Doha: Shot Of The Match (Radwanska)
Agnieszka Radwanska had a third shot of the match in the quarterfinals of the Qatar Total Open.
Agnieszka Radwanska had a third shot of the match in the quarterfinals of the Qatar Total Open.
An interview with Carla Suárez Navarro after her win in the semifinals of the Qatar Total Open.
NEW YORK, NY, USA – Who has enjoyed the smoothest passage to the final? What does Angelique Kerber need to do to top the rankings? And just how impressive has Serena Williams’ serving been?
These are just a few of the questions answered in a US Open semifinal edition of wtatennis.com’s By The Numbers.
439 – Karolina Pliskova’s three aces against Ana Konjuh took her tally for the year to a WTA leading 439 from 54 matches.
110 – The average rank of Pliskova’s opponent en route to the last four is 110 (No.243 Sofia Kenin, No.192 Montserrat González, No.92 Ana Konjuh, No.6 Venus Williams and No.18 Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova).
84 – Serena’s peerless delivery has helped her win 149 of 177 (84%) points on her first serve – the best percentage of any singles player this fortnight.
74 – Wozniacki is currently ranked No.74 – her lowest position since August 2007. Aside from unranked Kim Clijsters in 2009, Wozniacki is bidding to be the lowest-ranked finalist in US Open history.
60 – Serena has struck more aces, 60, than any other player in the tournament. Kerber, meanwhile, has hit just six.
52 – Kerber’s victory over Roberta Vinci in the quarterfinals was her 52nd of the year. This is the most by any player on tour (Simona Halep is her closest competition, with 40 wins).
48 – Wozniacki has won 48 of her 71 meetings with left-handers on tour. Seven of these defeats have come against Kerber, including four on hardcourts. The Dane has, however, won their only two meetings stateside, at Cincinnati (2014) and Indian Wells (2013).
34 – Williams will be aged 34 years and 350 days at the end of the tournament, making her the second-oldest US Open semifinalist in the Open Era, after Billie Jean King in 1979, who was 35 years, 291 days.
33 – Williams is appearing in her 33rd Grand Slam semifinal. For Pliskova it is her very first.
17 – In her 17 previous Grand Slam appearances Pliskova had never reached the second week. The last player to reach a major semifinal having never previously been beyond the third round was Madison Keys at the 2015 Australian Open.
10 – Wozniacki has defeated two Top 10 players (No.9 Madison Keys and No.10 Svetlana Kuznetsova) this fortnight – a feat she had never achieved in 36 previous majors.
7 – Wozniacki is the seventh unseeded player to make the US Open semifinals since the number of seeds was increased to 32 in 2001; the others were Clijsters (2009), Yanina Wickmayer (2009), Kerber (2011), Flavia Pennetta (2013), Peng Shuai (2014) and Vinci (2015).
6 – Pliskova is projected to reach a new career-high ranking of No.6 and could rise as high as No.5 by winning the title.
4 – Williams is bidding to reach all four major finals in the same year for the very first time. The last player to achieve this feat was Justine Henin in 2006.
2 – In her five matches Williams has dropped serve just twice – both coming during her quarterfinal against Halep.
1 – Williams needs to win her semifinal to have a chance of extending her 186-week stay as World No.1. If Kerber advances to the final, Williams will need to win the title to hold on to top spot.
0 – The number of sets Kerber has conceded en route to the semifinals. The last player to win a major without dropping a set was Serena at the 2014 US Open.
NEW YORK, NY, USA – Angelique Kerber will become the new WTA World No.1 when updated rankings are released on Monday, September 12.
“Congratulations to Angelique on this remarkable accomplishment of becoming the WTA World No.1,” said WTA CEO Steve Simon. “It is extremely difficult to reach the pinnacle of our sport, and Angelique has demonstrated amazing work ethic in the past year. Her outstanding results reflect this, and she truly deserves to be the new WTA World No.1.”
The 28-year-old becomes only the second German woman to achieve this historic milestone since computer rankings were introduced in 1975, and the first since Stefanie Graf spent the last of her record 377 weeks at No.1 in March 1997. She is also the oldest player to make her debut at No.1, a record previously held by Jennifer Capriati, who was 25 years, 200 days when she reached No.1 in October 2001.
Kerber’s rise to WTA World No.1 brings to an end the reign of Serena Williams, whose sixth stint in the top spot began more than three years ago, on February 18, 2013. At 186 consecutive weeks, the American’s most recent stay at No.1 ties the Open Era record for most consecutive weeks at No.1 held by Graf. This is the 88th time the No.1 ranking has changed hands over the past four decades.
This accomplishment is the latest in what has been a breakout year for the German, who began the season by defeating Serena Williams to win her maiden Grand Slam title at the Australian Open, and followed up by advancing to the Wimbledon final, capturing a silver medal in singles at the Rio Olympics, successfully defending her title at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart, and reaching the semifinals at the U.S. Open (ongoing). Kerber leads the WTA for most main draw match wins this season, at 52-14, and her other highlights include reaching two finals at the Brisbane International and the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati, and the semifinals at the Miami Open, Volvo Car Open in Charleston and Rogers Cup in Montreal.
Kerber will be presented with the WTA World No.1 Trophy, which was unveiled last year at the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global. The focal point of the trophy is a silver “star-map” tennis ball that represents the tennis universe and where all world No. 1s, past and present, are depicted by a diamond in the sky, representing each champion leaving their mark on the sport.
Kerber has also qualified for the 2016 BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global in October, and will be making her fourth appearance at the year-end finale.
WEEKS AT WORLD NO.1
|
PLAYER |
WEEKS AT No.1 |
DATE REACHED No.1 |
|
Steffi Graf (GER) |
377 |
August 17, 1987 |
|
Martina Navratilova (USA) |
332 |
July 10, 1978 |
|
Serena Williams (USA) |
306 |
July 8, 2002 |
|
Chris Evert (USA) |
260 |
November 3, 1975 |
|
Martina Hingis (SUI) |
209 |
March 31, 1997 |
|
Monica Seles (USA) |
178 |
March 11, 1991 |
|
Justine Henin (BEL) |
117 |
October 20, 2003 |
|
Lindsay Davenport (USA) |
98 |
October 12, 1998 |
|
Caroline Wozniacki (DEN) |
67 |
October 11, 2010 |
|
Victoria Azarenka (BLR) |
51 |
January 30, 2012 |
|
Amélie Mauresmo (FRA) |
39 |
September 13, 2004 |
|
Dinara Safina (RUS) |
26 |
April 20, 2009 |
|
Maria Sharapova (RUS) |
21 |
August 22, 2005 |
|
Tracy Austin (USA) |
21 |
April 7, 1980 |
|
Kim Clijsters (BEL) |
20 |
August 11, 2003 |
|
Jelena Jankovic (SRB) |
18 |
August 11, 2008 |
|
Jennifer Capriati (USA) |
17 |
October 15, 2001 |
|
Ana Ivanovic (SRB) |
12 |
June 9, 2008 |
|
Arantxa Sánchez-Vicario (ESP) |
12 |
February 6, 1995 |
|
Venus Williams (USA) |
11 |
February 25, 2002 |
|
Evonne Goolagong Cawley (AUS) |
2 |
April 26, 1976 |
|
Angelique Kerber (GER) |
1* |
September 12, 2016 |
*including week of September 12, 2016
A distress signal went out over San Pedro de Pinta, a park in southwest Monterrey: the city was in trouble and they needed superheroes! Thankfully, Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova and Monica Puig were there to answer the call.
They transformed into their favorite superheroes: Pavlyuchenkova – a three time champion here in Monterrey – donned Batman’s cowl and cape….
…while Monica Puig didn’t need a phone booth to become Superman.
Superheroes are always stronger when they work together, so Puig and Pavlyuchenkova teamed up to fight evil.
They took on a pair of dastardly villains, the Riddler and the Joker, in a doubles duel.
With the villains defeated and the city safe, Puig and Pavlyuchenkova took a victory lap around the court.
Thanks to our heroes for saving the day!
But not all heroes wear capes, though, as Caroline Wozniacki proved when she visited the Monterrey Tennis Center on Tuesday.
The Danish player shared her tips and experiences with the children and youth gathered there.
She told the kids – many of them tennis hopefuls – that there’s no big secret to tennis except for working hard and never giving up.
Afterwards, Wozniacki hit the court for a few tennis lessons.
After a day of anecdotes, inspiration and practice, it’s no surprise that Wozniacki became a hero to the kids at the Monterrey Tennis Center.
Courtney Nguyen, Point: How did we get to here? That’s the question many have been asking in the press room here at the US Open, where Angelique Kerber is set to play her third Slam final of the season just two days before she will officially take over as the No.1 player in the world.
It all began suddenly, in January, when she played what many considered the best match of her career to stun Serena Williams and win her first Slam title at the Australian Open. But as is the case for Kerber, her build towards No.1 and Saturday’s final has been far quieter, more workmanlike and unassuming in its reliability.
Reliable. That’s what Kerber has become. In a year that has seen a swirl of inconsistency hit the women surrounding her in the rankings, Kerber has pulled her visor down. She has embraced her ambition. She’s taken control of her game and her career. And the payoff has been immediate.
“That was my goal as well, was really going for it, taking control of my career and my game,” Kerber told WTA Insider on Saturday. “Not just waiting for the shots, if somebody is missing or not, just taking things in my hands and going for it.”
On Saturday, Kerber will be seeking “revanche,” as she says, to turn the tables on a bad loss to Karolina Pliksova just three weeks ago in the final of the Western & Southern Open. It was a bad beat, as a sluggish Kerber had no answers for Pliskova’s power game, and the Czech controlled the match from start to finish to cruise to a 6-3, 6-1 win.
“I think this is a completely new match, a completely new situation. I was a little bit tired in Cincinnati after the Rio trip and everything that happened there. I’m really looking forward to play Karolina again and take the challenge.”
A new match it is. In Cincinnati, Kerber was playing to take the No.1 ranking away from Serena and she was coming off an emotionally and physically exhausting silver medal effort at the Olympic tennis event. This time Kerber has the No.1 ranking already secured, and she comes into the final having not lost a set all tournament.
Kerber and Pliskova spent less than 90 minutes on court in their semifinal but Pliskova’s effort against Serena took a far greater toll. She told WTA Insider that she struggled to get to bed on Friday night, still reeling over her big win, and she admitted that beating Serena meant more to her than making the US Open final.
It makes you wonder whether she can come down from that high to play her best tennis for one more match. Because it will indeed take her best tennis to beat the toughest out in women’s tennis.
“I’m feeling very good because I have a lot of confidence from my last tournaments. I reached finals [at the Olympics and Cincinnati] and semifinals in Montréal. To be here in my next final is great. That’s why I’m really trying to take the energy of the last weeks on court tomorrow and playing with a lot of emotions and going out there to win the match.”
Playing a Slam final has become, in very quick pace, standard fare for Kerber this year. She’s familiar with the rhythms and routines leading up to a major final and the nerves that are natural for the occasion. This will be a brand new experience for Pliskova, who had never even made it past the third round of a Slam before this tournament.
The big key for Kerber will be her serve. You expect Pliskova, the WTA ace leader, to hold with far more ease. Kerber will need to match her to put pressure on her service games. Against Serena, Pliskova gave up just one break point all match. If Pliskova can handle the nerves and bring her best, Kerber’s serve will be under constant pressure.
But once the rallies begin the edge goes to Kerber. She has moved wonderfully throughout the tournament, her Rio hangover clearly a thing of the past. She will look to pick her spots to be aggressive, using that lefty forehand down the line to expose Pliskova’s forehand corner and open up the court.
That decision-making in particular, her ability to step in and take control of rallies on her terms, has been the biggest tactical change in Kerber’s game over the last 12 months. She used to be a reliable wall on the baseline that could be hit through with patience. Now she’s more of an offensive threat.
“That was my goal during my pre-season, working through the aggressive play,” Kerber said. “I know that I can do this, I’m practicing it a lot. Just going and transferring it onto the match court, that was the challenge for me. But I think right now I get used to it, playing really aggressive but also being really good in the defensive and just try to move good and making the mix. I think this is what makes me now stronger than ever.”
Both in her game and her mindset, Kerber has, at 28 years old, finally taken control of her own destiny. If things get tight on Saturday, she’ll take her chances. And when it comes to making good on those chances, no player in 2016 has been more bankable Angelique Kerber.
David Kane, Counterpoint: Success at the Slams starts at the smaller tournaments; the momentum built there is essential for growing both confidence and experience. Karolina Pliskova has spent the last two years cutting her teeth in the shadows of the big stages, reaching five International finals in 2014, then five Premier finals in 2015 – including the Huajin Securities WTA Elite Trophy Zhuhai.
But that next step remained elusive; 14 of her first 17 Grand Slam main draw campaigns ended in the first or second round, and all before the second week. For one who reached so many finals, Pliskova’s inability to channel that momentum into major victories was puzzling at best, worrying at worst. This was a woman whose consistency helped her capture the Emirates Airline US Open Series last summer, a player more than capable of making things happen on hardcourts.
All it took was a hot streak for the icy Pliskova to catch fire.
“I wasn’t feeling bad at other Grand Slams, any of them,” she said after breaking into the second week for the first time on Saturday. “But just somehow the game on the court wasn’t the way I wanted it to be. I was just a little bit tight, I wasn’t playing my tennis, wasn’t aggressive enough. If I’m not playing my game, I cannot beat those players like this. I cannot be the one who is running.”
It’s been quite a run all the same for the precise Czech powerhouse, who got on a roll after winning the Western & Southern Open, knocking out the year’s first two Grand Slam champions in Angelique Kerber and Garbiñe Muguruza en route, and keeping the former from hitting No.1 in the final.
“I took a lot from that week,” she said of her Cincinnati title, the biggest thus far in her career. “I’m really happy that I took it here with me in New York, and it’s paying off even here. I’m still continuing to do the same things as I did before. I was struggling a little bit with my game on the Grand Slams. I knew I can play big tennis and good matches, but I couldn’t put it in the Grand Slams. I felt little bit pressure on myself.
“So I’m happy that right now it’s all paid off and I finally found my game.”
This pressure-free Pliskova has been unbeatable through 11 matches, even as she found herself down match point to No.6 seed Venus Williams.
“Once I beat Venus here I knew I’m playing good tennis and I have a chance to beat anyone in the tournament. I was ready for anything.”
She was indeed ready for an even bigger moment on Thursday night, taking on World No.1 Serena Williams, Venus’ sister, for a spot in her first Grand Slam final.
“She’s World No.1, so it’s always tough to beat someone like this. She’s never giving up. Even if she’s losing, not playing her best, it’s always tough to beat girls like this.
“I was pretty calm today. Before the match I felt a little bit like pressure, nervous. But when I step on the court I didn’t feel anything. I just, you know, wanted to win, actually. Not just enjoy, but to win.”
It’s that attitude Pliskova will take into Saturday’s final against Kerber, not one of a young woman happy to have already earned a career-best result, but one of an athlete with the experience and confidence from three weeks of well-earned momentum, who knows she can climb higher.
“We played a lot of times. I lost to her; I won. So I will be ready for anything. That’s a final of a Grand Slam, so anything is possible. Of course, there will probably nerves from both sides. We both have a good chance to win.
“But I will just do anything to win the title here.”
All photos courtesy of Getty Images.
The nominees for the prestigious Laureus World Sports Awards have been announced and after a near-perfect season, World No.1 Serena Williams is up for the biggest award of them all, Laureus World Sportswoman Of The Year.
The Laureus World Sports Awards began in the year 2000 and in the 16 previous editions, Laureus World Sportswoman Of The Year has gone to WTA players four times – Jennifer Capriati in 2002, Williams in 2003, Justine Henin in 2008 and Williams again in 2010. Williams and pole vaulter Yelena Isinbayeva are the only two women ever to win the award twice – Isinbayeva won it in 2007 and 2009.
No woman has ever won the award three times – if she wins this year’s, Williams will be the first.
In addition to the American, the other nominees for Sportswoman of the Year include Genzebe Dibaba (athletics), Anna Fenninger (skiing), Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce (athletics), Katie Ledecky (swimming), and Carli Lloyd (football).
Williams was a wall-to-wall No.1 for the second time in her career, finishing the season atop the WTA rankings for the fifth time (2002, 2009, 2013, 2014). She won a WTA-leading five titles, including the first three Grand Slams of the season at the Australian Open, French Open, and Wimbledon – winning her second Non-Calendar Year “Serena Slam” and becoming the closest to achieve the Calendar Year Grand Slam since Steffi Graf in 1988. With a 53-3 record, she earned the most prize money in 2015 – surpassing her 2014 record for second highest total prize money won in a single season at $10,582,642.
The 21-time Grand Slam champion is the only WTA player nominated this year, and one of three tennis members of the tennis world, alongside Novak Djokovic and the British Davis Cup Team.
Largely considered “the Oscars of sports”, the Laureus World Sports Awards have been held in major cities all over the world with an all-star cast of hosts, including Jeff Bridges, Heidi Klum, Morgan Freeman, Kevin Spacey and Benedict Cumberbatch. This year’s awards are in Berlin on April 18.
NEW YORK, NY, USA – Angelique Kerber capped off her rise to WTA World No.1 by winning her first US Open title, edging past No.10 seed Karolina Pliskova, 6-3, 4-6, 6-4.
“It’s just amazing. I won my second Grand Slam of the year and it’s the best year of my career,” Kerber said after the match.
“For me everything started here in 2011,” she added, referring to when she made the semifinals ranked No.92. “And now here, five years later I’m standing here with the trophy. All the dreams came true this year.”
Pliskova, who was contesting the first Grand Slam final of her career, opened the match looking a bit nervy, hitting four unforced errors in her first service game – including a wild forehand volley at the net. She broke a string just as Kerber broke her serve, and the German consolidated to build up a 2-0 lead.
But now with a couple of games in the bag, both players began to settle into the match and bring out the sparring tennis they’ve produced in their past seven encounters. Kerber defending the ball well then found open court with her famously consistent ground strokes, keeping Pliskova on the run. For her part, the Czech took advantage of Kerber’s short balls and pounced on her second serve, but the loose errors proved to be her undoing as Kerber broke again to take the first set.
New World No.☝️ with her new @USOpen ?! pic.twitter.com/nFwbzkBrIx
— WTA (@WTA) September 10, 2016
More to come…
Jelena Ostapenko didn’t enter the Qatar Total Open with high aspirations; two out of the main draw, the 18-year-old Latvian just wanted to win a match in qualifying before finding herself in the main draw.
“I was trying to improve,” she said. “First, it was like second round of quallies, and I was just really happy that I got main draw.
“On the first match, I was just trying to play my best tennis. Match by match, I played better and better.”
An understatement from the typically understated Ostapenko, who earned back-to-back wins over a pair of former World No.2s Svetlana Kuznetsova and Petra Kvitova en route to the second and biggest final of her career. Up a set against Carla Suárez Navarro, she showed off effortless power and gritty resilience through three sets, but ultimately fell to the experienced Spaniard.
Still, it was an impressive week for the Latvian, who jumps up to a career-high ranking of No.41 and joins fellow 18-year-olds Belinda Bencic (No.8) and Daria Kasatkina (No.46) to become the largest cohort of youngsters since April of 2009 (Caroline Wozniacki, Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, Sorana Cirstea).
“It’s great but it’s just the first step,” she said during the trophy ceremony. “But my goal is to be even higher, so I hope I can make it.”
Final Results for January’s WTA Breakthrough Performance Of The Month
1. Jelena Ostapenko (50%)
2. Daria Kasatkina (23%)
3. Caroline Garcia (15%)
4. Zheng Saisai (12%)
2016 Breakthrough Player Of The Month
January: Zhang Shuai
How it works:
Finalists are selected by wtatennis.com
Winner is then determined by a fan vote on wtatennis.com
The 2016 Grand Slam season is in the books, but there is still plenty of tennis before the WTA’s grand finale at the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global. Top tier tournaments in Tokyo, Wuhan, and Beijing will help determine the remaining spots for Singapore. Who has already qualified and who has the edge heading into the Asian Swing?
“With only 40 days to go until the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global, the Road to Singapore is really heating up now with the best players putting in all their final efforts to secure a prized spot among the greatest eight,” said Melissa Pine, Vice-President of WTA Asia-Pacific and Tournament Director of the WTA Finals. “Women’s tennis is truly exciting at the moment and I am sure that this year’s WTA Finals will feature some of the most thrilling action on court. It is definitely going to be a great time for all the fans!”
KEY INFORMATION:
Tournament Level: Tour Championships
Prize Money: $7,000,000
Draw Size: 8 main draw singles (round robin)/8 main draw doubles (knockout)
Main Draw Ceremony: Friday, October 21
First Day of Main Draw: Sunday, October 23, 5pm
Singles Final: Sunday, October 30, NB 7.30pm
Doubles Final: Sunday, October 30, 4pm
MUST FOLLOW SOCIAL MEDIA ACCOUNTS:
@WTA
@WTA_Insider – WTA Insider, Senior Writer Courtney Nguyen
@WTAFinalsSG – The official tournament Twitter for the WTA Finals
Get involved in conversations with the official hashtags, #WTAFinals and #WTA.
OPENING DAY ACTION:
This year, fans can look forward to the new Family Day At The Tennis festivities which will complement the scintillating action on Center Court on opening day. Session 1 ticket-holders will be given a Family Day At The Tennis Passport which they can use to earn themselves incentives and prizes such as front-row tickets, fast-track access to special activities, and a meet and greet with WTA legends, while attempting various activities and challenges at the all-new Fan Village.
QUALIFICATION UPDATE:
– Top 2 on the WTA rankings, Serena Williams and Angelique Kerber became the first two women to qualify for Singapore; leading the Road to Singapore leaderboard for most of 2016, Serena and Kerber contested two of the three Grand Slam finals at the Australian Open and Wimbledon championships. The two will be making their 13th and fourth WTA Finals appearances respectively; Serena has won the title five times.
– By winning her second Grand Slam title at the US Open, Kerber moves up to No.1 on the Road to Singapore leaderboard.
– Three doubles teams have already qualified. Australian Open champions Martina Hingis and Sania Mirza were the first women to qualify for Singapore, followed by French Open champions Caroline Garcia and Kristina Mladenovic. Olympic Gold medalists Ekaterina Makarova and Elena Vesnina became the third team to qualify after reaching the semifinals of the US Open.
– Hingis and Mirza are defending champions and plan to play Singapore despite splitting after the Rogers Cup, while Garcia and Mladenovic will be making their first apperance as a team after debuting in 2015 with different partners. By reaching the US Open final, the French will take over the No.1 ranking on the Road to Singapore leaderboard.
MAKAROVA AND VESNINA QUALIFY FOR SINGAPORE:
– Makarova and Vesnina were forced to withdraw from the WTA Finals last year, but have qualified twice before, reaching the finals in 2013. The Russians rode a 13-match winning streak into the US Open semifinals with a title at the Rogers Cup before Rio. Learn more about Makarova and Vesnina’s qualification story here.
SINGAPORE IN SIGHT FOR BUCIE?
– Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Lucie Safarova were the second team to qualify for Singapore last year, but have played just six events in 2016 due to Safarova’s struggles with illness and injury. Still, the captured their their major title as a pair at the US Open, moving up to No.7 on the RTS leaderboard.
LOOKING AHEAD: THE ASIAN SWING
Six spots in singles and five spots in doubles will be decided during the WTA tour’s final stretch of the 2016 season. The first major tournament of the Asian Swing is the Premier-level Toray Pan Pacific Open, won by defending WTA Finals champion Agnieszka Radwanska last year. From there, the tour heads to China for back-to-back weeks at the Dongfeng Motor Wuhan Open (won by Venus Williams) and the Premier Mandatory China Open (won by French Open champion Garbiñe Muguruza).
Here is the current RTS leaderboard in singles and doubles; who will qualify next?