Taiwan: Elina Svitolina's Shot Of The Day
Elina Svitolina had Saturday’s shot of the day at the Taiwan Open.
Elina Svitolina had Saturday’s shot of the day at the Taiwan Open.
An interview with Venus Williams after her win in the second round of the Volvo Car Open.
SINGAPORE – Set to enter the Centre Court arena for her BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global debut is Karolina Pliskova, the Girl on Fire.
“It’s crazy, because that month in the States really changed everything,” she told WTA Insider after clinching qualification at the China Open. “I don’t know how far down I was on the Road to Singapore leaderboard before Cincinnati – pretty far, I think!
Down at No.17, to be exact, Pliskova was on no one’s Singapore short list in early August. But the Czech youngster quickly began cutting that ranking in half thanks to a blistering run at the Western & Southern Open, where she blitzed future No.1 Angelique Kerber for her second title of the season, and the biggest of her career.
“With my style, things can change a lot if I win a tournament or two.”
The winds of change blew at gale force speeds two weeks later. Rolling into the second week of a major tournament for the first time, she saved a match point to oust Venus Williams at the US Open, and became the fourth woman to beat both Williams sisters at the same Slam.
Roaring into her first Grand Slam final with a straight-set win over top seeded Serena, she finished second to Kerber in one of the best matches of the year, all but clinching the spot in Singapore she so narrowly missed 12 months ago.
“Last year was totally different,” she recalled with a wry smile. “I spent the whole season on the Road to Singapore, by the end, I was playing badly. So I didn’t make it.”
Tough weeks in Tokyo and Wuhan delayed the inevitable, but even after cementing her place among the Elite Eight, Pliskova was still ready to play, battling past young rival Daria Kasatkina in a tense third set tie-break.
“I was just praying to make it through one or two rounds because I knew I’m on the cut and only need a few points to get it. There’s always pressure, but I’m happy I made it, and able to win today after finding out last night. It confirms that I belong there.”
The tour’s ace leader will not only make her WTA Finals debut in singles, but also in doubles alongside partner Julia Goerges. Playing a sparse schedule but peaking at big events, Pliskova’s doubles season mirrors her singles, even if her approaches to the two disciplines are radically different.
“You can always improve things in doubles if you’re not feeling it in singles. I would maybe practice a few serves anyway after singles, so it can be a big help, where you can make improvements and practice there.
“I’m always in for doubles, and as long as it’s fun, and we’re winning, it’s good.”
Under the roof and away from the elements at the Singapore Sports Hub, her laser-like swings and unapologetic offense should be well suited to the indoor conditions. The 24-year-old knows where her strengths lie; playing for her first WTA Finals crown, she won’t be afraid to use them.
“For me, I still have one plan to play; I have to be aggressive otherwise I don’t have any chance to win.”
Elina Svitolina talks through her win over Mandy Minella in the semifinals of the Taiwan Open.
Sara Errani takes on Samantha Stosur in the third round of the Volvo Car Open.
Zuhai, China – The 2016 Huajin Securities WTA Elite Trophy Zhuhai (WETZ) announced it’s first three qualifiers today — two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova, 2015 US Open finalist Roberta Vinci and rising Ukrainian star Elina Svitolina.
This is the second edition of the premium event which will be staged from November 1-6 in the coastal city of southern China. The 12 player event is mandatory for singles players ranked from No.9 to No.19 on the WTA rankings.
Peter Johnston, Tournament Director of WTA Elite Trophy Zhuhai sent his congratulations to the three qualifiers: “Our congratulations to Petra, Roberta and Elina on being the first confirmed qualifiers for this year’s WTA Elite Trophy Zhuhai. These women are some of the WTA’s biggest stars and great ambassadors of the women’s game. Our fans are going to love watching them play live in Zhuhai.”
Winning the Wimbledon title in both 2011 and 2014, Petra Kvitova has been ranked amongst the WTA’s top players for a number of years. She has had a good record over the years in China, winning the singles title at the Wuhan Open twice in her career.
Kvitova had a tough start to 2016, but she has rediscovered her form recently, winning the Olympic bronze medal at Rio, before capturing the title in Wuhan and reaching the quarterfinal at the China Open in Beijing.
“I’m really looking forward to making my debut in Zhuhai this year,” said the 26-year-old Czech. “It’s always exciting to play a new tournament for the first time and I just had a great two weeks of tennis in China so I know how much support we will get over there! I’m looking forward to some competitive matches and have heard lots of positive things about the tournament and overall experience.”
Svitolina qualified for Zhuhai last year and reached the semifinal before losing to Karolina Pliskova. The Ukrainian achieved her career-best ranking of No.14 in March this year. Besides winning the championship at Kuala Lumpur and reaching the final at New Heaven, she stunned the world by becoming the first player to defeat reigning world No.1 twice this year, beating Serena Williams in Rio and new world No.1 Angelique Kerber in Beijing.
Roberta Vinci also played in Zhuhai last year and reached the semifinal. The Italian is famous among fans because of her classical tennis style and her love of the game which is always on display when she plays. Last year, she stunned Serena Williams in the semi-final of US Open while the reigning No.1 was seeking to collect her fourth Grand Slam of the season. As the oldest player breaking into the Top 10 for the first time, Vinci is still maintaining her place in Top 20 as a 33-year-old player.
According to the current leaderboard ranking, two-time Grand Slam champion Svetlana Kuznetsova, 2011 US Open winner Samantha Stosur and former world No.1 Caroline Wozniacki are still in contention for places in Zhuhai.
As the top mandatory event in south China, the 2016 Huajin Securities WTA Elite Trophy offers a total of $2,210,000 in prize money. Twelve singles players will be divided into four groups of three in a round robin format. One winner in each group will enter the semi-final to fight for the title and 700 ranking points. For doubles, four pairs will qualify together with two wildcards. For more details about the WTA Elite Trophy, please feel free to enter the official website.
An interview with Elina Svitolina after her win in the final of the Taiwan Open.
We challenged Sam Stosur and Casey Dellacqua to the WTA Frame Challenge… and we’ve got a new frontrunner on the leaderboard. Find out who broke the record, right here!
Elina Svitolina thanks the fans after her win in the final of the Taiwan Open.
Former World No.1 Maria Sharapova has picked up one of the wildcards for May’s Mutua Madrid Open as she plans her WTA comeback.
“Sharapova requested an invitation to play in the tournament and after considering it, we decided to give her a wildcard,” said Manolo Santana, the tournament director, in a statement.
“Maria is one of the best players of the last 15 years and also a past winner of our tournament. In Madrid she always plays well and I’m sure she will come back to the courts highly motivated and hoping to do well in her first tournaments.”
Sharapova, 29, last won the event in 2014, beating Simona Halep, 1-6 6-2 6-3, in the final.
“Sharapova is one of those players that all tennis fans want to see,” added Mutua Madrid Open CEO and President Gerard Tsobanian. “Her presence in the Caja Mágica is great news for the tournament, for the fans and also for the city of Madrid.”
The Russian makes her return to the tour in Stuttgart in April following her positive test for a banned substance in 2016.
Tickets and season tickets for the Mutua Madrid Open can be purchased at www.madrid-open.com and entradas.com.