germany

All posts tagged germany

New Top Tenner @JuliaGoerges Booked for 2018 @VolvoCarOpen

Posted by Admin on February 6, 2018
Posted in: Charleston, Volvo Car Open, WTA. Tagged: , , , , , , , . Leave a comment
Julia Goerges, New Haven

Your Newest Top Tenner, Julia Goerges

New Top Tenner @JuliaGoerges Booked for 2018 @VolvoCarOpen

DANIEL ISLAND, S.C. – Germany’s Julia Goerges has committed to play the 2018 Volvo Car Open, just days after breaking into the WTA’s top 10 and reaching the semifinals in the St. Petersburg Ladies Trophy. Goerges already won the ASB Classic earlier this year, where she defeated now World No. 1 and Australian Open champion Caroline Wozniacki in the final.

She joins Caroline Garcia, Johanna Konta, Sloane Stephens, Petra Kvitová, Madison Keys, Daria Kasatkina, Shelby Rogers and CiCi Bellis in the Charleston, South Carolina field. The Volvo Car Open will take place March 31 – April 8, 2018 at the Family Circle Tennis Center.

The 29-year-old’s 2017 season was highlighted with wins at the WTA Elite Trophy in Zhuhai and the Kremlin Cup in Moscow, where she beat current Volvo Car Open champion Kasatkina for the title. She also reached the finals in Washington, D.C., Bucharest and Mallorca and semifinals in Budapest and Auckland last year.

“Breaking into the top 10 has been a great accomplishment for me, and I feel that I’ve been playing some of the strongest tennis of my career recently,” said Goerges. “I’m really looking forward to returning to Charleston. It’s always a fun atmosphere there, and the level of competition is great.”

Julia Goerges

The 2018 Volvo Car Open will be the fifth time Goerges has competed in Charleston, but the first since 2014. She reached the quarterfinals of the tournament in 2011.

“The addition of Julia to our strong player field is very exciting for our tournament,” said Eleanor Adams, Volvo Car Open Tournament Manager. “Her dominance on the court lately makes for the tennis matches we all love to watch. An elegant but fierce competitor, I know our fans have missed watching Julia and we are excited to welcome her back”.

The nine-day Volvo Car Open is the largest women’s-only tennis tournament in North America, attracting an average of 90,000 attendees and more than 100 of the top singles and doubles tennis players.

Tickets for the 2018 Volvo Car Open are available now. Patrons can choose from individual tickets, ticket packages and travel packages. Ticket prices range from $25 for an individual session to $525 for the all-inclusive weeklong package. The Volvo Car Open is providing six special packages in 2018, each offering more tennis at a greater value. In addition, the PowerShares Series returns to the Volvo Car Stadium on April 7th. The men’s legends event features Andy Roddick, Mark Philippoussis, Tommy Haas and one additional player to be announced at a later date.

The Volvo Car Open is bringing back its popular Ace Club from 2017, an exciting membership program for box and ticket package holders. The Ace Club provides unparalleled amenities and benefits during the tournament. In addition, members have the option to receive access into the Ace Lounge, an exclusive hospitality marquee providing first-class accommodations including, live entertainment, air-conditioning, elevated food options and more.

—A. Alpino, VCO

Advertisement

Your Washington Women’s Champion is @KateMakarova1!

Posted by Admin on August 6, 2017
Posted in: Citi Open, Washington, WTA. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

Your Washington Women’s Champion is Kate Makarova
Steve Fogleman in Washington

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Today’s Citi Open women’s final between Ekaterina Makarova and Julia Goerges couldn’t be more evenly matched on paper, with two players born in 1988 who each hold two pro career titles, one premier and one international. And as it turns out, it was evenly matched on court too.

Makarova had the advantage of far more experience playing in the Washington’s hot hard courts, having competed at the Citi Open for 6 of the 7 years of the WTA events existence. Makarova had also beaten Goerges in straight sets in their only prior meeting at the 2015 Australian Open. And she beat her again today, with Makarova coasting to home in 3-6, 7-6(2), 6-0 victory for the D.C. title.

It was Goerges who came out swinging early and playing error-free tennis. But Makarova broke her early in the second set and we all thought it was going three. Goerges was patient from that point forward and managed to level the set at 5-all and tried to serve it out at 6-5. She failed and lost the tiebreak 7-2. Goerges hadn’t won a pro title in over 6 years, and her inability to seal the victory is a prime example of her difficulties in tough situations.

Although it was an entertaining final, you have to feel that Washington was an opportunity missed by the WTA and tournament organizers, who had counted on Halep in the final to bring some press to this side of the action. In the end, Makarova’s and Goerges’ back stories are good, but the women’s side really could have used some more juice in the final. There’s always next year.

Exclusive Interview: @KikiMladenovic Perseveres in Heat of Battle @CitiOpen; @SabineLisicki Back to Winning Ways in Washington

Posted by Admin on August 3, 2017
Posted in: Citi Open, Washington, WTA. Tagged: , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

Exclusive Interview: Kiki Mladenovic Perseveres in the Heat of Battle at Citi Open;  Lisicki Back to Winning Ways in Washington
Steve Fogleman, Tennis Atlantic

Kiki Mladenovic was struggling throughout her match with the heat yesterday in a brutal 3-set win against Tatjana Maria at the Citi Open in Washington. In the end, she easily showed that she’s earned the title of prime contender against top seed Simona Halep, who was resting from her win more for than 24 hours after Mladenovic advanced. She made time for an exclusive interview with Tennis Atlantic after the match.

There was some talk in the media this week (and every year) about the fact that the women play in the afternoon and the men follow later during what are inevitably  cooler temperatures with more fans in the stands. So what about the idea that the WTA players get the worst tee-times at Citi Open, in the high heat of the D.C.-in-August day? Would she like to play a little later in the afternoon? Mladenovic put it in perspective.

Kristina 'Kiki' Mladenovic, 2017 Citi Open (Photo: Teninis Atlantic)

Kristina ‘Kiki’ Mladenovic, 2017 Citi Open (Photo: Teninis Atlantic)

“I would love to. I wish” she said, “but I cannot complain. The men and the women struggle the same way. They played really late last night. We were in bed watching, them, the men, last night so you get some compromises, I guess. Hopefully, it gets easier with the upcoming scheduling in the coming days.”

Exactly 10 months ago, she was #57 in the world. Today, she’s #13. Exactly what is going on here?

“My motto hasn’t changed. Lots of work, like everybody, I guess. But I believe in the process and the journey. I’m giving it all everyday. I’m trying to find all the details I can to improve and be a better player each day.”

“The biggest difference would be my physical condition. I think I’ve improved a lot in my movement and my strength.”

She noted that she’s “very happy” with the 2017 season thus far.

Mladenovic plays Canada’s Bianca Andreescu tomorrow on Grandstand 2, which hardly seems fitting for the putative #1 seed of the tournament until Simona Halep was denied a wild card to Stanford. Either way, Mladenovic is content to earn everything she achieves, here and beyond.

Sabine Lisicki, 2017 Citi Open

Sabine Lisicki, 2017 Citi Open (Photo: Tennis Atlantic)

Sabine Lisicki is indeed back to her winning ways. After an absence from the tour due to injury, Lisicki edged past plucky Valentini Grammatikopoulou 7-6, 7-6 at Citi Open in Washington today. Lisicki wasn’t thrilled with her play, but she’ll take the win and advance to the second round against Aryna Sabalenka tomorrow. “It was my first hard court match since last year. Lots of things I need to improve on,” she told Citi Open Radio immediately after the match. Lisicki was sidelined for the first half of the season with shoulder problems. No matter what her ranking, the US fans adore Lisicki and the feeling was clearly mutual today after the match.

 

Shara-Porscha! Our 2017 @PorscheTennis Preview and Predictions

Posted by Admin on April 23, 2017
Posted in: Stuttgart, WTA. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

Shara-Porscha! Our 2017 @PorscheTennis Preview and Predictions
Niall Clarke, Tennis Atlantic

The Porsche Tennis Grand Prix of 2017 is not only one of the biggest clay court tournaments on the calendar, it also marks the return of Maria Sharapova from her doping suspension. Here is a run down of the draw.

Top Quarter:

Kerber Wins First Match in DC

World number one Angelique Kerber returns to her home country to defend the title she won last year and once again the German does not have it easy. After a first round bye, Kerber will face a tough challenge in the form of Kristina Mladenovic or Mirjana Lucic-Baroni. Both players have had good starts to the year and are among the most dangerous unseeded players in the draw.

Garbine Muguruza once labelled clay as ‘her territory’. She looked formidable last year at Roland Garros, but minus that triumph, the Spaniard has looked rather mediocre. Can she rediscover her best form on the dirt? Muguruza opens against compatriot and former doubles partner Carla Suarez Navarro before meeting Elena Vesnina or Daria Kasatkina for a place in the last eight.

On clay, Muguruza is a much bigger force to deal with, but her recent form is not great. I do not see her making it past Kerber.

Prediction: Kerber def. Muguruza

Second Quarter:

Maria Sharapova at 2014 Western & Southern

Sharapova’s return draw sees the former world number one drawn in the second quarter and set to face Roberta Vinci in the first round.  It will be interesting to see what response the Russian receives and how she will play in her first match in well over a year. I think she will be victorious against Vinci, who is not great on clay, but will find Agnieszka Radwanska too much to handle in round two.

The winner of that heavyweight clash is projected to play Dominika Cibulkova in the quarter finals. The Slovak has a bye into the second round where she will face highly touted youngster Ana Konjuh. Clay is not Cibulkova’s favourite surface, but the indoor conditions suit her game and she could advance from this quarter.

Prediction: Cibulkova def. Radwanska

Third Quarter:

Jo Konta (Tennis Atlantic)

Jo Konta (Tennis Atlantic)

After battling in Fed Cup over the weekend, Johanna Konta and Simona Halep are set to meet again in Stuttgart, providing they get through the opening rounds. Halep has the advantage of a bye in round one, then it will likely be Barbora Strycova waiting in round two. The Czech faces a qualifier in her the opening round match.

Konta also faces a qualifier in her opener. The Brit is not at her best on clay, but should have enough to get through to the second round where she faces either Anastasija Sevastova or Sam Stosur. Konta will likely scrape through that one, but will find Halep too much on clay, and the Romanian will progress to the last four.

Prediction: Halep def. Konta

Svetlana Kuznetsova (Photo: (C) 2014 Chris Levy @tennis_shots for TennisEastCoast.com)

Svetlana Kuznetsova (Photo: (C) 2014 Chris Levy @tennis_shots for TennisAtlantic.com)

Fourth Quarter:

Karolina Pliskova has arguably been the best player of the year so far, but the Czech enters a territory that has not been kind to her. Clay has proven to be her weakest surface, but has she made the required improvements for this season? After a bye in the opening round she faces a fellow big server in CoCo Vandeweghe in round two, another player who is not great on the dirt. Pliskova should make the quarter finals, but from there it could get tough.

Svetlana Kuznetsova is a former French Open Champion and feels well at home on the dirt. The Russian faces Kiki Bertens before likely playing the story of last year’s tournament, Laura Siegemund. The German made an incredible run to the final where she ultimately would come up short against Kerber. I can’t see the same thing this year though, and Kuznetsova should have enough to make it through this quarter.

Prediction: Kuznetsova def. Pliskova

Semi Finals:

Kerber def. Cibulkova

Kuznetsova def. Halep

Final:

Kerber def. Kuznetsova

The home crowd will have a say whenever the German players are involved, and I can see them spurring Kerber to retaining the Stuttgart title.

Gulbis Continues Resurgence By Triumphing In Qualifying @GerryWeberWorld; Sugita Qualifies

Posted by Admin on June 12, 2016
Posted in: Adam Addicott, ATP, ATP Qualifying, Halle. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

Ernests Gulbis Continues Resurgence By Triumphing In Qualifying At Halle; Sugita Qualifies
Adam Addicott, Tennis Atlantic

Ernests Gulbis grass season

 

Ernests Gulbis has continued his recent spike in form with a successful qualifying campaign at the 24th Gerry Weber Open.

The Latvian entered Halle with a fresh burst of confidence after reaching the fourth round of the French Open, his best grand slam performance for two years. Following his run in Paris, Gulbis returned to the top-60 for the first time since May 2015. Opening up his German campaign against home player Michael Berrer, Gulbis eased to a 6-4, 6-4, victory without being broken.

Next in Gulbis’ qualifying draw was another German, Peter Gojowczyk. The 26-year-old enjoyed a promising start to his grass season by reaching the semifinals at last week’s Manchester Challenger before succumbing to Dustin Brown. In what was a roller coaster meeting between both players, Gulbis overcame a second set blip to win 6-3, 1-6, 6-3. The victory elevates the world No.59 to his 13th ATP main draw of the year.

Gulbis was one out of only two seeded players to triumph in qualifying. The other was seventh seed Sergiy Stakhovsky. Since being troubled by a back injury earlier in the year, the 30-year-old won his first Challenger title in two years in South Korea last month. In his most recent tournament Stakhovsky reached the quarter-finals at the Manchester Challenger. Starting his Halle campaign with a 52-minute 6-3, 6-1, win over Japan’s Yoshihito Nishioka, Stakhovsky faced tough opposition against fourth seed Rajeev Ram. 32-year-old Ram has won two ATP titles in his career, both of which were on grass (Newport 2009 and 2015). Despite converting only 3/11 break points, the world No.100 took the win 7-6(3), 3-6, 6-2, to book his place in the main draw in Halle for the fourth time in his career. Stakhovsky is yet to win a main draw match at the tournament.

Benjamin Becker

The only home sucess story was for unseeded Benjamin Becker, a former top-40 player. Facing second seed Denis Istomin in the first round, the 34-year-old edged past the Uzbek player 6-4, 3-6, 6-3. It was only the second time that Becker has defeated Istomin in their eight encounters on the tour. The shock win set Becker up with a showdown against Robin Haase, a player who has reached two ATP quarter-finals this year. Despite being ranked 34 places lower, Becker sealed a main draw place by dismissing the Dutch player 6-3, 6-3, in less than an hour.

Sugita at Newport 2013, TennisEastCoast.com

Finally, Japanese player Yuichi Sugita was the only player able to progress to the main draw without dropping a set. Kicking-off his Halle campaign with a 6-3, 6-1, win over Nikoloz Basilashvili, he faced compatriot Tatsuma Ito in the final round. Ito knocked out third seed Lukas Rosol in his opening match. Winning 74% of his service points, Sugita eased past Ito 6-2, 6-4. Focusing mainly on the Challenger tour this year, Halle will be Sugita’s first appearance in the main draw of an ATP event since the Australian Open.

Kerber Denies Serena, Claims First Major Title

Posted by Admin on January 31, 2016
Posted in: Australian Open, Niall Clarke, WTA. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

Kerber Denies Serena, Claims First Major Title
Niall Clarke, Tennis Atlantic
Embed from Getty Images
Angelique Kerber shocked the world and Serena Williams by defeating the world number one in three sets to claim her first grand slam title and in the process, deny Serena number 22.

In a thrilling final, Kerber came through 6-4, 3-6, 6-4 in two hours and ten minutes to stun the tennis world and become the first German since 1999 to win a major title.

The German was a huge under-dog heading into Saturday’s final. After all, Serena had coasted through the draw and had looked imperious throughout the fortnight- it seemed like nothing would stand in her way.

What nobody counted on was a 28-year-old roadblock in the final leg. Kerber retrieved and retrieved and countered with interest, but more importantly she rarely let the occasion get to her. It was an unexpected and impressive performance- even if she did have a bit of help.

The world number one was error prone and despite her clear attempts at trying to get something going, it just wasn’t happening. Kerber remained consistent and her retrieval skills forced Williams to go for more than she perhaps needed. Careless errors were rife and the pressure of matching Steffi Graf might have been playing on the mind of Serena.

To the surprise of almost everyone Kerber took the first set 6-4, but the thoughts of almost anyone were ‘when will Williams kick into gear’. In reality it didn’t take the American raising her level to find the break with Kerber throwing in her first bad game of the match to concede an early break in the second set. Two double faults and an unforced error proved to be costly, and Williams went on to level the match.

The German went up an early break in the final set but conceded it straight back to Williams. But Kerber kept fighting and earned another break and the chance to serve out the match. However, the pressure of winning her maiden grand slam title clearly got to the German and Serena was allowed back into the match- only briefly.

Despite being 40-30 down at 5-4, Kerber played two great points to earn championship point. What was to come was shocking as Serena seemingly had an easy volley winner only to miss it and see her Australian Open chances go down the drain. Kerber had done it. She had defeated the world number one and won her first major title. It is a culmination  of a great story that saw the rise of the German from relative obscurity in 2011 to grand slam champion and world number two in 2016.

Angelique Kerber, New Haven

“You know, I mean, I had really crazy two weeks. I mean, with the first round where I was match point down, and then with the win over Azarenka in the quarters. I never beat her.” Kerber said in her post match press conference. (http://www.ausopen.com/en_AU/news/interviews/2016-01-30/angelique_kerber_300116.html)

“And now to play against Serena, what was a really honor to play against her in a Grand Slam final. It was my first final. You know, I was really looking forward. I was really excited.

“I knew before that I beat her once in Cincinnati, that I really must go out there to try to beat her again because she will not give it to me. It was a really great match from both of us.

“Yeah, really it’s a special moment for me.”

Serena must continue her wait for the record-equalling 22nd Grand Slam title which is oddly enough held by another German in Graf. But despite the huge disappointment, Serena showed a lot of class post match, congratulating Kerber and being happy for her opponent.

“I was actually really happy for her. She’s been around a really long time. We’ve had a number of matches. I’ve beaten her a lot.” Williams said in her post match press conference (http://www.ausopen.com/en_AU/news/interviews/2016-01-30/serena_williams_300116.html)

“She played so well today. She had an attitude that I think a lot of people can learn from: just to always stay positive and to never give up.

“I was really inspired by that. So, honestly, she’s a really good girl. If I couldn’t win, I’m happy she did.”

And what about matching that record. Did the pressure have an effect on the final? Serena weighed in.

“I was nervous before the match. Once it got started, it was so intense from the beginning till the end that I didn’t really have time to be nervous.” The world number one said

“No, I didn’t think about the record at all. I think more or less I thought just about winning this match. It wasn’t necessarily the record for me.”

The thrilling finale capped off  a dramatic Australian Open that saw plenty of stories and shocks along the way. One of the biggest came in form of Shuai Zhang who came through qualifying to make to win her first Grand Slam main draw match and reach the Quarter Finals. She upset second seed Simona Halep in round one before going on to be knocked out by Johanna Konta in the last eight.

The Brit made some headlines herself by going all the way to the last four, defeating the likes of Venus Williams and Ekaterina Makarova on the way. Konta however found the eventual champion Kerber a too big of task. But it was still an amazing two weeks for the British number one.

All in all it was another showcase for women’s tennis and why it can offer excitement and entertainment of the highest level.

 

Disaster For Seeded players As Zverev, Brands, Daniel Move Into Valencia Main Draw

Posted by Admin on October 26, 2015
Posted in: Adam Addicott, ATP, Valencia. Tagged: , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

Disaster For Seeded players As Zverev, Brands, Daniel Move Into Valencia Main Draw
Adam Addicott, Tennis Atlantic

ATP Valencia (2014) TA background
There were shocks aplenty during the qualifying draw of the Valencia Open as none of the eight seeded players successfully qualified for the main draw of the ATP 250 event, which is headlined by David Ferrer and Feliciano Lopez.

World No.54 and top seed Federico Delbonis suffered a heavy defeat in the first round of the draw against Germany’s Mischa Zverev. The Argentine was knocked out 6-2, 6-0 by Zverev after 58 minutes. After crushing the top seed, the German played Spanish world No.453 Mario Vilella Martinez. Martinez, who has won three Futures title this year, produced a more competitive match but still lost in straight sets to Zverev 6-4, 6-3. In the final round, he faced another unseeded player, Japan’s Yuichi Sugita. Sugita recovered from a set and a break down to defeat 7th seed Jan-Lennard Struff in his second round match (2-6, 6-3,6-4). The German continued his impressive form against the Japanese player by winning eight out of the last nine games of the match to seal his place in the main draw, winning 6-4, 6-1. Valencia is the fourth consecutive tournament where Zverev has successfully qualified for the main draw.

Joining Zverev will be fellow countryman Daniel Brands, who upset two seeded players to reach his first ATP main draw for 12 months. The German is currently ranked 170th in the world and has won two titles this year, one Challenger and one Future tournament. After dropping two games in his opening match against Spanish wild card Bernabe Zapata Miralles, he faced third seed Thanasi Kokkinakis. The 19-year-old Australian was blown away by Brands as the German unexpectedly took the match with little difficulty 6-3, 6-1. Kokkinakis is the highest ranked player Brands has beaten on the ATP World Tour since David Ferrer in the second round of the 2014 Qatar Open. The 28-year-old was able to back up the impressive scalp by defeating 8th seed Albert Montanes in the final round 6-3, 6-2 to progress to the main draw.

Michal Przysiezny

Michal Przysiezny

Poland’s Michal Przysiezny qualified for his second ATP main draw of the year without dropping a set. The world No.167 was given an easier route into the main draw when the only seeded player in his section, America’s Rajeev Ram, lost in the second round to Frenchman Quentin Halys. Przysiezny defeated two Spanish players (Javier Marti and Carlos Taberner) in straight sets during his first two rounds to set up a showdown with Hayls. The 19-year-old was tough competition for the Polish player during the first set as Przysiezny successfully fended off four out of five break points to claim the set after coming through a close tie-break. After claiming the crucial opening tiebreaker, the Pole eased himself to win 7-6 (6), 6-2, after 83 minutes on the court.

Taro Daniel

Taro Daniel

Completing the quartet of qualifiers is Japan’s Taro Daniel. The 22-year-old is currently ranked 120th in the world (12 places below his career best) and has won two Challenger titles this year. During his first two matches Daniel dropped only three games. In his first round he lead Laslo Djere 6-0,4-0, before the Serbian retired and then defeated Spain’s Marc Giner 6-0, 6-3. In the final he faced Slovakia’s Norbert Gombos, who defeated 6th seed Íñigo Cervantes in the first round. Despite trailing in the early part of both sets, Daniel battled back to edge past Gombos 6-4, 6-3.

Despite losing in the final round, Gombos will play in the final after being awarded a lucky loser spot.

First round matches
Q Daniel Brands – Nick Kyrgios – First meeting

Q Taro Daniel – Q Michal Przysiezny – First meeting

Q Mischa Zverev – Thomaz Bellucci – Bellucci has beaten Zverev back in 2012 in the first round of qualifying at the ATP Nice Open.

LL Norbert Gombos – Benoit Paire – Second meeting of 2015. Gombos beat Paire in straight sets in the final of the ATP Cherbourg Challenger.
Adam Addicott TA Watermark

Angelique Kerber Shines in Stanford

Posted by Admin on August 10, 2015
Posted in: Niall Clarke, WTA. Tagged: , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

Angelique Kerber Shines in Stanford
Niall Clarke, Tennis Atlantic

Embed from Getty Images

Angelique Kerber fought off a strong test from Karolina Pliskova to claim the Bank of the West classic title in Stanford.

The German needed over two hours to dispatch her young opponent 6-3, 5-7, 6-4 in a gripping final on centre court. This was Kerber’s fourth title of the year, which ties her with world number one Serena Williams for the most titles won in 2015.

Pliskova aimed to use her big serve and effortless power to hit through her opponent’s defence and managed to rack up 52 winners during the match. Unfortunately for the Czech, she hit just as many unforced errors which would ultimately prove telling. Kerber, on the other hand, was more positive with her ratio hitting 27 winners to 14 unforced errors. The efficiency paid off.

The fifth seed started the better of the two and broke to take the first set 6-3. But Plsikova kept fighting and in a long break-fest of a second set, the Czech managed to pull through 7-5. The trend continued in the third with neither player being able to effectively hold serve. Kerber upped the pressure at 5-4 with Pliskova serving to stay in the match, but it proved too much for the 22-year-old who double faulted twice before hitting an error on match point.

Angelique Kerber, New Haven

“I would first of all like to congratulate Angie,” Pliskova told the crowd in her on-court speech.

“She’s a really great player. I actually just told her that I don’t want to play her anymore in finals – she’s 2-0 against me in finals now, so hopefully the next time I can play against somebody else”.

The pair had met in the Birmingham final back in June where Kerber prevailed in another tight three set match.

“I want to say well done to Karolina for a great week,” Kerber said. “We always have tough battles when we play each other – you’re a great tennis player and a great person, and I wish you all the best in Toronto next week. And actually I think we’ll have more finals against each other in the future.”

Kerber now has four titles this year, all at Premier level. Can she go a step further and add a first grand slam title in New York?

As for Pliskova, she will break in to the world’s top 10 when the new rankings are announced. The Czech will now push for a top eight seeding at the US Open.

The doubles title went to Chinese pair Xu Yi-Fan and Zheng Saisai, who defeated second seeded Spanish duo Anabel Medina Garrigues and Arantxa Parra Santonja in straight sets, 6-1, 6-3.

Niall Clarke (Sofia)

Haas, Kudla, Jarry Nab Wild Cards @CitiOpen Main Draw

Posted by Admin on July 30, 2015
Posted in: ATP. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

Tommy Haas

HAAS, KUDLA, AND JARRY RECEIVE WILD CARDS TO CITI OPEN® TENNIS TOURNAMENT MAIN DRAW;
@TennisAtlantic to provide on-site coverage all week long

WASHINGTON (July 30, 2015) — Tournament officials announced today the addition of three players receiving main draw wild cards into the strongest Citi Open® Tennis Tournament player field ever — Tommy Haas, Denis Kudla and Nicolás Jarry.

Citiopen Official Site

Haas, a perennial fan favorite in the Washington tournament, reached a career-high ranking of world No. 2. He reached the 2012 Citi Open finals in 2012. The German tennis star has won 15 titles over his 19-year professional career.

Denis Kudla

Denis Kudla

Kudla recently had his best-ever Grand Slam result by reaching the fourth round at Wimbledon, losing in four tough sets to last year’s U.S. Open Champion and 2015 Citi Open participant Marin Cilic. The Arlington, Va., talent is now back into the ATP World Tour top 100 rankings at No. 94.

Jarry, the grandson of Chilean tennis legend Jaime Fillol, will play his first ATP World Tour 500 event in Washington. The 19-year-old’s entry into the field continues the Citi Open’s longstanding tradition of providing young players a platform to excel and jumpstart their careers.

—S. Pegarido

2015 WTA @Istanbul_Cup @NuernbergerCup Previews, Predictions

Posted by Admin on July 19, 2015
Posted in: Niall Clarke, WTA. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

WTA @Istanbul_Cup @NuernbergerCup Previews, Predictions
Niall Clarke, Tennis Atlantic

Istanbul (photo credit: Ahmet Fevzi Guclu)

Istanbul (photo credit: Ahmet Fevzi Guclu)

The WTA tour is still in post-Wimbledon mode with another pair of International events being on the agenda this week. With the top ten players in the world looking to rest for the upcoming US hard court season, these tournaments give a chance to lower ranked players to claim a tour title.

The BNP Paribas Istanbul cup and the Nurnberger Gasteinladies events will provide WTA fans with plenty of action over the coming week.

WTA Istanbul

The BNP Paribas Istanbul cup
Tier: International
Location: Istanbul, Turkey
Surface: Hard
Prize Money: $226,750
Date: July 20th– July 26th 2015

The eight seeded players:
1. Venus Williams (15)
2. Elina Svitolina (17)
3. Jelena Jankovic (25)
4. Alize Cornet (28)
5. Camila Giorgi (31)
6. Daria Gavrilova (39)
7. Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (40)
8. Tsvetana Pironkova (42)

First round matches to watch:

Camila Giorgi

Camila Giorgi

(5) Camila Giorgi vs Dominika Cibulkova:

Cibulkova will continue her climb back up the rankings after recently recovering from an Achilles injury. The former Australian Open finalist will begin her Istanbul campaign against big hitting Italian Giorgi who is back in action after a successful grass court season.

With her ranking now outside the top 50, Cibulkova made her return to action during grass court season after a three month layoff. The Slovakian defeated Lucie Safarova in Eastbourne before losing to Pironkova in three sets. Cibulkova Wimbledon campaign was short lived however. The 26 year old lost in the opening round to Daniela Hantuchova in straight sets.

Grass season is where Giorgi finds her best form as the 24 year old’s powerful game becomes even tougher to deal with. The Italian won her first WTA title in Den Bosch and made the third round of Wimbledon making this her most successful season to date. Currently ranked at 51, Giorgi is the fifth seed at this event and one of the favourites to take home the title.

Giorgi defeated Cibulkova in their only previous meeting which came in Rome last year. It is hard to gage Cibulkova’s form due to the injury so it is unknown how well she might play out there. The surface suits the Slovakian more, but Giorgi on a good day is hugely dangerous. It is one of those toss-up matches, but due to form the Italian is the favourite.

(2) Elina Svitolina vs Magdalena Rybarikova:

Magdalena Rybarikova

Magdalena Rybarikova

Young-gun Svitolina will be hoping to continue her ascension up the rankings this week, but first she must overcome the dangerous Rybarikova in the opening round.

The Ukrainian has been one of the staples of consistency this season, and has achieved a ranking of 17. Now that grass season is over Svitolina can settle on to a court that is more suited to her game and continue her journey towards the top 10.

Grass is usually where Rybarikova shines, but the Slovakian will be disappointed that she lost to Olga Govortsova in a section that opened nice for a deep Wimbledon run. Outside of some good wins on the grass, Rybarikova has struggled to put together victories this season but she still remains inside the world’s top 50.

Svitolina won their only meeting 6-0, 6-2 in Brisbane at that start of the season. The Ukrainian may have struggled on grass against Rybarikova but on a hard court the 20 year old holds an advantage. The Slovakian is still a dangerous player however, and could spring an upset if playing well.

Draw Analysis:

Top seed Venus Williams has been dealt with a rather kind draw as she bids for her 47th career title. At the tender age of 25, one wonders how long the seven time grand slam champion will continue her playing career, but she is here in Istanbul looking to add to her already large trophy collection.  A qualifier will await her in round one, with Mona Barthel being a potentially tricky customer in the second round. It is a draw that Venus should be able to navigate with Gavrilova her projected quarter final opponent. The young Russian could be tested by Daniela Hantuchova in her second round match, but if she is to make the quarter finals it will be an interesting clash with Williams.

Fourth seed Alize Cornet received a wildcard in to the tournament as the French number one starts her quest to get back inside the world’s top 20. However, it is a difficult section of the draw for Cornet who plays Yania Wickmayer in round one, potentially Kirsten Flipkens in round two and is then projected to face Giorgi in the quarter finals. Do not be too surprised to see the Frenchwoman fail to live up to her seeding.

Jelena Jankovic sent shockwaves through SW19 when she knocked defending champion Petra Kvitova out of Wimbledon.  The Serb was defeated by Agnieszka Radwanska in the following round, but the Pole’s sister Ula will now take her shot at defeating the former world number one. The lesser known Radwanska is Jankovic’s opening round match, with a potentially tricky clash against Yaroslava Shvedova or Bojana Jovanovski in store for round two. Pironkova is the eighth seed and projected quarter final opponent, though Kurumi Nara and Vitalia Diatchenko might have something to say about that.

The final quarter features second seed Svitolina who is one of the title favourites. The 20 year old will face Rybarikova in the first round, with the winner facing either a qualifier or wildcard Ipek Soylu. Seventh seed Pavlyuchenkova faces Roberta Vinci in an interesting round one clash even though the Italian is past her best at this point. The winner will fancy themselves for the quarter finals with a qualifier or last direct entrant Elizaveta Kulichkova as the second round adversary.

Predictions:

Quarter finals:
Venus def. Gavrilova
Giorgi def. Cornet
Jankovic def. Nara
Svitolina def. Pavlyuchenkova

Semi-finals:
Venus def. Giorgi
Svitolina def. Jankovic

Final:
Svitolina def. Venus

WTA Bad Gastein (2014) TA Background

WTA Bad Gastein

The Nurnberger Gasteinladies:
Tier: International
Location: Bad Gastein, Austria
Surface: Clay
Prize Money: $226,750
Date: July 20th– July 26th 2015

The eight seeded players (Ranking)
1. Sara Errani (20)
2. Sam Stosur (23)
3. Karin Knapp (43)
4. Carina Witthoeft (50)
5. Lucie Hradecka (55)
6. Julia Goerges (57)
7. Anna Schmiedlova (60)
8. Katerina Siniakova (65)

First round matches to watch:

Teliana Pereira vs Annika Beck:

This match between two unseeded players has potential to be a three set war as clay specialist Pereira faces Germany’s Beck in a battle of two dark horses.

Pereira won her first ever title in Bogota earlier in the year, putting on an impressive display to beat Shvedova in the final. The Brazilian is now starting to climb the rankings on the back of that run and now finds herself inside the top 100.

Beck has been a steady eddy but has failed to really make a breakthrough. Due to her inability to really push the higher ranked players, her ranking has slipped to 71 from 43 over the past year. The German is still young and has one WTA title to her name. Maybe she can start climbing again with a good run this week.

This should be quite an even contest, though form and surface favours the Brazilian. Pereira has played good tennis on the clay this year but Beck always provides a stern challenge. Potential for a deep run is there for the winner.

Johanna Larsson vs Stefanie Voegele:

Fresh off her first title in her home country of Sweden, Larsson will be in fine spirits when she faces talented Swiss Voegele in the opening round of Bad Gastein.

Many may count Larsson lucky that Serena Williams pulled out of Bastad last week, but the Swede took full advantage to win her first title, defeating Mona Barthel in the final. She will be now full of confidence and will be hoping to win her second straight title in Bad Gastein this upcoming week.

Voegele has made a reputation as a fairly talented player who has not managed to make any major breakthrough. The Swiss is currently ranked 107th in the world, but she is capable of playing better than her ranking suggests.

This match is interesting because we will see how Larsson responds after her title win last week. Can she continue that good form, or will Voegele spring a surprise?

Draw Analysis:

Top seed Errani will arrive in Austria as the favourite to take home the title this week. The Italian is a former French Open finalist and is known for her clay court expertise. Her section of the draw is kind as it is littered with qualifiers and lucky losers. Her first major test will likely come in the quarter finals with Julia Goerges, Jana Cepelova, and Aleksandra Krunic possible opponents.

Karin Knapp will see this as a potential third title with the Italian being the third seed. She faces a tough draw with no qualifiers or lucky losers in her section and a home crowd favourite as a first round opponent. Then it could be Bastad champion Larsson in the second round. It is not an easy draw to say the least. Lucie Hradecka, Lara Arruabarrena, Timea Babos and Polona Hercog round this section off.

Carina Witthoeft is the fourth seed, and the 20 year old German will quite like her chances of a first WTA title. She has been drawn in a section with Anna Schmiedlova however, who is coming off a title win in Bucharest- her second of the year. Teliana Pereira or Annika Beck could spoil the party by eliminating the German in round two, whilst Andreea Mitu could shock Schmiedlova.

The final quarter features former US Open champion Sam Stosur who is looking to rekindle that 2011 form. It is looking like a struggle for the Aussie, and her second round against Klara Koukalova or Ana-Lena Friedsam. Siniakova vs Krunic will make for a good first round match, and the winner could make the semi-finals with Stosur’s current bad form.

Predictions:

Quarter finals:
Errani def. Goerges
Knapp def. Arruabarrena
Schmiedlova def. Pereira
Krunic def. Friedsam

Semi Finals:
Errani def. Knapp
Schmiedlova def. Krunic

Final:
Errani def. Schmiedlova

Niall Clarke (Sofia)