Bacsinszky Battles Through Stormy Gstaad
Top seed Timea Bacsinszky had a late start thanks to a rainy day in Gstaad, but advanced into the second round in straight sets alongside No.6 seed Johanna Larsson.
Top seed Timea Bacsinszky had a late start thanks to a rainy day in Gstaad, but advanced into the second round in straight sets alongside No.6 seed Johanna Larsson.
Ana Ivanovic and Dominika Cibulkova had plenty to celebrate this weekend as each married their respective fiances, Bastian Schweinsteiger and Michal Navara.
GSTAAD, Switzerland – UNAIDS has appointed Timea Bacsinszky, top seed at the Ladies Championship Gstaad, as a Global Advocate for Young People.
Bacsinszky will work to ensure that young people have access to the information and services needed to protect themselves from becoming infected with HIV and will encourage young people to get tested for the virus and seek immediate treatment if necessary to keep them alive and well.
“My generation has never known a world without HIV, but we have the power to change this for future generations,” said Bacsinszky. “Ending the AIDS epidemic by 2030 will require commitment and perseverance to get the job done and this will only happen if we break down the stigma that still surrounds HIV.
“In tennis we are all equal on court – no matter what our nationality, gender, religion, or sexual orientation is. It is just you and your opponent. The rules of the game are the same for both players. Working with UNAIDS made me realize that in many countries, young people living with HIV/AIDS do not have equal rights and opportunities.
“Oftentimes, young people do not have access to relevant HIV prevention services, voluntary HIV testing, affordable treatment, and high quality care and support services. Or else, the fear of stigma and discrimination discourages them from disclosing their HIV status, which undermines their ability and willingness to access and adhere to treatment.
“If we want to end the AIDS epidemic by 2030 we need to change this and I want to be part of that change – by lending my voice to spread the word about the needs of young people most affected by HIV, promoting HIV testing via social media channels and engaging young people in the AIDS response.”
Bacsinszky is supporting the UNAIDS #ProTESTHIV campaign, which encourages young people to become actively involved in promoting HIV testing and linkage to care and treatment services. People can find more information at protesthiv.org.
“Timea Bacsinszky’s energy and dedication on the tennis court are very clear,” said Michel Sidibé, Executive Director of UNAIDS. “These are valuable qualities that will help to mobilize young people to join the global movement in response to HIV and become the generation to end the AIDS epidemic by 2030.”
There are 36.7 million people living with HIV globally, 3.9 million of whom are young people aged 15 to 24. Young people are especially vulnerable to HIV infection. In 2015, there were an estimated 670 000 new HIV infections worldwide among young people aged 15 to 24, with young women accounting for 58% of new infections among this age group.
UNAIDS is the main charitable beneficiary of the Women’s Tennis Association Ladies Championship Gstaad in 2016.
All photos courtesy of the Ladies Championship Gstaad.
Sania Mirza has overcome tremendous adversity to become a World No.1 in women’s doubles and a trailblazer for Indian tennis. Co-ranked atop the doubles rankings with partner Martina Hingis, Mirza has captured three of the last five major tournaments – not including the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global. She and Hingis became the first players to outright qualify for Singapore in singles or doubles earlier this spring.
Last week, Mirza released her first book, an autobiography entitled Ace Against The Odds. Published by Harper Sport, the doubles star recounts her rise to the top of women’s tennis, and all the obstacles she had to face along the way.
Pick up your copy of Ace Against The Odds today on Amazon, and let us know what you think of the book!
It’s time to vote for June’s WTA Player of the Month!
Have a look at the nominees and cast your vote before Thursday at 11:59pm ET! The winner will be announced Friday, July 15.
June 2016 WTA Player Of The Month Finalists
Serena Williams: An athlete who needs no introduction, the World No.1 captured a record-tying 22nd Grand Slam title – matching Stefanie Graf’s record – at Wimbledon. She dropped just one set en route to the title – her seventh at the All England Club – and held onto her spot atop the WTA rankings for a 301st consecutive week.
Angelique Kerber: Kerber eased into her grass court season with a run to the quarterfinals of the Aegon Classic, but caught fire at Wimbledon, racing into the final without losing a set and knocking out five-time champion Venus Williams in the semifinals. The German played a hard-fought final before losing to Serena in straight sets.
Madison Keys: The young American became the first to make her Top 10 debut since Serena in 1999 by reaching the final of the Aegon Classic in Birmingham (eventually winning the title over Barbora Strycova), and reached the second week of Wimbledon for the second year in a row.
Dominika Cibulkova: Cibulkova cemented her comeback with a title at the Aegon International in Eastborne, defeating Agnieszka Radwanska from a set and a break deficit en route to the trophy, and reached the quarterfinals of Wimbledon by defeating Radwanska again in what may already be the best match of 2016.
2016 Winners
January: Angelique Kerber
February: Carla Suárez Navarro
March: Victoria Azarenka
April: Angelique Kerber
May: Garbiñe Muguruza
How it works:
Finalists are selected by wtatennis.com
Winner is then determined by a fan vote on wtatennis.com
June was defined by three breakthrough players who brought some impressive performances on and off the court. Which one soared the highest?
Have a look at the nominees for June’s Breakthrough Performance of the Month and cast your vote before Thursday at 11:59pm ET! The winner will be announced Friday, July 15.
June 2016 WTA Breakthrough Performance of the Month Finalists:
Elena Vesnina: The Russian veteran has enjoyed regular success at the upper echelons of the doubles circuit, but finally broke though in a big way at a singles Slam, reaching her first semifinal at Wimbledon with wins over Ekaterina Makarova and Dominika Cibulkova. Ranked outside the Top 100 to start the season, Vesnina has cut her ranking by nearly 100 spots since her February low of No.122 and is back inside the Top 25 for the first time since January of 2014.
Madison Keys: Keys not only earned her second title on grass at the Aegon Classic, but she also made a major rankings breakthough by becoming the first American to debut inside the Top 10 since Serena Williams in 1999. Keys backed up her newly minted Top 10 ranking with a run to the second week of Wimbledon, her sixth trip to the round of 16 or better at a major in her last seven outings.
Anastasija Sevastova: Briefly retired for a space of 18 months, the Latvian is arguably playing better than ever as she continues her climb back up the rankings, making a breakthrough at the Mallorca Open, where she reached the final – her first since 2010. The run also brought Sevastova back into the Top 70.
2016 Winners:
January: Zhang Shuai
February: Jelena Ostapenko
March: Nicole Gibbs
April: Cagla Buyukakcay
May: Kiki Bertens
How it works:
Finalists are selected by wtatennis.com
Winner is then determined by a fan vote on wtatennis.com
LAUSANNE, Switzerland – The Court of Arbitration for Sport announced Monday that a ruling on Maria Sharapova’s appeal of her two-year suspension for a failed drug test has been postponed.
Both parties had agreed to an expedited track for the appeal case, which would have seen a decision issued no later than July 18, 2016. Now, the Associated Press reports that CAS and the International Tennis Federation have agreed to defer the decision for another two months.
According to a statement from CAS, “Due to the parties requiring additional time to complete and respond to their respective evidentiary submissions, and several scheduling conflicts, the parties have agreed not to expedite the appeal.”
A ruling is expected no later than September 19, 2016.
Though she didn’t walk away with a sixth Wimbledon title, Venus Williams nonetheless rocketed up the Road to Singapore leaderboard, moving up almost 40 spots into the Top 20 at No.18.
The former No.1 and 2008 BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global champion turned back the clock at the All England Club, reaching her first Grand Slam semifinal since the 2010 US Open before falling to eventual finalist and reigning Australian Open champion Angelique Kerber.
Elena Vesnina broke new ground over the fortnight, reaching her first career semifinal in singles with wins over doubles partner Ekaterina Makarova and red-hot Dominika Cibulkova, who had upset RTS No.5 and defending WTA Finals champion Agnieszka Radwanska in the round of 16. The Russian has twice qualified for the WTA Finals in doubles – both times with Makarova – reaching the final her debut appearance in 2013. Her Wimbledon run has been a culmination of impressive singles results throughout 2016, moving her up 11 spots from No.23 to No.12.
Surprise quarterfinalists Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova and Yaroslava Shvedova also made big strides on the Road to Singapore leaderboard; Pavlyuchenkova made her best-ever run at a grass court tournament and up 32 spots to No.34, while Shvedova – she of the 2012 “Golden Set” at Wimbledon against Sara Errani – moved up 40 spots of her own to crack the Top 40 on the leaderboard.
CoCo Vandeweghe capped a solid grass court season by reaching the second week of Wimbledon for the second year in a row, roaring up nine spots to No.27.
The Top 8 on the Road to Singapore leaderboard remained largely unchanged following an exciting week at the All England Club, save for 2014 WTA Finals runner-up Simona Halep reclaiming the No.8 position over Madison Keys, who fell to the Romanian in the fourth round.
RTS Ranking Movers
Yaroslava Shvedova: No.78 to No.38 (+40)
Venus Williams: No.57 to No.18 (+39)
Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova: No.66 to No.34 (+32)
Elena Vesnina: No.23 to No.12 (+11)
CoCo Vandeweghe: No.36 to No.27 (+9)
Simona Halep: No.9 to No.8 (+1)
Click here to see the full Road To Singapore leaderboard standings following Wimbledon.
Angelique Kerber (+2, No.4 to No.2): The German reached her second Grand Slam final of the season, knocking out five-time champion and former No.1 Venus Williams before battling through a two-set defeat to World No.1 Serena Williams. Kerber is back to the career-high ranking she first earned in February upon claiming her maiden major title at the Australian Open.
Venus Williams (+1, No.8 to No.7): Williams moves more comfortably into the Top 8 after making her first major semifinal since the 2010 US Open. Back up to her highest ranking since early 2011, Venus fought through five tough matches to finish in the final fall before falling to Kerber in straight sets.
Carla Suárez Navarro (+3, No.12 to No.9): Suárez Navarro returned to the Top 10 following her best career grass court season. Backing up a run to the semifinals of the Aegon Classic, the Spaniard reached the second week of Wimbledon for just the second time in her career, bowing out to Venus Williams despite having chances to serve out the opening set.
Svetlana Kuznetsova (+4, No.14 to No.10): The Russian veteran fulfilled her promise of returning to the Top 10 after having chances to do so earlier in the season. Kuznetsova is at her highest rank since the spring of 2010, just before her title defense of the French Open title she had won the year before. Kuznetsova played Serena Williams tough after knocking out former No.1 Caroline Wozniacki en route to the fourth round.
Dominika Cibulkova (+6, No.18 to No.12): Cibulkova’s march back toward the Top 10 continued at Wimbledon, where the Slovakian dynamo followed up her title run at the Aegon International with a run to the quarterfinals of the All England Club.
Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (+4, No.23 to No.19): Up to her highest ranking in over three years, Pavlyuchenkova played her best grass court tennis of her career to reach her first Wimbledon quarterfinal – upsetting Timea Bacsinszky and CoCo Vandeweghe along the way.
Elena Vesnina (+26, No.50 to No.24): Ranked outside the Top 100 to start the season, Vesnina cut her ranking in half following her fortnight at Wimbledon, where she reached her first Grand Slam semifinal. After surviving a thrilling, rain-delayed encounter with doubles partner Ekaterina Makarova, she put on an emphatic display to dispatch Cibulkova in the quarterfinals.
The following women all reached career-high rankings; click here to see the full rankings updated as of 7/11/16!
New #WTA Career-High Rankings@KikiBertens – No.26 @DKasatkina – No.29 @MonicaAce93 – No.33
Misaki Doi – No.36 @MariaSakkari – No.97— WTA (@WTA) July 11, 2016
BUCHAREST, Romania – Aliaksandra Sasnovich snatched victory from the jaws of defeat against Anna Karolina Schmiedlova at the Bucharest Open on Monday.
Watch live action from Bucharest this week on WTA Live powered by TennisTV!
A contest lasting nearly two-and-a-half hours eventually went the way of Sasnovich, who fended off a match point to knock out the defending champion, 6-4, 1-6, 7-5.
After a bright start, the match looked to be slipping away from Sasnovich when Schmiedlova romped through the second then opened up a 5-2 lead in the decider. However, the No.3 seed was unable to deliver the knockout blow, coming within a point of victory when serving for the match.
Liberated by the apparent hopelessness of the situation, Sasnovich threw off the shackles, unleashing a courageous forehand winner to reach the sanctuary of deuce, then breaking back when Schmiedlova sent a nervous second serve into the net. A few games later she had a match point of her own, firing an ace out wide to complete the escape.
“It was tough today because I had 5-2 in third set and I had a match point so it’s disappointing and really sad I didn’t win,” Schmiedlova said. “I need to win some matches and I just need to go from first round to second round, to do as many matches as I can.
“I was hoping to get back to it but it didn’t happen today but I hope it’s going to be better next time.”
Also advancing to the second round were Cagla Buyukakcay, who beat Kristina Kucova, 6-0, 7-5, and Vania King, a 7-6(4), 6-0 winner over Paula Kania.