Eastbourne: Shot Of The Day (Monday)
Ekaterina Makarova had Monday’s shot of the day at the Aegon International.
Ekaterina Makarova had Monday’s shot of the day at the Aegon International.
Garbiñe Muguruza hasn’t had too much time to revel in her maiden Grand Slam triumph. Not long after stunning World No.1 Serena Williams to win the French Open, the Spaniard had to shift focus to yet another major tournament, one played on courts that serve as a stark contrast to slow red clay.
“I just have to keep a totally open mind,” she told press after her opening round loss at the Mallorca Open. “I came to Mallorca with very little time to prepare. I mean, yesterday I was still in Paris, and this is a totally different surface.
“The truth is I’m disappointed, but now I’m just training harder to arrive ready for Wimbledon.”
While many French Open champions tend not to grab too many headlines as the tour takes over the All England Club, all eyes will be on Muguruza to see if she can back up last year’s breakthrough fortnight, when she upset Agnieszka Radwanska to reach the final – becoming the first Spanish woman to make it that far since Conchita Martinez in 1994.
“Oh man, I barely remember the last time. It’s been over a year since my [Wimbledon] final, and it feels like ages since I last stepped on grass. But sure, it brings me great memories, even though grass isn’t a surface I’ve always loved – I didn’t used to like it at all.”
While back-to-back quarterfinal appearances foreshadowed this year’s title run at Roland Garros, the Spaniard had won a grand total of one main draw match at Wimbledon, and was perilously close to elimination in bother her second and third round matches to Mirjana Lucic-Baroni and Angelique Kerber before catching fire in the second week.
“I’ve learned to love it more lately, with time. And then reaching the final at Wimbledon, that was something so special.
“It’s always a hard switch, especially the first few days on grass, but there’s little tricks to help adjust.”
Playing her first major final, she played Williams through two tough sets, admitting to nerves playing a part in keeping her from stepping over the finish line.
“I felt I had a lot of opportunities against her, and I just thought in Wimbledon I was very nervous,” she said after winning in Paris. “I couldn’t really control that.”
After losing the opening set of her first round, Muguruza looked in complete control in Paris, rolling over the field and winning 12 straight sets en route to the title and a new career-high ranking of No.2. Whether the quantum leap in her resume gives her more confidence remains to be seen, but seems to know she can’t rest on her laurels.
“When you step out onto the court, it doesn’t matter if, last week, you’ve just won a Grand Slam, in the end it comes down to who can play their best on that day.”
Muguruza’s career has already been full of the highest of highs and lowest of lows; it took her until the Asian Swing to recover from reaching last year’s Wimbledon final, but she made up for lost time in style, going undefeated in round robin play of her BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global debut.
This season, but contrast, has been a slow build, putting one solid result on top of another before she was able to climb up and grab a piece of Grand Slam glory. A steep drop-off wouldn’t be out of character, but certainly out of step for a player who has not only evolved into a Grand Slam contender, but a Grand Slam champion.
Click here to read more about this year’s Wimbledon Contenders, courtesy of WTA Insider.
All photos courtesy of Getty Images.
Ekaterina Makarova takes on Tara Moore in the first round of the Aegon International.
Steffi Graf won her second straight Wimbledon final against Arantxa Sanchez Vicario in 1996.
16-year-old Martina Hingis became the youngest Wimbledon winner since Lottie Dodd in 1887, but did so at the expense of good friend and doubles partner Jana Novotna, who was playing her first major final since her heartbreaking loss to Steffi Graf in 1993 at the All England Club.
But Novotna finally won her Wimbledon trophy one year later in 1998, upsetting Hingis in the semifinals and defeating Nathalie Tauziat in the championship match.
Lindsay Davenport ended Steffi Graf’s hopes for a 23rd Grand Slam title by winning her second major in under a year and defeating the German in her final Wimbledon appearance.
Venus won the first of her five Wimbledon titles to kick off the new millennium, knocking out Hingis, sister Serena, and defending champion Davenport for her long-awaited first Grand Slam title.
Venus repeated the feat in 2001, becoming the first woman to win two Wimbledons in a row since Graf in 1996, defeating a young Justine Henin, who was playing her first major final, in three sets.
Venus and Serena played the first of four all-Williams Wimbledon finals in 2002, with younger sister coming out on top for her first victory at the All England Club, which became the second leg of her 2002-2003 Serena Slam.
The sisters met again in 2003 for an epic three-set final that saw Serena capture her fifth Grand Slam title in six appearances.
Wimbledon at 17: Maria Sharapova toppled Serena Williams in straight sets to capture her first major title, catapulting her to the top of the women’s game in 2004.
Seeded No.14, Venus Williams overcame all kinds of adversity to up-end Davenport for her first major title since 2001, saving a match point and winning the longest women’s final in Wimbledon history back in 2005.
Less than six months after her first major title, Amélie Mauresmo struck gold at Wimbledon, denying Henin of the Career Grand Slam to clinch her first Wimbledon title in 2006.
Ranked outside the Top 30, Venus became the lowest ranked and lowest seeded woman in Wimbledon history to capture the Venus Rosewater dish, taking out surprise finalist Marion Bartoli for her fourth title at the All England Club.
Venus made it two in a row once more in 2008, earning her first win over sister Serena in a Grand Slam final since 2001 for her fifth Wimbledon title.
Serena got her revenge in 2009, defeating Venus in straight sets for her second major title of the season.
Serena defended her Wimbledon title for the second time in her illustrious career, defeating Vera Zvonareva in straight sets.
Petra Kvitova became the first woman born in the 1990s to win a Grand Slam, surprising Maria Sharapova to win her first of two Wimbledon titles in 2011.
After a harrowing two-year odyssey dealing with injuries and illness, Serena won her first major title since 2010, surviving a second-set fightback from Agnieszka Radwanska in the final. Serena came back to the All England Club three weeks later to win a pair of Olympic Gold medals.
Marion Bartoli made her Grand Slam dream come true in 2013, stunning Sabine Lisicki in straight sets as the Frenchwoman won her first major title before retiring a few weeks later.
Kvitova won her second Wimbledon title in 2014, playing emphatic tennis over the fortnight leading up to a brilliant display in the championship match against Eugenie Bouchard.
Serena’s sixth Wimbledon title may have been her most special, as it helped her clinch her second Serena Slam. The World No.1 will nonetheless be in the hunt for title No.7 next week at the All England Club.
SINGAPORE – Doubles co-No.1s Martina Hingis and Sania Mirza have become the first players to qualify for the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global, the WTA’s crown jewel event where the world’s Top 8 teams will battle for a $7-million prize purse.
“Qualifying for the WTA Finals for the second year in a row with Sania is very exciting,” said Hingis, three-time WTA Finals doubles champion. “We enjoyed every moment in Singapore last year and hope to defend our title amongst the best doubles teams in the world.”
Mirza added, “Being able to achieve such great success together has been a dream come true. Having won the WTA Finals in Singapore last year as well as multiple tournaments in such a short period of time has been an unbelievable experience. I’m very much looking forward to competing in Singapore once again to try to make it three titles in a row.”
The collaboration between Hingis and Mirza began at the 2015 BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, where they achieved instant success by taking the title and eight more by the end of the year, including the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global. This year, Hingis and Mirza have already claimed five titles – Brisbane International, Apia International Sydney, Australian Open, St. Petersburg Ladies Trophy and the Internazionali BNL d’Italia – Rome. As a result, the Swiss-Indian duo, known as “SanTina” to their fans, will attempt to defend their title in Singapore in their second appearance as a team.
Here is the current doubles Road to Singapore Leaderboard:
1. Martina Hingis (SUI) / Sania Mirza (IND)
2. Caroline Garcia (FRA) / Kristina Mladenovic (FRA)
3. Andrea Hlavackova (CZE) / Lucie Hradecka (CZE)
4. Chan Hao-Ching (TPE) / Chan Yung-Jan (TPE)
5. Xu Yifan (CHN) / Zheng Saisai (CHN)
6. Ekaterina Makarova (RUS) / Elena Vesnina (RUS)
7. Anabel Medina Garrigues (ESP) / Arantxa Parra Santonja (ESP)
8. Julia Goerges (GER) / Karolina Pliskova (CZE)
9. Vania King (USA) / Alla Kudryavtseva (RUS)
10. Timea Babos (HUN) / Yaroslava Shvedova (KAZ)
The doubles competition will begin in Singapore on October 27 and is a single elimination contest between the Top 8 doubles teams of the 2016 season, all vying to hold the Martina Navratilova Doubles Trophy. Total prize money for doubles stands at $1.4 million with the champion team taking home up to $500,000.
Want to watch SanTina go for season-ending glory? Tickets packages for the WTA Finals are already available!
For the latest updates and insights, follow on Twitter (@WTAFinalsSG), Facebook (facebook.com/WTAFinalsSG) and Instagram (@WTAFinalsSG).
Elena Vesnina takes on Heather Watson in the first round of the Aegon International.
Defending champions Martina Hingis and Sania Mirza became the first players to qualify for the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global. The Co-No.1s started the year with their third straight Grand Slam title and have been all but invincible since, capturing a total of five titles in the first six months of the 2016 season.
Want more Santina stats? We’ve compiled the most important numbers behind Hingis and Mirza’s superb doubles careers – together and apart.
92 – Hingis (55) and Mirza (37) have won a total of 92 doubles titles throughout their careers.
41 – Hingis and Mirza went undefeated from the US Open to Qatar Total Open, the longest winning streak since 1990.
9 – The pair earned nine titles during their streak, including two Grand Slams and the WTA Finals crown.
14 – As a team, Santina has won 14 titles together and will look to defend their doubles title in Singapore at the WTA Finals this year.
3 – Mirza is returning to the WTA Finals for the third consecutive year.
2 – Mirza is a perfect 8-0 in doubles matches at the WTA Finals winning the title in 2014 with Cara Black and 2015 with Hingis.
1661 – Throughout their careers, Hingis (960) and Mirza (701) have combined to win 1,661 matches in singles and doubles matches combined.
111 – Mirza (63) and Hingis (58) have combined to spend 111 weeks at the top of the WTA Doubles Rankings, including 23 weeks as Co-No.1s.
An interview with Belinda Bencic before her opening round match at the Aegon International.
THE WINNERS
Madison Keys capped of her debut into the WTA’s Top 10 in style: defeating tour veteran Barbora Strycova, 6-3, 6-4, to win the title at the Aegon Classic Birmingham.
A quarterfinalist at last year’s Wimbledon Championships, Keys played near-perfect grass court tennis during the 79-minute affair to claim her first WTA title since 2014 – also on grass in Eastbourne.
“I’m feeling pretty good. I think getting this many matches in a row was a huge opportunity that I think that can definitely help me at Wimbledon,” Keys said.
“I obviously really love the surface, so the more I get to play on it, the happier I am.”
Read the full story and watch match highlights here.
Meanwhile, in sunny Spain, Caroline Garcia capped a near-perfect transition from clay courts to grass with her second title of 2016, easing past Anastasija Sevastova, 6-3, 6-4, to win the inaugural Mallorca Open.
“I’m glad to win any tournament; it doesn’t matter what surface!” a giggling Garcia told press after the match.
“When I arrived here, it was my first tournament on grass this year, so I wasn’t expecting to go this far or win the trophy. It’s a great achievement after a long and diffcult week, so I’m happy to be the winner.”
With her second title of the season under her belt, the French star moves back into the Top 32, helping her to become the new French No.1 and earn a seed at the upcoming Wimbledon Championships.
Read the full story here.
RANKING MOVERS:
Notable singles ranking movers for the week of June 20, 2016.
Tsvetana Pironkova (BUL), +13 (No.72 to 59): Pironkova backed up her run to the French Open quarterfinals with a quarterfinal appearance at the Aegon Classic Birmingham. This time, the Bulgarian made it out of qualifying rounds and jumps up 13 spots in the WTA rankings.
Kirsten Flipkens (BEL), +9 (No.61 to 52): Flipkens pulled of the upset of the tournament when she knocked out World No.2 Garbiñe Muguruza out of the Mallorca Open, but she didn’t stop there. Her run to the semifinals of the inaugural grass event earned her a jump to World No.52.
Caroline Garcia (FRA), +7 (No.39 to 32): Garcia earned her second WTA title of the year at the Mallorca Open, and her ensuing leap to No.32 makes her the French No.1 and guarantees her a seed at Wimbledon. She leapfrogged her countrywoman and doubles partner Kristina Mladenovic, who has now dropped to No.33.
Madison Keys (USA), +6 (No.16 to 10): The most newsworthy ranking move of the week belongs to Keys, who captured the title at the Aegon Classic Birmingham and broke the WTA Top 10 for the first time. Read here to find out why the move is so historic.
Barbora Strycova (CZE), +4 (No.30 to 26): Strycova reached her second WTA singles final of the year in Birmingham and now rises to No.26, inching closer to her career-high ranking of No.20.
CoCo Vandeweghe (USA), +3 (No.32 to 29): Vandeweghe backed up her title win at last week’s ‘s-Hertogenbosch with a semifinal appearance at Birmingham, earning her a career-high ranking of No.29 and guaranteeing her a seed at a Grand Slam for the first time.
UPCOMING TOURNAMENTS
Aegon International Eastbourne
Eastbourne, Great Britain
Premier | $711,778 | Grass
Sunday, June 19 – Saturday, June 25
The Championships, Wimbledon
London, Great Britain
Grand Slams | $19,174,575 | Grass
Monday, June 27 – Sunday, July 10
TOP 20 PLAYER SCHEDULES
1. Serena Williams – Wimbledon
2. Garbiñe Muguruza – Wimbledon
3. Agnieszka Radwanska – Eastbourne, Wimbledon
4. Angelique Kerber – Wimbledon
5. Simona Halep -Wimbledon
6. Victoria Azarenka – Wimbledon
7. Roberta Vinci – Eastbourne, Wimbledon
8. Belinda Bencic – Eastbourne, Wimbledon
9. Venus Williams – Wimbledon
10. Madison Keys – Wimbledon
11. Petra Kvitova – Eastbourne, Wimbledon
12. Timea Bacsinszky – Eastbourne, Wimbledon
13. Carla Suárez Navarro – Eastbourne, Wimbledon
14. Svetlana Kuznetsova – Eastbourne, Wimbledon
15. Flavia Pennetta
16. Samantha Stosur – Eastbourne, Wimbledon
17. Karolina Pliskova – Eastbourne, Wimbledon
18. Johanna Konta – Eastbourne, Wimbledon
19. Elina Svitolina – Wimbledon
20. Sloane Stephens – Wimbledon
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!
Best wishes to those celebrating birthdays this week:
Francesca Schiavone (ITA) – June 23, 1980
An interview with Roberta Vinci before her opening round match at the Aegon International.