Rome: Keys vs. Kvitova
Madison Keys takes on Petra Kvitova in the second round of the Internazionali BNL d’Italia.
Madison Keys takes on Petra Kvitova in the second round of the Internazionali BNL d’Italia.
Sabine Lisicki overcame Julia Boserup – and some tricky on-court conditions – on Tuesday to reach the second round of the Hawaii Open.
An interview with Svetlana Kuznetsova after her win in the third round of the Internazionali BNL d’Italia.
The WTA’s all-star cast battle it out for wins, titles and ranking points all year long – but who is getting the most clicks? This week, wtatennis.com will count down the Top 50 Most Popular Players Of 2016.
Kicking off the list will be No.50 to No.41! Find out who made the cut…
50] Andrea Petkovic (GER)
Petkovic may have finished the year ranked outside the Top 50 for the first time since 2012, but as one of the WTA’s most charismatic players she remains as popular as ever.
49] Monica Niculescu (ROU)
Niculescu enjoyed one of her most successful campaigns to date, finishing off in style with a final in Seoul and derailing the in-form Petra Kvitova to lift the trophy in Luxembourg.
48] Sara Errani (ITA)
A ninth career title, at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships, highlighted an up and down year for the always-entertaining Errani.
47] Yulia Putintseva (KAZ)
Putintseva was one of the breakthrough stars of the French Open, making it all the way to the quarterfinals, her ranking – and popularity – soaring as a consequence.
46] Jelena Jankovic (SRB)
Former World No.1 Jankovic continues to entertain her legions of fans across the globe, particularly in Asia where she finished runner-up in Guangzhou and made the last four in Hong Kong..
45] CoCo Vandeweghe (USA)
Vandeweghe’s star continued to rise in 2016, victory on the grass of ‘s-Hertogenbosch helping her break the Top 30 for the first time.
44] Sloane Stephens (USA)
Injury may have curtailed Sloane Stephens’ season prematurely, but not before she had collected a trio of trophies – in Auckland, Acapulco and Charleston.
43] Heather Watson (GBR)
British No.2 continues to be a firm favorite at home and abroad, particularly after her popular triumph in the Wimbledon mixed doubles final alongside Henri Kontinen.
42] Irina-Camelia Begu (ROU)
Begu impressed on the clay, going deep at Roland Garros, Rome, Madrid and Charleston, however, it was on the cement of Florianopolis that she lifted her third career title.
41] Elena Vesnina (RUS)
This year, Vesnina enjoyed a return to prominence stunning a number of higher-ranked rivals to reach the Wimbledon semifinals, while in doubles she was victorious alongside Ekaterina Makarova at both the Olympics and WTA Finals.
Come back to wtatennis.com on Tuesday for No.40 to No.31 on the list.
Roberta Vinci
2016 Quick Hits
Week 1 Ranking: No.15
Year-End Ranking: No.18 (Career-High No.7, 5/9/2016)
Season Highlights: Title at St. Petersburg
Best Major Result: QF (US Open)
2017 Outlook
To the delight of her ever-growing fan base, Roberta Vinci recently backtracked on her previously stated decision to call it quits at the end of 2016.
Vinci began reconsidering her options as early as February, when she won the her most prestigious title yet, the St. Petersburg Ladies Trophy. The feat also saw her become the oldest woman in WTA history to make her Top 10 debut.
Solid showings in Doha and Indian Wells enabled Vinci continue this rise into the spring, peaking at a career-best No.7. While the summer – on either side of the Atlantic proved a mixed bag – the US Open once again coaxed the best tennis from the 33-year-old, who carved through the first four rounds before falling to eventual champion Angelique Kerber.
Having mulled over her options, the evergreen Italian feels she still has plenty to offer, announcing her decision to Sports Illustrated last month. A refreshed Vinci will bring her anachronistic game to Australia, beginning in Brisbane, and despite turning 34 in February few would bet against one last hurrah.
”I still feel like I have the desire and enthusiasm to try and do something in what is perhaps the thing I’m best at, playing tennis,” she said.
“Now don’t start asking me if this will be my last year!!! See you in Australia.”
NÜRNBERG, Germany – Kiki Bertens dealt a blow to Roberta Vinci’s French Open preparations by triumphing in their second-round meeting at the NÜRNBERGER VERSICHERUNGSCUP on Wednesday.
Early exits in Madrid and Rome meant Vinci arrived in southern Germany short of match practice, and her hopes of playing herself out of this funk were dashed by Bertens in an hour and 20 minutes.
Vinci looked to be sending the contest into a third set, only for the qualifier to batten down the hatches and complete the upset. Bertens’ 6-4, 7-6(4) victory sets up a meeting with Irina Falconi, who fought back to see off No.6 seed Misaki Doi, 6-3, 5-7, 6-4.
“I’m really happy with the win today, of course. I’m always happy to have a few matches before Paris and I think my level was okay today,” Bertens said.
“I didn’t start [the second set] so good, I was 4-1 down. But then I started to be a little more patient – trying to hit the ball in the court! – and from there be more aggressive, and that worked pretty well today.
There were mixed fortunes for the German contingent, Julia Goerges easing past Yulia Putintseva, 6-4, 6-2, while Varvara Lepchenko ended the hopes of No.5 seed Sabine Lisicki, 6-2, 7-6(5).
“It was a tough one. Obviously Sabine’s the favorite and she’s the home player. And she’s a great player! So I knew she wasn’t going to give me anything for free and I’d really have to fight for it and that’s what I was looking for,” Lepchenko said.
“In the second set I had a lot of opportunities that I let slip. I lost my focus a bit there and I was all over the place a bit there, and once I got back into it, it was more even and I was able to push through.”
In doubles, Annika Beck and Anna-Lena Friedsam warmed up for their singles quarterfinal against one another by teaming up to beat Chan Chin-Wei and Demi Schuurs, 6-0, 6-4.
Tennis fans @ #NVC2016 like to watch doubles just as much. E.g. @BeckAnnika & AL Friedsam advancing to semis! pic.twitter.com/Hcbjuc88lN
— Nürnberger Cup (@NuernbergerCup) 18 May 2016
Just one month away from the first edition of June’s Mallorca Open, Ana Ivanovic tried for the first time the centre court of the grass tournament along with Carlos Moyà and Toni Nadal during an event held at the Country Club Tennis Academy Santa Ponsa, the tournament’s venue.
The former Wprld No.1, one of the favorites to win the title, practiced on the new grass court with Carlos Moyà, a former ATP No.1, as well as Toni Nadal, Rafael Nadal’s uncle and coach.
“It is a big event for Mallorca, with big names and a hard draw,” said Ivanovic after practicing for over 10 minutes on a grass that has been tested and supervised by the All England Lawn Tennis Club. “It is a pleasure for me to prepare Wimbledon in a place I feel like at home,”
Ivanovic also unveiled one of the surprises of the event, a giant tennis ball made of 600 ensaimadas, a typical majorcan pastry.
I am so excited to play the @MallorcaOpen later this summer. Their new grass Centre Court is slick! Who's coming? pic.twitter.com/eNNhw0U6pN
— Ana Ivanovic (@AnaIvanovic) May 18, 2016
Apart from Ivanovic, the Mallorca Open will have a great line up, full of grass court specialists. Garbiñe Muguruza, Eugenie Bouchard and Sabine Lisicki all reached the Wimbledon final in the last three years, and will try to become the first champions on the inaugural edition of the event. Other big names with the likes of former No.1 Jelena Jankovic, Sara Errani, Kristina Mladenovic, Annika Beck and Julia Goerges.
A few months ago Muguruza was the selected player to put the first stone on this centre court.
Las pistas de hierba del @wtamallorca toman forma!! Grass courts at Mallorca Open are looking good!! See you there! pic.twitter.com/sercwC1JOW
— Garbiñe Muguruza (@GarbiMuguruza) May 15, 2016
“I am very excited and I can’t wait for this tournament to start” she said at the itme. “I am really happy because this surface is one of my favorites. In Spain we have a clay tradition but I think this novelty is great news. I’ll be there in a few weeks, excited to play another tournament in Spain, in a very special place like Majorca.”
I wish there was a confetti flying from the sky after every good serve! ? @MallorcaOpen pic.twitter.com/gNk7fYp1P7
— Ana Ivanovic (@AnaIvanovic) May 18, 2016
Want to see the French Open draw unfold right before your eyes? Look no further – watch the live broadcast of the draw ceremony right here on wtatennis.com!
On the eve of the calendar’s second major, wtatennis.com contributor Chris Oddo previews the pick of Roland Garros’ opening day menu.
Sania Mirza completed her 90th week atop the WTA doubles rankings on Monday.
Just 10 weeks ago, the World No.1 celebrated 80 weeks ahead of the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global, where her ranking came under threat from the likes of Caroline Garcia and Kristina Mladenovic, and Bethanie Mattek-Sands. Mattek-Sands came within a match of unseating the Indian star by reaching the final in Singapore, only to fall to Olympic champions Ekaterina Makarova and Elena Vesnina.
In an ironic twist, Mirza will reunite with former partner Mattek-Sands to start the 2017 season at the Brisbane International, where they will be top seeds ahead of Makarova and Vesnina.
Mirza began 2016 with longtime partner Martina Hingis, with whom she won a third straight major title at the Australian Open, and came up just short in their hunt for the Non-Calendar Year “Santina” Slam. The pair split by summer, and Mirza formed a new partnership with Barbora Strycova, cementing their union with titles at the Western & Southern Open and Toray Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo.
For all she has already accomplished, Mirza still has big goals for next year, including a maiden French Open title to complete her Career Grand Slam.