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Hingis & Mirza Qualify For Singapore

Hingis & Mirza Qualify For Singapore

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

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.

Martina Hingis, Sania Mirza

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).

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By The Numbers: Hingis & Mirza

By The Numbers: Hingis & Mirza

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

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.

SAP

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Notes & Netcords: June 20, 2016

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

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

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RTS Update: Keys On The Upswing

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

Not only did Madison Keys become the first American to debut in the WTA’s Top 10 since April 1999, but the Aegon Classic champion also dramatically improved her chances for a debut appearance at the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global.

Moving up six spots from No.13, Keys moved into the Top 8 at No.7, just ahead of 2014 finalist Simona Halep. The Top 6 remained unchanged after a week of play in Birmingham and the inaugural Mallorca Open, with Serena Williams, Angelique Kerber, Victoria Azarenka, Garbiñe Muguruza, defending champion Agnieszka Radwanska, and Carla Suárez Navarro all retained their places on the Road to Singapore leaderboard.

Birmingham finalist Barbora Strycova also edged closer to the Top 8, moving up three spots to No.13. Caroline Garcia captured her first-ever title on grass and roared into the Top 16 from No.23.

The final Wimbledon preparations continue this week in Eastbourne, with Radwanska, Belinda Bencic, Timea Bacsinszky, and Petra Kvitova all in action.

RTS Ranking Movers

Madison Keys: No. 13 to No.7 (+6)
Caroline Garcia: No.23 to No.16 (+7)
Barbora Strycova: No.16 to No.13 (+3)
Jelena Ostapenko No.28 to No.26 (+2)

Click here to see the full Road To Singapore leaderboard standings following Birmingham.

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