Stosur Slides Past Pironkova
No.21 seed Sam Stosur is back into the semifinals of the French Open for the first time since 2012 with her win against surprise quarterfinalist Tsvetana Pironkova.
No.21 seed Sam Stosur is back into the semifinals of the French Open for the first time since 2012 with her win against surprise quarterfinalist Tsvetana Pironkova.
Bol, Croatia is known for its spectacular coastline, and now it’s home to the inaugural WTA Bol Open, a clay court WTA 125K series event.
The player party took place on a yacht and Ana Rucner, a world-class singer and cellist who competed in this year’s Eurovision Song Contest, provided the night’s entertainment.
Arantxa Sanchez Vicario was on deck and she grabbed a photo with Felisk Lukas, the WTA Bol Open tournament director.
French qualifier Marine Partaud took in the action from a distance.
It was definitely a night to remember on the “Katina” yacht, courtesy of Tomislav Debeljak.
Before the player party, though, it was time to make the draw and the top seeds, Anna Karolina Schmiedlova and Ana Konjuh, were on hand for the ceremony.
Thankfully Schmiedlova and Konjuh drew themselves into opposite halves!
Konjuh in particular was thrilled to compete in a WTA event in her home country of Croatia.
Right before the start of play, a pair of WTA legends took to the picturesque courts to compete in an exhibition match.
14-time Grand Slam winner Sanchez Vicario – known as the “Barcelona Bumblebee” – is also a WTA Finals ambassador.
Iva Majoli and Sanchez Vicario got plenty of tennis action this week: the pair are also competing in Legends Doubles at the French Open.
Defending champion Serena Williams overcame a tight opening set to end Kiki Bertens’ fairytale run to get within one match of tying Steffi Graf’s 22 Grand Slam titles in Paris.
22-time Grand Slam champion Serena Williams took to Reddit, the platform co-founded by fiance Alexis Ohanian, to announce her engagement.
BRISBANE, Australia – The first Premier-level event of the season starts in earnest at the Brisbane International, with five of the WTA Finals’ Elite Eight headlining the field.
The draw is out and here’s a rundown of how Angelique Kerber, Dominika Cibulkova and more are starting the first tournament of the 2017 season.
Click here for the complete Brisbane singles and doubles draws.
POSSIBLE QUARTERFINALS:
[1] Angelique Kerber vs [6] Elina SvitolinaEARLY MATCHES TO WATCH:
Monica Puig vs [6] Elina Svitolina: Two of the fastest rising stars on the tour will meet in the first round as Olympic gold medalist Puig takes on Zhuhai finalist Svitolina. Their head-to-head record is split at one apiece.
Samantha Stosur vs [4] Garbiñe Muguruza: Brisbane’s own Stosur’s first opponent at her home tournament will be Muguruza. Their head-to-head record is split at one win apiece, with the Spaniard defeating Stosur en route to her French Open title.
As the top two seeds, Kerber and Cibulkova received a bye into the second round. Kerber awaits the winner between Australian wildcard Ashleigh Barty and a qualifier, while Cibulkova will face either Laura Siegemund or Zhang Shuai.
Key information, where to watch and more: everything you need to know about Brisbane.
KERBER AND CIBULKOVA’S ROAD TO THE FINAL:
Should last year’s finalist Kerber advance to the quarterfinals, she could be looking at an early taste of revenge, with a potential encounter against Monica Puig – who defeated her in the final at the Olympic tennis event in Rio – or Elina Svitolina – who ousted her from the China Open.
It doesn’t get any easier from there, with her 2016 nemesis Karolina Pliskova or Roberta Vinci drawn as potential semifinal opponents.
For Cibulkova, a handful of dangerous floaters stand between her and the final. Elena Vesnina, who starts against the tricky Alizé Cornet, is a potential quarterfinal opponent, while the semifinals could hold Garbiñe Muguruza and Svetlana Kuznetsova.
BRISBANE, Australia – Alizé Cornet scored her first win of 2017 in dramatic fashion, coming back the brink of defeat to upset Elena Vesnina at the Brisbane International.
The No.7 seeded Russian, who enjoyed her first Top 20 season last year, got a rude awakening in the New Year in the form of a determined Cornet, who was two games away from defeat before mounting her comeback to advance 3-6, 6-4, 7-6(5).
“It feels really great to win the first match of 2017, on the first of January, after a thriller match against Elena,” Cornet said after the victory.
“It was the worst scenario ever, 7-6 in the third, almost three hours of match. It was a big fight and I’m happy I’m through. I feel ready for the rest of the tournament.”
Vesnina took advantage of a shaky start from the Frenchwoman to build her momentum early on, quickly taking the opening set and building up a daunting 4-1 lead in the second. But the match turned on a dime as Cornet put the pressure on, drawing out the unforced errors from Vesnina’s racquet and rattling off five straight games to level the match.
.@AlizeCornet battles past Vesnina 3-6, 6-4, 7-6(5)!
Advances to @BrisbaneTennis Second round! pic.twitter.com/dnwV6rAOIC
— WTA (@WTA) January 1, 2017
With the heat rule in effect, the pair were back on court for a tense final set, staying even blow for blow and heading into a tiebreak. After two hours and thirty-seven minutes, an ill-timed drop shot from Vesnina – on her 65 unforced errors – didn’t make it over the net and gave Cornet match point and sent her into the second round.
Up next for Cornet is Christina McHale, who had a smoother road into the second round after cruising past Sara Errani in straight sets 6-3, 6-3.
“First I have to think about recovering from this match, that’s the most important,” Cornet said. “Then I can think about the second round.
“I play against McHale, who is a very good player and had an easy first round win. I’m expecting a tough battle, but you know, this match really got me in the rhythm! I’m just ready to keep going.”
1st of january ✔
1st match of the season ✔
1st thriller ✔
1st win ✔ ??? !
Welcome to the 2017 season ? #BrisbaneInternational #lookingtired pic.twitter.com/mR3dTxdKsd— Alize Cornet (@alizecornet) January 1, 2017
Just how dominant is Serena Williams on grass courts? And who is her biggest challenger at Wimbledon? Find out as SAP takes you Behind The Numbers this grass court season.
SHENZHEN, China – Johanna Konta began her first season as a Top 10 player in imperious form, dispatching Caga Buyukakcay, 6-2, 6-0, to advance into the second round of the Shenzhen Open.
“I’m really happy to have started the year again, and I’m really enjoying my time in Shenzhen,” Konta said after the match.
Konta finished 2016 the first British player ranked in the Top 10 in 33 years, when namesake Jo Durie ended the 1983 season ranked No.6.
Check out those wheels! ??@JoKonta91 is everywhere! #ShenzhenOpen pic.twitter.com/Y14uwUVgem
— WTA (@WTA) January 2, 2017
Joining a trio of Top 10 players that includes defending champion Agnieszka Radwanska and 2015 winner Simona Halep, Konta acquitted herself well as the No.3 seed, needing just 56 minutes to defeat Buyukakcay, herself coming off a career-best season.
.@JoKonta91 starting ?!
Grabs opening set off Buyukakcay 6-2! #ShenzhenOpen pic.twitter.com/SKH3RMnSsB
— WTA (@WTA) January 2, 2017
Buyukakcay became the first Turkish woman to win a title in WTA history at home last year in Istanbul, but had no answers to Konta’s big serving display, winning just nine points on the Brit’s first serve and losing serve six times in two sets.
“I felt I did a good job of staying present and enjoying every point I got to compete out there today. I’m looking forward to my next match!”
Up next for Konta is American veteran Vania King, who spent 2016 rebuilding her ranking after a back injury. King survived Green youngster Maria Sakkari, 2-6, 6-1, 6-2, on Sunday.
.@JoKonta91 moves into #ShenzhenOpen second round after 6-2, 6-0 win over Buyukakcay! pic.twitter.com/Y187ReVeBq
— WTA (@WTA) January 2, 2017
Earlier in the day, No.4 seed Timea Bacsinszky announced her withdrawal from Shenzhen due to an abdominal injury.
“I’m pretty sad about withdrawing today. I was looking forward to playing here again in Shenzhen because I have really good memories at this tournament. But for my own health and the beginning of the year, sometimes you have to be wise and think long term.”
With Wimbledon just three weeks away, expectations are high for British No.1 Johanna Konta. In the last 12 months, she has undergone a career transformation which has seen her go from a grateful wildcard to a true WTA contender, and with it comes the pressure.
Sky Sports caught up with Konta in Nottingham ahead of her landmark opening round win at the Aegon Open Nottingham, where she’s once again made British tennis history.
“I started playing when I was eight,” Konta told Sky Sports. “When I was nine, I decided I wanted to be No.1 in the world.”
With her victory yesterday over Victoria Duval, 25-year-old Konta is one step closer to fulfilling her childhood dream. Her WTA ranking has now risen to World No.18, making her the first British woman in 33 years to break the Top 20 since Jo Durie in October 1983. It’s an even more remarkable feat considering that Konta started out the year ranked at No.48.
Her name is now etched in the history books, but for Konta, not much has changed.
“Well, a lot of external things have changed,” Konta conceded. “But at home, and how I feel about my tennis, it’s very much the same.
“I consider myself very lucky to be able to do what I love. I very much don’t take anything for granted.”
Click here to view the video on skysports.com or watch Sportswomen tonight at 10pm BST on Sky Sports 5.
Johanna Konta and Timea Bacsinszky teamed up in the kitchen in Shenzhen to take part in an unusual challenge: sugar drawing. How did they get on?