Montréal: Halep vs. Keys
Simona Halep takes on Madison Keys in the final of the Rogers Cup.
Simona Halep takes on Madison Keys in the final of the Rogers Cup.
MONTRÉAL, Canada – For the players taking part in the 2016 Rogers Cup, it was more than just ranking points and prize money at stake in the competition: there was an extra prize up for grabs for the tournament winners.
Extra motivation for @roberta_vinci @CoupeRogers: If you make the final you get tickets to @celinedion. She wants them.
— WTA Insider (@WTA_insider) July 24, 2016
Though Roberta Vinci didn’t reach the final (and we didn’t get to hear her sing), plenty of WTA players were in attendance on to see Celine Dion’s triumphant return to Montréal, where she was kicking off the first of 10 concerts in the city.
Elena Vesnina and Ekaterina Makarova, who teamed up to win the Rogers Cup trophy in doubles, didn’t miss the chance to see the singer live, making sure to record every moment.
Amazing show #CelineDionMTL Thank you @CoupeRogers for the tickets?She is so real!!!❤️?#ofcoursetitanicsong pic.twitter.com/oOiI4KmhZq
— Elena Vesnina (@EVesnina001) August 1, 2016
#CelineDionMTL ??? pic.twitter.com/gzFftMzycd
— Elena Vesnina (@EVesnina001) August 1, 2016
Концерт #celindion Спасибо большое турниру rogers_cup за билеты! Это было очень круто, она такая… https://t.co/KR2gsgGofk
— Kate Makarova (@katemakarova1) August 1, 2016
The tournament’s other champion, Simona Halep, who featured in both the singles and doubles finals, was too exhausted to make the show. She wasn’t too cut up about it though, having already seen the Queen of Pop live a few months ago.
Q. If you make the final, you get tickets to a concert tonight.
SIMONA HALEP: You think I’m able to go? I have one more match. I saw Celine in March when I was in Vegas. I will see her soon, but not tonight.
Meanwhile, Canada’s No.1 Eugenie Bouchard was at the concert, too, and she nabbed the ultimate selfie with her iconic countrywoman before the show began.
QUEEN pic.twitter.com/jnOTErpKhR
— Genie Bouchard (@geniebouchard) July 31, 2016
Celine's voice makes me feel emotions I didn't know I had ??? pic.twitter.com/OJniYVmGpd
— Genie Bouchard (@geniebouchard) August 1, 2016
An interview with Simona Halep after her win in the final of the Rogers Cup.
Following last week’s withdrawals, the International Tennis Federation has updated entry lists for the upcoming Olympic Games, adding Magda Linette and Polona Hercog to the singles competition.
NANCHANG, China – No.8 seed Han Xinyun avoided an early exit at the Jiangxi Open with a battling win over qualifier Junri Namigata on a sweltering opening day.
Watch live action from Nanchang this week on WTA Live powered by TennisTV!
Success has proved hard to find this summer for Han, who arrived in Nanchang with only one win in her past five tournaments. And it looked like more disappointment was on the cards when Namigata raced through the opening set.
However, Han had other ideas, pinching a tight second set to ensure a tense finale. She continued to sail close to the wind in the decider, coming within a couple of points of defeat before eventually prevailing, 2-6, 6-4, 7-5.
“I’ve been trying to get used to the weather,” Han said. “I didn’t feel in good form in the very beginning and was just trying to hang in there at the end. It wasn’t my best tennis today but I won and now I can look forward to the next round.”
There she will face compatriot Duan Ying-Ying, who eased past Marina Melnikova, 6-2, 6-2. Also advancing was Risa Ozaki, who wisely kept her time on court to a minimum, swatting aside lucky loser Han Na-Lae, 6-3, 6-1. The No.7 seed’s reward is a meeting with Nicha Lertpitaksinchai, after she defeated fellow Thai qualifier Peangtarn Plipuech, 6-2, 6-4.
THE WINNERS
Simona Halep won her third title of 2016 with a decisive 7-6(2), 6-3 victory at the Rogers Cup over No.10 seed Madison Keys, moving up to No.3 in the world and increasing her winning streak to 10 straight matches.
“I like being here in Montréal a lot. It feels like being in Europe, like I’ve said many times,” Halep said. “With all the Romanians, I felt like I was at home. Many people were coming every day, not just today. It was an amazing atmosphere down there.
“The man that announced us on the court today said two words in Romanian, so that motivated me a lot. I said that I have to win.”
WTA Insider Live Blog: point-by-point analysis. | Watch highlights here.
Two-time Grand Slam champions Ekaterina Makarova and Elena Vesnina reunited after nearly a year apart at the start of the European clay court season, winning their first title of the season at the Rogers Cup, knocking out singles champion Simona Halep and Monica Niculescu, 6-3, 7-6(5).
The Russians, who are a part of the delegation competing at the Olympic tennis event in Rio, are using Montréal as a testing ground for their renewed partnership. The duo has combined for two Grand Slam titles in the past, and now have their sights set on Olympic gold.
“Hopefully it’s going to help us in Rio for sure,” Vesnina said. “We’re playing here in Montréal because everyone wants to get match rhythm, get some wins and some confidence. Doubles is always tricky so it’s good to have some big wins ahead of Rio.”
Read the match recap here.
RANKING MOVERS:
Notable singles ranking movers for the week of August 1, 2016.
Simona Halep (ROU) +2 (No.5 to 3): With her win at the Rogers Cup, Halep inches up two ranking spots to No.3. She started out the year at No.2 and dipped as low as No.7 following a string of disappointing midseason results.
Daria Kasatkina (RUS) +6 (No.33 to 27): The 19-year-old’s breakthrough continued in Montréal last week, where she reached the quarterfinal to climb to a career high ranking of No.27.
Camila Giorgi (ITA) +9 (No.77 to 68): Italian qualifier Giorgi reached the second round at Montreal, bumping her up to No.68.
Kristina Kucova (SVK) +44 (121 to 77): Kucova’s Cinderella run from qualifying to her first WTA Premier-level semifinal in Montréal earned her the week’s biggest ranking jump to a career high spot at No.77.
UPCOMING TOURNAMENTS
Brasil Tennis Cup
Florianopolis, Brazil
International | $226,750 | Hard, Outdoor
Sunday, July 31 – Friday, August 5
Jiangxi Women’s Tennis Open
Nanchang, China
International | $226,750 | Hard, Outdoor
Monday, August 1 – Sunday, August 7
Olympic Tennis Event
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
– | $0 | Hard, Outdoor
Saturday, August 6 – Sunday, August 14
Western & Southern Open
Cincinnati, USA
Premier | $2,503,250 | Hard, Outdoor
Monday, August 15 – Sunday, August 21
TOP 20 PLAYER SCHEDULES
1. Serena Williams – Olympics
2. Angelique Kerber – Olympics, Cincinnati
3. Simona Halep – Cincinnati
4. Garbiñe Muguruza – Olympics, Cincinnati
5. Agnieszka Radwanska – Olympics, Cincinnati
6. Venus Williams – Olympics
7. Victoria Azarenka
8. Roberta Vinci – Olympics, Cincinnati
9. Madison Keys – Olympics
10. Svetlana Kuznetsova – Olympics, Cincinnati
11. Dominika Cibulkova – Cincinnati
12. Carla Suárez Navarro – Olympics, Cincinnati
13. Johanna Konta – Olympics, Cincinnati
14. Petra Kvitova – Olympics, Cincinnati
15. Timea Bacsinszky – Olympics, Cincinnati
16. Belinda Bencic – Cincinnati
17. Karolina Pliskova – Cincinnati
18. Samantha Stosur – Olympics, Cincinnati
19. Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova – Olympics, Cincinnati
20. Elina Svitolina – Olympics, Cincinnati
Angelique Kerber has Saturday’s shot of the day at the Rogers Cup.
FLORIANOPOLIS, Brazil – While many of their WTA peers are already en route to Rio de Janeiro for the Olympic tennis event kicking off later this week, Jelena Jankovic and Monica Puig have already scored their first wins on Brazilian soil at the Brasil Tennis Cup in Florianopolis.
Watch live action from Florianopolis this week on WTA Live powered by TennisTV!
Located over a thousand kilometers southwest of Rio, Florianopolis is the last stop for many players ahead of the Olympics. In fact, 12 players out of the 32 in the tournament’s main draw are also Olympians looking to squeeze in a few more matches before the big event.
Among them was No.1 seed Jelena Jankovic, who made her Florianopolis debut against Russian qualifier Valeriya Solovyeva. The 23-year-old wasted no time in trading breaks with the former No.1. Solovyeva brought up five more break point chances, but the Serbian dodged them all before grabbing the late break to take the first set 7-5.
Jankovic broke twice more to start off the second set with a 4-0 lead, but Solovyeva showed her grit once more by digging in her heels and reeling off three games in a row to cut into the Serbian’s advantage. It wasn’t enough to take back the momentum, as Jankovic powered on to close out the match 7-5, 6-4 after an hour and forty minutes.
“The conditions changed a lot after the first set to the end of the match,” Jankovic said. “I was really just trying my best to play smart and focus to just finish the match. I’m happy with how I played.”
Fellow Olympian Monica Puig had a smoother road to the second round of the Brasil Tennis Cup, storming past Anastasia Pivovarova 6-2, 6-3. Puig, the No.3 seed, only dropped serve once during the 70 minute encounter.
The Puerto Rican opened the match by breaking twice and racing ahead to a 4-0. Pivovarova broke back and consolidated to get her name on the scoreboard and stop the bleeding, but Puig went on to rattle off the next five games to grab the set and a break. She held on to that lead and closed out her comfortable passage into the second round.
Unfortunately for the Brazilian crowd, defending champion Teliana Pereira was denied her shot at a Florianopolis double after being knocked out of the tournament by lucky loser Lyudmyla Kichenok.
“Today it wasn’t my best day,” she said. “I love playing here in Florianopolis, last year I had such a big experience winning the tournament here.”
Despite the disappointing 6-3, 6-2 scoreline, Pereira was able to find the positive side of defeat.
“The good thing is now I’m going early to Rio de Janeiro to play my first Olympics – I’m very happy and just want to enjoy Rio and play my best tennis.”
Simona Halep takes on Angelique Kerber in the semifinals of the Rogers Cup.