Kvitova Ends Vinci's Hopes After Zhuhai Masterclass
Petra Kvitova continued her terrific end of season form with a dominant victory over Roberta Vinci in her opening round-robin match at the Huajin Securities WTA Elite Trophy Zhuhai.
Petra Kvitova continued her terrific end of season form with a dominant victory over Roberta Vinci in her opening round-robin match at the Huajin Securities WTA Elite Trophy Zhuhai.
ZHUHAI, China – The fairytale continues for Zhang Shuai in Zhuhai.
The wildcard won a second straight match at the Huajin Securities WTA Elite Trophy Zhuhai, guaranteeing her a place in the semifinals and a first career finish inside the Top 25.
“It’s amazing because I never thought I could play this tournament, and now I’m in the semifinals,” she told WTA Insider on Thursday. “I prepared a lot for this week, so I’m really happy.”
Her storybook season began in Australia by way of Tokyo. Zhang was ranked just inside the Top 200 when she won an inaugural ITF 100K Challenger there last fall – foreshadowing what was to come Down Under. The Chinese No.1 plans to return to the Tokyo tournament next week, where she will be top seed.
“I have a lot of good memories there and want to go back. I also have a lot of friends in Japan and Tokyo; they’re waiting for me already, so it’s very exciting!
“The tournament has good food, good hotel, and good courts. I always look forward to going to Tokyo.”
Zhang’s season won’t end there. Her final stop of 2016 brings her to Hawaii, fulfilling a lifelong dream.
“I’ve never had the chance to go. I’m already ranked in the Top 50, so I couldn’t enter a WTA 125K event, so I have to thank the tournament for giving me a wildcard.”
She found out about the wildcard into Zhuhai three weeks ago in Beijing; she had just defeated Simona Halep for the second time in nine months, the first coming in that fateful first round in Melbourne.
“She’s a really great player. My coach always says I have to learn from her, because she plays really beautiful tennis. I like her as a person too; she’s a very nice girl.
“It was amazing, even after the Australian Open, I didn’t think I could beat her again. But I’ve since been able to not only beat her, but also other Top 20 players like Timea Bacsinszky and Samantha Stosur.
“Now I believe I can do anything.”
That limitless mentality has helped her achieve a career-best season after a year in the tennis wilderness. It was just two years ago that Zhang was ranked in the Top 30 and seeded at Grand Slams, but until beating Halep, she had never won a major main draw match in 14 previous attempts.
“Now I’m more focused on the court, focused on myself. I don’t think…anything, really! I’m not thinking about ranking or points; I just try my best, trying to play my tennis and my style. I don’t really care about whom I’m playing, or how they play. I just go!”
Zhang plans to roll into the off-season with similar gusto, hoping to maintain the momentum gained from her Asian Swing surge and bring it back to Australia for an encore performance.
“I don’t think I’ll change much about my pre-season. I’ll just try to train hard, give 100% of my heart and focus on tennis. We’re always trying to make improvements, so we’ll try to do that, too.
“But this year, I played really well, so I think I’m doing things the right way. I just want to keep going.”
Forward motion is a recurring motif from Zhang, which certainly makes sense; if you were living her dream, would you want to wake up?
“This whole year has been filled with so many amazing memories. I can’t pick just one, but of course, I can’t forget the Australian Open. I’ll remember that week forever. I also made the quarterfinal at the China Open, now the semifinals here in Zhuhai.
“This year has been a dream come true.”
All photos courtesy of WTA Elite Trophy.
An interview with Svetlana Kuznetsova after her win in the quarterfinals of the Kremlin Cup.
Elena Vesnina pulled out all the stops in her final performance of the season, playing her part in a point of the tournament contender against Kiki Bertens in Zhuhai to ensure a fine season finished on a high.
Julia Goerges takes on Daria Kasatkina in the quarterfinals of the Kremlin Cup.
ZHUHAI, China – After visiting one of the city’s most impressive landmarks, tennis legend and WTA Elite Trophy ambassador Steffi Graf continued her whirlwind tour of Zhuhai at the Huafa Tennis Center for a charity clinic.
Click here for a photo gallery of all of Steffi’s activities in Zhuhai!
Graf was joined by over thirty talented youngsters from primary and junior high schools in the area, including 19 from Macao as well as from Huajin Securities, tournament ball kids, selected staff and one lucky iQYI SuperFan.
Yang Yanling, who was selected from the iQIYI iSuperFan campaign, got an extra treat; he enjoyed a special one-on-one conversation up close with the former World No.1. Yang was thrilled by Graf’s encouragement to continue playing tennis, and more importantly, to enjoy what tennis will bring to his life and future.
Check out all the best photos from the event right here, courtesy of the WTA Elite Trophy!
On Tuesday Sports Illustrated released its inaugural Fashionable 50, a list of athletes that a panel of sports and fashion experts evaluated as most fashionable, and WTA’s Serena Williams proudly stands in the Top 10. SI’s experts took into account not only what, where and why the athletes pick certain clothes for their on-court and off-court appearances, but their overall involvement in the world of fashion: designer collaborations, presence at fashion shows, investments in fashion, endorsements and other partnerships, social media activities, etc. Guest contributor Marija Zivlak of Women’s Tennis Blog breaks down Serena’s most iconic fashion moments.
The 2014 Vanity Fair Oscar Party in West Hollywood, California
When it comes to tennis, Williams is firmly holding on to her No.1 ranking, but the 21-time Grand Slam champion’s fashion dominance is just as fierce and commanding, so it comes as no surprise that SI’s experts ranked her at number four of the Fashionable 50.
Serena Williams at the 2004 US Open
From her beginnings on the professional circuit to this day, Williams has stood out both with her powerful game and daring fashion. We still vividly remember the colorful beads Williams wore as a teenager back in the 90s, while now at 34 years of age Williams is still pushing the boundaries, be it with animal prints, provocative designs, or simply with the way she pulls of even the simplest outfits.
Serena Williams at the 1998 US Open
When Williams finishes sweeping past her opponents, she embraces haute couture for runway and red carpet appearances. The look that SI singled out in their Fashionable 50 list is the provocative lingerie-style lace dress from the Sports Illustrated Sportsperson of the Year award ceremony.
Sports Illustrated Sportsperson of the Year award ceremony, December 2015
Williams is not only a consumer of stunning clothes, the tennis legend has been active in the fashion world with her Serena Williams Signature Statement Collection for HSN, which she proudly presented at New York Fashion Week in September 2015, with Vogue’s Anna Wintour and other celebrities sitting in the front row. The collection revolves around fringe and leather motifs, while Williams herself described it as “a little bit retro, romantic, and extremely innovative.”
Serena Williams presenting her collection at New York Fashion Week in September 2015
In an interview for Vogue, Williams talked in more detail about the clothes that bear her name: “I want [my customers] to feel empowered. I want them to feel beautiful. The collection works on every size person. You should [be able] to look good and feel good and love who you are and, at the same time, be stylish.”
Serena Williams at the 2014 US Open
Serena earned her place in the prestigious Top 10 of SI’s Fashionable 50, but two other WTA stars also made the list: Maria Sharapova and Venus Williams.
Maria Sharapova with her 2014 French Open trophy
Described as “red carpet stunner” by SI, Sharapova is known for her sophisticated taste, comprehensive business sense that has a lot to do with stylish clothing, numerous fashion show appearances, and let’s not forget her work with Nike that produced a number of memorable tennis dresses.
Venus Williams at the 2015 Miami Open
Venus, on the other hand, has managed to grow her athletic apparel line EleVen so much that now it competes with sports apparel giants, largely owing to her fashion degree from the Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale, as well as her work ethic and innate wish to succeed that brought her all the tennis successes in the first place.
Visit Sports Illustrated’s Fashionable 50 for a complete list of the world’s most stylish athletes. The new issue of SI hits newsstands on Wednesday, April 13.
All photos courtesy of Getty Images.
SINGAPORE – Dominika Cibulkova has been named the 2016 WTA Comeback Player Of The Year.
The Slovak was one of the brightest players on the tour in 2014 as she reached three finals, including the Australian Open, her first Grand Slam final appearance. Cibulkova, however, narrowly missed out on qualifying for the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global in 2014, and endured a frustrating start to the 2015 season. She elected to undergo surgery on her Achilles in February forcing her to miss three months of action. During her absence, her ranking dropped outside the Top 50.
But she didn’t stay there long, and in 2016 Cibulkova has rediscovered her form, returning to the Top 10 and qualifying for the WTA Finals in Singapore for the first time in her career thanks to tournament wins at the Katowice Open, the Aegon International Eastbourne and the Generali Ladies Linz.
#WTA Comeback Player of the Year?
Dominika @Cibulkova! pic.twitter.com/yXaXJwrfXe
— WTA (@WTA) October 21, 2016
Her achievements have been recognized as she received 26 votes for WTA Comeback Player Of The Year award, ahead of Anastasija Sevastova (12), Elena Vesnina (11) and Vania King (1).
WTA Comeback Player Of The Year Winners
2016: Dominika Cibulkova
2015: Venus Williams
2014: Mirjana Lucic-Baroni
2013: Alisa Kleybanova
2012: Yaroslava Shvedova
2011: Sabine Lisicki
2010: Justine Henin
2009: Kim Clijsters
2008: Zheng Jie
2007: Lindsay Davenport
2006: Martina Hingis
2005: Kim Clijsters
2004: Serena Williams
Complete listing of the historical WTA Awards.
ZHUHAI, China – Since her retirement 17 years ago, WTA legend Stefanie Graf has largely shied away from the limelight. However on Sunday she took center stage once more, gracing the final of the Huajin Securities WTA Elite Trophy Zhuhai between Petra Kvitova and Elina Svitolina.
Tournament ambassador Graf continued her busy weekend in Zhuhai, conducting the coin toss before taking in Kvitova’s masterclass.
Twenty-four hours earlier, in her first public activity ever in mainland China, Graf visited the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge, where she played mini-tennis with Caroline Garcia.
Check out the best photos from finals day, courtesy of the WTA Elite Trophy!
Click here for a photo gallery of all of Graf’s activities in Zhuhai.
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