Bianca Andreescu

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Congrats to Bianca Andreescu @Bandreescu_, 2017 @TennisCanada Female Player of the Year

Posted by Admin on December 5, 2017

Posted in: Canada, WTA. Tagged: 2017, Bianca Andreescu, Canada, Citi Open, fed cup, Romania, Tennis Canada. Leave a comment

Congrats to Bianca Andreescu, 2017 Tennis Canada Female Player of the Year

Bianca Andreescu, 2017 Citi Open (Photo: Tennis Atlantic)

Toronto, December 5, 2017 – Tennis Canada announced Tuesday that Bianca Andreescu has been named the 2017 Tennis Canada Female Player of the Year, in addition to receiving the singles player and junior player of the year honours. Rounding out the female high performance awards is Gabriela Dabrowski with the female doubles player recognition for the fifth straight year and Carol Zhao as most improved player.

Andreescu transitioned from the junior circuit this year to become one of the top up-and-coming players of the women’s tour. She captured two Slam titles at the Junior Australian Open and Junior French Open, winning the girls’ doubles trophies alongside fellow Canadian Carson Branstine. Andreescu also made her maiden Fed Cup appearance for Canada. First, she posted a 6-0 record in Americas Group I zonal action en route to receiving the Fed Cup Heart Award. In April, she earned the clinching win over world No. 51 Yaroslava Shvedova of Kazakhstan to send Canada to World Group II for 2018.

Bianca Andreescu, 2017 Citi Open (Photo: Tennis Atlantic)

The 17-year-old was named WTA Breakthrough of the Month for July following her WTA main draw debut in Washington. There, she became the first player born in the 2000s to oust a Top 20 player, beating then-world No. 13 Kristina Mladenovic en route to the quarter-finals. She also made her Grand Slam debut at Wimbledon in July, won two $25,000 Challenger titles on the ITF Pro Circuit, and reached her first WTA doubles final at Quebec City with Branstine. She debuted in the Top 150 rankings at a high of No. 143 in August and is currently sitting at No. 189.

“I want to thank Tennis Canada for these amazing honours,” said Andreescu. “By its very nature winning all three of these awards this year tells you this was a transitional year for me. Honestly, the learning curve was intense and steep. However, when I look back at my two Grand Slam championships with Carson and qualifying for Wimbledon, my first WTA quarter-final, my first Rogers Cup main draw, an amazing Fed Cup victory on the WTA circuit and several ITF accomplishments, I am very pleased with the year overall. I want to thank my team of coaches and trainers for their support and hard work throughout the year. Without them this would not be possible.”

Dabrowski and Zhao recognized for their seasons as well

At world No. 18, Dabrowski is Canada’s highest-ranked doubles player and one of the premier players on the WTA tour. She made history by becoming the first Canadian woman to win a Grand Slam in June when she captured the Roland Garros mixed doubles championship alongside India’s Rohan Bopanna. She won the biggest WTA title of her career at Miami in March and later added another trophy at New Haven to bring her grand total to five. Her best year on the circuit so far was capped off by qualifying for the season-ending WTA Finals with Xu Yifan as one of the Top 8 pairs of the year.

After starting the 2017 season at world No. 491, Zhao improved over 300 spots this year and currently sits at No. 147. She took home the biggest title of her career last month at the $100,000 Shenzhen Challenger in China. She also won her first pro singles title two months earlier at a $25,000 event in Nanao, Japan. The 22-year-old, a former standout NCAA player at Stanford University, also was a semifinalist at the $100,000 VanOpen in August.

“A big congratulations to Bianca, Gabriela, and Carol on phenomenal seasons,” said Michael Downey, president and CEO, Tennis Canada. “Bianca is a deserving player of the year, as she is proving herself to be one of the top players of her generation and at 17 years old she is just getting started. Gabriela and Carol had years to remember as well; we will never forget Gabriela’s history-making Roland Garros win while Carol’s dedication and persistence is shining through with her results this year. This was a benchmark season for all three athletes with much more to come in the future; we are excited to follow along in 2018.”

—Tennis Canada

Halep’s Out @CitiOpen; Open Path for Semifinalists #CO17

Posted by Admin on August 4, 2017

Posted in: ATP, Citi Open, Washington, WTA. Tagged: 2017, andrea petkovic, Bianca Andreescu, Citi Open, Ekaterina Makarova, Oceane Dodin, Retires, Simona Halep, washington, wta tennis. Leave a comment

Halep’s Out at CitiOpen; Open Path for Semifinalists
Steve Fogleman, Tennis Atlantic

Simona Halep, 2017 Citi Open, (Photo: Tennis Atlantic) Ekaterina

During the first set of the Citi Open quarterfinal in Washington between Simona Halep and Ekaterina Makarova today, there wasn’t a breeze in sight. The 90 degree sun had few clouds to fend off. The heat reflected off of the metal bleachers on Grandstand 1 court while Jack Sock and Milos Raonic and Jack Sock played in the slightly more forgiving confines of the concrete Stadium next door.

On this day, Simona Halep was up 4-0 in the first set, and then 4-1. When the changeover occurred, she looked nervous, nothing like a top seed with a big lead would in that situation. She later admitted that she felt “dead” on court after she retired in defeat 2-6, 6-3, 1-0.

In the same set, Ekaterina Makarova, who has played in this event for 6 of its 7 years as a WTA concern, had the experience with Washington heat and humidity to get through.

“In the middle of the day, it was very hot, but for me, I tried to stay stronger,” Makarova said. She added that she felt like her “face was burning” in the first set and after she iced it in the second, she had no trouble with the conditions.

Ekaterina

“I like to play in the daytime,” she told the small gathering at the post-match press conference. “I played against Puig in the nighttime. You get used to it. You prepare for the match. If you don’t like it, there’s nothing to do. So you cannot change it.”

She’s never played Oceane Dodin, a 5-7, 6-4, 7-6(4) winner over Sabine Lisicki, and faces her tomorrow not before 4:00 p.m.

Romanian fans lost another player in the tournament shortly after Halep’s retirement as Monica Niculescu was no match for Julia Goerges, 6-3, 6-4. She’ll play the resurgent Andrea Petkovic or Bianca Andreescu, who’s had a brilliant run, tomorrow not before 9:00 p.m.

Women’s Quarterfinals (Almost) Set in Washington @CitiOpen #CO17

Posted by Admin on August 3, 2017

Posted in: Citi Open, Washington, WTA. Tagged: 2017, Bianca Andreescu, Canada, Citi Open, Simona Halep, washington, Womens Tennis, WTA Tour. Leave a comment

Women’s Quarterfinals (Almost) Set in Washington
Steve Fogleman, Tennis Atlantic

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Simona Halep played in scorching heat and scorched her opponent today, Marina Duque-Marino in three sets to advance to the quarterfinals of the Citi Open in Washington, DC. After dropping the first set 6-3, she controlled the match after that en route to a 3-6, 6-4, 6-2 win. It was the kind of win that let you know that Halep is miles above the competition at this WTA International-level event.

She’ll face her toughest challenge tomorrow in the form of Ekaterina Makarova for a spot in the semifinals. It was a tough draw for Makarova and had she not landed in the top half, Makarova vs. Halep would have had Washington final written all over it.

Bianca Andreescu, 2017 Citi Open (Photo: Tennis Atlantic)

#2 seed Kiki Mladenovic will not be able to join the quarter finalists after being shocked by 17-year-old Bianca Andreescu 6-2, 6-3 in 76 minutes. Mladenovic appeared worn out by the heat and never gave Andreescu a fight until the last couple of games, by which time the Canadian’s confidence was high and she closed out Mladenovic. This was her first win against a top 20 opponent. Andreescu will go up against Andrea Petkovic tomorrow.

Petkovic was a winner in three sets over Genie Bouchard 6-2, 4-6, 6-0. Bouchard was unable to build on yesterday’s win, her first at Citi Open in five

There’s clearly been a Romanian theme this week in Washington, with even the Canadian quarter finalist of Romanian descent. It was fitting that today’s round of 16 matched forced two compatriots against each other in Patricia Maria Tig and Monica Niculescu. The higher ranked Niculescu pulled through in two very close sets by a score of 6-4, 7-6(2). Niculescu squares off against Julia Goerges, who won last night.

The Lisicki-Sabalenka match is till in progress due to a rain delay with Sabalenka up a break over Sabine 5-3. The winner of that one will face Oceane Dodin. Dodin is now the favorite to play Halep in the semis on Saturday.