Eastbourne: Cibulkova vs Pliskova
Dominika Cibulkova takes on Karolina Pliskova in the final of the Aegon International Eastbourne.
Dominika Cibulkova takes on Karolina Pliskova in the final of the Aegon International Eastbourne.
Francesca Schiavone takes on Johanna Larsson in the semifinals of the Claro Open Colsanitas.
What would Garbiñe Muguruza and Petra Kvitova do if they could prank any player, if they could have any super power and if they could lift any trophy? Find out in Wimbledon’s If Series.
Simona Halep hit the ground running after lengthy rain delays, dropping just two games to former French Open champ Francesca Schiavone to race into the third round at Wimbledon.
LONDON, Great Britain – No.3 seed Agnieszka Radwanska had to dig deep in her second round match against Ana Konjuh, saving three match points to narrowly dodge an upset bid from the 18-year-old Croat.
With No.2 seed Garbiñe Muguruza bowing out in a shock second-round upset, British No.1 Johanna Konta falling against the resurgent Eugenie Bouchard and Belinda Bencic retiring earlier in the day, it seemed like the 2012 finalist would be the next big name on the chopping block. But Radwanska dug deep to save three match points and deny Konjuh the biggest win of her career, 6-2, 4-6, 9-7.
Despite Radwanska going down in her opening service game, it looked like it would be a routine win for the Pole, who broke three times and made just one unforced error in the first set to get ahead comfortably.
But Konjuh, who last year became the youngest WTA title winner in almost a decade when she lifted her maiden trophy at the Aegon Open Nottingham, rallied back valiantly and put Radwanska down a break for a 3-2 lead. She cut her unforced error count by almost half – 19 in the first set to just 10 – and improved her court movement, coming up to the net more and cutting off Radwanska’s angles.
Konjuh held on to that narrow lead and fought off seven break points to take the second set and level the score against the World No.3. Under pressure, Radwanska struggled to put pace on the ball as uncharacteristic errors began to fly from her racquet.
Konjuh held her first match point at 5-3 on Radwanska’s serve, but the 18-year-old’s nerves reared their ugly head as she buried it into the net. She had two more in the next game but a heart-stopping net cord ball fell on her side, denying her the match once again as Radwanska broke back.
At 7-7 with Radwanska serving ahead 40-15, Konjuh picked up a nasty injury after rolling her right ankle while chasing down a drop shot. She was back on court after a lengthy medical time out, but her movement was visibly hampered and she struggled to find power on her serve as well as run down Radwanska’s shots. Radwanska completed her great escape and took the match 6-2, 4-6, 9-7.
Katerina Siniakova of the Czech Republic awaits Radwanska in the third round. Siniakova came back from a set down to topple the No.30 seed Caroline Garcia 4-6, 6-4, 6-1.
More to come…
A valiant effort from 18-year-old Konjuh, who limps off after rolling her ankle and pushing Radwanska to the limit https://t.co/bQvBulrLVA
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) June 30, 2016
Romanian captain Ille Nastase will play no further part in this weekend’s Fed Cup action as two days worth of controversy surrounding him came to a head during the team’s World Group II Play-off against Great Britain on Saturday.
In the second set of the rubber between Johanna Konta and Sorana Cirstea, Nastase verbally abused both Konta and Great Britain’s captain Anne Keothavong, before launching into a tirade against both the umpire and referee as a result of being warned for his conduct.
He was then removed from the court, and later the arena, entering in a row with the assembled press corps as he departed. After being suspended for 25 minutes, the match was later resumed, with Monica Niculescu acting as Romania’s captain.
“Romanian Captain Ille Nastase was removed from the court during the second rubber of the Fed Cup tie between Romania and Great Britain in Constanta,” the ITF said in a statement. “Mr. Nastase was asked to leave the court by ITF Referee Andreas Egli for unsportsmanlike conduct, having already received two official warnings. Mr. Nastase was also removed from the grounds due to his serious misconduct. His accreditation was removed and he will play no further part in this tie. The ITF has launched an investigation into this matter as well as previous comments made by Mr. Nastase throughout the week.”
On Friday, Nastase was reported as having made a racist remark about the recent announcement of Serena Williams’ pregnancy, and also made suggestive comments towards Keothavong while involving himself in a dispute with a member of the press.
ITF president Dave Haggerty added Saturday: ‘This is unacceptable behavior by a Fed Cup captain. No player, official, member of the media or fan should have to endure any kind of abuse, and Mr. Nastase will rightly play no further part in this tie. A formal investigation is already underway and any decision or sanction will be made by the ITF’s Adjudication Panel. We are unable to comment further on an ongoing investigation.”
After play resumed, Konta won the last five games to defeat Cirstea, 6-2, 6-3 and square the tie at 1-1. Simona Halep defeated Heather Watson, 6-4, 6-1 in Saturday’s first match.
Elsewhere in the World Group II Play-offs after Saturday’s play, Italy leads Australia and Australia leads Serbia, 2-0, while the tie between Kazakhstan and Canada is also level at 1-1.
ZHENGZHOU, China – No.2 seed Wang Qiang earned her first WTA 125K Series title at the Biyuan Cup Zhengzhou Women’s Tennis Open at top seed Peng Shuai was forced to retire in the deciding set with the match standing at 3-6, 7-6(3), 1-1.
“I entered this tournament as the second seed, so there was an opportunity for me to win the title,” Wang said post-match. “I almost got knocked out in the second round. At that time, I didn’t feel as confident as I am today. I’m not quite sure what happened in the second set, but I tried to stay focused and play my game, not making too many mistakes. I knew that she would go for it whenever she had the chance.”
Peng led the match 6-3, 3-0 and served for the match, but surrendered the deciding tiebreak and could no longer play on after two hours, 15 minutes. Wang’s victory levels the head-to-head between the pair to 1-1.
It was a Chinese sweep for the home crowd as in the doubles final, Han Xinyun and Lin Zhu claimed the crown over Jacqueline Cako and Julia Glushko, 7-5, 6-1.
“We didn’t play each other before, so the only thing we could do was stick to the plan,” the pair said post-match. “The second set became easier as we found our rhythm. We were more powerful than our opponents from the baseline, and we had a better serve.”
All photos courtesy of the Biyuan Cup Zhengzhou Women’s Tennis Open.
LONDON, Great Britain – Anne Keothavong has seen it all as a pro, and now calls the shots from the sidelines as a BT Sport commentator. WTA Insider goes in depth with the former British No.1 live on the grounds of the All England Club in a no-holds-barred chat on the latest episode of the WTA Insider Podcast.
Check out some of the highlights:
On the “unique” challenge of being a British tennis player:
The media are brutal, my goodness! For all the British players, obviously, you want to do well here at Wimbledon more than any other place in the world. You want to show people what you can do, how well you can play, because here is where British players receive the most exposure. Everyone’s aware of that. It’s tough. Obviously there’s a mixture of excitement and nerves.
For me, personally, playing on grass – which was never my favorite surface to play on – was always a tough experience in some ways. When Wimbledon was over, I was relieved more than anything. I thought, ‘Oh well, that’s all over for another twelve months. Okay, lots of nice things were said about me, and lots of horrible things. Probably more horrible things were written about me!’ But you learn to let it go.
On taking on a commentator role at BT Sport:
I guess it was all kinda planned out. I knew, looking ahead, I was kind of planning my future. I knew tennis wasn’t going to be forever.My ranking had dropped as I struggled with injuries.
My last year or two on the tour, I was trying to gain experience wherever possible whether that was here at Wimbledon or at other tournaments. Or just offering to chip in and help whenever anyone needed it, whether it was commentary or in the studio or just hanging out behind the scenes.
I’m very fortunate that when I retired there was something for me to move into immediately. I didn’t receive any specific training – I don’t think anyone really receives any training. They throw you in! I feel like I’ve still got lots to learn, but they haven’t fired me yet so I guess I’m going okay.
It’s nice to feel like you’re still part of the tour without directly being involved. I can take a bit more of a backseat and enjoy it more.
Players who impress her the most:
This year I’ve been really impressed by Daria Kasatkina. She’s fun to watch. She plays with variety and it’s always easier to commentate on someone who plays with variety as well. I really think she has a bright future ahead of her.
And obviously the British players. I try not to be too biased in my commentary, but I want to see the British players do well!
On the rise of Johanna Konta:
It’s incredible. I’ve spoken to Jo herself and her parents and her coach, and I’d be the first to admit to you that I did not see that coming. I would have never thought we’d have Johanna Konta as a Top 20 player.
To do what she’s done over the past 12 months has been incredible. Thinking back to Eastbourne last year when she was ranked No.140-something to this year being a semifinalist and now seeded at Wimbledon, it’s just been fantastic to see and to follow. I always shake my head in disbelief when I see her score another big win. Last night was tough [against Eugenie Bouchard] but she’s headed in the right direction. She’s got a great game.
I used to practice with her all the time in the National Tennis Centre at Roehampton – it’s a completely different person. There’s certain areas of her game that used to crack under pressure, even in practice, but now they hold up so well in terms of the belief she has in her game.
In some ways, I wish I had her coach and her strength when I played.
On on-court coaching timeouts:
Daren Cahill and Nick Saviano are two of my favorites to listen to when they come on for on-court coaching. I feel like I’m listening to [Darren’s] coaching and I’m learning something and think, ‘Oh ok, that’s interesting!’
It’s always weird to see Nigel Sears come on for Ana [Ivanovic], because I think – and I hope he and she don’t mind me saying – she frets a lot. And just knowing Nige, I find it quite amusing some of the things he says to try to keep her calm.
I don’t understand what Dominika Cibulkova says with her coach [Matej Liptak], but they always seem to have a good relationship.
What I really dislike about it is when a coach comes on and reels off a number of things for a player to do without asking the player for her opinion. Just says all these things at a hundred miles an hour. It should be a two-way conversation. I understand some players don’t want to say anything and would just like to listen to their coach, but I do think there’s a certain way of delivering a message which I think would be more productive for the player and looks better on TV.
Subscribe to the podcast on iTunes or on any podcast app of your choice and reviews are always helpful, so if you like what you’ve heard so far, leave us one. You can also get new episode alerts by following us on Twitter @WTA_Insider.
LONDON, Great Britain – All the tennis world was watching as Serena Williams claimed her seventh Wimbledon title to tie Steffi Graf’s all-time record of 22 major titles. So when Serena sealed historic achievement on Centre Court, her rivals and peers were quick to take to Twitter to congratulate the World No.1.
Check out all the best tweets below!
Congratulations @serenawilliams! #legend #22
— Petra Kvitova (@Petra_Kvitova) July 9, 2016
Congratulations to the best ever! Serena Williams ! Amazing achievement ???
— Kim Clijsters (@Clijsterskim) July 9, 2016
Discipline, determination, work ethic, believe and will. Congrats to @serenawilliams on getting… https://t.co/I2nIXFKOlF
— Tommy Haas (@TommyHaas13) July 9, 2016
Congratulations @serenawilliams! #legend #22 ?❤️?❤️
— Flavia Pennetta (@flavia_pennetta) July 9, 2016
??????????????????????!!!!Good job @serenawilliams !!!!?????#22 ????
— Roberta Vinci (@roberta_vinci) July 9, 2016
Wow @serenawilliams !?What a woman, what an athlete…and what an inspiration!Thank you & well done for everything!?? #22 ✌?️✌? @Wimbledon
— Timea Bacsinszky (@TimeaOfficial) July 9, 2016
Bravo @serenawilliams, @pmouratoglou and all your staff ! Really happy for you, this is HUGE ! #trueinspiration #greatestchampion #22 ?
— Alize Cornet (@alizecornet) July 9, 2016
@serenawilliams #22 ?????
— Madison Keys (@Madison_Keys) July 9, 2016
Congratulations @serenawilliams 22 and counting. GOAT!!!
— James Blake (@JRBlake) July 9, 2016
? #22 ????
— CoCo Vandeweghe (@CoCoVandey) July 9, 2016
22 majors singles, 13-0 in major doubles finals maybe 14-0 end of today, 4 Olympic gold medals over 17 years = GOAT @WTA @serenawilliams
— Pam Shriver (@PHShriver) July 9, 2016
@serenawilliams #22 Legend ?? @Wimbledon
— Elena Vesnina (@EVesnina001) July 9, 2016
CONGRATULATIONS to my sista @serenawilliams ?? You are a legend!! And ?? ??to my friend… https://t.co/G0PxeZH4ih
— Jeremy Chardy (@jimchardy) July 9, 2016
LAUSANNE, Switzerland – The Court of Arbitration for Sport announced Monday that a ruling on Maria Sharapova’s appeal of her two-year suspension for a failed drug test has been postponed.
Both parties had agreed to an expedited track for the appeal case, which would have seen a decision issued no later than July 18, 2016. Now, the Associated Press reports that CAS and the International Tennis Federation have agreed to defer the decision for another two months.
According to a statement from CAS, “Due to the parties requiring additional time to complete and respond to their respective evidentiary submissions, and several scheduling conflicts, the parties have agreed not to expedite the appeal.”
A ruling is expected no later than September 19, 2016.