Doha: Suárez Navarro vs. Ostapenko
Carla Suárez Navarro takes on Jelena Ostapenko in the final of the Qatar Total Open.
Carla Suárez Navarro takes on Jelena Ostapenko in the final of the Qatar Total Open.
How many minutes did it take Kurumi Nara to overcome Daniela Hantuchova in their recent Malaysian marathon? Which nation is best represented in the Top 100? And who has hit the most aces in 2016? These are just a few of the questions answered in the latest installment of wtatennis.com’s By The Numbers.
200 – The number of minutes needed by Kurumi Nara to defeat Daniela Hantuchova in the first round of the BMW Malaysian Open, making it the longest match of the season. The previous record was Heather Watson and Monica Niculescu’s 194-minute marathon in Hobart.
84.6 – Despite having a delivery that rarely breaks the 90mph mark, Sara Errani succeeded in winning 84.6% of the points on her first serve in February.
76 – The WTA-leading number of aces struck by, no, not Serena Williams or Karolina Pliskova, but Timea Babos, who credits a change in technique with improved power and consistency behind her booming delivery. Number two on the list for the year is Julia Goerges (61), who, as chance would have it, teamed up with Babos for doubles through the Middle East Swing..
45 – Doha finalist Jelena Ostapenko was the most upwardly mobile of any player currently ranked in the Top 100 in February, rising 45 places (from No.86 to 41).
33 – Based on the rankings from February 29, 2016, there are currently 33 nations represented in the Top 100, led by the USA (12), Germany (10) and Russia (8).
13 – Unlucky for some, Angelique Kerber, Agnieszka Radwanska and Carla Suárez Navarro have all played 13 matches in 2016, more than any other player.
3 – Kerber still leads the way in the Road To Singapore leaderboard with 2,361 points. Three of the current Top 8 on the leaderboard have never competed in singles at the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global.
2 – Sloane Stephens became the first player to win multiple singles titles in 2016 with victory in Acapulco on Saturday. It was her third career title (after Washington DC, in 2015 and Auckland this January). Stephens played 83 tournaments before advancing to her first WTA singles final and has now won three titles in her last 11 events.
1 – Looking ahead to Indian Wells, Simona Halep will follow in the footsteps of greatness should she reclaim the title; Martina Navratilova (1990, 1991) is the only woman to successfully defend her title at the event
0 – Number of wins by seeded players in Dubai.
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia – Elina Svitolina booked her place in the quarterfinals of the BMW Malaysian Open with a topsy-turvy win over qualifier Risa Ozaki on Thursday evening.
Watch live action from Monterrey & Kuala Lumpur this week on WTA Live powered by TennisTV!
After breezing through her opening match, Svitolina, the No.2 seed, seemed on course for another routine victory when she took a one-sided opening set.
However, in the end she was made to sweat – by both Ozaki and the Malaysian capital’s humidity – before running away with the match, 6-1, 3-6, 6-0.
Struggling with a preexisting back problem, Svitolina lost a series of tit for tat games to drop the second set to her unheralded opponent. A visit from the trainer helped alleviate her discomfort and refocus the mind as the Ukrainian nipped the potential upset in the bud.
“My back was a bit sore. I had an injury at the Australian Open so I need to take care of it and that’s why today I was worrying a bit about my back,” Svitolina said. “After the timeout I came out strong and was playing great and playing my game. So I’m really happy and it was good that I came back strong.
“I was a little bit injured, a little bit off my game. But she started playing well and that’s why I was a little bit struggling. All the games were advantage, deuce, advantage, deuce, so it was just a few points the difference. But this happens sometimes so I was just trying to be focused – and of course the conditions were not easy, too.”
Also advancing in Svitolina’s half of the draw was qualifier Zhu Lin, a 7-5, 6-2 winner over Zarina Diyas.
In the top half, there was success for a couple more unseeded players, Naomi Broady and Cagla Buyukakcay. Broady beat Yang Zhaoxuan, 6-4, 6-3, while Buyakakcay defeated top seed Roberta Vinci’s conqueror, Chang Kai-Chen, 7-5, 6-3.
INDIAN WELLS, CA, USA – USANA Health Sciences and the WTA have kicked off their third annual Aces for Humanity campaign in support of the USANA True Health Foundation, a nonprofit organization whose mission is to provide immediate and long-term assistance to suffering populations worldwide. USANA is a global nutritional company and has been a longstanding partner of the WTA since 2006.
Beginning with the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, every ace served at a Premier-level WTA event will translate into a donation for the Foundation. For every ace served by the nine USANA Brand Ambassadors – Caroline Wozniacki, Genie Bouchard, Madison Keys, Samantha Stosur, Sloane Stephens, Monica Puig, Zheng Saisai, and most recently Kristina Mladenovic and Alizé Cornet – the WTA will contribute $10 toward the campaign, while every ace served by any other WTA player will translate into a $5 donation.
Collectively, 430 aces were recorded by USANA Brand Ambassadors during last season’s campaign, with Keys leading the group with 138 non-returnable serves. Through this program and other charitable efforts, the WTA has contributed over $115,000 to the USANA True Health Foundation since 2011.
“One hundred percent of every dollar donated to the Foundation goes directly toward helping those in need of assistance,” said Deb Jordan, president of the USANA True Health Foundation. “The support we have received through the WTA and our Brand Ambassadors has allowed us to help millions around the world and we couldn’t be more grateful for their continued support and partnership.”
“I’m really impressed by USANA’s commitment to helping others and what the USANA True Health Foundation has accomplished over the past few years,” said USANA Brand Ambassador Caroline Wozniacki. “I’m proud to be part of this campaign and to help raise more awareness to their efforts.”
This year the program will also involve regular social giveaways, including autographed tennis balls and USANA product. For official rules, head to wtatennis.com.
“The WTA is proud to support the significant efforts of USANA’s True Health Foundation,” said Steve Simon, WTA CEO. “Through our partnership with USANA and the Aces for Humanity campaign, we are able to provide meaningful assistance to those in need, which is something we value greatly.”
#AcesForHumanity Fan Giveaway
It’s simple: before each WTA Premier tournament guess how many total aces will be hit.
First up is the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells. Last year there was a total of 460 aces hit. It’s now your turn, take your best guess of how many will be hit in the desert this year.
How To Enter:
• Follow @WTA and @USANAFoundation on Twitter and before each WTA Premier tournament tweet the number of aces you predict will be hit during the whole tournament (Singles, Main Draw)
• Include the hashtag #AcesForHumanity
• Indian Wells deadline is March 9th at 11am PST
• The winner will be announced March 21st
Aces For Humanity is a joint WTA and USANA initiative that benefits the USANA True Health Foundation, which provides critical human necessities to those in suffering or in need around the globe.
For full rules on how to enter, click here.
INDIAN WELLS, CA, USA – Heather Watson weathered an early storm to defeat Galina Voskoboeva in Wednesday’s first round at the BNP Paribas Open.
Watch highlights, interviews and more video from Indian Wells right here on wtatennis.com!
Fresh from winning the third title of her career last weekend, Watson struggled to find her best tennis before eventually prevailing, 7-6(4), 4-6, 6-1.
“It was very tough today. Galina’s coming back from injury and I thought she played very well today and really made me work for it but when it was important I was able to bring out my best tennis and I was very happy with it today,” Watson told Andrew Krasny in her on-court interview.
“I was very happy with my win in Monterrey,” she added. “I think today I was a little slow getting used to the court – it was very different, but I got through and I’m into the next round.”
Watson will face No.32 seed Monica Niculescu in the second round.
More to follow…
An interview with Garbiñe Muguruza before the start of the BNP Paribas Open.
Agnieszka Radwanska made a dramatic start to her BNP Paribas Open challenge, staging an improbable comeback to overcome Dominika Cibulkova.
World No.1 Serena Williams overcame a slow start to roar past Yulia Putintseva to reach the fourth round at the BNP Paribas Open.
INDIAN WELLS, CA, USA – Whisper it quietly, but Eugenie Bouchard is beginning to resemble the player who took the tennis world by storm two years ago.
While the player herself has been quick to downplay her revival, there is no denying that some of the swagger of old can be seen in the Canadian’s game. On Saturday evening she came out on top in her eagerly anticipated clash with childhood sparring partner Sloane Stephens to reach the third round of the BNP Paribas Open.
Remarkably, Stephens is the highest-ranked player Bouchard has beaten since September 2014, and the significance of the result was not lost.
“It’s important to me because it’s kind of on my comeback as I have kind of called this year,” Bouchard said in her post-match press conference. “It gives me confidence looking forward. You know, I don’t want to look back or don’t want to think about 2014 or 2015 really, so this one is important. It’s kind of a step forward, and I just want to keep going.”
Bouchard may not have wanted to dwell on those two campaigns, but the tennis world felt differently, conducting a thorough post-mortem.
With Thomas Hogstedt now in her corner, a refreshed and revitalized Bouchard has gone about proving the naysayers wrong by doing what she does best: winning matches.
In fact, the 22-year-old has already posted more victories in the opening two and a half months of this campaign (13) than in the whole of 2015 (12). And with this success comes the confidence so vital at the game’s summit.
Unfortunately for Bouchard, it also attracts the odd celebrity admirer.
“The Great One” @OfficialGretzky in the house supporting fellow Canadian @GenieBouchard! ?? #WTA https://t.co/QPXdQmamp3
— WTA (@WTA) March 13, 2016
“Actually, as soon as I saw him I lost a game and played pretty bad and I was wondering if he would leave or whatever,” Bouchard said when quizzed on the appearance of ice hockey legend Wayne Gretzky, in her box. “I was thinking, I have to get my game up a little. I know his daughter is an aspiring tennis champion. It’s cool that they are really into it and supportive.”
Should she get past Timea Bacsinszky in the next round, the clamor for a spot in the Canadian’s corner will only intensify. So, having been unnerved by Canadian sporting royalty last time out, whose face could send her over the edge?
“The prime minister? The president? Yeah – that would make me nervous!”
Best support team! Thank you @OfficialGretzky & the future tennis star ?? pic.twitter.com/zBI0RtP4Ja
— Genie Bouchard (@geniebouchard) March 13, 2016
An interview with Roberta Vinci after her third round win at the BNP Paribas Open.