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News | WTA Tennis English

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

MIAMI, FL, USA – The top 8 seeds at the Miami Open answered fans’ questions via Twitter – was yours one of them?

“How much do you love your fans?”

“If you could have one superpower, what would it be?”

“What’s your favorite emoji?”

“What keeps you motivated to play tennis?”

“Happy birthday, Karolina! How are you celebrating?”

“What’s your main goal this year?”

“Do you get to hear more Latin music in the Miami clubs?”

“What’s your favorite thing about Miami?”

“Do you like your fan pages on Instagram?”

“How do you stay mentally positive?”

“How long do you see yourself playing for?”

“What is your favorite holiday destination?”

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By The Numbers: Miami Last 16

By The Numbers: Miami Last 16

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

MIAMI, FL, USA – Who is the lowest-ranked player left in Miami? Whose famous footsteps is Serena Williams looking to follow? And how many hours has the indefatigable Irina-Camelia Begu spent on court?

With the field at the Miami Open now whittled down to 16, wtatennis.com and SAP thought it time to go looking for answers…

381 – Irina-Camelia Begu has spent 381 minutes on court thus far, more than any other player in the tournament.

69 – World No.69 Heather Watson is the only player left in the draw ranked outside the Top 50.  

21 – At 21 years old, Madison Keys is the youngest player left in the draw. It is the first time in the tournament’s 32-year history a teenager has failed to make it to the fourth round.

20 – Serena Williams is on a 20-match winning streak going into her encounter with Svetlana Kuznetsova; her last loss came to Caroline Wozniacki in the 2012 quarterfinals.

15 – Fifteen of the 16 remaining in the draw have won a WTA singles title. The odd one out is Johanna Konta, who, at No.24, is also the highest-ranked player on tour not to have reached the winner’s circle. 

11 – The number of different nationalities represented in the fourth round – Romania leads the way with three players.

10 – Ten of the remaining players have never reached the quarterfinals in Miami (Timea Babos, Timea Bacsinszky, Begu, Keys, Konta, Ekaterina Makarova, Garbiñe Muguruza, Monica Niculescu, Elina Svitolina, Watson)

9 – Eight-time Miami champion Serena Williams remains on course to become only the third player to lift the same WTA even nine times or more, after Martina Navratilova (Chicago, Eastbourne, Wimbledon, Washington, Dallas) and Steffi Graf (Berlin).

8 – Eight of the of leading 16 seeds reached their appointed fourth-round slots.

7 – Of the players left in the draw, seven have been ranked either No.1 or No.2.

5 – The No.1 seed has reached the quarterfinals (or better) in each of the past five years – Caroline Wozniacki was the last to fail, losing to Andrea Petkovic in the fourth round in 2011. The top seed has lifted the title on 13 occasions.

4 – Four former champions are still in contention: Williams (2002, 2003, 2004, 2007, 2008, 2013, 2014, 2015), Kuznetsova (2006), Victoria Azarenka (2009, 2011) and Agnieszka Radwanska (2012).

3 – For the third straight year, three unseeded players have made it through to the last 16: Babos, Begu and Watson.

2 – Azarenka remains on course to complete the Indian Wells-Miami double. Graf (1994, 1996) and Kim Clijsters (2005) are the only players to achieve the feat.

1 – Watson received one of the tournament’s eight wildcards; only once in the past five years has a wildcard failed to reach the last 16 in Miami.

0 – Konta and Watson are bidding to become the first British player to reach the quarterfinals in Miami. Jo Durie (1988) also reached the fourth round.

SAP Insights

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Keys Sees Off Kuznetsova For Beijing Quarterfinal Spot

Keys Sees Off Kuznetsova For Beijing Quarterfinal Spot

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

BEIJING, China – No.8 seed Madison Keys completed a spectacular comeback against Svetlana Kuznetsova to become the first to advance to the quarterfinals of the China Open.

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

Down 2-5 in the first set and facing set point, Keys rallied to turn the match around and win 7-6(2), 6-2 in an hour and thirty-six minutes.

Keys is one of several players on the Singapore bubble, wrestling for a spot in her first BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global. She even can qualify this week as long as she reaches the final in Beijing; she took one step closer tonight against Kuznetsova.

“Some days I use it as my motivation to try harder, but sometimes it makes me more nervous and puts pressure on me,” Keys told WTA Insider of her potential to qualify for Singapore.

“I’m that close, I want to put myself in the best position possible and be able to walk away, whether I qualify or not, knowing that I did everything I could to get there.”

But Singapore looked a long ways away when Kuznetsova broke Keys’ serve to start out the match, keeping the American on the run and returning deep into the court to leave her opponent scrambling. Some loose forehands have Kuznetsova a second break for a 5-2 lead, and suddenly Kuznetsova was serving for the set.

Svetlana Kuznetsova, Madison Keys

The Russian held a set point and looked set to close it out, but a pair of double faults put Keys right back in it and the American ripped a backhand down the line to begin her comeback.

“I was 5-2 up and serving for the set two times, but then in a couple games Madison went for her shots and she made them,” Kuznetsova said after the match. “There was a couple of netcords unlucky, too, and then the game was equal.”

“She got her game on, and I lost mine, a little bit. That’s basically what changed.”

Keys broke back once more to level the match at 5-5 and the pair held firm to send the match into a tiebreak, where Keys allowed Kuznetsova just two points on her way to clinching the opening set.

“It just seemed like I was trying to figure out her serve and how she was playing, but I wasn’t executing well,” Keys explained to WTA Insider. “I was maybe just going for too much on my shots.”

“I just – well, I just told myself a bad word and said, ‘Get it together!’ And after that I played a good game and got some confidence back.”

The American broke Kuznetsova three more times in the second set to complete her comeback, taking the first spot in the quarterfinals.

Keys’ road to the Beijing final won’t get any easier, though; she will face Wuhan champion Petra Kvitova for a shot at the China Open semifinals after the Czech swept past defending champion Garbiñe Muguruza later in the day.

WTA Finals: Get Your Tickets!

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News | WTA Tennis English

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

MIAMI, FL, USA – Former World No.21 Sorana Cirstea produced a barrage of big hitting off the ground to defeat Olympic Gold medalist Monica Puig, 6-2, 6-4, to emerge victorious in the first WTA night match of the Miami Open.

“Everyone knows I was out of the game with shoulder injuries,” Cirstea said during her on-court interview. “Now it’s a privilege and I’m very lucky to back here playing night sessions in Miami on the center court.”

Indeed, the former French Open quarterfinalist struggled with shoulder injuries throughout the last few seasons, making a strong comeback last spring when she made the last eight at the Mutua Madrid Open. Starting the 2017 season with a run to the second week of the Australian Open, a wrist injury threatened to delay a further rise up the rankings, but Cirstea shrugged all of that off on Wednesday night, playing one of her best matches of the year against the Olympic champion.

Puig recently pushed World No.3 Karolina Pliskova to three sets at the BNP Paribas Open, but struggled to find her rhythm under the lights, striking 30 unforced errors during the 69 minute match.

Still, the Puerto Rican star is famous for her fighting instincts – particularly on big courts. On the brink of elimination, Puig broke Cirstea as she served for the match and pegged the Romanian back to within one break, forcing the 2013 Rogers Cup runner-up to serve it out one more time.

“I’m very happy to finish in two sets. I think I started strong; towards the end of the second set I kind of backed off.

“I’m happy with how I fought and the way I won the last game.”

Up next for Cirstea is No.22 seed and Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships semifinalist Anastasija Sevastova, with former World No.1 Caroline Wozniacki looming as a potential third round oppoonent.

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Kerber Survives Babos Scare

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

MIAMI, FL, USA – No.2 seed Angelique Kerber needed three sets, but dispatched young Hungarian Timea Babos in emphatic style, striking a screaming forehand passing shot to win, 6-2, 3-6, 6-4, and complete the quarterfinal line-up at the Miami Open.

Watch live action from Miami this fortnight on WTA Live powered by TennisTV!

Kerber appeared well in control of the contest as she took the opening set, but Babos, buoyed by a strong on-court coaching session with Thomas Drouet, leveled the match and led by a break in the third before the reigning Australian Open champion recovered the plot – capturing five of the final six games to reach the last eight in Miami and reclaim the No.2 ranking from Agnieszka Radwanska.

“Timea was playing very well,” the German told Andrew Krasny during her on-court interview. “I started the match good and I played a good first set but she came back stronger.

“I was trying to fight until the last point; I was down in the third set and I was just believing in myself that I could turn it around.”

The two hour and eight minute match bled into Tuesday, but Kerber is no stranger to the lateness of the hour, once battling to 3:10am to outlast Daria Gavrilova at last year’s Apia International Sydney. 

“I won it and to be in the next round is just a great feeling – after midnight, but it’s good to be still in the tournament.”

With Radwanska and World No.1 Serena Williams bowing out in the fourth round, Kerber is the highest-ranked woman left in the draw, and is looking close to the level that took her to the title in Melbourne just two months ago – hitting 20 winners and converting seven of eight break point opportunities.

“I wasn’t thinking about this on court,” she said when asked about the upsets. “I’m just trying to play my game and focus on me, improve my tennis playing round to round. It’s good to be back here in Miami; it’s amazing you guys stayed here until this time, thank you so much!”

Up next for Kerber is No.22 seed Madison Keys, who strolled into the quarterfinals with a 6-3, 6-1 win over Irina-Camelia Begu. The two last played in the finals of the Volvo Car Open, which the German narrowly won in three tight sets.

“Madison is a great young player; she plays great matches against me and we’ve had tough battles in the past. I’m looking forward; she’s at home here, and I will just try to take the challenge against her and play a good match.”

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Beijing Thursday: Radwanska, Wozniacki Renew Rivalry, Halep Gets Zhang Rematch

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

Agnieszka Radwanska and Caroline Wozniacki’s third meeting in as many weeks will highlight an exciting sextet of Round of 16 tilts on Thursday in Beijing. We preview the action, courtesy of WTATennis.com contributor Chris Oddo.

Thursday

Round of 16

[3] Agnieszka Radwanska (POL #3) vs. Caroline Wozniacki (DEN #22)
Head-to-head: Wozniacki leads, 9-5
Key Stat: Wozniacki has won 14 of her last 16 matches.

They’ve always been good friends off the court and intense rivals on, but never before have Caroline Wozniacki and Agnieszka Radwanska played three times in the same tennis season – let alone three weeks in a row. That will change on Thursday in Beijing when the pair meet for the third time in three weeks with a spot in the China Open quarterfinals on the line. Wozniacki has turned around her season with an electrifying run that included a win over Radwanska in the semifinals of the Toray Pan Pacific Open, but the Pole hit back last week at the Dongfeng Motor Wuhan Open, ending Wozniacki’s seven-match winning streak with a 6-4, 6-2 decision over the Dane in the round of 16. 2011 Beijing champion Radwanska improved her career record at the China Open to 23-7 with a straight-sets win over Ekaterina Makarova in the second round, but she’ll face a tougher challenge in Wozniacki. The Dane owns a 7-5 lifetime record against Radwanska on hard courts, and she has won four of the last five against Radwanska overall.

Pick: Radwanska in three

[1] Angelique Kerber (GER #1) vs. [16] Elina Svitolina (UKR #18)
Head-to-head: Kerber leads, 5-2
Key Stat: Kerber owns 20 Top 20 wins in 2016.

22-year-old Elina Svitolina notched two consecutive victories over Angelique Kerber two years ago at Wuhan and Brisbane, but since then the German has taken the power back, winning three straight over the World No.16. But Svitolina has played Kerber tough, taking her to three sets in each of their last two contests. In fact, Svitolina has always played the Top 10 tough. The Ukrainian owns three Top 10 wins in 2016, including a massive upset of then World No.1 Serena Williams at the Olympic tennis event. Can she produce a similar shock against the current No.1? Kerber comes in confident and ready for battle, having won 22 of her last 26 matches including her second Grand Slam title at the US Open, so the onus will be on Svitolina to produce inspired tennis. That’s what it takes to defeat Kerber these days. Svitolina has the capability to produce it but she’ll need to ratchet up her aggression and take her chances, because Kerber is as stingy as they come – and opportunistic, too.

Pick: Kerber in three

[4] Simona Halep (ROU #5) vs. Zhang Shuai (CHN #36)
Head-to-head: Tied, 1-1
Key Stat: Zhang stunned Halep in the first round of this year’s Australian Open for her first career Grand Slam win.

Zhang Shuai’s fairy tale 2016 kicked into high gear with a first-round upset of Simona Halep at the Australian Open that left the Chinese in tears at Margaret Court Arena. It was her long awaited maiden Grand Slam main draw victory and it marked the beginning of a stunning turn in fortunes for Zhang. Nearly ten months later the Chinese No.1 is 100 spots higher in the rankings and has seven Grand Slam wins under her belt. Zhang, making her first appearance in the round of 16 at Beijing in seven years, will look to produce another epic upset against Halep on Thursday, but this time the Romanian will be gunning for a shot of revenge. Halep had nothing but kind words to say after the loss in Melbourne, but she also felt she could have played with more gusto against Zhang. “She didn’t have fear,” Halep told reporters after the match. “She hit all the balls… but I think I let her play her best tennis. I didn’t hit very strong and I didn’t hit with good strength. So, yeah, it happened and she was better today.” Halep has been one of the best players on tour since Wimbledon, and one of the most consistent. She has gone 26-4 since Wimbledon and reached at least the quarterfinals of every event she has played in that span. Can Zhang shake Halep’s tree again on home soil in Beijing, or is it Simona’s turn to spoil the party?

Pick: Halep in three

[5] Karolina Pliskova (CZE #6) vs. [11] Johanna Konta (GBR #14)
Head-to-head: Pliskova leads, 5-0
Key Stat: Konta has won four of her last six against Top 10 opposition.

With slim Singapore hopes still alive, Great Britain’s Johanna Konta will bid for another Top 10 upset on Thursday in Beijing when she faces Karolina Pliskova. The Czech is playing with house money after saving match point and surviving an epic battle with Russia’s Daria Kasatkina on Wednesday. That type of cliff-hanging win for the powerful yet poised Czech doesn’t come as a surprise. Pliskova has been a pillar of belief since late this summer. It started with her first Premier title in Cincinnati and continued when she finally reached the second week of a major at the U.S. Open. Pliskova raced all the way to the final at New York and though she didn’t win a hard-fought final with Angelique Kerber, she has clearly hit her stride as a big-match player. Will she continue her fine form with a sixth consecutive victory over Konta? The pair’s lifetime head-to-head might appear lopsided to the casual observer but Konta has forced Pliskova to a deciding set in each of their last four meetings. Will Thursday be the day she finally conquers the Czech?

Pick: Pliskova in three

Around the Grounds: A pair of Frenchwomen – Caroline Garcia and Alizé Cornet – will bid for quarterfinal slots on Thursday in Beijing. Cornet will bid to reach her first quarterfinal since she won the Hobart title in January when she takes on Yaroslava Shvedova for the third time. Garcia will look to win for the first time in three tries against Aussie Daria Gavrilova.

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News | WTA Tennis English

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

The seeds on the lower half of the draw will begin their campaigns at the Miami Open on Thursday. We preview the must-see matchups right here at WTATennis.com.

Thursday, Second round

[2] Karolina Pliskova (CZE #3) vs. [Q] Madison Brengle (USA #86)
Head-to-head: Pliskova leads, 1-0
Key Stat: Pliskova leads the WTA with 167 aces in 20 matches this year.

In 2015, Karolina Pliskova proved that her game is a good match for the hardcourts of the Crandon Park Tennis Center in Miami when she powered to the quarterfinals for the first time. Last year, after a breakout performance at Indian Wells where she reached the semis, Pliskova arrived in Miami wearing some fatigue and was bounced in the opening round by Timea Babos. Pliskova is eager to prove that she’s up for the challenge of putting up good results in both legs of the Sunshine Double, having made a second straight semifinal in California.

“I did semis last year and then I lost in first round here,” she said on Tuesday. “So I just want to change this. I know I struggle after I do a good result in one tournament and then coming to a different tournament after. I think I’m in good shape this year, so hopefully I can change it in this tournament.”

Pliskova will face a tricky opponent in World No.86 Madison Brengle. The Delaware native reached the third round here last year and already has two qualifying matches under her belt in addition to her first-round win over Jelena Ostapenko on Tuesday.

Pick: Pliskova in two

[6]Garbiñe Muguruza (ESP #6) vs. Christina McHale (USA #46)
Head-to-head: Tied, 1-1
Key Stat: Muguruza reached the quarterfinals as a wildcard in Miami in 2012.

Miami will always hold a special place in Garbiñe Muguruza’s heart. As an 18-year-old she parlayed a Wild Card into her first tour-level victory at Miami, then rolled all the way to the round of 16. “This is such a great tournament for me because this was like my breakthrough,” Muguruza said at All-Access Hour. “I got a wildcard and I beat two Top 10s and went to fourth round, which was quite amazing. Plus I love the environment, I love the Latin American people, so I feel very at home here.”

Muguruza has been back to the round of 16 twice since that breakthrough, but this year she’ll look to take it a step or two further. That quest begins on Thursday with a battle against a tough competitor who has defeated her before. American Christina McHale knocked off Muguruza at Indian Wells last year and she improved to 5-0 in first-round matches at Miami with a three-set win over Germany’s Annika Beck on Wednesday.

Will McHale be able to recover from her three-hour battle with the German in time to challenge Muguruza? Or will the Spaniard get her revenge and begin another memorable run in Miami?

Pick: Muguruza in two

[23] Daria Gavrilova (AUS #26) vs. Lucie Safarova (CZE #36)
Head-to-head: Tied, 2-2
Key Stat: Safarova entered the week ninth on tour in first-serve points won (72 percent).

Australia’s Daria Gavrilova has her own Miami wildcard success story. Two years ago she burst on to the scene by upsetting then-World No.2 Maria Sharapova en route to a round of 16 appearance. “I have been dreaming about beating Maria since I was probably 12 when I saw her win Wimbledon, when she beat Serena,” an elated Gavrilova said at the time. That victory helped Gavrilova forge her identity on tour and also catapulted her higher in the rankings. She was barely inside the Top 100 at the time and now the Aussie resides inside the Top 30. But to go higher Gavrilova will have to win more consistently. She’s 6-6 this season but has only managed one win out of six contests against the Top 20.

On Thursday she’ll face a former Top 10 player who looks ready to make a big rise up the rankings herself in Lucie Safarova. The Czech battled injuries throughout 2016 but is healthy – and winning – again. After winning only 15 tour-level matches in 2016, Safarova has already claimed 13 victories in less than three months in 2017. Will she keep it rolling on Thursday or will Gavrilova use some more of that Miami magic to advance?

Pick: Safarova in three

[27] Yulia Putintseva (KAZ #32) vs. Carina Witthoeft (GER #71)
Head-to-head: Witthoeft leads, 2-0
Key Stat: Both previous encounters between Witthoeft and Putintseva have gone three sets.

Yulia Putintseva may outrank Germany’s Carina Witthoeft significantly but the German has swept both previous meetings with the Kazakh, defeating Putintseva twice last year in three sets. So, will the feisty Putintseva take her revenge on Thursday? It should be another tricky encounter. The 22-year-old Putintseva already has a final and two Top 10 wins to her name this season but she has only gone 3-3 against players ranked outside the Top 50 and has never won a main draw match at Miami. Witthoeft advanced to the second round for the second consecutive year with a 6-3, 6-3 win over Nicole Gibbs on Tuesday.

Pick: Putintseva in three

[4] Dominika Cibulkova (SVK #4) vs. [Q] Veronica Cepede Royg (PAR #131)
Head-to-head: First meeting
Key Stat: Cibulkova is making her tenth career appearance at Miami.

Playing at a career-high ranking of No.4 in the world, Slovakia’s Dominika Cibulkova is excited to return to the tournament that she has always adored. Cibulkova made her first appearance here in 2007 and the rest is history. “From the first time I played here… it was my favorite tournament,” she told WTA Insider at all-access hour on Tuesday. “And it still is, because I have so many great memories here at this tournament.” The 2014 semifinalist owns a 14-9 lifetime record at Miami, but missed 2015 due to injury and was unseeded last year and ended up falling to Garbiñe Muguruza in the second round. With only 35 rankings points to defend she will open accounts against Paraguay’s Veronica Cepede Royg in a first-time meeting on Thursday. Cibulkova has reached the third round in seven of her nine Miami appearances while Cepede Royg made her Miami Open main draw debut on Wednesday, defeating Misaki Doi in straight sets.

Pick: Cibulkova in two

Around the Grounds:

No.5-seeded and 2012 Miami Open champion Agnieszka Radwanska will face China’s Wang Qiang for the fourth time. The Pole has won all three decisions in straight sets against Wang and Radwanska owns a 28-9 lifetime record at Miami.

By the Numbers:

5-1 – Safarova improved to 5-1 in tiebreak sets on Wednesday when she defeated Yanina Wickmayer, 7-6(2) 6-4.

5 – Muguruza is tied for second on tour with five three-set wins this season (Svitolina has six).

19 – Pliskova’s 19 wins are tied for second on tour this season, behind only Svitolina’s 20.

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Russians Underline Strength On Tour

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

MIAMI, FL, USA – It is hard to recall a tennis season in recent memory that has thrown up quite so many surprises as the opening months of 2016.

Showcasing the unprecedented strength and depth of the women’s game, 15 tournaments have witnessed 13 different players lifting silverware. More remarkable still is World No.1 Serena Williams’s failure to enter the winner’s circle, a barren run that will now stretch into May following her fourth-round exit to Svetlana Kuznetsova at the Miami Open.

While it is arguable whether defeat to a two-time Grand Slam champion and former World No.2 should classify as a shock, there is no doubt the result underlines the current competitiveness on tour.

“I just think that overall the level is quite equal of other players,” Kuznetsova said in her press conference following the match. “You know, like some players out of like Top 30, they can beat anybody on good day.

“The thing is they cannot keep playing this good game. You can see some surprise wins in first two rounds. Everybody plays good and goes for their shots and everybody is really strong. But not everybody can keep doing this during the whole tournament. I think this is a bit frustrating. But overall, I think every round is extremely tough now.”

The 30-year-old’s next test comes in the shape of compatriot Ekaterina Makarova, herself no stranger to upsetting the apple cart.

Twice a Grand Slam semifinalist, Makarova has quietly been building up a head of steam at Crandon Park, following up a battling win over Lesia Tsurenko with dominant displays against Petra Kvitova and then Elina Svitolina.

Makarova had yet to make her WTA main draw debut when Kuznetsova was crowned Miami champion in 2006. “I’m too old! It was 10 years ago,” Kuznetsova joked. “I’ve been on this court many times. I love playing on this stage; the fans in my Miami are great. I love being back here and I’m really happy with my performance.”

Despite dominating her encounters with Makarova to date, Kuznetsova is wary of looking too far ahead: “I mean, it’s too early to say. You know, I have so many people saying congratulations I feel like I won the title already. It’s not real.

“Now these days the tennis is extremely tough and each opponent is really difficult to play. I’m just focusing for tomorrow’s match. I don’t have too much time to rest. Really looking forward to give my best another day tomorrow.”

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WTA Player Of The Month: Kvitova

WTA Player Of The Month: Kvitova

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

Petra Kvitova

Petra Kvitova arrived at the Dongfeng Motor Wuhan Open not having reached a final since finishing runner-up at last year’s BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global. By the end of the week, the two-time Wimbledon winner had not only won her first title in over a year, but also put herself in position to make a sixth straight Singapore appearance.

“The beginning of the season wasn’t really great,” she said after winning her second Wuhan title in three years. “I don’t think that I changed anything, like, special. I mean, I was trying to feel better on the court since Montréal.

“I think the turning point was during the Olympic Games when I won the bronze medal and it was kind of a boost. I did feel much relaxed, and with the confidence it’s always nicer to play. I’m kind of the player who needs the confidence to play the best game.”

After defeating young American Madison Keys in the Bronze Medal match at the Olympic tennis event, Kvitova brought that form into the second week of the US Open, where she lost to eventual champion and future No.1 Angelique Kerber to start the month.

Less than four weeks later, Kvitova turned the tables on Kerber in what many considered to be the best match of the year, and dropped five more games in her next two matches against Simona Halep and Dominika Cibulkova to win the title.

“The second part of the season, for sure it’s better. It’s not the best, but it’s still better. So I’m really satisfied how everything is going. I’m healthy. I love to play tennis. I do have motivation.”

That motivation appears to be paying off as she remains in contention to return to the WTA Finals, and it certainly helped her earn her the mantle of September’s WTA Player of the Month!

Final Results for September’s WTA Player Of The Month

1. Petra Kvitova (55%)
2. Caroline Wozniacki (34%)
3. Naomi Osaka (11%)

2016 WTA Player of the Month Winners

January: Angelique Kerber
February: Carla Suárez Navarro
March: Victoria Azarenka
April: Angelique Kerber
May: Garbiñe Muguruza
June: Serena Williams
July: Simona Halep
August: Monica Puig

How it works:

Finalists are selected by wtatennis.com
Winner is then determined by a fan vote on wtatennis.com 

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News | WTA Tennis English

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

MIAMI, FL, USA – Bethanie Mattek-Sands’ straight sets victory over No.9 seed Elina Svitolina was special for a number of reasons: the American wildcard was celebrating her 32nd birthday in style, notching her first Top 10 win since 2015 in the 7-5, 6-4 upset.

But one of the three aces Mattek-Sands hit during the match nearly gave her even more reason to celebrate, and almost added her name to the WTA all-time records book.

The serve registered 131 mph (210.8 kmh), but was later deemed unofficial due to interference. Had it it been verified, it would have the all-time record for fastest WTA serve ever recorded.

“The serve was an ace and it took a little bit for the miles per hour to show up,” Mattek-Sands told wtatennis.com on Thursday. “I remember I just looked back and it went, ‘131’ and I stopped.

“I looked over at Justin [Sands] and my coach, and I said to them, ‘Does that say 131?’ And they were like, ‘Yeah, that’s 131!’

Still, Mattek-Sands pulled off an impressive serving performance, averaging between 110 and 115mph on her first serves.

Check out the current all-time list:

1. Sabine Lisicki – 131.0mph / 210.8kph (2014 Stanford)
2. Venus Williams – 129.0mph / 207.6kph (2007 US Open)
3. Serena Williams – 128.6mph / 207.0kph (2013 Australian Open)
4. Julia Goerges – 126.1mph / 203.0kph (2012 French Open)
5. Brenda Schultz-McCarthy – 126.0mph / 202.7kph (2007 Indian Wells)
6. Nadiia Kichenok – 125.5mph / 202.0kph (2014 Australian Open)
7T. Lucie Hradecka – 125.0mph / 201.2kph (2015 Wimbledon)
7T. Naomi Osaka – 125.0mph / 201.2kph (2016 US Open)
9. Anna-Lena Groenefeld – 125.0mph / 201.1kph (2009 Indian Wells)
10T. Ana Ivanovic – 124.9mph / 201.0kph (2007 French Open)
10T. Denisa Allertova – 124.9mph / 201.0kph (2015 Australian Open)

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