Bouchard Confirms Olympic Participation
WTA Insider Courtney Nguyen | Former World No.5 Eugenie Bouchard will make her Olympic debut in Rio, the Canadian confirmed ahead of the Rogers Cup in Montréal.
WTA Insider Courtney Nguyen | Former World No.5 Eugenie Bouchard will make her Olympic debut in Rio, the Canadian confirmed ahead of the Rogers Cup in Montréal.
As the BNP Paribas Open draws to a conclusion, some players are looking ahead to the weekend whilst others are already busy acclimatising for Miami.
An interview with Victoria Azarenka after her first round win at the Brisbane International.
Johanna Konta has been one of the best servers on the WTA in 2016, and she continued to use that strength to secure her first career title with a 7-5, 5-7, 6-2 win over Venus Williams in the Bank of the West Classic.
In Sunday’s final, Konta won 61% of her service points, slightly ahead of her season performance of 60%, which ranks 10th on the WTA.
SAP Tennis Analytics for Coaches shows that in the three-set final, Konta’s service numbers were significantly better in the first and third sets, both of which she won, compared to the second. In the two winning sets combined, she won 68% of points on her serve. In the second set, which she lost, she won just 51% of service points.
Konta started the second set well, winning eight of her first 10 service points while opening up a 4-1 lead. However, in the next four service games of the set, she won just 41% of her service points, allowing Williams to force the decider.
In the third set, Konta showed resiliency by responding to win 66% of her service points. She faced three break points in that final set, saving all of them.
Overall for the match, Konta saved 67% of the break points she faced. She served up an ace on two of the eight break points she won.
The SAP Coaches View combines scoring information direct from the chair umpire with tracking data from HawkEye to allow for an in depth look at five different aspects of a match. Each tracking option can be filtered to narrow the focus to specific situations within a match, such as break points. This information is available directly to coaches in real-time during a match on their SAP tablet and also available to them online after matches.
“Service” tracking shows the landing point for all serves. The display differentiates between first serves, second serves and aces. Additional data on the screen shows the percentage of overall service points won as well as looking specifically at first and second serves. It can also be narrowed to show the performance on particular points in the match, such as break points.
Service success was the difference as Konta won her maiden WTA title.
No.14 seed Elena Vesnina has booked a spot into her first ever Premier Mandatory final at the BNP Paribas Open after a dominating performance over Kristina Mladenovic.
Victoria Azarenka takes on Elena Vesnina in the first round of the Brisbane International.
The 2016 Aces For Humanity campaign was launched by USANA and the WTA at the BNP Paribas Open and continued in Stanford at the Bank of the West Classic, where every ace hit by a WTA player at Premier-level events translates into a donation to the USANA True Health Foundation, whose mission is to provide the most critical human necessities to those who are suffering or in need around the world.
For every ace hit by any player the WTA donates $5, and for every ace hit by a USANA Brand Ambassador, it’s $10.
USANA Brand Ambassadors Eugenie Bouchard, Samantha Stosur, Kristina Mladenovic, Madison Keys, Monica Puig, Sloane Stephens, Zheng Saisai, Alizé Cornet and Caroline Wozniacki hit six of the 160 aces at Stanford – raising a grand total of $830 throughout the week. Cornet hit two aces.
Read more about the campaign here and see below to find out who’s hit the most aces so far!
#AcesForHumanity Fan Giveaway
It’s simple: before each WTA Premier tournament guess how many total aces will be hit.
Next up is the Rogers Cup in Montréal. Last year there was a total of 245 aces hit. It’s now your turn, take your best guess of how many will be hit 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
• Eastbourne deadline is July 26 at 11:59pm ET
• The winner will be announced August 1st
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.
Elena Vesnina talks through her performance in the semifinals of the BNP Paribas Open.
BRISBANE, Australia – Twenty-year-old American qualifier Samantha Crawford scored the biggest win of her career at the Brisbane International, beating No.7 seed Belinda Bencic 7-5, 7-5 to advance to the her first Premier quarterfinal. In her three qualifying wins, beating top qualifying seed Tsvetana Pironkova along the way, and two main draw wins, the Atlanta, Georgia native has lost just one set in Brisbane.
“I played her in juniors at the US Open one year,” Crawford told reporters. “We had a close match then. I think I was a little nervous, but I just told myself it was okay to be nervous. Like I should be nervous. Kind of just wanted to be more excited about it than anything.”
Crawford channeled that excitement by executing her aggressive gameplan perfectly, flummoxing Bencic with her power game. The American powered down 13 aces and saved six of seven break points, while breaking Bencic three times. The fact that Crawford was familiar with Bencic from their junior days kept her nerves steady.
“I obviously remember playing her,” Crawford said. “I think maybe not as intimidating, not someone that I grew up watching on TV, which is intimidating sometimes.”
Currently ranked No.120, the win puts Crawford ever closer to finally breaking into the Top 100. A junior US Open champion, her young career was derailed in 2013 after undergoing knee surgery after her third meniscus tear.
“I think coming back from that I had really high expectations, and after you’re injured you expect to be where you were at when you left off,” she said. “It doesn’t happen, and I think that’s discouraging sometimes.”
Finally injury-free in 2015, Crawford relocated to Charleston, South Carolina to train alongside Jessica Pegula under the tutelage of Michael Joyce, Maria Sharapova’s former coach.
“He coached Sharapova for so long,” Crawford said. “That’s someone I always grew up watching and I feel like I want to play like that and try to be aggressive. So it’s really cool when he tells me stuff like, Sharapova did this or [that]. It’s just cool being able to get that input.”
The results paid off. She played an astounding 31 tournaments last season, winning her first ITF title in the fall and winning the USTA wildcard playoff to earn main draw slots at the US Open and the upcoming Australian Open, where she’ll make her Melbourne debut.
Crawford returned to Florida during the off-season as part of a USTA training camp. But she’s without a coach here in Australia. So she turned to fellow American Madison Brengle.
“She came on-court for every match except for this one because she was playing,” Crawford said, laughing. “I was like, Maybe she can shout things.”
Crawford will play Andrea Petkovic in Thursday’s quarterfinals. The German came through with a 7-5, 6-4 win over Ekaterina Makarova.
Get to know Sam Crawford:
WTA Insider: When do you get here in Australia?
Crawford: I got here last Monday and didn’t play until Friday so feel like I had enough time to get over the trip and time change and everything. Going through qualies was good. Got some good matches in and pulled out some tough matches out too.
WTA Insider: You’re from Atlanta, Georgia. Did you go to high school down there?
Crawford: I started homeschooling in fifth grade. I lived in China in fifth grade (Crawford’s mother is Chinese). Came back from China and moved to Florida after that when I was 11 or 12. And then I went back and forth between Florida and Georgia. And then last year I was in Charleston and now I’m back in Florida.
WTA Insider: Was the move to Florida for tennis?
Crawford: Yeah. I’m an only child…
WTA Insider: So it’s all about Sam’s tennis?
Crawford: Yeah. (Laughs)
.@samcrawford18 speaking fluent mandarin to @madjoechina after press @BrisbaneTennis. Her mother is from Beijing. pic.twitter.com/6QhBcwqUfD
— WTA Insider (@WTA_insider) January 6, 2016
WTA Insider: So how did you get into tennis?
Crawford: I started playing at when I was four and half. Someone told my parents I had good hand-eye coordination and that was the end (Laughs). I think I played my first tournament when I was six and I made the finals. By fourth grade I was already missing school for tennis but my teacher liked me and liked tennis. I think from a young age I always knew I wanted to play tennis.
WTA Insider: Why? Why tennis?
Crawford: I think I always was a very aggressive player, even when I was 12. It would either be really really good or really really bad. I never hit lobs or anything. At times it could be really frustrating. I could hit winners or I hit the fence. But I never strayed from that.
I had surgery when I was 12 on my knee. I was away from tennis during that period. All I wanted to do was to get play tennis again. It was sad for me because I had never been away from tennis for that long since I started playing. It was just something I always loved.
WTA Insider: You won the US Open as a junior in 2012. In the last six months or so we’ve been seeing and hearing more about you and your results have been steadily improving. What’s made the difference?
Crawford: I think I just have gotten to play a lot of matches and a lot of different players. I had a lot of matches where I could have lost easily but I pulled it out. I think that helps with confidence. You learn more about yourself and that you’re tough enough to stay in a match and pull it out. I think that’s helped a lot. I think it’s easy to think after you’ve lost a set that you’re not in the match. I think that’s the great thing about tennis. Anything can happen.
WTA Insider: Not many people have seen you play on the tour level. How would you describe your game?
Crawford: Aggressive. Big serve. Big forehand. I like to hit pretty hard. Go big.
WTA Insider: How about your personality?
Crawford: I would say I’m pretty easy-going. I don’t like confrontation. I don’t know, I’m always happy. I love taking naps. Food. Normal stuff.
WTA Insider: How do you find tour life? Is it lonely or do you feel like you have a community around you?
Crawford: Yeah, definitely. I always feel like I know people that are around and have a good time. I think it’s cool to travel. It’s tiring obviously. But it’s awesome that I get to play tennis and travel the world.
WTA Insider: What do you remember about your first time in Australia?
Crawford: 2012 juniors. I remember being very miserable on the flight and then being so excited to finally land. I think it was the only other Slam that I had played other than US Open juniors.
It was really exciting to be in Australia. We went to an animal sanctuary and saw some koalas. I fed a tree kangaroo and it bit my hair. I remember that. I remember being in Melbourne and being on site and thinking that this was so cool. I grew up watching this and now I’m here.
WTA Insider: What’s the most used app on your phone?
Crawford: Instagram. (Her username is @samcrawford18.)
WTA Insider: What’s the last song you listened to on your iPod?
Crawford: Shake It Off. I’m a Swiftie.
WTA Insider: What’s your favorite cuisine?
Crawford: I have a big sweet tooth. Dessert is up there. But probably Italian. I like a good margherita pizzas.
WTA Insider: What’s the worst thing about being a tennis player?
Crawford: The off-season. Pre-season training is the worst. You’re working so hard to get ready to play tournaments but you’d rather just play tournaments. But it’s worth it.
WTA Insider: What’s the best thing about being a tennis player?
Crawford: Getting to play tournaments and traveling. It’s what you work for.
WTA Insider: What are your goals for 2016?
Crawford : I’m very big on one-day at a time. I get overwhelmed if I get too far ahead. But I think breaking into the Top 100 is a big thing. And being able to play in the main draw at all the Slams would be nice.
Newly minted Hall of Famer and former World No.1 Justine Henin returns to the Montréal wing of the Rogers Cup – twice a winner in Toronto – for the first time in 14 years.
But the Belgian has no time for nostalgia; there’s work to be done with Ukraine’s Elina Svitolina, the third youngest woman in the Top 20.
Henin has been a part of Svitolina’s coaching team since February, eight months after the 21-year-old first reached the quarterfinals at the French Open – a tournament Henin won four times.
Work at eponymous tennis club, academy, and “Justine For Kids” foundation precludes her from traveling full-time with the Ukrainian, but the seven-time major champion’s presence has been felt throughout the season.
For her part, Svitolina showed the effects of the partnership right away, reaching the semifinals of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships and winning the BMW Malaysian Open in Kuala Lumpur – where she defeated former Wimbledon finalist Eugenie Bouchard in three grueling sets.
It has been an up and down season since then, but Henin hardly expected perfection from one so young.
“It’s a year of transition for her,” she said before her induction into the International Tennis Hall of Fame. “She got to the Top 20 at the end of last year. It was a big goal for her, and now she wants to take the next step.”
Justine Henin @CoupeRogers in her consulting role w/ Svitolina. Definitely not a passive role. Instructing after every point in practice.
— WTA Insider (@WTA_insider) July 24, 2016
Svitolina’s second year in the big leagues still has plenty of firsts ahead of her, including a debut appearance at the Summer Olympic Games in Rio de Janiero. Ranked just outside the Top 30 on the Road to Singapore leaderboard, the Ukrainian youngster heads into what was a successful part of the season last summer, finishing in the final four of both the Bank of the West Classic and the Western & Southern Open.
Henin believed Svitolina still has big goals for the end of the season, but ultimately preached patience at the sport’s pinnacle in Newport.
“She has a lot of talent and potential, but she needs some time to organize a lot things, and not put too much pressure on the ranking. But I feel lucky to be with a good girl who has a lot of values, respect for the game and for the others on the team. I wish and hope for her that she’ll do well in the second part of the season and maybe qualify for Singapore.
“It’s important, but as I always try to say to the other players, if you look a little bit further and have a big picture of your career, you don’t plan everything for six months or a year, but have a vision for many years. You start to build differently.
“I don’t know what’s going to happen in the second part of the season, but it will be exciting for sure. We always hope for some surprises, and hopefully good tennis in the next few months.”
My story began in Odessa, where I dreamed by the sea. Now I cross that sea, to follow my dream. @Nike #justdoit pic.twitter.com/ZUxLauaY05
— Elina Svitolina (@ElinaSvitolina) July 22, 2016
At 5’9″ tall, her charge isn’t among the tallest on tour, something to which the 5’6″ Henin can relate, having already blazed a trail for the likes of Svitolina, Simona Halep and Dominika Cibulkova to succeed in the modern game.
“I hope I could inspire them in a certain way, or that they realize, that you can’t compete just because you’re not that tall, because you can find other things.”
Looking back on her own experiences, the Belgian cited the importance of shorter players emphasizing their strengths, rather than worrying about their weaknesses.
“We had to choose some direction with my longtime coach, Carlos Rodriguez; do you try to work on your weaknesses, which is important, or do you try to use your strengths and make them even stronger or better? My qualities were my speed, technique, and vision of the game, and we tried to level that up a little bit more. I think with my technique and speed, I could compensate the power of the other players.”
That compensation may come at a cost, but it’s the kind of price Henin believes all champions must be willing to pay.
“Some girls can do it today; you don’t have to be so strong or so tall, you can just use your qualities. It’s harder to have a long career if you are not that tall or strong, because you have to push your body 200% all the time to compete because you have to be physically good. It’s maybe tough to stay on the tour for so many years, which happened to me. That’s the toughest part.
“But if you want to compete at a good level, there’s no reason why you can’t do it.”
Back on the tour for the first time since retiring for the final time in 2011, Henin believes the game is more exciting than ever, with just the right mix of veterans and newcomers coming together to create compelling match-ups.
“Serena winning her 22nd Grand Slam was an amazing accomplishment, one that is just very hard to imagine someone doing in 2016. But she did, so I’m very happy for her.
“At the same time, you see other names like Kerber at the Australian Open and Muguruza in Paris. It’s good because now you feel there’s another generation coming on pretty strongly, and that’s what the game needs, for sure. I like to see these girls competing at a good level, but also pushing Serena to still improve – which is amazing to think that she can still improve – at almost 35 years old.”