping just one more game in the match to advance in straight sets.

“I moved better. I was everywhere, I can say. She had only four winners, so means that I was pretty good on my legs.”

Halep was forced to miss the Aegon Classic with a recurring Achilles injury, but played solid tennis on the fortnight’s first Monday, striking 13 winners to only 16 unforced errors and losing just 10 points behind her first serve; Schmiedlova was left still looking for consistency with four winners to 24 errors.

“This Achilles is very strange. Sometimes it’s hurting me; sometimes not. I hope to be okay.

“I like to have some matches before Wimbledon, but this year I couldn’t. My coach told me that it’s better to come here straight to practice. In my head I had that it’s better to play Eastbourne, but he said that it’s better to come here straight because the conditions are the same and I have to get used.

“So I did like he said, and now I feel good.”

Up next for the Romanian is former French Open champion Francesca Schiavone, who knocked out Mallorca Open finalist Anastasija Sevastova, 7-6(7), 6-4. 

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News | WTA Tennis English

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

CHARLESTON, SC, USA – Mirjana Lucic-Baroni took down the hometown favorite Shelby Rogers in three sets to reach the semifinals at the Volvo Car Open.

35-year-old Lucic-Baroni – the oldest player left in the draw – first played in Charleston in 2001, the same year her opponent Rogers was a ball girl at this very tournament. The Croat had never been past the round of 16 on the green clay, but on Friday night she mounted a spirited comeback to oust Rogers from her home tournament, 6-7(7), 6-1, 6-1.

“It was beautiful in a way,” Lucic-Baroni said in her post-match press conference. “It was difficult playing against the crowd, because Shelby is from here. It’s normal. It’s always tough, but I felt they were very respectful. They were cheering for their home girl, and it’s totally normal.

“The wind was what was really difficult today. It was incredibly hard, and the fact that I came out yesterday and today playing some great tennis and winning in these conditions, it’s incredible, really, really good effort.

Just one point made the difference for Rogers as she took the rollercoaster opening set under blustery conditions – which Lucic-Baroni described as, “I would rather play with a live lion running around in normal conditions than play in today’s weather.”

The Charleston-native leveraged the vocal home support to inspire an early comeback as she found herself down a break with Lucic-Baroni serving for the set at 5-4. She dodged a Lucic-Baroni set point to take it to a tiebreaker, then denied the Croat another one as she edged through to take the opening set.

But the big-hitting Lucic-Baroni refused to fold, and reeled in the errors from her all-or-nothing game to shut out Rogers from the next two sets. She didn’t allow Rogers a single break opportunity as she broke the American five times in a row to snatch a dizzying ten games in a row before claiming the match – and her spot in the semifinals – in two hours and thirteen minutes.

“I was just trying to fight for every point,” Rogers reflected in her post-match press conference. “Like it was definitely back and forth. I thought we had a very good level. It was super entertaining; and bad luck, I wish I could have kept it up.

“But a lot of positives to take from that, and you know, moving forward into the clay season, this week’s been great for me, and so many good things to move forward and build on.”

Meanwhile, Lucic-Baroni had nothing but praise for her opponent, lauding her to the adoring Charleston crowd.

“You guys should be so proud of Shelby,” she said. “She’s such a wonderful girl, amazing tennis player with a super bright future and present as well. You should really be proud, she represents [Charleston] beautifully.”

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News | WTA Tennis English

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

BIEL/BIENNE, Switzerland/BOGOTA, Colombia – The Ladies Open Biel Bienne will make its debut on the WTA circuit this week. The second annual tournament in Switzerland is played on indoor hard-courts. While the Claro Open Colsanitas continues the spring, clay court season. Since it’s upgrade to a WTA-level event in 1998, the Colombian tournament has evolved into one of the most prestigious sporting events in all of Latin America.

1) The Swiss are out with a vengeance.
Three Swiss players are playing in Biel/Bienne this week. Belinda Bencic, former World No.7 was given a wildcard into the tournament, while Rebeka Masarova is back at home after making her debut to the women’s tour at Gstaad in 2016 – beating former World No.1 Jelena Jankovic in the first round. Finally, Viktorija Golubic who went on to win the tile in Gstaad, is also in action.

2) Strycova leads in Swiss field.
Top seed Barbora Strycova will aim to win her second career title in Biel/Bienne after strong results at the Miami Open in singles and doubles. Her last title came in 2011 at the Tournoi de Québec – another indoor hardcourt event. 

3) Babos, Niculescu anchor quarter of contrasts.
There are few match-ups more fun than those that provide a contrast in styles, one of which we may get if No.3 seed Timea Babos and No.8 seed Monica Niculescu advance into the last eight. Niculescu leads their head-to-head 3-2, but Babos won both of their 2016 encounters.

4) Carla Suárez Navarro back on form after injury.
Suárez Navarro looks nearly back to her best after an injury-addled start to 2017, she will come into Biel as the No.2 seed after reaching the quarterfinals in Monterry last week.

5) Vinci gets KrisPlis rematch in Biel/Bienne.
Roberta Vinci was a game away from knocking out Kristyna Pliskova at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships before Karolina’s twin sister stunned the Italian veteran in three sets. The two face off again in the first round in Biel/Bienne, Vinci the No.4 seed.

6) Kiki Bertens will start in Colombia as the No.1 seed.
The Dutchwoman reached her career high in February, cracking the World’s Top 20. She is set to play 20-year-old Nina Stojanovic in the first round.

7) Irina Falconi is back to defend her title in Bogota.
The World No.105 has has struggled with injury since winning her maiden WTA title last spring, but she will be fighting to defend it this week. The American faces Slovenian Dalila Jakupovic in the first round.

8) Errani to face streaking Alexandrova.
Former French Open finalist Sara Errani will begin her red clay swing in earnest down in Bogota, but will first have to get past the on-fire Ekaterina Alexandrova. The young Russian comes to Colombia on the back of 10 straight wins and two ITF titles in China and France.

9) Siniakova aims to bring doubles success to singles court in Bogota.
20-year-old Katerina Siniakova started the season with a singles title in Shenzhen, and has since shown her best tennis on the doubles court with Lucie Hradecka, reaching finals at the BNP Paribas Open and the Volvo Car Open last week. The Czech will aim to rediscover her singles form in Bogota, where she will be the No.2 seed.

10) Can Arruabarrena reclaim her Colombian crown.
Lara Arruabarrena won the Claro Open Colsanitas in 2012, and has shown some improved hardcourt form at the Miami Open, where she upset Madison Keys en route to the fourth round. The No.4 seed in Bogota, she opens against a qualifier.

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Schiavone Gives Up Her Olympic Wildcard

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

LONDON, Great Britain – Francesca Schiavone has already struck gold in Rio de Janeiro in 2016, winning her seventh career title in the year’s first clay event at the Rio Open back in February. Despite dipping out of the Top 100, the former French Open champion was still expected to return to Brazil for the Olympic Games with a wildcard typically reserved for Grand Slam champions.

However, earlier today the Italian announced via her Facebook page that she won’t be wearing the Azzurri in Rio this year, deciding instead to give up the wildcard.

Here’s Schiavone’s statement, translated to English:

“Here at Wimbledon I have received notice of the wild card for the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio. It is news that has made me happy. However, I made a decision not to accept it because at this stage of my life, with the important decisions that are in front of me about the development of my career, I need to focus and prioritize my personal projects. This is why I won’t be in Rio. A choice that cost me but I’m proud to have worn the blue jersey in three editions of the Games. In August I will be in front of the television to cheer on all the Azzurri.“

The WTA veteran has been a fixture at the Olympics for the past 12 years, competing in the past three editions of the Games. Her best result came in the form of a run to the quarterfinals in Athens back in 2004. In the 2008 Games in Beijing she reached the third round while in 2012, when the Olympic tennis event was held at the All England Club, she made the second round.

Schiavone’s decision to give up her wildcard means that another spot has opened up for a player seeking to head to Brazil later this summer. In the meantime, click here to find out who has already qualified for Rio 2016.

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