Social Buzz: Monterrey And Charleston
All the best from the world of social media as the week begins with tournaments in Monterrey and Charleston.
All the best from the world of social media as the week begins with tournaments in Monterrey and Charleston.
NEW YORK, NY, USA – Two summers ago a 15-year-old CiCi Bellis captured the imagination of the New York public by becoming the youngest player in nearly two decades to win a match at the US Open.
Back at Flushing Meadows, she is once again the talk of the town, producing some fearless tennis to make her way through to the third round. The prize money for reaching this juncture – where she will face No.2 seed Angelique Kerber on Friday evening – is $140,000. However, the American, who has verbally agreed to accept a tennis scholarship to Stanford University, must forfeit these winnings if she is to maintain her college eligibility.
NCAA rules do permit money for travel expenses, providing the Californian with some welcome perks: “I just moved up to a regular suite,” she said after her second-round win over Shelby Rogers. “Maybe the presidential suite this time.”
Bellis is sure to receive overwhelming crowd support when she steps on Arthur Ashe to face Kerber. Among their number will be one particularly vocal contingent, who have followed the 17-year-old every step of the way since her run began in last week’s qualifying competition.
“They came out to first-round qualifying and have been to every single one of my matches since,” Bellis added. “One of them messaged me on Instagram and asked for tickets, and so I got them into my box today. Oh, my God, they call themselves Team CiCi, so it was fun.
“I think [the support] puts me in a different world. I feel like I’m not even here when I hear people like that group we are talking about. It’s surreal to me.”
Game, Set, Match @cicibellis99
The 17-year-old is through to R3 with 2-6 6-2 6-2 win over fellow American Rogers. pic.twitter.com/iN9HRXZEjZ
— ESPNTennis (@ESPNTennis) 1 September 2016
While some stars are still working hard on the tennis court, others are enjoying a well-deserved break…and some amazing gifts.
Defending champion Heather Watson is using her time off at the Abierto GNP Seguros wisely – by sitting in the stands and recording the performance of her friend and Great Britain Fed Cup teammate Naomi Broady.
Ace ace baby ? Thanks to bae @heatherwatson92 for the video
Alizé Cornet is having fun in Mexico.
Thanks to those who came out in the heat yesterday to support me ? ! Always a thrill to play in Mexico ! Next match tomorrow vamos ?? pic.twitter.com/8JqNOPLzia
— Alize Cornet (@alizecornet) April 5, 2017
Elsewhere, thrillseeker CoCo Vandeweghe is in deep water.
?????
And new World No.7 Johanna Konta is ready for a very special delivery…of her favorite food.
I can't wait for my present!! #anxiouslywaiting https://t.co/nJFwY5PCvt
— Johanna Konta (@JoKonta91) April 6, 2017
NEW YORK, NY, USA – No.5 seeds Ekaterina Makarova and Elena Vesnina were all smiles after a thrilling three-set win over Sam Stosur and Zhang Shuai; the Olympic Gold medalists and 2014 US Open champions saved five match points – four on the infamous Stosur serve – to advance into the third round.
Vesnina spent the fall and early spring playing with young compatriot Daria Kasatkina as Makarova healed a lower leg injury; the pair captured last year’s Kremlin Cup title and ended the 41-match winning streak of then-Co-No.1s Martina Hingis and Sania Mirza.
“She’s a very cool girl, and a very talented player,” Vesnina told WTA Insider. “She has a great future, and it was fun when we played together. I was teaching her what to do because she had no experience in doubles, and before every point she was asking me, ‘What should I do? Where can I serve? What do I do with volley?’
“I felt like a coach on the court!”
Team Russia got her Olympic Games gear?????Экипировались все??? @katemakarova1 @DKasatkina pic.twitter.com/2tcs4LHJTc
— Elena Vesnina (@EVesnina001) July 12, 2016
Asked whether she saw herself as a future Fed Cup Captain – a position currently held by 2004 French Open champion Anastasia Myskina – Vesnina and Makarova debated the idea amongst themselves:
Vesnina: Me as the Fed Cup Captain? Oh, I never even thought about that! We have some time. It would be great, of course.
Makarova: But I think Elena could be a good captain.
Vesnina: You see? I didn’t know everyone thought this!
Makarova: I never thought about it either, but now I see it.
Vesnina: I’ve always loved to play for Fed Cup; Katya and I have had so many good matches, winning so many important matches in singles and doubles. It’s always a pleasure to play for your country, and for me, it’s important. So if I ever had the chance to be Fed Cup captain, I’d be happy to take on that honor, and I would try to do my best for the girls because I played and I know how important and tough it was at the same time.
Vesnina and Makarova next face No.10 seeds Vania King and Monica Niculescu for a spot in the quarterfinals.
Check out Daria Kasatkina’s shot of the day against Daria Gavrilova at the Volvo Car Open.
WTA Insider | World No.1 Serena Williams trades spots with sister Venus, who headlines her first night session of the US Open; keep up with the action on the latest WTA Insider Live Blog.
CHARLESTON, SC, USA — Caroline Wozniacki won all four sets she played as day turned to night on Thursday in Charleston, as the 2011 champion ousted Anastasia Rodionova, 6-3, 6-3 to reach the quarterfinals for the fifth time at the Volvo Car Open.
“It was tough conditions to play in this wind, a little chilly tonight as well and then playing someone who doesn’t give you any rhythm,” Wozniacki assessed at the close of her second match of the day. “Obviously she plays a lot of doubles, so she was coming in, doing drop shots and hitting the ball hard and then slow. She was definitely trying to break my rhythm up, and it was difficult. But I managed to pull through.”
The No.5 seed defeated Annika Beck in straight sets earlier on Thursday, and showed no ill effects of having to play two matches in the span of a few hours. The Dane has never lost before the quarterfinals in five career appearances in Charleston, and advances to face Jelena Ostapenko in Friday’s quarterfinals.
The former World No.1 won 15 straight points over the first four games of the match to take command before the qualifier got on the board and a foothold in the match. The Australian broke and held serve in a lengthy game, saving five break points in total, to close the deficit to 4-2, but Wozniacki held on from there to take four of the next five games to lead by a set and a break.
.@CaroWozniacki wraps up the first set 6-3! #VolvoCarOpen pic.twitter.com/Kfr7lvkXQK
— WTA (@WTA) April 6, 2017
Rodionova saved a trio of break points in the fifth game of the second set, and broke the Wozniacki delivery at love to level the match. Nonetheless, the qualifier who scored upsets against Duan Ying-Ying and Sara Errani to reach the third round was unable to conjure another stunner as the Dane secured the final three games to move safely through to the last eight.
Second Round ✅
Round of 16 ✅
Advances to @VolvoCarOpen Quarterfinals ✅All in a days work for @CaroWozniacki! ? pic.twitter.com/NZbsHpckpX
— WTA (@WTA) April 7, 2017
Looking ahead to Friday night, Wozniacki lost the only match she’s played against the Latvian teenager at the Connecticut Open last year, as she attempts to reach the semifinals in Charleston for the first time since raising the trophy in 2011.
“I think I’m well-prepared for tomorrow. I got some clay tennis in today and feel like I’m just going to go out there and have fun and do my best and see how it goes,” Wozniacki said. “I’m just playing right now. I had one practice session before the tournament started for me, and that was it. I just kind of run on experience and try and figure it out.”
NEW YORK, NY, USA – World No.2 Angelique Kerber maintained her imperious form with a 6-3, 7-5 win over No.14 seed Petra Kvitova to reach the quarterfinals of the US Open.
Kvitova had held the early edge in their head-to-head, but Kerber had won their last two meetings to even the score, both this spring in Stuttgart and last fall at the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global. Playing textbook counterpuncher tennis throughout the evening, the German kept her stats clean with eight winners and just eight unforced errors.
Kvitova, by contrast, was far more aggressive, but her 32 winners couldn’t make up for the 43 unforced errors hit over two sets – 27 coming off her forehand side alone.
Giving it all you've got under the ??? of Ashe. #usopen pic.twitter.com/tBJOpp17t4
— US Open Tennis (@usopen) September 5, 2016
After trading breaks to start the contest, the match largely went with serve, including the first 11 games of the second set. Serving to force a tie-break, Kvitova ultimately succumbed on a double fault – her seventh of the night – allowing Kerber to wrap up th ematch in one hour and 28 minutes.
Up next for the reigning Australian Open champion is No.7 seed and 2015 US Open runner-up Roberta Vinci, who fought through a tough first set to defeat Lesia Tsurenko, 7-6(5), 6-2.
By reaching the quarterfinals, Kerber has put herself in even stronger position to leave the final major tournament of the season as World No.1 – the first from Germany since Stefanie Graf in 1997 – and prevent Serena Williams from breaking Graf’s record of consecutive weeks at the top spot. Serena is set to tie Graf’s record at 186, but now needs to do no worse than reach the final to have a chance of retaining World No.1.
Should Serena and Kerber meet in the final, the winner walks away with No.1.
She's looking for her third slam final this year and @AngeliqueKerber moves closer with a 6-3, 7-5 win over #Kvitova pic.twitter.com/5npAv1DWet
— US Open Tennis (@usopen) September 5, 2016
Three-time champion Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova was made to work at the Abierto GNP Seguros, surviving Timea Babos in three sets to face Caroline Garcia for a spot in the final.
Caroline Garcia and Kristina Mladenovic have become the second doubles team to qualify for the 2016 BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global.