Tennis News

When Serena Williams dons the Team USA colors for the fourth time in her illustrious career, she won’t only be playing for herself.

“You’re playing for your country, and you become really proud to be where you’re from,” she says in a new advertisement made by Mini USA.

The campaign, called “Defy Labels,” allows Serena to tell the story of growing up as a young girl in Compton, California, and how she went on to become one of the greatest tennis players the world has ever known.

“If I was talking to the kids in Compton, I would tell them that no one can define you, no one can put a label on you.

“No one can say, ‘This is what you’re supposed to do,’ and when you think of all the Olympic athletes, they are really doing something that is beyond everything that they should have done – having the chance to win a gold medal and compete against the best of the best across the globe.”

Posted on Serena’s official Facebook page, check out the full video right here on wtatennis.com:

MONTRÉAL, Canada – Home favorite Eugenie Bouchard begins her Rogers Cup challenge against 2012 semifinalist Lucie Safarova, while Simona Halep looks to continue her recent good form when she takes on the dangerous Daria Gavrilova.

Tuesday, First & Second Round

Central
Lucie Safarova (CZE #28) vs. Eugenie Bouchard (CAN #42)
Head-to-head: Safarova leads 1-0
On Tuesday evening, Eugenie Bouchard will make her first appearance in her hometown since a humbling defeat to Shelby Rogers two years ago. Her opponent will be Lucie Safarova, who, despite slipping from her Top 10 perch has been showing signs lately of a return to form.

Laid low at the start of the year due to a bacterial infection, Safarova did not win her first match until the Prague Open in April. She went on to lift the title in the Czech capital and since then has continued along the road to recovery. Likewise, Bouchard is on the comeback trail following her well-documented struggles in 2015.

Older and wiser, the Canadian No.1 now feels better equipped to handle the weight of expectation: “I have the same excitement I had going into this Rogers Cup as I did in 2014, and I do feel a lot of attention and pressure and expectation no matter what my ranking is right now. But I do feel I’ve adopted a better attitude towards it, in a sense that I’m more relaxed. In 2014 I was a little overwhelmed, because it was very crazy.”

The two have met once before, also coming on Canadian soil, Safarova winning in three sets en route to the Québec City title back in 2013.

[5] Simona Halep (ROU #5) vs. Daria Gavrilova (AUS #45)
Head-to-head: tied 1-1
Following an injury-riddled start to the season, Simona Halep has been one the WTA’s most consistent performers in recent months, winning 18 of her past 21 matches.

The last five of these came in front of her home fans in Bucharest, where she collected a 13th career title. On Tuesday, the tennis world will find out whether the Romanian can carry this form across the Atlantic and repeat the type of tennis that took her to last year’s Rogers Cup final.

“The more matches I play it helps me get confidence and get used to the pressure,” Halep told wtatennis.com. “I have this tournament, I have Cincinnati, so I think I have enough – I’m also playing doubles here – time to be ready for US Open.”

Under the tutelage of Nicole Pratt, Halep’s opening opponent, Daria Gavrilova, is developing the type of all-court game capable of troubling anyone on tour. Halep should know, having already lost to her this season, at the same stage of the Internazionali BNL D’Italia in Rome.

Stat to watch: Gavrilova has only lost one of her four matches against Top 10 players in 2016.

Also on court…
Sandwiched between the above matches on Central will be Roland Garros champion Garbiñe Muguruza’s return, taking on the big-serving Naomi Broady. Over on Banque Nationale No.10 seed Madison Keys meets Wimbledon semifinalist Elena Vesnina, before Johanna Konta, fresh from victory in Stanford, faces Bouchard’s 2014 conqueror Rogers.

CoCo Vandweghe’s Olympic dream took an unexpected turn when the American injured her right ankle during her Bank of the West Classic quarterfinal against Alison Riske.

Not long after retiring from the match, Vandeweghe expressed an unwavering desire to be ready to play doubles with fellow BNP Paribas Open winner Bethanie Mattek-Sands.

“I sprained my ankle a couple of days ago in Stanford, but glad the fall looked worse than it was,” she said on Monday. “Back now in training mode for Rio – hard work never sleeps! Thank you again to the tournament and Bank of the West for all of their support and I hope to see everyone again next year.”

We wish you a speedy recovery, @CoCoVandey! #BOTWC https://t.co/kAB9xbPmGe

— WTA (@WTA) July 23, 2016

Vandeweghe soon learned that the fall looked much worse than it was, and all doubt was laid to rest after confirming that the injury was, in fact, just a sprain. CoCo took to social media to show her rehab already underway.

“I sprained my ankle a couple of days ago in Stanford, but happy to say it’s just a sprain,” she said on Monday. “I’m back now in training mode for Rio – hard work never sleeps! Thank you again to the tournament and Bank of the West for all of their support and I hope to see everyone again next year.”

Vandweghe’s coach, Craig Kardon, also tweeted out one of their workouts:

Look out Rio #RoadToRio @cocovandey pic.twitter.com/sVoLtLwddk

— craig kardon (@ckardon) July 25, 2016

With two weeks to go for her Olympic debut, the 24-year-old is back in Rancho Santa Fe training with more fire and heart than ever, making it crystal clear that there is no way she will be missing the Rio Games.

MONTRÉAL, Canada – No.12 seed Petra Kvitova weathered a rainy day at the Rogers Cup to rain down on Madga Linette, 6-1, 6-2, in just over an hour on Court Central.

Watch live action from Montréal this week on WTA Live powered by TennisTV!

Kvitova’s first North American hardcourt title came in Montréal back in 2012, and he rode those good memories to an emphatic win over Linette on Monday night.

“I think the rain is following women’s tennis right now – wherever we are it’s a rainy day! – so I’m just happy I was able to play. It was the night session, but I just had to wait a little bit longer and I’m glad that I played, I won and I’m through,” Kvitova said after the match.

Linette pushed former No.1 Venus Williams to three sets last week at the Bank of the West Classic, but was overwhelmed by the two-time Wimbledon winner, who won nine of 12 points on second serve return points and didn’t face a break point in any of her own seven service games.

Thanks to the best ball kids! Haha and to the crowd for staying out after the rain, had fun out there tonight ?✌ pic.twitter.com/5p5QakiAhQ

— Petra Kvitova (@Petra_Kvitova) 26 July 2016

Kvitova’s next obstacle as she looks to rouse a slumbering season is either Alizé Cornet or Andrea Petkovic. “My first half of the season wasn’t as great as I would have wished, but I’m always believing that I can come back and play well. This is a chance for me and I’ll do everything I can to go far.”

Another seed making progress in the bottom half was 2011 finalist Samantha Stosur, who finished strongly to get past Heather Watson, 7-5, 6-3. “To get through in straight sets, I’m pretty happy,” Stosur said. “Overall I thought I served pretty well. There weren’t a lot of points off my serve where she could dictate off the first shot.”

Around the grounds, qualifier Camila Giorgi squeaked past Sloane Stephens, 7-6(2), 7-6(4). No.17 seed Elina Svitolina knocked out American qualifier Jennifer Brady, 6-2, 6-4, while Naomi Broady fought back to defeat Monica Puig, 3-6, 6-4, 6-2.

MONTRÉAL, Canada – Daria Gavrilova overcame the rain and Annika Beck to become the first winner at this year’s Rogers Cup.

Watch live action from Montréal this week on WTA Live powered by TennisTV!

On a wet opening day, Gavrilova returned from a lengthy first set rain delay to complete a 6-4, 6-3 win and book a second-round meeting with No.5 seed Simona Halep.

Both players struggled to stamp their authority on the contest early on, trading four breaks of serve before the heavens opened. When they returned more than an hour later, Gavrilova came out firing, a pair of fine forehand winners bringing her the set.

The Australian carried this momentum into the start of the second set, taking the first three games. While Beck managed to reduce her arrears to 4-3, Gavrilova responded by rattling off the final eight points of the match to secure her date with Halep.

Gavrilova has met Halep twice before, winning the most recent of these this spring in Rome. Following a slow start, Halep has grown in confidence as the year has progressed and is now looking to ramp up her preparations ahead of next month’s US Open.

“The more matches I play it helps me get confidence and get used to the pressure,” Halep told wtatennis.com. “I have this tournament, I have Cincinnati, so I think I have enough – I’m also playing doubles here – time to be ready for US Open.”

The only other player to advance before Monday’s latest intervention from the weather was Madison Brengle, who scored a minor upset by defeating Ekaterina Makarova, 6-4, 1-6, 6-4.