Venus Debuts Under The Lights
WTA Insider | World No.1 Serena Williams trades spots with sister Venus, who headlines her first night session of the US Open; keep up with the action on the latest WTA Insider Live Blog.
WTA Insider | World No.1 Serena Williams trades spots with sister Venus, who headlines her first night session of the US Open; keep up with the action on the latest WTA Insider Live Blog.
Britain’s Johanna Konta will play Caroline Wozniacki in the Miami Open final after overcoming former champion Venus Williams in a tight, straight sets battle.
NEW YORK, NY, USA – World No.2 Angelique Kerber maintained her imperious form with a 6-3, 7-5 win over No.14 seed Petra Kvitova to reach the quarterfinals of the US Open.
Kvitova had held the early edge in their head-to-head, but Kerber had won their last two meetings to even the score, both this spring in Stuttgart and last fall at the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global. Playing textbook counterpuncher tennis throughout the evening, the German kept her stats clean with eight winners and just eight unforced errors.
Kvitova, by contrast, was far more aggressive, but her 32 winners couldn’t make up for the 43 unforced errors hit over two sets – 27 coming off her forehand side alone.
Giving it all you've got under the ??? of Ashe. #usopen pic.twitter.com/tBJOpp17t4
— US Open Tennis (@usopen) September 5, 2016
After trading breaks to start the contest, the match largely went with serve, including the first 11 games of the second set. Serving to force a tie-break, Kvitova ultimately succumbed on a double fault – her seventh of the night – allowing Kerber to wrap up th ematch in one hour and 28 minutes.
Up next for the reigning Australian Open champion is No.7 seed and 2015 US Open runner-up Roberta Vinci, who fought through a tough first set to defeat Lesia Tsurenko, 7-6(5), 6-2.
By reaching the quarterfinals, Kerber has put herself in even stronger position to leave the final major tournament of the season as World No.1 – the first from Germany since Stefanie Graf in 1997 – and prevent Serena Williams from breaking Graf’s record of consecutive weeks at the top spot. Serena is set to tie Graf’s record at 186, but now needs to do no worse than reach the final to have a chance of retaining World No.1.
Should Serena and Kerber meet in the final, the winner walks away with No.1.
She's looking for her third slam final this year and @AngeliqueKerber moves closer with a 6-3, 7-5 win over #Kvitova pic.twitter.com/5npAv1DWet
— US Open Tennis (@usopen) September 5, 2016
MIAMI, FL, USA – After more than a week of compelling tennis, Johanna Konta and Caroline Wozniacki are the last two standing at the Miami Open, as both women look to raise the trophy for the first time at the WTA Premier Mandatory event.
Here are 10 things to know before Saturday’s championship showdown.
Johanna Konta (GBR #11) vs. Caroline Wozniacki (DEN #14)
Head-to-head: Konta leads, 1-0
1) Maiden (in) Miami.
Both players will break new ground in their careers when they set foot on court on Saturday, as each is competing in her first-ever final at the Miami Open. Playing in Miami for the 10th time, Wozniacki’s best result previously came in 2012, when she reached the semifinals. Konta is playing in Miami for just the second time in her career, and reached the quarterfinals in her 2016 debut.
2) Wozniacki Goes Four for Four.
Wozniacki has reached the final of all four Premier Mandatory events in her career with her success in Miami this week. The former World No.1 first was runner-up at the 2009 Mutua Madrid Open; won the BNP Paribas Open in 2011; and won the China Open in 2010. Konta will contest her second final at Premier Mandatory level out of her last three, finishing runner-up to Agnieszka Radwanska in Beijing last fall.
Caroline Wozniacki has now made the final of all 4 Premier Mandatories, 6 in all.
More: https://t.co/vkUOl0CPfY pic.twitter.com/LUgZPYo3Q8
— WTA Insider (@WTA_insider) March 30, 2017
3) Comebacks – and upsets (on paper).
Over the course of the week, both women have recorded wins over higher-ranked players en route to the final. Konta ousted No.3 seed Simona Halep in a marathon quarterfinal match, 3-6, 7-6(7), 6-2, after the Romanian served for the match in the second set, and was two points away from victory. Wozniacki also rallied from a set down to defeat No.2 seed Karolina Pliskova in Thursday’s semifinals.
.@JoKonta91 advances to @MiamiOpen Semifinals!
Battles past Halep 3-6, 7-6(7), 6-2! pic.twitter.com/nm3n99u6s8
— WTA (@WTA) March 29, 2017
4) Third Time’s the Charm?
While Miami marks both Wozniacki and Konta’s first Premier Mandatory final of the season, both players have already reached finals this year. Wozniacki will contest her third final of 2017 after Doha and Dubai, the most on tour this season. While the Dane is looking to win her first title of the year, Konta is appearing in her second final after winning the Apia International Sydney.
5) Lucky Number…45.
With this result, Wozniacki becomes just the fourth active player to reach 45 career finals on the WTA Tour; the 26-year-old has reached at least one final every year since the 2008 season.
#SAPStatOfTheDay: @CaroWozniacki reaches 45th career #WTA Final! #MiamiOpen pic.twitter.com/cLjFZidk2X
— WTA (@WTA) March 31, 2017
6) Recent History, Down Under.
The two have only met once before just two months ago at the Australian Open. In the third round match, Konta broke serve four times en route to a 6-3, 6-1 victory in one hour, 17 minutes.
7) Top 10 Implications.
Regardless of Saturday’s result, Konta is assured of returning to the WTA Top 10. With a victory, the Brit will rise to a new career-high of No.7, bettering her previous of No.9 from last fall. For Wozniacki, only a victory in the final will get her back inside the Top 10 for the first time since 2015, with a rise to No.8 in the rankings.
By advancing to @MiamiOpen final, @JoKonta91 will re-enter the Top 10 on Monday. Venus also moves into Top 10 UNLESS Woz wins the title.
— WTA Insider (@WTA_insider) March 31, 2017
8) The Road to the Final.
Combined, both players have dropped three sets this week. Konta had a battle on her hands in her first match of the week against qualifier Aliaksandra Sasnovich before her quarterfinal comeback against Halep. By contrast, Wozniacki rolled through her first four matches without losing a set until the semifinals.
9) A Bit of British History.
Konta is looking to become the first British woman to not only win the title in Miami, but also win a WTA Premier Mandatory event.
.@JoKonta91 is the first ?? to make a @MiamiOpen Final! pic.twitter.com/6hSG38HiaI
— WTA (@WTA) March 31, 2017
10) Singapore Shakeup.
A win for Wozniacki would see her rise to No.1 on the Road to Singapore leaderboard, ahead of Karolina Pliskova and Serena Williams, while Konta would sit in fifth. Should Konta win the title, she will sit behind Pliskova in second, while Wozniacki will rise to third.
Caroline Garcia and Kristina Mladenovic have become the second doubles team to qualify for the 2016 BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global.
Unseeded and looming Gabriela Dabrowski and Xu Yifan knocked out four of the Top 8 seeds en route to their biggest career title at the Miami Open.
What fashion weeks are in haute couture, Grand Slams are in tennis fashion, and NYC’s US Open is unarguably the most stylish major, inspiring designers to create edgy and vibrant outfits that reflect the energy of the host city. Marija Zivlak of Women’s Tennis Blog will show us the best tennis apparel we’ve seen on the courts this fortnight at Flushing Meadows.
Venus Williams‘ prints topped our fashion lists many times, but the EleVen Prism Chela Dress takes colors and patterns to a whole new level, just as the 2000 and 2001 US Open champion announced prior to launching the Prism collection, which includes bright and vibrant summer colors, as well as cooler and calmer fall tones.
The American’s dress at the final Grand Slam of the year stands out not only with its appealing print, but also with the stylish purple color-blocking at back, a nice wrap element and feminine flowy skirt, while performance features include EleVen Pro-Dri, managing moisture and breathability, and EleVen Ozone, fighting off harmful UVA and UVB rays.
Serena Williams‘ legendary career has been highlighted by dozens of outfits that pushed the boundaries in women’s tennis fashion and this time the world number one again made sure to stand out, accessorizing her NikeCourt Power Dress with “Wonder Woman” sleeves. Both the night and day version of the dress feature hyper pink pleat details, mock neck and ribbed shoulder panels.
The American also has two versions of her lightweight, quick and aggressive Nike Flare shoes, the black and white option with volt and pink touches. The footwear is ideal for explosive movements, as its extended stretch collar keeps the feet locked-in.
Completing the glamorous look are long almond-shaped nails and Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore watch.
Madison Keys‘and Roberta Vinci‘s eye-catching fluorescent kit consists of the highly breathable and seamless constructed NikeCourt Dry Slam Tank and the pleated NikeCourt Flex Victory Skirt with a contoured power mesh waistband.
Angelique Kerber and Simona Halep are showcasing adidas’ spectacular fall collection, whose geometric print is inspired by New York City’s spectacular architecture.
The adidas Fall Pro Tank is equipped with ventilating Climacool material, while extra breathability is provided by keyholes at back, stylishly accompanied by a contrast mesh racerback.
While Kerber paired her flash red tank with the bold triangular print of the adidas Fall Pro Skirt, Halep went a step further and opted for the collection’s boldest piece, the adidas Fall Pro Short, whose colorful pattern is peeking through a white woven mesh layer.
Caroline Wozniacki, Garbiñe Muguruza and Andrea Petkovic picked color-blocking items that feature marble graphic elements engineered with ClimaLite® to wick sweat away from the skin.
Wozniacki’s adidas Stella Barricade New York Dress in collegiate navy/white/flash red pays tribute to the Grand Slam’s American home ground. The Dane’s neat flash red manicure accessorizes bold shades and figure-flattering lines that create a feminine hourglass illusion.
Muguruza’s and Petkovic’s ensemble includes the high-neck adidas Stella Barricade New York Tank and the adidas Stella Barricade New York Skirt, which is available in two lengths.
Fila is one of those brands that never goes far from good old retro. The Heritage collection for the 2016 US Open, as seen here on Yaroslava Shvedova and Jelena Jankovic, brings Fila’s time-honored silhouettes and colorways enhanced by modern elements.
Classic red head ties perfectly match contemporary blurred stripes, creating a wonderful balance between traditional and modern aesthetic led by the Fila Heritage Stripe Dress.
Karolina Pliskova opted for simple separates consisting of the Fila Heritage Racerback Tank and the Fila Heritage Skirt, in which the Czech won the Western & Southern Open title ahead of the US Open.
Which WTA player’s on-court fashion aced the US Open? Tell us now!
MIAMI, FL, USA – The British media celebrated Johanna Konta’s win at the Miami Open with plenty of print space and air time – and are hoping she’ll rise even further up the rankings than her current career high of No.7.
Konta said in her post-match press conference that she hoped her journey in the tournament would garner lots of attention for the sport.
“If the coverage has been good then it’s great for us,” said the British No.1. “It’s promoting tennis, and hopefully promoting more people to play.”
And so it has proved – starting with a front-page splash in the Sunday Times.
No stunts required – win as big as Konta is starting to, it gets attention. Front page of the Sunday Times. pic.twitter.com/VQKgSUsnt9
— DavidLaw (@DavidLawTennis) April 2, 2017
Comparisons are inevitably being drawn with Virginia Wade, Britain’s last female singles Slam winner – but Konta has played that down, although she admitted she would love to win Wimbledon.
The Daily Mail reported that she said: “It does sound quite monumental but winning Wimbledon is a dream and hopefully one day I will get an opportunity to play for such a title.”
An unforgettable two weeks for @JoKonta91 at the @MiamiOpen! ? pic.twitter.com/XuN5Snv16F
— WTA (@WTA) April 2, 2017
The Daily Telegraph’s tennis correspondent Simon Briggs assessed Konta’s chances of a Slam title thus: “How much further, then, can this late-blooming champion climb? Two years ago, Konta was ranked around the 150-mark, which did not even earn her a spot in the qualifying tournament here. Now she stands alongside Pliskova and world No 1 Angelique Kerber as one of the women most likely to worry Serena Williams.”
In the Guardian, Kevin Mitchell wrote: “Konta was clearly the better player in this match as well as the one in Melbourne. That was such a clear indicator of how far the British No1 has come in a relatively short time. There would not have been many takers backing Konta to beat Wozniacki even a couple of years ago. Now she has to set her sights higher.”
And of course Konta’s Fed Cup teammates were also thrilled for her – Naomi Broady and Heather Watson were straight on Twitter to publicly congratulate their friend.
She came, she saw, she 'kontad' ? best tweet I've seen today! Killing it JK ? @JoKonta91
— Naomi Broady (@NaomiBroady) April 2, 2017
Congrats @JoKonta91 ! ?????? #killinit
— Heather Watson (@HeatherWatson92) April 1, 2017
Agnieszka Radwanska had a second shot of the match in the quarterfinals of the Qatar Total Open.
DALIAN, China – Jana Cepelova ended Peng Shuai’s campaign at the Dalian Women’s Tennis Open at the first hurdle after a three-set win on Wednesday.
Watch live streaming from Dalian all week right here.
In a closely fought encounter, No.6 seed Cepelova held her nerve during a tense conclusion to close out a 6-4, 2-6, 6-4 victory in a fraction over two hours.
Exactly two years ago, Peng produced some of the best tennis of her career to reach the semifinals of the US Open. However, since then success has been thin on the ground after a debilitating back problem forced her to miss nearly all of 2015.
Progress since her return has been slow, struggling for wins away from the ITF Circuit. Against Cepelova she had her chances, threatening to get edge ahead in the deciding set only to surrender the solitary break in the seventh game.
Elsewhere, there were wins for Cepelova’s fellow seeds, Wang Qiang, Duan Ying-Ying and Tamira Paszek. Top seed Wang withstood a late rally to defeat Nigina Abduraimova, 6-4, 7-6(4), while Duan, the No.3 seed, provided further home cheer with a 6-3, 7-5 victory over Sara Sorribes Tormo.
No.4 seed Paszek was pushed even harder, but finished strongly to see off You Xiaodi, 7-5, 5-7, 6-1.