Doubles star Abigail Spears kicked off her final year on tour by winning her first Grand Slam title with Juan Sebastian Cabal, defeating No.2 seeds Sania Mirza and Ivan Dodig in two sets.
NEW HAVEN, CT, USA – Top seed Agnieszka Radwanska overcame an early challenge from 19-year-old Jelena Ostapenko to advance in straight sets in her opening match at the Connecticut Open.
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Radwanska took a wild card into the event in search of extra tune-up matches ahead of the US Open, and she was certainly put through her paces against the young Ostapenko.
“I was actually really surprised,” Radwanska said after the match, which was the pair’s first encounter. “She’s really a very smart and solid player. She’s very young and she can already do everything on court. She can play a really good game and for sure she’s gonna be good.”
Ostapenko and Radwanska traded breaks at the start of the match and held level throughout, with Radwanska’s cerebral game matching up against the teenager’s aggressive style. Ostapenko held a set point at 5-4 on Radwanska’s serve in the first set but was unable to convert as her backhand misfired and the unforced error count did her in. The Pole held her serve and won seven games on the trot to take the opening set and a commanding 4-0 lead in the second before easing through 7-5, 6-1.
Now into the quarterfinals, Radwanska is seeking one more win to end a drought dating back to April: the former World No.2 hasn’t reached a semifinal since the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart, a streak she’s certainly hoping to snap heading into the US Open.
“I think these kind of matches is always good to have before a Grand Slam,” she said. “It was a great match and I’m really happy I could play my best game. I just hope that I could play the same tennis the next match and be fully prepared for the Grand Slam.”
Radwanska awaits the winner between Caroline Garcia and lucky loser Kirsten Flipkens.
Injuries and withdrawals may have wreaked havoc on the New Haven draw, but Flipkens is one player who’s certainly not complaining. The Belgian was called in at the last minute to replace Lesia Tsurenko, another lucky loser who had to pull out from the main draw with a right knee injury.
“Well, it was a crazy story,” Flipkens said of getting the call to play. “There were so many lucky losers, and I only found out at 12:15 today that I was going to play at two o’clock!”
The Belgian took full advantage of the second chance against Belinda Bencic, defeating the Swiss teenager 6-1, 4-6, 7-5. Bencic served for the match at 5-4 in the third, but Flipkens rallied to win four games in a row and advance.
Along with Radwanska, three other players booked early spots into the New Haven quarterfinals. Ekaterina Makarova grabbed the first quarterfinal berth after a 6-3, 6-2 win over Anastasija Sevastova. Meanwhile, Elena Vesnina booked a clash against the No.10 seed Elina Svitolina. Vesnina made her way to the quarterfinals after Anett Kontaveit retired at 6-4, 1-0, while Svitolina swept past Evgeniya Rodina 6-3, 6-1.
January was defined by four breakthrough players who brought some impressive performances on and off the court. Which one soared the highest?
Have a look at the nominees for January’s Breakthrough of the Month and cast your vote before Thursday at 11:59pm ET! The winner will be announced Friday, February 3.
January 2017 WTA Breakthrough of the Month Finalists:
Katerina Siniakova: Siniakova started the season at the Shenzhen Open, where she won her first title with wins over Simona Halep and Johanna Konta before knocking out 2016 finalist Alison Riske in the championship match. The win brought the Czech youngster to a career-high ranking of No.37.
Elise Mertens: Mertens made her Top 100 debut after winning the Hobart International the week before the Australian Open. Though she missed the deadline for Melbourne qualifying, the powerful Belgian blew through the draw, roaring through qualifying to defeat top seed Kiki Bertens and Monica Niculescu in the final.
Lauren Davis: Another player to take home their maiden WTA title was young American Lauren Davis, who started the year at the ASB Classic. Unseeded in Auckland, Davis beat four seeds to the title, including Bertens, Barbora Strycova, Jelena Ostapenko, and Ana Konjuh.
CoCo Vandeweghe: Vandeweghe made her major breakthrough at the Australian Open, getting back-to-back wins over two of 2016’s three Grand Slam champions in World No.1 Angelique Kerber and Garbiñe Muguruza. Making her first Grand Slam semifinal, the American pushed eventual finalist Venus Williams to three tough sets.
2016 Winners:
January: Zhang Shuai
February: Jelena Ostapenko
March: Nicole Gibbs
April: Cagla Buyukakcay
May: Kiki Bertens
June: Elena Vesnina
July: Kristina Kucova
August: Karolina Pliskova
September: Naomi Osaka
October: Peng Shuai
How it works:
Finalists are selected by wtatennis.com
Winner is then determined by a fan vote on wtatennis.com
An interview with Petra Kvitova after her win in the quarterfinals of the Connecticut Open.
An interview with Petra Kvitova before her opening round match at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships.
Coco Vandeweghe takes on Karolina Pliskova in the first round of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships.
NEW YORK, NY, USA – Before the US Open gets underway, the WTA stars painted the town red on Thursday night at the Taste of Tennis. Located at the W Hotel in Midtown Manhattan, the game’s biggest names turned out dressed to the nines in support of Wellness in the Schools, a national non-profit that inspires healthy eating and fitness for kids in public schools.
Check out the best photos from the night of tennis and haute cuisine:
All photos courtesy of Getty Images.
Watch Svetlana Kuznetsova’s practice session on Day 3 of the St. Petersburg Ladies Trophy.
Check out Dominika Cibulkova’s shot of the day, against Donna Vekic.
Yulia Putintseva has Friday’s shot of the day at the St. Petersburg Ladies Trophy.