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Vote: March Breakthrough Of The Month

Vote: March Breakthrough Of The Month

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

WTA March BTOM

March was defined by four breakthrough players who brought some impressive performances to the second month of 2016. Which one soared the highest?

Have a look at the nominees for March’s Breakthrough Performance of the Month and cast your vote before Thursday at 11:59pm ET! The winner will be announced Friday, April 8.

March 2016 WTA Breakthrough Performance of the Month Finalists:

Daria Kasatkina: Kasatkina’s breakthrough season continued with her first Premier Mandatory quarterfinal at the BNP Paribas Open. Unseeded in Indian Wells, the 2014 French Open junior champion began her tournament with a win over two-time winner Daniela Hantuchova, saved match point against Monica Puig and upset Timea Bacsinszky to reach the last eight, falling to Karolina Pliskova. The Russian’s run in Miami was cut short by World No.5 Simona Halep, who she pushed in two tough sets in the second round. Kasatkina is currently up to a career-high ranking of No.35 and is seeded for the first time at a Premier-level tournament at the Volvo Car Open.

Naomi Osaka: The Japanese teenager had another big week, this time in Miami. In her tournament debut, Osaka blew past Sara Errani in straight sets to reach the third round for the first time at a Premier Mandatory tournament. With her booming game, she is up to her own career-high ranking of No.95.

Timea Babos: 22 year old Timea Babos’ consistent 2016 kicked into high gear in Miami when she reached the round of 16 at a Premier Mandatory for the first time in her career. Playing Australian Open champion Angelique Kerber under the lights on Center Court, Babos appeared undaunted for much of the contest, even leading by a break in the final set before the German’s experience ultimately shone through. The former ace leader is ranked inside the Top 40 at No.39 for the first time, as well, and looks poised to move even farther up the rankings in singles and doubles, where she reached the final with Yaroslava Shvedova.

Nicole Gibbs: The former Stanford All-American has come good on the WTA level in a big way in 2016. Gibbs reached the fourth round of the BNP Paribas Open and nearly pulled off the upset against two-time Wimbledon winner Petra Kvitova. In between major success on the court, Gibbs also earned praise off of it from the likes of Billie Jean King and Chris Evert for her passionate defense of equal prize money. Following up her run in Miami, she reached the third round before bowing out to 2015 Wimbledon runner-up Garbiñe Muguruza. 

2016 Winners:

January: Zhang Shuai
February: Jelena Ostapenko

How it works:

Finalists are selected by wtatennis.com
Winner is then determined by a fan vote on wtatennis.com

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Insider Podcast: From Concrete To Clay

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

On this episode, WTA Insider Senior Writer Courtney Nguyen reviews the final weekend of the Miami Open, where Victoria Azarenka continued her incredible start to the season by winning her third title of the year, beating Svetlana Kuznetsova in straight sets to win Miami and become just the third woman to complete the Sunshine Double. Hear from Azarenka herself as she discusses her upcoming transition to the clay, the inherent stress of going for the American sweep in March, and how she feels to be back in the conversation amongst the game’s elite.

Nguyen is also joined by 18-time major champion and BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore ambassador Martina Navratilova to analyze the first three months of the season and preview the upcoming clay swing. Are World No.1s Serena Williams and Sania Mirza and Martina Hingis stuck in a slump? Can Victoria Azarenka continue to rack up titles on a less favorable surface like clay? Can Petra Kvitova win without a coach? Navratilova weighs in on those questions and more in a free-ranging discussion of 2016’s contenders and pretenders so far.

Azarenka: “Being a part of the discussion, I don’t listen to it that much, because it’s not interesting to me. Opinions, talks, it’s all more for people who are outside the sport. For me, I need to work and focus on my work, because it’s not going to happen if I don’t put the work in.”

Navratilova on Serena: “You don’t panic. Not when it comes to a great player like Serena Williams. I just think she needs to find some joy. It seems to me she’s just not happy on the court. Even when things were ot going her way it seemed like she was embracing that fight and right now I don’t see her embracing that fight. Sometimes that’s enough to not be able to finish those comebacks. If she finds that emotion, that passion for being in those fights then I think she’ll right the ship. There’s nothing wrong with her game.”

Navratilova on Kvitova: “Coachless doesn’t work. You can’t coach yourself. Even Roger Federer needed a coach. He was always with Severin Lüthi but he would pick up other people.”

Subscribe to the podcast on iTunes or on any podcast app of your choice and reviews are always helpful, so if you like what you’ve heard so far, leave one. Get new episode alerts by following us on Twitter @WTA_Insider.

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Vesnina Puts On Clay Court Clinic

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

CHARLESTON, SC, USA – Former World No.21 Elena Vesnina has tended to play some of her best tennis on green clay throughout her career, and this week has seen the Russian’s resurgent season hit new heights at the Volvo Car Open, overcoming some blustery conditions and an inspired opponent in Laura Siegemund to win, 7-5, 6-4, and reach the semifinals in Charleston.

Watch highlights, interviews and more video from Charleston right here on wtatennis.com!

“I’m really enjoying my time here in Charleston,” Vesnina told Andrew Krasny during her on-court interview. “I love the city, the tournament, and I love this crowd! I’m playing well, even today with really tough conditions to play in.

“I was talking to myself about the wind, arguing with the wind, asking him to stop blowing that hard. It didn’t work! That’s why I had to work hard to win this match.”

Vesnina reached the final of Charleston back in 2011, and showed some of that vintage form early in the match against Siegemund as she raced out to a 4-1, double break lead. In the midst of a career-best season herself, Siegemund didn’t take the deficit lying down, eventually earning both breaks back to level the opening set at 5-5.

Undaunted, Vesnina broke once more to clinch the opening set and move out to an early break in the second. Three points from victory, Vesnina was about to put away a forehand volley when Siegemund’s hat flew from her head, causing a let to be called. The mishap led to one last surge from the German, who got within two points of leveling the second set as she did the first, but the top doubles threat weathered the storm and earned a sixth straight victory in straight sets.

“I was trying not to rush the points because I was controlling the rally,” Vesnina said, having hit 22 winners to 24 unforced errors, and venturing to net 18 times, winning 11 of those exchanges. “I was the one attacking, coming in and trying to hit aggressive from the back.

“It was a little bit tricky with the wind and after 4-1 Laura played really well, much better than at the beginning of the match. I was just trying to play and fight.

“With these conditions, it’s impossible to show your best tennis. You just have to go and fight for every point.”

Vesnina’s opponent was decided by the last match of the day, won by former French Open finalist Sara Errani, who turned around a tricky opening set to defeat Yulia Putintseva, 7-6(2), 6-1. In the meantime, the newlywed has generously fielded questions as to whether her autumn marriage to Pavel Tabuntsov has led to her uptick in form.

“[Tournament Manager] Eleanor Adams, she was like, ‘I know why you’re playing good.’ She told me this morning. I’m like, ‘Why?’ ‘Because you’re still on the honeymoon.’

“I’m like, ‘Eleanor, he’s not even here. I’m alone.’ She’s like, ‘doesn’t matter.'”

Errani appeared out of sorts to start the match, falling behind an early break and finding herself two points from a one set deficit as Putintseva served for it at 5-4. From there, the Italian veteran gritted her way through an ensuing tie-break only to run away with the match in under two hours. In all, she hit 21 winners to only 18 unforced errors – Putintseva hit 25 winners but 35 errors – an maintained an always-impressive 89% first serve percentage.

“The first set was one hour and 15 minutes,” she told Andrew Krasny during her on-court interview. “It was really long, really tough and every game was, ‘Advantage, deuce, advantage deuce!’ But it was good and in the second, a bit more easy. I started to play a little bit better.”

Into the Volvo Car Open semifinals for the first time in her career, Errani has already struck gold by winning the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships, and will have an opportunity to reach yet another Premier final on Saturday.

“I’m really happy to be in the semifinals; for me it’s amazing. I know every match is really tough, so I’m really happy.”

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Safarova Crashes Out Of Moscow As Pavlyuchenkova Battles Through

Safarova Crashes Out Of Moscow As Pavlyuchenkova Battles Through

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

Lucie Safarova crashed out of the first round Kremlin Cup in straight sets at the hands of Daria Gavrilova.

The Czech, fit again after struggling with injuries throughout 2016, also failed to make to the second round in Beijing at the beginning of October and succumbed to a 6-2, 6-2 loss.

The match started evenly, with the first five games going with serve before the 2015 French Open finalist’s effort disintegrated, losing seven games in a row to hand Gavrilova the first set and a 3-0 love lead in the second.

Safarova failed to craft a single break point throughout and dropped serve once more in the final game of the match as the Australian skipped into the second round.

“Lucie had a hard time getting used to [the surface],” Gavrilova said after the match.

“I tried to play more long rallied, but she was making a lot of mistakes in her second or third shots. She didn’t perform her best today.”

She plays Carla Suárez Navarro in the next round.

Meanwhile, Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova had to fight hard to overcome Katreina Siniakova 7-6 (2), 5-7, 7-5.

The Russian raced into a 5-1 lead in the opening set but was pegged back by the 20-year-old, who twice broke Pavlyuchenkova when she was serving for the set. However, the No.7 seed regained her composure in the tiebreaker to move ahead.

Pavlyuchenkova started the second set brightly but, after taking a 3-0 lead, her serve let her down and Siniakova won four straight games to turn the encounter on its head. Despite Pavlyuchenkova’s best efforts to get back on level terms, her serve let her down and Siniakova levelled the match.

In the final set, Siniakova took a two-break lead but Pavlyuchenkova dug deep to level the match and avoided a tiebreaker by breaking the Czech’s serve at 6-5.

Jelena Jankovic emerged victorious in a topsy-turvy match with Jelena Ostapenko, who failed to hold serve throughout.

After exchanging breaks, Jankovic found some stability on serve, confirming a hold with an ace before a pair of unforced errors gave her an advantage. Though Ostapenko broke back, she was unable to find her serve and a second hold from the Serb gave her the first set 6-3.

Ostapenko’s woes continued in the second set as she once again failed to hold once but was able to make inroads on the Jankovic serve. The Serb held to go 3-1 up and was able to continue breaking Ostapenko until she secured a place in the second round.

Elsewhere, Alizé Cornet eliminated Shelby Rogers in straight sets. The first set was a tight affair, with the pair exchanging breaks in the fifth and sixth games before the 26-year-old saved two set points to take the tiebreak 8-6.

She immediately went a break up in the second set and though the American broke back, Cornet regained her advantage to confirm her place in the next round.

Ekaterina Makarova overcame American qualifier Nicole Gibbs 7-5, 6-1. Both players routinely broke one another in the first set and the 23-year-old lost three straight games, having been serving for the set.

Makarova made no mistake from there, roaring into a 4-0 lead in the second and she sailed into the second round.

Finally, Julia Görges beat Dankta Kovinic 7-6 (3), 6-3, Anna Blinkova came from a set down to overcome Anastasija Sevastova 4-6, 6-1, 7-6 (10), Ana Konjuh defeated Barbora Strycova 6-4, 1-6, 6-2 and Kristina Mladenovic marched past Anna Kalinskaya 6-4, 6-2. Finally, Lesya Tsurenko was forced to retire after losing the first set 6-3 to Yulia Putintseva.

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Stephens Strikes Gold In Charleston

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

CHARLESTON, SC, USA – No.7 seed Sloane Stephens was a point from a one-set deficit against 2011 Volvo Car Open finalist Elena Vesnina, but the young American turned the tide in emphatic style, capturing her third title of the season, 7-6(4), 6-2.

Watch highlights, interviews and more video from Charleston right here on wtatennis.com!

Stephens had lost her only prior encounter with Vesnina back in 2013, but appeared to have weathered the storm after falling behind an early break to take a 5-2 lead in the opening set. Vesnina had to win two matches in qualifying just to reach the main draw, however, and was far from finished as she clawed back to win four games in a row and even hold set point behind a barrage of winners.

The 2013 Australian Open semifinalist nonetheless held her nerve and, saving her best tennis for the ensuing tie-break, reclaimed the initiative and never looked back, breaking serve twice more to clinch the victory on her fourth championship point.

“I just said to myself, ‘You have to fight for every point and compete.’ She’s a great player, so I knew I had to stay in every point,” she told ESPN’s Pam Shriver after the match.

“When I got a couple of opportunities, I took them, so that was great.”

Stephens has now won three titles in 2016, starting with the ASB Classic in Auckland and the Abierto Mexicano Telcel in Acapulco. The 23-year-old will take her Charleston victory to Europe to start the red clay season in earnest at the Mutua Madrid Open.

“I love red clay, so starting in Madrid, I think I’ll have a lot of fun and just look forward to the French Open.”

Later on in press, Stephens credited a change in mindset with helping her reverse a string of disappointing results in Charleston, a tournament where she had only ever won one main draw match in five career appearances.

“Obviously coming into here I have a lot of anxiety coming into this tournament because I’ve never done well here. I just thought, you know, I’m just going to go have fun. I have nothing to lose. I’ve only won one match here ever, and just go out and play and have fun because I mean it’s just another week, and after this I’ll have a nice little break. I’m going to go to Europe.

“I don’t have anything to lose. My life is great. It’s tennis. And this is what I do every week. So I kind of just changed my mindset, and that worked. So I should just do that every week.”

For Vesnina, losing felt pretty close to winning after seven match wins from the qualifying draw; starting the season having to play Grand Slam qualifying for the first time since the 2005 US Open, the Russian veteran has enjoyed a career renaissance since Australia, nabbing wins over Simona Halep and Caroline Wozniacki in Doha, Venus Williams in Miami, and Sara Errani on Saturday.

“This final is like a win,” she said in her post-match press conference. “I know that there’s only one winner, and for us, for all the athletes there’s only one place, No.1, but here, today, I feel like I’m a winner because I played so many matches from qualies. I was just counting, I had like eight matches in singles and two in doubles, so ten matches in one week. That’s quite a lot.

“I’m just really happy about my run here, and let’s see how it’s going to be the rest of the year. But I’m really looking forward to that because I think it’s going to be good.”

In the doubles final, French Connection Caroline Garcia and Kristina Mladenovic won their first title of the season; the Frenchwomen announced their partnership at the end of 2015 in anticipation of the Olympic Summer Games in Rio de Janeiro, and after two finals at the Apia International Syndey and the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships, the two struck gold in Charleston, taking out top seeds Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Lucie Safarova, 6-2, 7-5.

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