Beck Dashes Watson's Wimbledon Dream
Annika Beck snatched victory from the jaws of defeat to end British No.2 Heather Watson’s Wimbledon hopes for another year.
Annika Beck snatched victory from the jaws of defeat to end British No.2 Heather Watson’s Wimbledon hopes for another year.
In today’s SAP Stat Of The Day, Daria Kasatkina adds another name to her growing list of big wins.
Qualifier Jana Cepelova pulled off a stunning upset for the second straight year at the All England Club, ousting French Open champ and No.2 seed Garbiñe Muguruza in straight sets.
An interview with Karolina Pliskova after her win in the semifinals of the Qatar Total Open.
Watch all the best shots from this week at the Qatar Total Open – right here on wtatennis.com!
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.
Olympic champion Monica Puig advanced to the second round of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships after defeating Yaroslava Shvedova 6-3, 4-6, 6-4.
“My serving was pretty good today so I think I just believed that I could serve it out and be as positive as I could,” said Puig. “She played a great match, she put me under pressure a lot and I’m just happy to get through.”
Following a confidence-building run to the semifinals of the Qatar Total Open, Puig continued her rich vein of form by taking the opening set 6-3 but squandered a handful of break points against the Kazakh’s serve before being broken twice to lose a tight second set 6-4.
.@MonicaAce93 downs Shvedova 6-3, 4-6, 6-4!
Plays @CaroGarcia next in @DDFTennis Second round! pic.twitter.com/xHzY75zLu1
— WTA (@WTA) February 20, 2017
Puig took an injury timeout before the start of the decider and it seemed to have the desired effect as the Puerto Rican gained the decisive opening break in the seventh game for a 4-3 lead before serving out for the win.
“There was just some soreness,” Puig said after appearing to be in back pain. “I came from the semis in Doha so obviously I need to get my body as recovered as possible but I’m feeling good after this win.”
Victory for Puig marks her best run in Dubai in only her second appearance and she next faces France’s Caroline Garcia, who beat Johanna Larsson on Sunday.
“I know she (Garcia) is a very feisty player. She plays really well and she’s had a great couple of years so I have to go out there and play my best game and whatever happens, happens but I’m just happy with what I’m doing.”
For Shvedova, her challenging start to the season continues. She made 44 unforced errors and 11 double faults and is yet to win a match in 2017.
DUBAI, UAE –
Garbiñe Muguruza has taken quite a climb in the last 12 months, winning her maiden major title at the French Open. The Spaniard climbed even higher before kicking off her campaign at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships, scaling the world’s tallest building at the Burj Khalifa.“I’m very excited to see what’s upstairs!” said the No.5 seed before beginning her journey up into the heavens.
Muguruza enjoyed a leisurely ride up the world’s fastest elevator to take in the view from the observation deck on the 148th floor.
“I’ve been told when you’re up this high, you can see the earth starting to curve,” she mused.
Muguruza plays her opening round match on Tuesday against Kateryna Bondarenko; check out the rest of her trip to the Burj Khalifa right here on wtatennis.com!
Angelique Kerber moved confidently into the Wimbledon quarterfinals with a 6-3, 6-1 victory over Misaki Doi on Monday.
After a rollercoaster week in Doha, World No.3 Karolina Pliskova took home the title, posting back to back wins over Dominika Cibulkova and Caroline Wozniacki along the way. Her efforts vault her into the No.2 spot on the Road To Singapore leaderboard, leapfrogging past Australian Open finalist Venus Williams.
She’s now the first player to win two WTA titles in 2017, and she’s also 15 of the 16 matches she’s played this year (including Fed Cup).
“I don’t feel like I lost just once! I feel like I lost more times but it didn’t happen and I got two trophies. Yeah, it’s an amazing start [to the season],” Pliskova told WTA Insider after her win in Doha.
“It’s always tough after the off-season to get in a good shape at the tournaments and get back on track. I think it’s the best that I’ve ever had and the longest streak of winning matches that I had.”
Another major RTS move this week belongs to reigning BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global champion Dominika Cibulkova, who reached the semifinals in Doha to storm into the Top 8.
Here are the biggest moves on the Road To Singapore this week:
Karolina Pliskova +2 (No.4 to No.2)
Venus Williams -1 (No.2 to No.3)
Johanna Konta -1 (No.3 to No.4)
Dominika Cibulkova +6 (No.14 to No.8)
Elina Svitolina -1 (No.8 to No.9)
Caroline Wozniacki +20 (No.29 to No.9)
Click here to check out the full Road to Singapore leaderboard, updated as of February 20th.