It’s time to crown July’s WTA Shot Of The Month. There were some incredible shots to choose from this month, and we narrowed it down to the five best – have a look at the nominees in the above video and cast your vote for your favorite shot before voting ends Thursday at 11:59pm ET!
The winner will be announced Friday, August 5.
How it works: five shots are selected by wtatennis.com, and the winner is then determined by a fan vote on wtatennis.com.
An interview with Karolina Pliskova after her win in the second round of the Apia International Sydney.
An interview with Simona Halep after her win in the final of the Rogers Cup.
SYDNEY, Australia – No.8 seed Belinda Bencic survived a second set hiccup against 2015 Australian Open semifinalist Ekaterina Makarova, 6-0, 2-6, 6-4, to reach her first semifinal at the Apia International Sydney.
Bencic, who won her first two WTA titles last season at the Aegon International Eastbourne and Rogers Cup, displayed some of her now patented efficiency in the opening set, dropping just 12 points against the Russian, who is playing just her second tournament since cutting her season short due to a lower leg injury. Rallying to force a decider, Makarova exchanged breaks with Bencic but the Swiss Miss proved too tough when it counted, converting two of her three break point opportunities to clinch victory in under two hours.
“We were very even with the level in the third set so it was a close match,” Bencic said in her post-match press conference. “Then it was about who gets more nervous and stays more mentally tough. So, I’m happy I won.”
Looking for her first Sydney final ahead of the Australian Open, Bencic plays a resurgent Monica Puig, who beat hometown favorite Sam Stosur for the first time in her career, 6-4, 6-4, to reach her first Premier semifinal.
“It’s a very important win for me, coming through three rounds of quallies and obviously coming through in the main,” Puig admitted after the win. “I’ve lost to her before, so it was a pretty big win for me today considering the amount of times I played her.”
Puig made waves back in 2013 when she reached the fourth round of Wimbledon, but has struggled for consistency since.
“I’m just trying to enjoy every single moment I’m out on the court. Rule number one for me this season is just to have fun out there. I get to play tennis for a living, and that’s pretty cool.”
Earlier in the day, Sara Errani looked in complete control against Svetlana Kuznetsova when the Italian opened up a 5-1 lead to start their quarterfinal encounter. Kuznetsova, a former No.2 and two-time major champion, caught fire from there, losing just one more game to oust Errani, 7-6(1), 6-0.
Always a character in press, the enigmatic Russian traced back her run of good form back to a last minute decision to play her home tournament at the Kremlin Cup.
“Moscow got my confidence going at the end of the year. I still remember the feeling playing good and comfortable against players on the court, but I didn’t even want to play Moscow. I was in China three, four weeks. I was just like, ‘Oh, my God. I can’t wait for this season to be over.’
“But then I came back home and I was like, ‘Okay, it’s one of my favorite events. I would like to play it.’ At the last moment, I decide, ‘Okay, I’ll play.’
“Then when I get there, it was like win and win and win. When I won the tournament, they offered me to go to Zhuhai to play. I was like, ‘Okay, I’ll go to Zhuhai.’ So in end of year I was just going with the flow.
“Whatever way the wind was blowing I was going.”
Kuznetsova will nonetheless have her hands full in the semifinals, where she plays current World No.2 Simona Halep, who opened the day with a two-set win over Karolina Pliskova.
From the youngest Grand Slam champion ever to the original “Serena Slam,” take a look back at ten WTA stars winning the Happy Slam for the first time.
RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil – With the latest WTA rankings comes the news of the official seeding list for the upcoming Summer Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.
Three of the World’s Top 4 are set to compete, including defending champion and four-time Olympic Gold medalist Serena Williams, reigning Australian Open champion Angelique Kerber and French Open winner Garbiñe Muguruza. Sydney Gold medalist and fellow four-time Gold medalist Venus Williams rounds out the Top 5.
Check out the full list of seeds below:
Singles
(1) Serena Williams (USA #1)
(2) Angelique Kerber (GER #2)
(3) Garbiñe Muguruza (ESP #4)
(4) Agnieszka Radwanska (POL #5)
(5) Venus Williams (USA #6)
(6) Roberta Vinci (ITA #8)
(7) Madison Keys (USA #9)
(8) Svetlana Kuznetsova (RUS #10)
(9) Carla Suárez Navarro (ESP #12)
(10) Johanna Konta (GBR #13)
(11) Petra Kvitova (CZE #14)
(12) Timea Bacsinszky (SUI #15)
(13) Samantha Stosur (AUS #18)
(14) Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (RUS #19)
(15) Elina Svitolina (UKR #20)
(16) Barbora Strycova (CZE #21)
Doubles
(1) Serena Williams / Venus Williams (USA)
(2) Caroline Garcia / Kristina Mladenovic (FRA)
(3) Chan Hao-Ching / Chan Yung-Jan (TPE)
(4) Garbiñe Muguruza / Carla Suárez Navarro (ESP)
(5) Timea Bacsinszky / Martina Hingis (SUI)
(6) Andrea Hlavackova / Lucie Hradecka (CZE)
(7) Ekaterina Makarova / Elena Vesnina (RUS)
(8) Sara Errani / Roberta Vinci (ITA)
Canada’s No.1 Eugenie Bouchard definitely shows her own style on the tennis court, but now it’s her off-court style that caught Vogue’s eye. The American fashion magazine named her as one of the five most stylish Olympic athletes to watch in Rio, and it’s no surprise why.
Here’s how the magazine described Genie’s famous street-style:
“With her all-Nike wardrobe, tennis ace Eugenie Bouchard displays plenty of style on the court, but during her off days she ditches the sporty gear for streetwise fashions. Often showing up in the kinds of limited-edition items that fashion insiders covet, Bouchard’s accessories game is on point. With a collection that includes Nike x Liberty trainers and straight-off-the-runway Chanel clutches, Bouchard understands the value of a statement piece.”
Click here for the full list of Vogue’s most stylish Olympians, and while you’re at it check out a couple of Genie’s best style moments, courtesy of her Instagram account:
HOBART, Australia – Eugenie Bouchard battled past fellow former Top 10 player Dominika Cibulkova on Friday to reach the final of the Hobart International, her first WTA final since Wuhan in 2014.
The unseeded Bouchard, who had already taken out No.8 seed Alison Van Uytvanck and No.2 seed Camila Giorgi in the last two rounds, won the first set in just 22 minutes and was up a break four times in the second but ended up having to go to a third to edge the No.3-seeded Cibulkova, 6-1, 4-6, 6-4.
“I’m just happy I got through today,” Bouchard said. “The first set was a great level for me – I can’t remember the last time I played that well. Now the important thing is to keep that consistency. It was hard to keep it up – it’s another lesson I’ve learned, to control my emotions a little bit better.
“I don’t think I held serve in the second set, which is absolutely disgusting – I’m so disappointed in myself for that. But she was really putting pressure on me with her returns out there today.”
The 2014 Wimbledon finalist and former World No.5 has now won six of seven matches to start 2016.
She knew she was feeling good coming into Hobart – she spoke about it in her pre-tournament presser.
“I’m feeling pretty good. I wouldn’t want to play if I was somewhat prepared, so I worked really hard in the off-season to catch up a little bit,” Bouchard said. “I’m just so happy to be back on the court. That’s the most important thing – I’m so grateful and excited to be back playing on the tour again.
“I just love the feeling of playing tennis,” she added. “When you’re forced not to do something you really love, you realize you truly love it, and, for me, I realized how much I truly missed it.”
The other semifinal took place later in the afternoon and lasted 53 minutes, as No.7 seed Alizé Cornet held all seven of her service games and broke five times to beat Johanna Larsson, 6-1, 6-1.
Though Cornet is the higher-ranked of the two, No.42 to No.47, Bouchard leads the Frenchwoman in their head-to-head series, 2-1, winning their last two meetings in a row in straight sets, as well.
Cornet does have more experience in WTA finals though, going 4-5, while Bouchard is 1-3 lifetime.
Simona Halep completed her best month of the 2016 season with a second title in three weeks at the Rogers Cup – knocking out the likes of Svetlana Kuznetsova, Angelique Kerber, and Madison Keys en route to her third title of the season.
“I mean, I’m tired. It’s normal,” she told press after the final. “I had so many matches here, tough matches, also emotional. Was not easy.”
Coming to Montréal after a winning week at home in Bucharest, Halep did double duty in Canada, playing singles and doubles with partner Monica Niculescu – reaching the final of both events with a win over reigning French Open champions Caroline Garcia and Kristina Mladenovic in the latter.
“I had a lot of confidence coming here that I won five matches in a row in Bucharest.
“It was tough to come from the clay court to the hardcourt. But if I have confidence, I can play my game easy and I can win matches.
“Here I won matches with top players. That makes me more, like, happy and relaxed that I have a good level of tennis in this moment.”
Here more from Halep in the latest WTA Insider Podcast:
A good level might be an understatement for the young Romanian, who will ride a 10-match winning streak into the Western & Southern Open, a tournament where she reached the final in 2015. By her side will be coach Darren Cahill, whom she credits with her steady return to the form that took her as high as No.2 in the world.
“It helps me when he’s more relaxed than me; he just shows me that I have a good game and it’s good if I practice everything for the future, not just for the tournament.”
Back into the Top 3 for the first time since February, Halep did more than enough to earn her the mantle of July’s WTA Player of the Month!
Final Results for July’s WTA Player Of The Month
1. Simona Halep (84%)
2. Venus Williams (9%)
3. Johanna Konta (5%)
4. Madison Keys (2%)
2016 WTA Player of the Month Winners
January: Angelique Kerber
February: Carla Suárez Navarro
March: Victoria Azarenka
April: Angelique Kerber
May: Garbiñe Muguruza
June: Serena Williams
How it works:
Finalists are selected by wtatennis.com
Winner is then determined by a fan vote on wtatennis.com