Top Two To Vie For Title In Zhengzhou
No. 1 seed Peng Shuai and No.2 seed Wang Qiang advanced in straight sets and will square off for the title at the Biyuan Cup Zhangzhou.
No. 1 seed Peng Shuai and No.2 seed Wang Qiang advanced in straight sets and will square off for the title at the Biyuan Cup Zhangzhou.
An interview with Carla Suárez Navarro after her quarterfinal win at the Brisbane International.
SHENZHEN, China – Agnieszka Radwanska kept her fantastic last few months going Friday, beating Anna-Lena Friedsam for a spot in the Shenzhen Open final – and in the Top 4 on the WTA Rankings.
Watch live action from Brisbane, Shenzhen & Auckland on WTA Live powered by TennisTV!
After jumping out to a 6-2, 2-0 lead, the No.1-seeded Radwanska faced some resistance from Friedsam, the unseeded German breaking back to even the second set, 2-2. But Radwanska got right back on the horse, breaking one last time for 3-2 then holding the rest of the way to win, 6-2, 6-4.
“I’ve been feeling good from the beginning of the year,” Radwanska said. “I’ve been playing some good tennis, especially here in Shenzhen this week, and now I have one more match to go to win here.”
Radwanska has now won 21 of her last 25 matches, a stretch that started right after the US Open and has brought her titles at Tokyo [Pan Pacific], Tianjin and the WTA Finals, and now a final here.
Radwanska is now into the 25th WTA final of her career – she’s 17-7 in her first 24 WTA finals.
And by reaching this final, Radwanska is projected to pass Maria Sharapova on the WTA Rankings come Monday, going from No.5 to No.4 – a move that has major, major implications, as it’s Monday’s WTA Rankings that will determine the seeds for the Australian Open, and a Top 4 seed is massive.
“Reaching the final here is great preparation for the Australian Open, and that’s a good projection too,” Radwanska, a former World No.2, said after being told of the ranking news. “First I’ll focus on winning here in Shenzhen, and then I’ll just try to play the same tennis in Sydney and in Melbourne.”
But back to Shenzhen, and waiting for Radwanska in the final will be Alison Riske, who won an all-unseeded semifinal against Timea Babos earlier in the day by the exact same scoreline, 6-2, 6-4.
“It was definitely a tough match for me,” Riske said. “Babos is a great competitor and a great player, so I had to be there on every point, and I’m excited that the match came out in my favor in the end.
“I’m also excited to be in the final – it’s a great start to a season to reach a final.”
Radwanska beat Riske in their only previous meeting, in her opening match at Indian Wells last year.
.@ARadwanska books a spot in her 25th #WTA final! Beats Friedsam 6-2, 6-4 at the #ShenzhenOpen! pic.twitter.com/Z83poGRtgI
— WTA (@WTA) January 8, 2016
STUTTGART, Germany – World No.4 Dominika Cibulkova has withdrawn from the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix due to a wrist injury.
Seeded No.3 at the tour’s first Premier tournament on European red clay, Cibulkova injured her wrist last week during practice ahead of Slovakia’s weekend tie against the Netherlands.
Cibulkova was forced to withdraw from the tie and, despite a first-round bye in Stuttgart, was unable to heal in time for Stuttgart.
As a result of Cibulkova’s withdrawal and in accordance with WTA rules, No.5 seed Garbiñe Muguruza, who was set to play her first-round match against countrywoman Carla Suárez Navarro, moves into Cibulkova’s vacated spot in the draw and now has a first-round bye.
A qualifier or lucky loser will take Muguruza’s vacated spot and will play Suárez Navarro. The rest of the draw remains unchanged.
.@PorscheTennis Revised draw @PorscheTennis. pic.twitter.com/71vHUsKaRz
— WTA Insider (@WTA_insider) April 24, 2017
Highlights from the second round action at the Apia International Sydney.
The fast-paced WTA season made sure that the Wimbledon whites have quickly given way to colorful outfits and after the big product launches at the grass-court Grand Slam, a number of apparel companies continued to freshen up the tennis fashion scene with new looks during tournaments in Bucharest, Gstaad, Stanford, Washington DC, Bastad and Montreal. Our tennis fashion contributor Marija Zivlak of Women’s Tennis Blog will share with us her favorites of the month, while you’re invited to tell us your thoughts in the poll following the article.
Venus Williams looked astonishing in the final of the Premier-level Bank of the West Classic, wearing the EleVen Dahlia Frontrunner Dress, whose pink dahlia print is nicely contrasted with a robin blue panel at waist.
The American also rocked the EleVen Dahlia Inspire Cap Sleeve, its matching skirt and headband.
By virtue of a deep run at the prestigious tournament, Venus also managed to showcase some solids from the vibrant collection, including the EleVen Dahlia Race Day Tank and the color-block EleVen Dahlia Triple Threat Skirt, which we later also saw at the Rogers Cup.
En route to her maiden WTA title at the Ericsson Open in Bastad, Laura Siegemund presented a variety of Tonic by Martina Hingis outfits. The German earned a rise from No.40 to a career-high ranking of No.32 in the white and navy versions of the Tonic Fall Sierra Dress, which features textured lace fabric overlay around waist and upper back.
Halterneck, cross-back straps and flounce skirt hem all work together to ensure comfortable motion.
Winner of her fist WTA @laurasiegemund congratulations #EricssonOpen @WTA pic.twitter.com/fwakAOi20t
— Swedish Open Tennis (@swedish_open) July 24, 2016
The 28-year-old wanted to mix things up, so the dress was not the only look she presented during the tournament. The German won the final in a casual, dark outfit consisting of classic shorts and a chic tank with uniquely-shaped spaghetti straps.
Yanina Wickmayer won both singles and doubles title at the Citi Open in Lotto’s Twice collection, recognizable for its graphic black and white print. Lotto likes reversible clothes and these items offer an opportunity to go for a predominantly white or a predominantly black outfit, depending on your mood. For those who don’t like busy prints all the way, Lotto prepared solid orange pieces that nicely match the company logo in printed items.
Agnieszka Radwanska also rocked a busy print this July, officially called the pink fluo space dye. The Pole’s Lotto Eclipse Dress presented at the Rogers Cup is an exceptionally feminine piece due to its flirty layered ruffles at skirt.
At the Ericsson Open in Bastad and later at the Rogers Cup in Montreal, Angelique Kerber paired her Wimbledon skirt with a ray red version of the adidas Fall Climachill Tank that includes 3D metallic dots on the interior of the upper back, whose job is to keep players cool and dry. The adidas Fall Climachill Skirt, unique for its tiered ruffle hem, is equipped with cooling technology, just like the tank.
Love my #usopenseries outfit @adidastennis @adidas
Ma tenue jusqu'à l'@usopen ?????? pic.twitter.com/OLoy6yUew1— Kristina Mladenovic (@KikiMladenovic) July 21, 2016
Kristina Mladenovic has also enjoyed the comfort of the Climachill collection this summer, as well as many other WTA players.
Nicole Gibbs looked top-notch in the New Balance Fall Victoria Dress at the Bank of the West Classic in Stanford. The halterneck, keyhole opening at upper back, side slit, laser-cut pindots around skirt hem, built-in bra, on top of all the performance-enhancing features such as the moisture-wicking fabric and antimicrobial treatment, make this spectral purple dress a standout athletic piece of clothing.
RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil – Venus Williams booked the first spot in the quarterfinals of the Olympic tennis event as she and mixed doubles partner Rajeev Ram edged past Kiki Bertens and Jean-Julien Rojer of the Netherlands, 6-7(4), 7-6(3), 10-8.
More to come…
MELBOURNE, Australia – Daria Kasatkina’s 2016 has begun with a bang. The 18-year-old from Moscow opened her season by beating Venus Williams in her first match at the ASB Classic in Auckland, and Friday night she’ll take on World No.1 Serena Williams on the biggest stage of her career on Rod Laver Arena. The shy teenager says it’s a dream come true.
“When I was young, I was just dreaming to play against them, somewhere at the Grand Slams, and now I can do it,” she told reporters after beating fellow teen Ana Konjuh in the second round. “So it’s just great.”
Fans may not be as familiar with Kasatkina, though it’s time to study up. A 2014 junior French Open champion, Kasatkina watched as one of her friends and rivals, Belinda Bencic, left the junior ranks early with great success. While Kasatkina stayed back in 2014, Bencic – three days older than the Russian – made her Grand Slam debut here in Melbourne. By year’s end she was a Grand Slam quarterfinalist at the US Open.
“We played against each other in the juniors and they were real battles,” Kasatkina said of Bencic. “I was a little bit upset because she started to play earlier and she started to beat other players and showing results a little bit earlier than me.
“When she started to play pros, I was still playing juniors, and I was talking to my coaches, saying, ‘I want to play pro, I want to start to play pros! Why am I still in juniors?’ He said, ‘Dasha, be cool.’ I had to get some experience from juniors and that experience was great. A lot of experience and good memories, and I don’t regret it.”
Kasatkina made her major debut at the US Open last year as a lucky loser and proceeded to have a dream run to the third round, where she lost to Kristina Mladenovic. That run seemed to flip a switch within her. She went on to make the semifinals at the Kremlin Cup as a qualifier, losing in a tough three sets to Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova.
“Those two tournaments brought me into the Top 100 and now I’m in main draws almost everywhere,” she said. “It’s a very good opportunity to play better because when you’re a qualifier, you have to play more matches. When you’re in the main draw, you’re more confident.”
Now ranked No.69 and rising, Kasatkina is one of four teenagers into the third round at the Australian Open, joining a group that includes Bencic, Japan’s Naomi Osaka, and her best friend Elizaveta Kulichkova. It’s the first time four teenagers have progressed to the third round at the Australian Open since 2009, when Caroline Wozniacki, Victoria Azarenka, Dominika Cibulkova, Alizé Cornet, and Alisa Kleybanova moved en masse.
Kasatkina’s coach, Vlado Platenik (who has worked with Dominika Cibulkova and former World No.3 Nadia Petrova) has preached patience and tranquility when it comes to her career. The results will come if you put in the work and there is no substitution for experience. “Dasha, be cool,” he reminds her. It’s a difficult lesson to learn.
“For me everything is new and I’m a little bit shy,” she said. “But I’m learning at every tournament and from every match, getting experience, which will help me a lot.”
There’s no experience in tennis like playing Serena Williams on one of the biggest courts in the world. Kasatkina says she has no expectations, but she’ll play the match as if it’s her last.
“It’s luck for me to play against such a great player like Serena, really, because honestly nobody plays forever, so it’s great that I’ve had the opportunity to play against Venus this year and now also Serena,” she told reporters. “I will just enjoy and try to show my best tennis. Nobody is unbeatable, so I will try.”
Catch up with Daria Kasatkina in this exclusive WTA Insider Q&A.
WTA Insider: So what did you do during your off-season?
Kasatkina: Off-season? Hard work! For sure, it was two weeks off – I had fun, rest – and then I go with my fitness coach for 10 days in the mountains, hard work, only fitness. After, I went to Miami for preparation to play tennis. I think it helped. I feel like I’m Duracell!
WTA Insider: It’s been a great week in Melbourne for young Russians. You, Kulichkova, and Margarita Gasparyan are all into the third round. Do you think we’ll see you three at the top of the game in the next five years?
Kasatkina: Nobody plays forever. So we’re the next generation so we have to play better and better. I think soon we will be on top. I have to be confident, otherwise it’s impossible.
WTA Insider: Did you and your coach work on anything specific in the off-season? How are you trying to improve your game?
Kasatkina: You always have to change something; you cannot stay on one level, so for me, I’m trying to play more aggressively and go for volleys. My psychology is to be a little bit more defense, so I’m trying to be more offensive.
WTA Insider: Why do you think you have a more defensive psychology?
Kasatkina: Maybe because I’m not big enough to hit hard, and when I was a kid, I’d play smarter [rather] than just hitting the ball. But now I have to be more aggressive; otherwise, it’s impossible.
True Friendship: Fedfan @LizaKulichkova on teasing BFF/RafaKAD @DKasatkina after the Verdasco/Nadal match. pic.twitter.com/fOsQsDDaqp
— WTA Insider (@WTA_insider) January 20, 2016
WTA Insider: What are your goals this year?
Kasatkina: This is my first full year on the WTA so first, I want to adapt, because it’s very difficult. Last year I played a lot of ITF tournaments, and just a few WTAs. I will play WTAs, and will adapt everything and will for sure enjoy my year on tour because, for me, when I was a kid it was my dream to be at the top, so now I’m just enjoying.
WTA Insider: How has the tour been for you so far? Are you finding it fun? Or is it a little bit lonely because you’re fairly new.
Kasatkina: My team is always with me, so they help me a lot. They support me, and tell me what to do when I’m not sure. I’m a little bit shy because everything is new and I don’t know so many of the players, but I think I’m getting better.
WTA Insider: Are you tight with the other young Russian players? Does that help?
Kasatkina: I know all of the Russians and there are a lot of the players older than me, and we know each other from the juniors. But now the new generation is coming and there are a lot of relationships I have.
WTA Insider: Do you help push each other?
Kasatkina: For sure, because even if we are friends we want to be better and better, so it’s like a little competition but it doesn’t show it in the relationship. On the court, we are players, but off we are friends.
Follow Daria on Instagram and Twitter @DKasatkina!
All photos courtesy of Getty Images.
A blockbuster battle between Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova highlights the Day 9 schedule in Melbourne as quarterfinal action begins. Here’s a preview of what’s on tap.
Tuesday, Day 9
Quarterfinals
[1] Serena Williams (USA #1) vs. [5] Maria Sharapova (RUS # 5)
Head-to-head: Williams leads, 18-2
Key Stat: Williams has won 17 straight decisions against Sharapova, a streak that dates back more than a decade.
There’s no denying that the numbers make a case for a predictable outcome. Serena Williams has—quite remarkably—defeated Maria Sharapova on 17 consecutive occasions and only lost three of her last 37 sets against the Russian, and yet when these two iconic forces meet there is always an air of electricity surrounding the affair. That can be chalked up to several factors. One, starpower; Two, sheer athleticism; Three, competitive fire. Both Sharapova and Williams possess all three of the aforementioned entities in spades, and plenty of Grand Slam hardware to boot. And even though Williams has thoroughly dominated this rivalry over the last 11 years, the one-sidedness has not detracted from the intrigue. “Every match is new,” Williams said of the upcoming quarterfinal with Sharapova. “You know, she always brings in something new and something special.”
Williams remains confident in her game after four breezy wins in Melbourne but she admits that the psychology of having such a long winning streak against a formidable opponent creates a strange dynamic. “I think the person who is winning could definitely feel the pressure because there is a lot of expectations,” she says. Meanwhile, Sharapova enters the matchup with a sense of brimming hope. She’s serving as well as she ever has, as 37 aces in her last two matches can attest, and she’s upped the aggression in her ground game, which could help her avoid having her movement exposed by the quicker Williams. “You’re always trying to improve,” Sharapova said on Sunday after her fourth-round win over Belinda Bencic. “I got myself into the quarterfinal of a Grand Slam. There is no reason I shouldn’t be looking to improve and to getting my game in a better position.” Could these new wrinkles help Sharapova finally get over the hump against Williams? Or will Williams once again prove to be an unsolvable puzzle for the hard-hitting Russian?
Pick: Williams in three
[4] Agnieszka Radwanska (POL #4) vs. [10] Carla Suárez Navarro (ESP # 11)
Head-to-head: Radwanska leads, 3-1 (counting Fed Cup)
Key Stat: Radwanska is currently on a 12-match winning streak that dates back to last year’s WTA Finals in Singapore.
Two of the tour’s most cherished players will duke it out for a coveted semifinal slot at the year’s first major. Radwanska, a semifinalist in 2014 in Melbourne, has won three of four matches against Suárez Navarro, but dropped the pair’s last meeting in Miami last year. Though the Pole comes in as the hottest player on the WTA Tour at the moment, she knows she’ll be in for a tough, physical encounter against the resourceful Suárez Navarro. As for the 27-year-old Spaniard, she’s quite familiar with Radwanska’s tactics and form, and knows she’ll have to be on point in order to reach her first career Grand Slam semifinal. “We had really tough matches in the past,” Suárez Navarro said of matching up with Radwanska after dispatching Daria Gavrilova on Day 7. “I know it will be tough for me. I know that because of her style, you have to run a lot, you have to think every point what to do.”
Radwanska had to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat on Sunday, reeling off five consecutive games in the final set to defeat Germany’s Anna-Lena Friedsam, and the magical finish has her thinking that she could be destined for a career-best run down under. “I’m just very happy that I could win the last point,” she said, adding: “I just hope I can go further and do one step forward, make the final.”
Pick: Radwanska in three
Caroline Wozniacki and Victoria Azarenka were joined by four colorful characters at the Australian Open Kids Tennis Day – as well as the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
Eugenie Bouchard’s loyal fans, the “Genie Army,” were out in full force in sunny Melbourne.
Australian player Daria Gavrilova thrilled Aussie fans with her spirited performance at her home slam. The 21-year-old made the Round of 16, her best result ever at a slam.
Down the road from Melbourne Park, Johanna Konta stands under the distinctive clocks of Flinders Street Station. Konta made British tennis history by becoming the first woman in 33 years to reach the quarterfinals of the Australian Open.
Australian Open tournament director Craig Tiley presents Maria Sharapova with a cake commemorating a major milestone: she reached 600 career singles wins after her victory in the third round.
Australian Open quarterfinalist Angelique Kerber makes a young fan happy at Autograph Island.
Naomi Osaka wants to be the very best, like no one ever was. The 18-year-old Japanese – pictured here meeting the penguins at Melbourne Aquarium – made the third round at the Australian Open.
Serena Williams signs autographs after her Round of 16 win. The World No.1 has yet to drop a set in her Australian Open title defense.
Annika Beck dealt the No.11 seed Timea Bacsinszky a second-round upset, and doled out many autographs at the Australian Open Autograph Island.
World No.113 Zheng Shuai was contemplating retiring after the Australian Open – until she upset the No.2 seed Simona Halep in the first round. Zheng – pictured here with coach Liu Shuo at the Chinese Museum – is now in her first ever Grand Slam quarterfinal.
Two-time champion Victoria Azarenka signs a camera lens after her victory – can the undefeated No.14 seed make it three Grand Slams in Melbourne?
Daria Kasatkina, who made the third round in Melbourne, tries on a bit of Aussie spirit – and a cork hat – at the Australia Pop Up Shop.
Carla Suárez Navarro is always calm – whether she’s on court or holding a freshwater crocodile. A quarterfinalist here in Melbourne, she’s looking to move into the final four for the first time in her career.
Garbiñe Muguruza during her post-match interview. The World No.3 made the third round of the Australian Open.
The spotlight is on World No.4 Agnieszka Radwanska, behind the scenes at her ESPN Player Montage. The reigning WTA Finals champion is seeking to make the Australian Open her first Grand Slam title.