Kristina Mladenovic & Heather Watson Try Footgolf In Acapulco
Watch Kristina Mladenovic and Heather Watson try a few rounds of footgolf in Acapulco!
Watch Kristina Mladenovic and Heather Watson try a few rounds of footgolf in Acapulco!
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia – Alya WTA Malaysian Open top seed Elina Svitolina claimed her 250th WTA win with a 6-2, 6-3 first-round win over qualifier Su Jeong Jang on Tuesday.
That moment when you win 250th @WTA match ??@alyawtamo pic.twitter.com/CDSr0mFnej
— Elina Svitolina (@ElinaSvitolina) February 28, 2017
The 22-year-old also extended her winning run to 13 matches despite spirited resistance from Jang, who lies 138 places lower in the WTA rankings. The Korean stole a break back in the second set at 3-1, but the reigning champion showed the class that has seen her win back-to-back titles at the Taiwan Open and Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships to come through.
Elina Svitolina picks up 250th career WTA win!
Wraps up a 6-2, 6-3 win over Jang Su Jeong! pic.twitter.com/YOJTmnP0It
— WTA (@WTA) February 28, 2017
In the biggest shock of the tournament so far, the promising Russian 18-year-old Anna Kalinskaya defeated No.5 seed Caroline Garcia 7-5, 6-2. The WTA World No.23 became the third seeded player to be dispatched in the first two days in Kuala Lumpur, while Kalinskaya was able to celebrate her first ever main draw victory.
What an upset!
World No.173 Anna Kalinskaya knocks third seed Caroline Garcia out of @alyawtamo 7-5, 6-2! pic.twitter.com/xs9HQRyrhG
— WTA (@WTA) February 28, 2017
“Of course I feel a little bit more confident now,” said Kalinskaya afterwards. “I understand that I can play with the players in the top 50, top 100 and it means a lot to me. For the next match I will prepare and hope I play better than today.”
Kristina Mladenovic has Wednesday’s shot of the day at the Abierto Mexicano Telcel.
Watch Mirjana Lucic-Baroni and Shelby Rogers get expert lessons on how to make authentic guacamole at the Abierto Mexicano Telcel in Acapulco!
Risa Ozaki has Wednesday’s shot of the day at the Alya WTA Malaysian Open.
The retired WTA star made her first public appearance since the birth of her second child to launch the Nike Li Na Collection, modelled by current pro Zhang Shuai.
Watch Eugenie Bouchard and ATP player Juan Martin del Potro take to Pie de la Cuesta beach in Acapulco and play a beach tennis match!
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia – WTA players made the most of their time away from the courts of the Alya WTA Malaysian Open on Tuesday, paying a visit to Permata Kurnia, a learning centre for autistic children aged 4-7.
Australian buddies Casey Dellacqua and Ashleigh Barty, who have teamed up in the doubles draw in Kuala Lumpur, were joined by wildcard Zheng Saisai and Malaysian player Theiviya Selvarajoo at the learning centre. Barty, who made the third round of the Australian Open in January after a recent hiatus from the sport, qualified for the singles main draw in Kuala Lumpur as well.
Rosmah Mansor, the wife of the Prime Minister of Malaysia, serves as the patron of Permata Kurnia, where the motto reads: ‘Autism is Not a Tragedy, Ignorance Is.’
Accompanied by representatives from the Prime Minister’s office, the players chatted to the children and joined them for an impromptu music session – Barty strumming on the guitar and Zheng on the tambourine.
All photos: © Alya WTA Malaysian Open
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Mirjana Lucic-Baroni and Shelby Rogers had a guac-off in Acapulco at the Abierto Mexicano Telcel!
Elina Svitolina has moved into the Top 10 of the WTA rankings on the back of her sensational victory last week at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships.
The new WTA World No.10 moved up three places from No.13, overtaking Britain’s Johanna Konta and becoming the first Ukrainian ever to break into the Top 10.
Speaking after her straight-sets win over Caroline Wozniacki, the 22-year-old said: “It’s big relief, because I knew that if I was going to win this match, I would be in the Top 10. There was extra pressure.”
So happy with a @WTA tittle number 6️⃣ ?????????? @DDFTennis pic.twitter.com/GNXMnrP9IH
— Elina Svitolina (@ElinaSvitolina) February 25, 2017
Svitolina’s rise – the only movement in the Top 10 – is reward for a run of 12 straight victories, which have seen her lift two titles already this year. Her win in Dubai follows success at the Taiwan Open in Taipei and she is now looking to defend her title at the Alya WTA Malaysian Open in Kuala Lumpur, where she is the No.1 seed. Her streak also includes successive Fed Cup wins.
Here are more of the biggest ranking moves this week after Dubai and Budapest:
Timea Babos +6 (No.33 to 27): Hungary’s Timea Babos climbed to No.27 thanks to her success at the Hungarian Ladies Open on Sunday. The 23-year-old entered the tournament with an 0-5 win-loss record in 2017, and rediscovered her best tennis to beat Lucie Safarova in a three-set thriller in Budapest and claim her second WTA title.
Wang Qiang +16 (No.76 to 60): China’s Wang Qiang continues her steady rise up the rankings, backing up her appearance in the Shenzhen quarterfinals in January with a stunning run to the quarterfinals in Dubai. She posted wins over Jelena Ostapenko and Kristina Mladenovic, two Top 50 players, along the way.
CiCi Bellis +14 (No.70 to 56): 17-year-old Cici Bellis’ dream run to the Dubai quarterfinals – her first ever Premier 5 quarterfinals – have rocketed the American to No.56, her career-highest ranking. Bellis backed up her first round upset of No.17 seed Yulia Putintseva by completing the shock of the tournament over World No.6 Agnieszka Radwanska in the round of 16.
Click here to see the full updated WTA rankings, as of February 27.