Doubles star Abigail Spears kicked off her final year on tour by winning her first Grand Slam title with Juan Sebastian Cabal, defeating No.2 seeds Sania Mirza and Ivan Dodig in two sets.
January was defined by four breakthrough players who brought some impressive performances on and off the court. Which one soared the highest?
Have a look at the nominees for January’s Breakthrough of the Month and cast your vote before Thursday at 11:59pm ET! The winner will be announced Friday, February 3.
January 2017 WTA Breakthrough of the Month Finalists:
Katerina Siniakova: Siniakova started the season at the Shenzhen Open, where she won her first title with wins over Simona Halep and Johanna Konta before knocking out 2016 finalist Alison Riske in the championship match. The win brought the Czech youngster to a career-high ranking of No.37.
Elise Mertens: Mertens made her Top 100 debut after winning the Hobart International the week before the Australian Open. Though she missed the deadline for Melbourne qualifying, the powerful Belgian blew through the draw, roaring through qualifying to defeat top seed Kiki Bertens and Monica Niculescu in the final.
Lauren Davis: Another player to take home their maiden WTA title was young American Lauren Davis, who started the year at the ASB Classic. Unseeded in Auckland, Davis beat four seeds to the title, including Bertens, Barbora Strycova, Jelena Ostapenko, and Ana Konjuh.
CoCo Vandeweghe: Vandeweghe made her major breakthrough at the Australian Open, getting back-to-back wins over two of 2016’s three Grand Slam champions in World No.1 Angelique Kerber and Garbiñe Muguruza. Making her first Grand Slam semifinal, the American pushed eventual finalist Venus Williams to three tough sets.
2016 Winners:
January: Zhang Shuai
February: Jelena Ostapenko
March: Nicole Gibbs
April: Cagla Buyukakcay
May: Kiki Bertens
June: Elena Vesnina
July: Kristina Kucova
August: Karolina Pliskova
September: Naomi Osaka
October: Peng Shuai
How it works:
Finalists are selected by wtatennis.com
Winner is then determined by a fan vote on wtatennis.com
Ahead of her fourth-round meeting with Sam Stosur, Simona Halep took a trip on the Road To Roland Garros to discuss speed shopping, that outfit and the perfect 10.
Watch Svetlana Kuznetsova’s practice session on Day 3 of the St. Petersburg Ladies Trophy.
PARIS, France – The WTA announced on Tuesday that 29-time WTA singles and 69-time doubles champion Arantxa Sánchez-Vicario will return as an ambassador to the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global 2016.
“I had a great experience at the WTA Finals in Singapore last year – spectator support was fantastic and the atmosphere was electric,” the three-time French Open champion said at a press conference held at Roland Garros. “I am honored to return, as it gives me the opportunity to interact with the local fans and friends, old and new, while doing my bit to give back to the sport I love.”
Sánchez-Vicario qualified for the WTA Finals 13 times during her successful career, winning the doubles title twice with Helena Sukova in 1992 and with Jana Novotna in 1995, while finishing as singles runner-up to Steffi Graf in 1993.
In her role as ambassador, the 14-time Grand Slam champion and International Tennis Hall of Fame member joins fellow legend, 59-time Grand Slam champion Martina Navratilova to promote the “Road to Singapore,” a season-long journey which follows players on their quest to make the cut for WTA’s crown jewel event in Singapore.
During the festival, the two legends will be participating in a mix of community and fan engagement activities including tennis clinics as well as appearances at the WTA Finals Fan Zone and the Racquet Club.
“Over the years, Arantxa has been an icon of women’s tennis and a great ambassador of the sport,” noted Melissa Pine, Vice-President of WTA Asia-Pacific and Tournament Director of the WTA Finals. “It is an absolute honor to have her back this year. Her love for the game has been one of the key reasons for her success, and we are really excited for her to bring that same passion to tennis fans at the WTA Finals in Singapore come October.”
The ambassadorship comes as part of an effort by the WTA and Lagardère Sports to enhance fan engagement by bringing them closer to the action during the 10-day festival of sports, lifestyle, business and entertainment from October 21-30, 2016.
“The BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global is a key event in the sporting calendar,” said Sarah Clements, Vice-President of Tennis – Asia at Lagardère Sports. “Besides the uniqueness of the competition, where fans get to watch the best eight singles players and doubles pairs in the world in action on court, the festival of tennis will also captivate fans’ attention with innovative offerings that will keep them entertained.”
All photos courtesy of Getty Images.
Check out Dominika Cibulkova’s shot of the day, against Donna Vekic.
Twenty-seven years on from her major breakthrough, the Barcelona Bumblebee Arantxa Sánchez-Vicario has not lost her love of the game, signing up as the latest ambassador for the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global.
However, for many the Spaniard will forever be the effervescent 17-year-old who snatched victory from the jaws of defeat against the then-queen bee Steffi Graf in the 1989 French Open final.
This was one of many enduring memories to have occurred at a tournament that has become synonymous for first thrusting iconic names into the public eye. And as Roland Garros 2016 enters the home stretch, CNN Open Court asked some of the famous old venues’ most fêted competitors to share their memories.
Yulia Putintseva has Friday’s shot of the day at the St. Petersburg Ladies Trophy.
Who is the most famous athlete in the world? Ben Alamar, ESPN’s director of sports analytics, devised a formula that combines salary, prize money and endorsements with social media following and Google search popularity to create the ESPN World Fame 100 rankings.
The WTA’s brightest stars dominated the list: of the 8 women highlighted by ESPN, half are WTA players. Maria Sharapova (No.18), Serena Williams (No.25), Sania Mirza (No.41) and Venus Williams (No.74) were named as the most famous female athletes.
At No.18 on the list, Sharapova is the most famous female athlete in the world and her combined 17.6 million fans on social media can agree. From winning her first Grand Slam title at Wimbledon at the age of 17 to debuting her confectionary lines, the Russian’s broad popularity has cemented her position at the top.
Two “Serena Slams” 13 years apart speak to the longevity of Serena’s career, during which she’s amassed 70 titles and claims a combined 10.4 million social fans. Her off court activities – including a couple of viral cameos – keep her firmly in the pop culture spotlight as well. At No.25 she is the third most famous female athlete on the list.
A pair of trailblazers round out the ESPN World Fame 100 list: Sania Mirza and Venus Williams. Mirza galvanized an entire subcontinent when she became the first Indian woman to win a Grand Slam last year at Wimbledon, and the world’s No.1 doubles player continues to break barriers for women. Similarly, Venus made history when she became the first African-American player ever – male or female – to hold the No.1 ranking in tennis. Her 49 career titles are only eclipsed by her continuing contributions to equality in the game, and as a result she remains one of the most famous athletes in the world.
Elina Svitolina had Saturday’s shot of the day at the Taiwan Open.