Behind The Tour: Transport
Get to know the people who are the driving force behind the WTA tour: Behind The Tour brings you our transport team.
Get to know the people who are the driving force behind the WTA tour: Behind The Tour brings you our transport team.
STRASBOURG, France – No.3 seed Samantha Stosur clinched a second set tie-break to sweep aside Hsieh Su-Wei, 6-3, 7-6(3), to join Alla Kudryavtseva in the quarterfinals of the Internationaux de Strasbourg.
Stosur recovered from an early break in the opening set, and the disappointment of missing the opportunity to end the match in the tenth game of the second.
“I served for it at 5-4 then lost serve,” she told wtatennis.com after the match. “You just need to knuckle down and keep focused, think about what had been working in the match and get back to those things.
“It would have been hard having been serving for the match then playing a third set, and I lost serve again at 6-5. Then it was all about a good start in the tie-break.”
Stosur had never dropped a set in her two previous matches against the former doubles No.1; the pattern held in the ensuing tie-break, which the 2011 US Open champion won to clinch the match in an hour and 37 minutes.
“I don’t remember the other encounters with Su-Wei. Just the scores. They were in different conditions. My coach had a look but two years is a pretty long time in tennis.
“It was another good match against a tricky opponent. It was closer than the score looked.”
Up next for the Aussie is No.10 seed Caroline Garcia, who eased past Jil Teichmann, 7-6(5), 6-3.
Kudryavtseva was the first into the final eight with a thrilling 4-6, 6-4, 7-6(4) win over Zarina Diyas. The Russian hadn’t reached a WTA quarterfinal since her run at last year’s Brisbane International as a lucky loser, and had to recover from a 5-3 final set deficit to defeat Diyas, and set up a match with either Alison Riske or No.4 seed Kristina Mladenovic, whose match was postponed due to darkness.
Elena Vesnina and Sloane Stephens were the last into the second round in Strasbourg on Tuesday; Vesnina was victorious in the fifth longest match of 2016, taking out Zheng Saisai, 7-5, 2-6, 7-6(5), while Stephens captured a one-set shoot-out with Donna Vekic, completing a 5-7, 6-2, 6-2 win.
Le soleil revient aux #IS2016 ! pic.twitter.com/SqFj1kB9Ig
— WTA Strasbourg (@WTA_Strasbourg) May 17, 2016
How does Agnieszka Radwanska fare in this latest edition of the WTA Frame Challenge?
No.3 seed Annika Beck was among the first to arrive.
Doubles partners Anna-Lena Groenefeld and Kveta Peschke stepped out on the step and repeat.
American Irina Falconi was also on hand and ready for her close-up.
Julia Goerges was met by some extra special friends on the red carpet.
Lesia Tsurenko caught up with Simba the Bear as well.
Top seed Roberta Vinci was feeling right at home in Nürnberg in this group shot.
No.2 seed Laura Siegemund was dressed to the nines at the Player’s Party…
…and caught up with countrywomen Annika Beck and Anna-Lena Friedsam to take home some extra-special souvenirs.
The WTA stars were treated to a sumptuous dinner, and it was clear some magic was in the air…
…and sure enough, some magicians were on hand to entertain the players; Sabine Lisicki tries her luck and finding her card.
The 2016 Aces For Humanity campaign was launched by USANA and the WTA at the BNP Paribas Open and continued in Rome at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia, where every ace hit by a WTA player at Premier-level events translates into a donation to the USANA True Health Foundation, whose mission is to provide the most critical human necessities to those who are suffering or in need around the world. For every ace hit by any player the WTA donates $5, and for every ace hit by a USANA Brand Ambassador, it’s $10.
USANA Brand Ambassadors Eugenie Bouchard, Samantha Stosur, Kristina Mladenovic, Madison Keys, Monica Puig, and Alizé Cornet (Sloane Stephens, Zheng Saisai and Caroline Wozniacki did not play in Rome’s main draw) hit 55 of the 282 aces in the Foro Italico – raising a grand total of $1,685 throughout the week. Keys hit the most with 32 aces.
Read more about the campaign here and see below to find out who’s hit the most aces so far!
#AcesForHumanity Fan Giveaway
It’s simple: before each WTA Premier tournament guess how many total aces will be hit.
Next up is Aegon Classic Birmingham in Birmingham. Last year there was a total of 427 aces hit. It’s now your turn, take your best guess of how many will be hit this year.
How To Enter:
• Follow @WTA and @USANAFoundation on Twitter and before each WTA Premier tournament tweet the number of aces you predict will be hit during the whole tournament (Singles, Main Draw)
• Include the hashtag #AcesForHumanity
• Birmingham deadline is June 14th at 11:59pm ET
• The winner will be announced June 20th
Aces For Humanity is a joint WTA and USANA initiative that benefits the USANA True Health Foundation, which provides critical human necessities to those in suffering or in need around the globe.
For full rules on how to enter, click here.
On the latest episode of the Dubai Duty Free Full of Surprises, relive the historic Internazionali BNL d’Italia final featuring Americans Serena Williams and Madison Keys – the first since 1970.
ROME, Italy – Serena Williams set aside her 0-2 record in finals in 2016 to snag her first title of the season at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia on Sunday, defeating Madison Keys 7-6(5), 6-3. The title was Serena’s first since the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati last summer and her week in Rome proved dominant. She did not lose a set in her first tournament since Miami, and reasserted herself as the favorite as she seeks to defend her title at the French Open starting next week.
“I have tried to defend there once, twice, three times before,” Serena told reporters. “Didn’t quite work so well.
“But this year is different. I’m going to definitely go in there and I feel more calm and I don’t feel stress to have to win. I feel like I just am happy to be out here.”
In a clay court season that saw no single player dominate, stress or no stress, Serena goes into Paris with a full head of steam and the relief in knowing she finally managed her nerves and executed when it mattered in a final. The three-time French Open champion struggled through a tough tournament in Paris last year, losing the first set in four matches and needing five three-set wins to win the title. She described her 2015 win as a “miracle”.
“Obviously my major memory was probably that semifinal and the final, too, and the night before,” Serena said. “Just that whole last three, four rounds was extremely difficult for me.
“Honestly, just – I don’t even know the words for it. Courage is beyond anything I could describe. It was just honestly probably just a miracle.”
WTA Insider sat down with Serena after her triumph in Rome to discuss her week in the eternal city, how she plans to settle into Paris, and we take a slight detour into the world of the Williams Invitational, a private annual competition staged by Serena and Venus for family and friends in Florida.
Q: Congratulations on winning your title here in Rome. What is it about this city that stands out to you?
A: So much history in this city. You just think of it as a world power and you think of all the people who were here. That’s what stands out to me. Just seeing the Colosseum and all the history behind it is pretty cool. This is actually one of my favorite stops on the tour. This city is so awesome. Then to be able to play in Rome is really cool too.
Q: So 70 titles. I don’t know if you know if you know this but I’ve never won a WTA title. So I don’t know what it’s like to win one. I don’t what the emotion is that goes into it. What was the emotion winning Rome. Was it a sense of relief? A sense of triumph given everything that’s happened? What were you feeling?
A: I just felt really good. I wasn’t sure if I could win this tournament because I was dealing with, you know, a lot of things. Physically coming in here I wasn’t feeling my best and then I was like ok, will I be able to play long matches? And I was and it worked out. So I’m feeling really good.
Q: What was tougher for you these past couple of months, the physical side of things or the mental side of things?
A: It was just for me, obviously physical is always hard because you always want to make sure you’re injury free. You want to make sure that you are able to stay for a really long time because this is a really tough season especially with the Olympics this year. So there’s a lot of stuff going on. But I am just living each day as it comes and staying calm.
Q: Is it easy not to look forward? It is a packed schedule starting with here at the French Open, then grass, then the hard courts and Olympics, is it easy to stay one week at a time or can it get overwhelming?
A: I guess if you think about it it can get really overwhelming. But I don’t really think about it. I’m really good at staying in the moment. Honestly I can’t even imagine the Olympics yet because I can’t believe I’m going to be in another Olympics. It’s so cool.
Q: It’s so theoretical right now.
A: In a way I can’t believe I’m going to be in it again. It’s a super cool feeling. Wimbledon feels so far away. It’ll be here before you know it. Although Roland Garros seems like it snuck up. It’s here and I’m like Oh my gosh, it’s here.
Q: You mentioned in the press conference that this is just your fourth tournament of the season. So it hasn’t been like you haven’t been on the tour side of things even if you have been working in practice. Does that accelerate May? Paris is now here and you only have four tournaments under your belt?
A: Yeah, but it feels good. I’ve been playing for so many years. I think at my age I don’t need to play 12 tournaments. I’ve been in the final of three of the four. I don’t feel like I need to play every single week. I just need to focus on winning the tournaments I play or doing well at the tournaments I play and going from there.
Q: Do you think that’s an adjustment from a few years ago? You had that stretch of 18 months where you played non-stop and you were winning at a crazy clip. Now maybe it’s time to contract that a little bit and focus on the big tournaments?
A: Honestly it’s about how I feel. Right now I feel like I don’t need to play every week. Back then I felt like I did and I wanted to.
Q: Because you were trying to prove something?
A: I was trying to get that No.1 position back too and I felt like I needed to play more to get there. I wanted to work my way to that. Now I just feel like I never thought I’d be in this position so let me focus on the big tournaments and see what happens.
Q: You still have that apartment in Paris. Do you go straight to Paris and start practicing there and settle in? Or do you go somewhere else? What’s your gameplan.
A: I’m going to go to Paris. I’m going to go tomorrow. I wish I would go tonight but…
Q: You might as well get there…
A: Right? But I’ll just go tomorrow. I love Paris. I feel a little weird here because I don’t speak perfect Italian. I can understand everything but I can’t speak it. So it’s very difficult. At least in Paris I can understand all the French. So I feel like it’s such a relief because I can go somewhere and have conversations. I know my neighborhood, I know where to go. So I’m looking forward to that.
Q: Do you have a tradition when you get back to Paris?
A: I do for Rome. But for Paris all I can imagine is my bed. My kitchen, I love my kitchen. I can’t wait. My closet, which is pretty cool.
Q: You still have that shabby chic aesthetic?
A: No, I’m modern. I moved, so it’s modern now.
Q: You’re evolving all the time.
A: Too much!
Q: So I see you’re wearing the Kryptonians necklace…
A: Yes! YES!
Q: I have to ask. You’re fist-pumping like a champ right now. So I assume the Williams Invitational went well?
A: We did well! We won gold in dance, we won gold in dodgeball. We didn’t place in tennis, but our focus is definitely dance and dodgeball. So we did great! I’m a Kryptonian for life. Shout out to all the Kryptonians!
Q: How big were the teams this year?
A: Our teams grew. Our core team was like 25 people.
Q: So if dance and dodgeball are your strengths for the Kryptonians, what are your weaknesses?
A: We’re not great in tennis (Laughs). This is the second year in a row we didn’t place in tennis. Yeah, we need to work on our tennis game. But honestly what matters most is the dance. Everyone really goes all out for the dance.
Q: I did see an Instagram video. There was one.
A: There are a couple out there.
Q: You were droppin’ it.
A: We were werkin’ it.
Q: Well congratulations, Serena, on the title. And I guess I’ll see you in Paris.
A: Yes.
Listen to more from Serena in the latest episode of the WTA Insider Podcast:
Click here to keep up with WTA Insider’s pre-French Open coverage and follow along with the rest of the Insider RG Contenders.
All photos courtesy of Getty Images.
How well can your favorite WTA stars unscramble the tournaments they play each week? Check out the quiz on wtatennis.com.
STRASBOURG, France – Monica Puig recovered from a one-set deficit to upend top seed Sara Errani, 4-6, 6-3, 6-1, to advance to the second round of the Internationaux de Strasbourg.
Puig had never lost to the 2012 French Open finalist in their two previous encounters, and though their first match-up on clay looked to give the Italian an advantage, the ultimate result wasn’t any different as the Puerto Rican star and 2014 champion hit six aces en route to a one hour and 45 minute victory.
“I’m really pleased to get the win here in Strasbourg, and it’s nice coming back as a former Champion,” she said after the match. “Errani is a really tough competitor, and after the first set, my head could have gone down, but I kept fighting and was really pleased with the victory, especially the third set score.”
For Errani, it marks the end of a difficult red clay swing; after a promising start and a run to the semifinals of the Volvo Car Open, the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championship winner went 0-3 in Madrid, Rome, and Strasbourg.
“I tried my best today but sometimes it just doesn’t go your way,” Errani said. “I felt strong after the first set but my game was a little off and I found the conditions tough.
“There was a time in the second set when it went 4-2 and I knew I was struggling. Then the third set happened. It’s never nice to go out in the first round but that’s tennis.”
Undaunted, the No.1 seed tried to find a silver lining in her early defeat.
“I haven’t had time to see the city yet but maybe before I go to Paris.”
Puig will next play lucky loser and former World No.16 Virginie Razzano, who defeated 2010 French Open quarterfinalist Yaroslava Shvedova, 6-3, 6-3.
Earlier in the day, No.3 seed Samantha Stosur continued her successful clay court season with a 6-3, 7-5 victory over American qualifier Lauren Davis, while No.8 seed Timea Babos went through Olga Govortsova 6-4, 6-1. No.10 seed Caroline Garcia was imperious in a 6-1, 6-2 win over Kirsten Flipkens, while qualifier Mirjana Lucic-Baroni won a see-sawing 6-2, 2-6, 6-1 match against Qiang Wang.
No.2 seed Sloane Stephens had just leveled her first round match with Donna Vekic at one set apiece before the match was suspended, first due to rain, then darkness at 7-5, 2-6.