Simona Halep's Best Shots Of The Year
Which was your favorite of Simona Halep’s hot shots from 2016? Watch all her best shots of the year right here!
Which was your favorite of Simona Halep’s hot shots from 2016? Watch all her best shots of the year right here!
Serena Williams hit a lot of hot shots on her way to making history with a record-equaling 22nd Grand Slam title – which one her best shots of 2016 was your favorite?
Svetlana Kuznetsova’s late season surge into Singapore made headlines, but the WTA veteran’s hot shots have been turning heads all season long. Watch all of her best shots of 2016, right here!
In 2015, Anastasija Sevastova came out of retirement. A year later, she scored the biggest win of her career – and one of the biggest upsets of 2016 – over No.3 seed Garbiñe Muguruza at the US Open.
Sevastova was a rising star back in 2011, reaching a career-high ranking of No.36 at 20 years old. But injuries soon sapped the desire away from the young Latvian, who hung up her racquets two years later, and was off the tour for two years more. After a few stints in coaching and studying, she decided to give tennis another go.
What brought her back to the sport?
“This one, this stage,” she said, gesturing to the enormous Arthur Ashe Stadium after her second round stunner. “I mean, look at that. It cannot get bigger.”
It doesn’t get much bigger than Arthur Ashe, and they don’t get much bigger than French Open champion Muguruza.
Sevastova, who started out the year ranked No.110, played well above her ranking and took a tight opening set at 7-5 before racing out to a 5-1 lead in the second.
With the finish line in sight, she faced a bit of a mental wobble as Muguruza clawed her way back up to 5-4 with the Spaniard serving to even the score.
In 2015, she came out of retirement. Tonight, she beats a GS champ. #Sevastova d. #Muguruza 7-5, 6-4. @MBUSA #usopen https://t.co/a5xfmjm8XC
— US Open Tennis (@usopen) September 1, 2016
“I stopped thinking. I was thinking too much at 5-2, 5-3. Then I said, ‘Okay, I have one more chance at 5-4. She’s serving. I broke her before enough times, so I will try this one more time,'” Sevastova explained.
“And still, even then it’s only 5-5. It’s still an open match like the first set.”
That positivity took the Latvian over the finish line, breaking serve to love to clinch the biggest upset of the US Open thus far – and the biggest win of her career – winning 7-5, 6-4.
But after the match, Sevastova was the first to keep her feet firmly on the ground.
“It still hasn’t settled in,” she said in her post-match press conference. “I mean, I’m tired mentally and it’s late. Normally I go to sleep at this time.
“It feels great, but it’s still not like I won the tournament. It’s only second round.”
Sevastova would go on to reach her first Grand Slam quarterfinal – knocking out No.14 Johanna Konta along the way – but her colossal second round victory over the reigning Roland Garros champion clocks in as the No.5 biggest upset of 2016.
All photos courtesy of Getty Images.
PARIS, France – Defending champion Serena Williams outlasted an inspired Kristina Mladenovic and weathered a two and a half hour rain delay to advance to the second week of Roland Garros, 6-4, 7-6(10).
After breezing through her first two matches here in less than one hour each, Williams faced her first big test of the tournament against French No.1 Mladenovic, who relishes playing on big stages in her country. In fact, of Mladenovic’s five career Top 10 wins, four have come here in Paris with two of those taking place right here in Roland Garros.
Mladenovic seemed comfortable as ever on Philippe Chatrier, the biggest stage of all, though ahead of the match she admitted to feeling the mixed emotions many players experience when playing against the World No.1.
“I have to take it very positively,” she said in her press conference. “This is an experience, something to do, it’s a dream. I grew up watching Serena play. Then I’m going to play against her.
“I’m extremely happy because this is a challenge. Well, this being said, it’s going to be very difficult.”
Mladenovic and Williams kept pace during a tense first set, which saw Williams brush away all four of Mladenovic’s break point chances while letting slip away two of her own. Mladenovic’s sneaky drop shots caught Williams wrong-footed on more than one occasion, and made for some spectacular rallies during the course of the contest.
(Very Very) Hot Shot de Kristina Mladenovic contre Serena Williams ! ??? #RG16 https://t.co/r8ZLJJ1IFd
— Roland Garros (@rolandgarros) May 28, 2016
But Williams turned up the heat when it counted. A drawn out battle at 4-4 saw Mladenovic bring up three break points, but the American blasted back to back aces to deny her. A lone break in the final game gave Williams the first set after almost an hour.
In the second set, Williams continued to keep the pressure on the Frenchwoman’s serve: Williams made her have to come back from 0-40 down to hold serve at 2-2, and then again in her next service game.
A Mladenovic ace sent the match into a tiebreak right as the rain, which had been threatening all match long, finally broke into a downpour.
Two and a half hours of rain delay later, the players were back on the court for the decisive battle. Mladenovic quickly built up a 3-0 lead, but it was short-lived as Williams broke back and rattled off four straight points to bring up her first of five match points.
Mladenovic rallied valiantly, saving match point after match point – including one with a gutsy drop shot, her go-to weapon in this match – but the World No.1 wouldn’t be denied a fifth time, and Williams took the match after a two-hour and thirteen minute thriller.
“I just made it a point to play my game,” Williams said of the tiebreak. “Up until that point I had not been playing my game. I was playing really defensive. It’s not me.
“So I just wanted to be Serena out there.”
Huge celebration from @serenawilliams. How much do you think that win meant to her? #RG16 #InsideRG pic.twitter.com/cIl9hKxiLm
— Roland Garros (@rolandgarros) May 28, 2016
The stats reveal just how evenly matched Mladenovic and Williams were throughout the match: both players hit three aces and struck 27 winners, though Williams hit 31 unforced errors to Mladenovic’s 35. The difference makers proved to be Mladenovic’s vulnerable serve – she hit seven double faults in total – and Williams’ dominance at the net, winning 15 of 25 net points.
“I think she played well,” Williams said afterwards. “I feel like I made a tremendous amount of errors. But, you know, I feel like she kind of forced me to. She forced me to go for it.”
With the win, Williams brings up a fourth round match against Elina Svitolina, who earlier in the day defeated former champion Ana Ivanovic.
CHARLESTON, SC, USA – Petra Kvitova will take to the green clay of Charleston for the first time as the Volvo Car Open announced that she’s adding the tournament to her 2017 schedule.
“I’m very excited to play in the Volvo Car Open for the first time,” Kvitova said. “I’ve heard what a wonderful city Charleston is and the Volvo Car Open is a great tournament, so of course I’m looking forward to April.”
Can't wait to finally play at this great tournament! https://t.co/mwUJgzfee7
— Petra Kvitova (@Petra_Kvitova) 13 de diciembre de 2016
“We have been pursuing Petra to enter Charleston for more than four years,” said Eleanor Adams, Tournament Manager. “To say we are excited is an understatement! Petra’s left-handed game and serve are perfectly suited for our courts. The fans will be amazed by her talent, fierceness and gracious personality – we can hardly wait!”
The two-time Wimbledon champion will be in good company on the green clay, joining Venus Williams, Caroline Wozniacki, Madison Keys, Johanna Konta, Sloane Stephens, Monica Puig and Elena Vesnina at the largest women’s-only tennis tournament in North America.
Click here to visit the tournament’s official website for more information and tickets options.
Dinara Safina walked away from tennis in 2011 after a persistent back injury forced her to retire, but not she racked up 12 WTA titles, reached three Grand Slam finals and rose to WTA World No.1 during her eleven years on tour.
Now, the Russian is putting all of her expertise to work as she takes up coaching at New York City’s MatchPoint NYC in Coney Island.
“I moved to New York for [the coaching], but also because I love it here, I wanted to move here,” Dinara told ESPNW’s Nick McCarvel.
“I’ve always had a feeling for New York. I just said to myself, ‘If I have something inside that wants to try New York, I should do it.’ Nothing is stopping me.”
After getting her law degree in Russia, doing temporary stints as player relations in Madrid and in Moscow, and even working at an IT firm, Dinara revealed that she has plans to continue working with young rising talent.
“I want to be back on tour as a coach, but there is no second life. We have one life. I gave it 100 percent when I was playing and I got injured. For me, it was a sign to have another part of my life. And now I want to help others get to where I was.”
Click here to read ESPNW’s full interview with Dinara, where she opens up more on her New York City life and coaching gig, her decision to walk away from the sport, and on the rising star who reminds her of herself.
The WTA and your favorite WTA stars want to wish you a Happy Holiday and a joyful New Year full of women’s tennis!
WTA Insider Courtney Nguyen | Follow along with the French Open final between Serena Williams and Garbiñe Muguruza live on wtatennis.com!
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