Agnieszka Radwanska Practices In Doha
Watch Agnieszka Radwanska’s practice session before the start of the Qatar Total Open.
Watch Agnieszka Radwanska’s practice session before the start of the Qatar Total Open.
An interview with Svetlana Kuznetsova after her win in the final of the Apia International Sydney.
An interview with Johanna Konta before her first round at the Olympic tennis event.
An interview with Caroline Wozniacki on her season thus far at the Qatar Total Open.
Watch all of the best shots of the Apia International Sydney – right here!
RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil – Four-time Olympic gold medalist Serena Williams survived some breezy conditions to ease past unseeded Aussie Daria Gavrilova, 6-4, 6-2, to reach the second round of the Olympic tennis event.
“It felt really good to be out htere today,” Serena said after the match. “It’s been a long time; four years ago I was out here playing the Olympics, so it’s really cool to be here again.”
Serena swept the singles and doubles events four years ago in London, but struggled early on against Gavrilova, who was making her Olympic debut. Racing out to a 5-2 lead in the opening set, Serena found herself pegged back to 5-4 against the combined forces of the Aussie and the dust storm known as a “haboob,” but played her best tennis when it mattered most to put herself a set from victory after 49 minutes.
“Early on it was super windy, and it was a survival of just who could get the ball in; it wasn’t quality tennis because of the strange and tough conditions. But I got through it.”
No sweat from Serena. She’s fired up and breaks Gavrilova to pocket the set 6-4. Patience will be the key to winning on these slow courts.
— WTA Insider (@WTA_insider) August 7, 2016
Gavrilova is a former Youth Olympic gold medalist in 2010, and began 2016 with a bang, winning the Hopman Cup alongside countryman Nick Kyrgios and reaching the round of 16 at the Australian Open; the youngster continued to fight in the second set, digging out of a marathon sixth game to keep herself in contention, but ultimately succumbed on her third match point.
Hoping to win her fifth Olympic gold medal – and second in singles – Serena will next play the winner of Johanna Larsson and Alizé Cornet for a spot in the third round. The American will also begin her doubles campaign with sister Venus, who took a heart-breaking loss to Kirsten Flipkens on the first day of play last night.
“We just want to have the chance. Hopefully we can win a couple of matches, and see how it goes. We love playing doubles, period, so every four years, we know we have a chance where we’re guaranteed to get some matches.”
At the start of the weekend, Serena got a shoutout from former United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who is currently the Democratic nominee for the 2016 presidental election:
Four gold medals and counting: Today, @SerenaWilliams hits the court in Rio to add to her collection. pic.twitter.com/iOMV0FH38S
— Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) August 6, 2016
No.2 seed Angelique Kerber was not too far behind her American rival on Sunday, winning the last five games of her first round match against Mariana Duque-Mariño, 6-3, 7-5.
The 2012 Olympic tennis event quarterfinalist was coming off a run to the semifinals at the Rogers Cup, but didn’t have things all her own way against the Colombian, who took a 5-2 lead in the second set – holding a set point on her own serve at 5-3 – before the German came back to book her place in the second round.
Kerber will next play Canada’s Eugenie Bouchard, who sailed past Sloane Stephens, 6-3, 6-3; Bouchard beat Kerber in their most recent encounter at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia.
“It's an honor to play for ??. I will give everything to win a medal.”
Kerber on #Rio2016: https://t.co/OTneLotFCe pic.twitter.com/Un61YNfp0t
— WTA (@WTA) August 5, 2016
No.3 seed Dominika Cibulkova warded off the formidable challenge of Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova to take a three-set victory and advance into the quarterfinals in Qatar.
MELBOURNE, Australia – Simona Halep and Garbiñe Muguruza will open their 2016 Australian Open accounts on Tuesday in Melbourne, as will Venus Williams and a host of other top players. Here’s a rundown of what’s to come.
Tuesday, Day 2
First Round
[3] Garbiñe Muguruza (ESP #3) vs. Anett Kontaveit (EST # 85)
Head-to-head: First meeting
Key Stat: Muguruza owns a 7-3 record at the Aussie Open in three appearances.
What can one of the WTA’s biggest breakout stars of 2015 possibly do for an encore in 2016? We’ll soon find out as the explosive Garbiñe Muguruza readies herself for a first-round encounter with Estonia’s Anett Kontaveit. “For sure I want to do better,” Muguruza told reporters when asked about how she’d like to perform in 2016. “I know this is a very important tournament for us, so it’s where you want to do well.” Though inexperienced, the Spaniard’s first-round opponent has proven to be a tough out at majors already in her young career. Kontaveit won her first career Grand Slam match then rolled all the way to the second week of last year’s U.S. Open, before finally falling to Venus Williams in the round of 16.
Pick: Muguruza in three
[8] Venus Williams (USA # 10) vs. Johanna Konta (GBR # 47)
Head-to-head: Williams Leads 1-0
Key Stat: Konta served for the match against Williams at Wuhan last year, but ended up losing 7-5 in the third.
Venus Williams reached the quarterfinals of both hard court majors in 2015—a feat that she hadn’t accomplished since 2010—and the 35-year-old has experienced a run of form that has landed her the No. 8 seed in Melbourne. So is it high time for the seven-time major champion to defy our expectations once again and wreak some havoc down under? To do that Williams will have to get past rising Brit Johanna Konta. Ranked 98 spots higher in the rankings than she was at this time last year, Konta has grown by leaps and bounds. She upset Garbiñe Muguruza at the U.S. Open last year en route to her first round of 16 at a major, and despite the fact that she’s gone 0-2 thus far in 2016, she comes in with newfound confidence in her game on the big stage.
Pick: Williams in three
[14] Victoria Azarenka (BLR #16) vs. Alison Van Uytvanck (GER# 43)
Head-to-head: First meeting
Key Stat: Van Uytvanck has jumped 66 rankings spots in the last year, rising from 106 to her current perch at 44.
With all the injuries ailing the top five players heading into Melbourne, many have tabbed two-time Australian Open champion Azarenka as a favorite to take the title down under. And why shouldn’t they? For the first time in what feels like eons, Azarenka is in perfect health. And she started the season by ripping through the Brisbane draw, tying the record for fewest games dropped during a title run. Though she’ll face a stern test in rising star Alison Van Uytvanck in the first round, Azarenka isn’t about to let the pressure get to her. “I just feel excited,” Azarenka said. “Not thinking about the chances. As I said, I try to live in the moment. Carpe diem.”
Pick: Azarenka in two
[2] Simona Halep (ROU #2) vs. [Q] Shuai Zhang (CHN # 132)
Head-to-head: Halep leads, 1-0
Key Stat: Halep entered 2014 with a 10-14 record at the majors. She’s gone 27-8 at Grand Slams in the last two seasons.
Despite being troubled by left Achilles soreness off and on for the last two weeks, No. 2 seed Halep told reporters over the weekend that she’s in good stead. “I feel good now,” she asserted. “I played many days without pain. So I feel ready to start and hopefully to be healthy till the end.” If that’s the case then Halep could very well make a deep run in Melbourne. The 24-year-old freely admits it is on her to-do list. “I think to win a Grand Slam, I don’t know if it’s going to happen this year, but this is my biggest goal,” she told reporters on Sunday. Halep’s opponent, Shuai Zhang, will certainly have her hands full with the world No. 2. She enters Melbourne with a 0-14 record in Grand Slam main draw matches, having won just two sets.
Pick: Halep in two
Around the Grounds: Still seeking a major breakthrough, 9th-seeded Karolina Pliskova will face the youngest woman in the draw, 17-year-old wild card Kimberly Birrell of Australia… A semifinalist last year in Melbourne, American Madison Keys gets things underway with a battle against Zarina Diyas of Kazakhstan… American Victoria Duval will play her first Grand Slam match since being declared cancer-free last year. She enters on a protected ranking, and will play her first tour-level match since Wimbledon 2014. Her opponent will be 18th-seeded Elina Svitolina.
Petra Kvitova strode purposefully past former World No.1 Caroline Wozniacki and into the third round of the Olympic Games on Monday.
ST. PETERSBURG, FL, USA – The WTA announced today that Dubai Duty Free, the world’s leading airport retailer, has extended its longstanding global sponsorship of women’s tennis.
Under the agreement, Dubai Duty Free continues as one of the WTA’s premier sponsors, with the partnership’s core elements designed to align Dubai Duty Free’s standing as the single largest airport duty free retailer in the world with the WTA’s premium assets.
The Dubai Duty Free Player Ambassador Program will be supported by WTA players Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark and Zhang Shuai of China. Wozniacki continues her role as a valued
ambassador for the sixth year and Zhang Shuai is newly introduced into the program, representing Dubai Duty Free’s focus on China and leveraging WTA’s extensive exposure and reach in the region.
Additionally, the agreement continues Dubai Duty Free’s sponsorship of the WTA Year-End World No.1 singles and doubles awards, most recently presented to Angelique Kerber and Sania Mirza at the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global.
A WTA sponsor since 2004, Dubai Duty Free’s partnership with the WTA has over the years been marked by leadership and innovation. Dubai Duty Free has been a longstanding supporter of the WTA, having been the first event in the Middle East to award equal prize money and a strong supporter of the growth of women’s tennis throughout the region. Dubai Duty Free is the owner, organizer and title sponsor of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships, an equal prize money Premier tournament on the WTA calendar and a cornerstone event for women’s and men’s tennis in the Middle East. The ATP week is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year and will once again attract the top players in the world.
Past winners of the tournament include several former WTA World No.1s including four-time champion Justine Henin, three-time champion Venus Williams, Caroline Wozniacki, Martina Hingis, Lindsay Davenport and Amélie Mauresmo.
“The WTA is extremely pleased to continue our partnership with Dubai Duty Free,” stated WTA CEO and Chairman Steve Simon. “Dubai Duty Free has provided its unwavering support for women’s tennis and we look forward to this next chapter together in growing the sport even more.”
Colm McLoughlin, Executive Vice Chairman & CEO, Dubai Duty Free, remarked, “We are delighted to continue our long standing association with the WTA and have introduced some new marketing initiatives that will create further global awareness of our brand. In the meantime, we are looking forward to a great fortnight of tennis, commencing on the 19th February with the WTA Premier 5 week and welcome all of our players to Dubai.”