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My Daughter Is Going As @KikiMladenovic For Halloween Tonight

Posted by Admin on October 31, 2016
Posted in: France, WTA. Tagged: , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment
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Annabel Fogleman as Kiki Mladenovic (Photo: TennisAtlantic.com)

My Daughter Is Going as @KikiMladenovic for Halloween Tonight
Steve Fogleman, Tennis Atlantic

My 8-year-old daughter Annabel has been watching a lot of WTA tennis with me over the years, and she’s met a few players while at Citi Open. She surprised me last month when she told me that she wanted to be Angelique Kerber for Halloween. I said, “That’s great, honey, but some people won’t know who you are. Don’t worry about that.”

I realized I unleashed a beast with my words when she did an about-face last week and decided to the be the tennis player she really loves the most: Kiki Mladenovic. Annabel cheered for her while watching the Olympics. She screamed for Mladenovic and #1 doubles partner Caroline Garcia while watching Singapore.

I tried to talk her down.

“Honey, no one will know who you are.”

That won’t stop a kid from wanting to be her all-time favorite for Halloween.

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Annabel Fogleman as Kiki Mladenovic (Photo: TennisAtlantic.com)

Truth is, my daughter has a little French in her on my wife’s side and she likes to display it proudly. I took her to Guadeloupe last January and now she thinks that it’s perfectly acceptable to bring a baguette to the beach.

A lot of Baltimoreans will learn about world #42 Kristina Mladenovic for the first time tonight.

What’s the matter with kids these days?

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2016 WTA Finals Preview, Predictions

Posted by Admin on October 23, 2016
Posted in: WTA. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

2016 WTA Finals Preview, Predictions
Niall Clarke, Tennis Atlantic

BNP PARIBAS WTA FINALS SINGAPORE

WTA Finals Singapore

The 2016 WTA season is drawing to a close, and to cap off an excellent year eight of the best female tennis players in the world will fight for the right to be called the season ending champion in Singapore.

WTA Finals
Tier: Year end Championships
Location: Singapore
Surface: Indoor Hard
Prize Money: $7,000,000
Date: October 23-30

The Groups

Red Group:

  • Angelique Kerber
  • Simona Halep
  • Madison Keys
  • Dominika Cibulkova

White Group:

  • Agnieszka Radwanska
  • Karolina Pliskova
  • Garbine Muguruza
  • Svetlana Kuznetsova

Serena Williams withdrew from the tournament with injury.

Red Group Breakdown

Angelique Kerber:

Angelique Kerber, New Haven

2016 record: 59-17; WTA Finals record: 2-7

Kerber will finish her excellent year with two grand slams and the world number one ranking, and she will look to add the WTA finals to her list of achievements. The German first shocked the world by defeating Serena in the Australian open final for her first major title. She then completed the hard court slam by beating Karolina Pliskova in the US Open final. Kerber’s incredible  results have confirmed her place at the top of the women’s game in 2016, and there is nobody who can take her year end number one ranking away. Kerber doesn’t have the best record in these events, but she is a different player in 2016. Can her fortunes in Singapore change?

Simona Halep:

simona-halep

Simona Halep

2016 record: 44-16; WTA Finals record: 4-4

Halep failed to do what Kerber managed, and that is win a maiden grand slam title. However, the Romanian has remained consistent throughout the year and that is why she has booked her place in the WTA finals. Halep’s highlight of the year was winning the Madrid title, but she is still in desperate search of a major win. A former finalist here, Halep knows what it takes to succeed on these courte but can she get over the line this time?

Madison Keys:

madison-keys

Madison Keys

 2016 record: 46-15; WTA Finals record: 0-0

Keys is one of two players in this group making their debut in the WTA Finals, and that is the reward for a consistent 2016. It seems like the 21-year-old is starting to put her game together, and with her power she could be a huge threat here. Keys made the round of 16 in all the majors, but failed to make the big slam breakthrough. The world number seven has certainly earned her place in the field though, and she can beat anyone on her day.

Dominika Cibulkova:

Cibulkova

2016 record: 50-19; WTA Finals record: 0-0

Cibulkova might be the most surprising name in the field, but do not let that fool you, she has amassed a career best year to make her debut in Singapore. The Slovakian has won three titles this year and won 50 matches. She certainly has the game to go all the way, she is a former Australian Open finalist after all, and has good records against Kerber and Halep.

Predictions:

The red group is a tough one to predict. Kerber is the favourite to advance, but her record in this competition is poor. Halep has struggled to really breakthrough in major events. Keys and Cibulkova are both wildcards with their aggressive style, so it could be anyone’s game. It is easy to go with the top two ranked players in the group, but it is not that simple, Keys and Cibulkova are more than capable of topping them with the latter having a positive record against Halep.

Halep faces Keys to open the tournament, and I expect the Romanian to come out on top with the 4-1 head to head looming. Kerber vs Cibulkova will conclude Sunday’s action and the German will be expected to win that one. Kerber’s record however makes it difficult to predict victory against Halep in the next match, and Keys has a good record of her own against Cibulkova. With Halep safely through, it might open the door for the Slovakian to score a win in the tournament. Keys and Kerber will then play for the second spot and the German’s big match experience will kick in.

  • Halep 2-1
  • Kerber 2-1
  • Keys 1-2
  • Cibulkova 1-2

White group breakdown

Agnieszka Radwanska

radwanska-singapore

2016 record: 51-16; WTA Finals record: 9-12

The Pole returns to the place where she shocked the Tennis world by coming from the brink of a first round exit to claiming the title. Radwanska arrives in Singapore in much better form this time however, and could be the favourite to take home the title. The second seed has won three titles this year with the biggest being the Premier Mandatory in Beijing. She is the form player, but has worrying records against her opponents Kuznetsova and Muguruza.

Karolina Pliskova

2016 record: 42-20; WTA Finals record: 0-0

The 24-year-old has recorded her best season to date to secure her debut in this competition. It has been a year topped by a US Open final run where she defeated both the Williams sisters. Pliskova has an effortless power game and it has started to gain that extra bit of consistency needed. She is more than capable of a good run, and it will be interesting to see if she can do it.

Garbine Muguruza

2016 record: 34-18; WTA Finals record: 3-1

This time last year, Muguruza was the title favourite. She was in excellent form and went unbeaten in the round robin stage, but it all came undone against Radwanska in the semi finals and since she has not been able to put it together. The French Open title win is the highlight of an otherwise dire season full of poor results and lacklustre performances. The dangerous thing with Muguruza though, is that she can turn it on at any time. Will Singapore be the wake-up call she needs?

Svetlana Kuznetsova

2016 record: 43-20; WTA Finals record: 3-12

After Serena’s withdrawal, it became a three horse race for the final spot in the WTA finals. Carla Suarez Navarro and Johanna Konta both led Kuznetsova at the start of the week, but the Russian managed to win the Kremlin Cup to secure her place at the very last second. The Russian returns to the season ending Championships for the first time since 2009, and she has never made it past the group stages. Her record against her fellow competitors is good however, and that could be key for the final entrant.

Predictions:

Again, it is difficult to call because you never which version of the big hitters will turn up. Radwanska is the only player that you can expect a certain level from, but she is vulnerable to being overpowered by the rest of the group. Muguruza’s form in particular will be the big wildcard as she can come good at any point.

Kuznetsova will face Radwanska on Monday to kick off the groups proceedings. The Russian has a good record against the Pole but will likely be fatigued and that makes Radwanska the favourite. Pliskova has a good record against Muguruza and will likely topple the Spaniard in the second match. Pliskova will likely lose to Radwanska in the second match, leaving the door open for Muguruza or Kuznetsova to challenge. The Spaniard is in poor form, but Kuznetsova’s fatigue could be an issue. Either way, I believe that Radwanska will finish unbeaten with Pliskova just behind.

  1. Radwanska 3-0
  2. Pliskova 1-2
  3. Muguruza 1-2
  4. Kuznetsova 0-3

Semi Finals onwards

Halep will face Pliskova in the first semi final, and the Romanian will have the advantage. Halep has a 4-1 winning record against the Czech and the slowness of the court will favour the third seed. Interestingly, the top two seeds will meet in the semi finals going by my predictions. Radwanska knows what it takes to win here whilst Kerber has often struggled, so therefore I pick Halep to meet Radwanska in the final.

Their head to head is 5-5, so there is not much to separate them. The Pole did beat the Romanian here last year though, and it is difficult to ignore the form Radwanska is in. Therefore it is likely the second seed will retain her title after a close final encounter with Halep.

Semi Finals:

Halep def. Pliskova

Radwanska def. Kerber

Final:

Radwanska def. Halep

2015 WTA Year-End Championships Preview

Posted by Admin on October 24, 2015
Posted in: Niall Clarke, WTA. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

2015 WTA Year-End Championships Preview
Niall Clarke, Tennis Atlantic

WTA Logo

It’s the season finale for the WTA, and after nearly 11 months of competition, eight of the elite in singles and doubles will compete to be crowned the champion of the Year end Championships.

Like the ATP format, the top eight players and teams in the world qualify for this event which will take place in a round robin format. The top two in the standings in each group advance to the semi-finals where only two will be left standing to compete in the final.

Unfortunately, world number one Serena Williams was forced to withdraw from the competition.

The Red Group

Simona Halep

Simona Halep


(1) Simona Halep: As a result of Serena’s withdrawal, Halep has been bumped to the top seed for this event. The Romanian has not enjoyed the best year in the grand slams, but her performance in Premier events earned her the number two ranking. A finalist here last year, the 24 year old is the favourite in many eyes to take home the title.

Stats courtesy of wtatennis.com
~ 2015 Titles: 3 (Shenzhen, Dubai, Indian Wells)
~ 2015 Record: 48-15
~ Best Grand Slam result in 2015: Semifinalist (US Open)
~ WTA Finals history: 2nd appearance (3-2 record – finalist in 2014)
~ H2H vs rest of group: 5-13 (0-5 vs Sharapova, 4-4 vs Radwanska, 1-4 vs Pennetta)
Maria Sharapova at 2014 Western & Southern
(3) Maria Sharapova: The most accomplished player in the singles draw is Sharapova. The former world number one has struggled with injury since grass season, but he performances in the first six months, including a final appearance in Melbourne, has earned her a spot in the season ending championships.

Stats courtesy of wtatennis.com
~ 2015 Titles: 2 (Brisbane, Rome)
~ 2015 Record: 34-8
~ Best Grand Slam result in 2015: Finalist (Australian Open)
~ WTA Finals history: 8th appearance (18-10 – champion in 2004)
~ H2H vs rest of group: 19-5 (5-0 vs Halep, 12-2 vs Radwanska, 2-3 vs Pennetta)

(5) Agnieszka Radwanska: After a troubling start to the season, Radwanska brought her best form from the start of the grass season, showing us the signs of a former world number two. A semi-final run at Wimbledon was a huge confidence boost that paved the way for titles in Tokyo and Tianjin. The Pole secured qualification with the latter.

Stats courtesy of wtatennis.com
~ 2015 Titles: 2 (Tokyo [Pan Pacific], Tianjin)
~ 2015 Record: 48-23
~ Best Grand Slam result in 2015: Semifinalist (Wimbledon)
~ WTA Finals history: 7th appearance (6-10 record – semifinalist in 2012 & 2014)
~ H2H vs rest of group: 11-19 (4-4 vs Halep, 2-12 vs Sharapova, 5-3 vs Pennetta)

Flavia Pennetta

(7) Flavia Pennetta: The only player to win a grand slam this year in the draw is Pennetta. The Italians spectacular run in New York was crowned with the US Open title. Other than that it has been a pretty ordinary year for the seventh seed whose US Open victory was the main basis for qualification. Pennetta has intentions of retiring at the end of the season, meaning this could very well be her last tournament.

Stats courtesy of wtatennis.com
~ 2015 Titles: 1 (US Open)
~ 2015 Record: 27-17
~ Best Grand Slam result in 2015: Champion (US Open)
~ WTA Finals history: 1st appearance
~ H2H vs rest of group: 10-8 (4-1 vs Halep, 3-2 vs Sharapova, 3-5 vs Radwanska)

Predictions:
With the injury doubts still lingering over Sharapova, this group is quite difficult to predict. If the Russian brings her best tennis to Singapore, she will be favourite to advance but that is only if she is fit. Same might be said for Halep, who was forced to retire in her previous match. Radwanska’s fight to claim a place here might leave her tired, and Pennetta has not been in the best of form since her US open triumph.

Even with Sharapova in good form, Halep should make it through the round robin. The courts suit her as she proved last season and she will be favourite to beat Pennetta and Radwanska despite the head to heads. Sharapova has a 5-0 head to head against Halep, but the former’s form and fitness remains in doubt.

That leaves a battle for second place. Sharapova would usually advance but Radwanska could very well nick that spot. The Pole has been in great form towards the back end of the season, and providing she is not tired she will be a handful.
Pennetta could go 0-3 here with her lack of form and the pressure of her first appearance. The Italian will not be a walkover, but it is hard seeing where she can win a match here.

This group could end up being decided by sets/games won and lost.

1. Halep 2-1
2. Radwanska 2-1
3. Sharapova 2-1
4. Pennetta 0-3

White Group
(2) Garbine Muguruza: One of the success stories of the season is the rise of Muguruza. The 22 year old made her first Grand slam final at Wimbledon, and claimed her first Premier title in Beijing. Her results have earned her the number three ranking with potential to move to number two if results go her way. This is the Spaniard’s first appearance in the season ending finale as a singles player.

Stats courtesy of wtatennis.com
~ 2015 Titles: 1 (Beijing)
~ 2015 Record: 38-18
~ Best Grand Slam result in 2015: Finalist (Wimbledon)
~ WTA Finals history: 1st appearance
~ H2H vs rest of group: 3-4 (0-0 vs Kvitova, 3-3 vs Kerber, 0-1 vs Safarova)

Petra Kvitova, 2013 New Haven
(4) Petra Kvitova: Grand slam wise, it has been a pretty disappointing year for Kvitova, but her results have still earned her a fifth appearance in the season finale. A champion in 2011, Kvitova will be amongst the favourites for the title with indoor conditions suiting her game.

Stats courtesy of wtatennis.com
~ 2015 Titles: 3 (Sydney, Madrid, New Haven)
~ 2015 Record: 35-13
~ Best Grand Slam result in 2015: Quarterfinalist (US Open)
~ WTA Finals history: 5th appearance (8-5 – champion in 2011)
~ H2H vs rest of group: 11-2 (0-0 vs Muguruza, 4-2 vs Kerber, 7-0 vs Safarova)

(6) Angelique Kerber: Yet again, Kerber has managed to seal YEC qualification, but her record at this level has been rather poor. The German has racked up four Premier titles this season despite a poor year in the slams. The leftie, like Radwanska, played a lot of tournaments towards the end of the season to earn qualification, so she could also be fatigued.

Stats courtesy of wtatennis.com
~ 2015 Titles: 4 (Charleston, Stuttgart, Birmingham, Stanford)
~ 2015 Record: 52-20
~ Best Grand Slam result in 2015: Third Round (French Open, Wimbledon, US Open)
~ WTA Finals history: 3rd appearance (1-5 record)
~ H2H vs rest of group: 6-8 (3-3 vs Muguruza, 2-4 vs Kvitova, 1-1 vs Safarova)
Safarova
(8) Lucie Safarova: The last entry is Safarova, who qualified by the skin of her teeth after the other contenders fell out of their respective competitions. The Czech however has had her best season to date, reaching the French Open final. The early season results earned her first qualification for this event.

Stats courtesy of wtatennis.com
~ 2015 Titles: 1 (Doha)
~ 2015 Record: 31-19
~ Best Grand Slam result in 2015: Finalist (French Open)
~ WTA Finals history: 1st appearance
~ H2H vs rest of group: 2-8 (1-0 vs Muguruza, 0-7 vs Kvitova, 1-1 vs Kerber)

Predictions:
This is the hardest group to predict of the two. It could go either way with all four players capable of winning all three matches and losing all three matches. Kvitova’s head to head against her opponents and her experience will make her the favourite. Muguruza comes in on the best form however, despite not playing for a few weeks. A first meeting between those two heavy hitters will be very interesting.

Kvitova will not likely lose to Safarova (7-0 H2H), and her power combined with indoor conditions should be enough to get past Kerber. But her confidence is low, and when Kvitova is off, she’s off.

Therefore Muguruza might be the favourite to finish top of the group. The Spaniard has won her last three meetings with Kerber, and the form book favours her against Safarova. Kvitova will be the wildcard.

If the top two seeds in this group are misfiring, Kerber will be the one to take advantage. The German is the most solid player in the group and will likely bring the same level to every match. It is just a question whether it will be enough?

Bacterial infection forced Safarova out after the US Open and she has only just returned recently. A bit of rustiness and a lack of form might be her downfall, but if the Czech can bring her best tennis then she is certainly capable of advancing.

1. Kvitova 3-0
2. Muguruza 2-1
3. Kerber 1-2
4. Safarova 0-3

Semi-finals and Up
If the groups go as predicted, that will leave us with the following semi-finals:

Halep vs Muguruza
Kvitova vs Radwanska

Halep vs Muguruza is a very hard match to call. Muguruza leads the head to head 2-1, but Halep won their previous meeting. The Spaniard won both her matches on hard courts however, and the indoor conditions should suit her. The Romanian likes this court (finalist last year), but her injury is uncertain and Muguruza comes in on better form.
Prediction: Muguruza in 3

Kvitova vs Radwanska will likely come down to the Czech’s level of play. If she is firing, there will be nothing the Pole could do. Kvitova leads 6-2 in the head to head, and won their last meeting. However, Radwanska beat Kvitova on this exact court last year. Interesting clash in styles, but Kvitova will be in good form if she makes it out of the group.
Prediction: Kvitova in 2

So the final will be contested between the two players who advanced from the white group. Kvitova vs Muguruza in a battle of the heavy hitters. Kvitova was predicted to win their group stage meeting ad nothing much will change here. The pressure of a big final will suit the Czech and her form will be good after four straight wins.
Prediction: Kvitova in 3

Doubles
Red Group: Hingis/Mirza, Babos/Mladenovic, Kops-Jones/Spears, Hlavackova/Hradecka
White Group: Mattek-Sands/Safarova, Chan/Chan, Garcia/Srebotnik, Muguruza/Suarez Navarro

Safarova and Muguruza are pulling double duty this week, as they will also participate in the doubles competition.

The favourites will be Hingis/Mirza, who have dominated the doubles scene through most of 2015. But Safarova and Mattek Sands have also been excellent this year.

Predictions:
Red Group:
1. Hingis/Mirza 3-0
2. Babos/Mladenovic 2-1
3. Hlavackova/ Hradecka 1-2
4. Kops-Jones/Spears 0-3
White Group:
1. Garcia/Srebotnik 2-1
2. Mattek Sands/Safarova 2-1
3. Chan/Chan 2-1
4. Muguruza/Suarez Navarro

Semi Finals:
Hingis/Mirza def. Safarova/Mattek Sands
Garcia/Srebotnik def. Mladenovic/Babos
Final:
Hingis/Mirza def. Garcia/Srebotnik

CURRENT CHARLESTON @VOLVOCARSOPEN CHAMP @ANGELIQUEKERBER QUALIFIES FOR WTA FINALS

Posted by Admin on October 22, 2015
Posted in: Charleston, Volvo Cars Open, WTA. Tagged: , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

CURRENT CHARLESTON @VOLVOCARSOPEN CHAMP @ANGELIQUEKERBER QUALIFIES FOR WTA FINALS

World No. 7 makes her third appearance at the WTA Finals,
wins four Premier-level events in one season

Angelique Kerber, New Haven

DANIEL ISLAND, S.C. – Angelique Kerber, the 2015 Family Circle Cup champion (now the Volvo Cars Open), has qualified for this year’s BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global. She will make her third appearance in the WTA Finals, qualifying in both 2012 and 2013. She was first alternate in 2014.

Kerber has won four Premier-level WTA titles this season. Beginning with her win in Charleston at the Family Circle Cup, she went on to win the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart, the Aegon Classic in Birmingham and the Bank of the West Classic in Stanford.

Kerber’s season soared following her title run in Charleston. In addition to capturing three more titles, she made the quarterfinals in Tokyo and Beijing, the semifinals in Nurnberg and Wuhan, and most recently the final in Hong Kong. She also reached World No. 7, her highest ranking since 2012, when she was World No. 5.

Volvo Cars Open

Kerber joins Simona Halep, Maria Sharapova, Garbiñe Muguruza, Petra Kvitova, Agnieszka Radwanska, Flavia Pennetta and Lucie Safarova in the WTA Finals singles field of eight.

Staged at the Singapore Sports Hub from October 23-November 1 in partnership with Lagardère Sports, the 2015 WTA Finals features the Top 8 singles players competing for one of the most prestigious trophies in women’s tennis, the Billie Jean King Trophy, while the Top 8 doubles teams will compete for the Martina Navratilova WTA Finals Doubles Trophy. With a record $7 million in prize money on the line, the round-robin singles competition will be the highlight of a 10-day tennis festival that will also include the WTA Legends Classic, WTA Rising Stars Invitational and a WTA Future Stars event.

“I’m very happy to have qualified for the WTA Finals again,” said Angelique Kerber. “After being an alternate last year, I am excited to get back on the court and compete against the top players in the world. I had a great season and really pushed myself to qualify for Singapore – especially as the event came closer.”

Kerber joins 2015 Family Circle Cup doubles champions, Martina Hingis and Sania Mirza, in Singapore. The World No. 1 doubles team qualified for the WTA Finals in July.

Tickets for the 2016 Volvo Cars Open are now on sale. For more information on tickets, call 800.677.2293 or visit http://www.volvocarsopen.com. Patrons can purchase single session tickets, or choose from a variety of ticket and travel packages.

About the Volvo Cars Open:
The Volvo Cars Open is the largest women’s only tennis tournament in the world. The tournament receives four days of live broadcast domestically on ESPN2, and is viewed internationally in more than 143 countries, featuring more than 200 hours of live and delayed global broadcast time, reaching 9+ million viewers worldwide. The event, formerly known as the Family Circle Cup, moved to Charleston in 2001 from Hilton Head Island and will celebrate its 44th anniversary in 2016.

—A. Alpino, Volvo Cars Open

Radwanska Seals Singapore Spot; Kerber Denied

Posted by Admin on October 18, 2015
Posted in: Niall Clarke, WTA. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

Radwanska Seals Singapore Spot; Kerber Denied
Niall Clarke, Tennis Atlantic

Agnieszka Radwanska

The talk of the week in the weird and wonderful world of the WTA was who would join Maria Sharapova, Simona Halep, Garbine Muguruza and Petra Kvitova on the plane to Singapore.

Amongst the contenders this week were Agnieszka Radwanska, Angelique Kerber, Lucie Safarova, Karolina Pliskova and Venus Williams — all looking to seal their spot amongst the top eight.

Embed from Getty Images

In Hong Kong, Kerber came close but was ultimately edged by Jelena Jankovic. The former world number one had ended Venus’ slight hopes of making the season ending championships in the semi-finals, and looked to do the same to Kerber who looked exceptional against Stosur.

The German was in control for most of the first two sets, taking the opener 6-3 and coming within a game away of winning and sealing her place in Singapore. But Jankovic held on to take the tiebreak as Kerber started to fade.

The Serb was dominant in the final set, not facing a break point as she cruised to victory and 15th WTA title.

Kerber will have to wait to seal her place in Singapore, but having made the final here she has all but confirmed her place in the season finale.

One player who will definitely be there is Radwanska. The Pole dominated maiden finalist Danka Kovinic 6-1, 6-2 to claim the Tianjin open title.

Embed from Getty Images

Radwanska did not drop a set all week en route to her sweet 16th WTA title, confirming her place in the Year End Championships. The former Wimbledon finalist will be making her fifth straight appearance at the Tour finale.

“Coming to Asia I didn’t really think I had any chance to go to Singapore, and it’s actually been a very good couple of weeks for me,” Radwanska said in her post match interview.

“Winning Tokyo gave me some chances to go there, and then every match started to matter after that. And I knew if I won here, I would make it there.
“But the pressure didn’t feel too big. I could really play my best tennis in Tianjin this week.”

A sensational turn around, starting with the semi final run at Wimbledon made up for a poor start to the season for the former world number two.

The Linz title went to Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova after a straight sets victory over Ana Lena Freidsam.

The Russian claimed her first title of the year with a 6-4, 6-3 victory and extends her unbeaten streak indoors to 15 matches.

Pavs has been in great form this week, only dropping a set en route to her eighth career title despite suffering from nagging injuries.
Adam Addicott TA Watermark

Radwanska, Jankovic, Begu Capture WTA Titles

Posted by Admin on September 27, 2015
Posted in: China, Guangzhou, Seoul, Singapore, Tokyo, WTA, Year End. Tagged: , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

Radwanska, Jankovic, Begu Capture WTA Titles
Niall Clarke, Tennis Atlantic

Jelena Jankovic

Jelena Jankovic

A busy week in the WTA concluded with Agnieszka Radwanska capturing the Tokyo title, Jelena Jankovic winning the Guangzhou title, and Irina Begu becoming the Queen of Seoul.

    WTA Tokyo: Radwanska Runs Bencic Ragged

Embed from Getty Images
Radwanska is proving to be quite the force in Tokyo. The Pole did not drop a set on the way to the final where she met teenage sensation Belinda Bencic.

The Swiss was coming in off the back of back to back top 10 wins over Garbine Muguruza and Caroline Wozniacki in her quest for a third Premier title this year. However, Radwanska would put in a nearly flawless performance to see of the 18 year old 6-2, 6-2.

The performance was summed up by the stats. The former world number two hit 28 winners to 15 unforced errors, to Bencic’s 21-23.

“I ran a lot!” Radwanska said post-match. “Belinda really pushed me to play 200%, and the pressure was always in the back of my head. I knew I was playing one of the best players in the world, but this is the final and you just want to win, so you do whatever it takes to win every point.”

The 15th career victory seals Aga’s place back inside the top 10 and gives her a significant boost in the race for the Year End Championships.

“I’m just so happy to be back in that Top 10. It’s very, very tight now. There are a lot of young players coming up, so many players who deserve to be Top 10, so I’m just happy I can be No.8 now.

“The Asia tour is key for me to go to Singapore, so I think this week I did a great job to give myself a better chance to go back there again.”

The doubles title was won by the Spanish pairing Muguruza and Carla Suarez Navarro. They defeated the Chan sisters 7-5, 6-1 to strengthen their bid for Singapore.

    WTA Guangzhou: Jankovic Captures Guangzhou Crown

Embed from Getty Images
Jankovic has ended her two year title draught by capturing the Guangzhou title over Denisa Allertova 6-2, 6-0.

The Czech was looking to add another name to her upset list this week after defeating Simona Halep and Sara Errani en route to her first WTA final.

She started brightly with a break and a 2-1 lead, but from that point on it was all Jankovic. The Serb raced away by winning the next 11 games to seal a comfortable straight sets victory.

“Denisa, you had such a great run here in Guangzhou, beating such great players,” Jankovic said. “And you played so well in the final – it was definitely closer than the result says. You’ll have many more finals and many more titles in the future, so just keep going, just keep doing what you’re doing.”

Allertova still remained positive despite the heavy defeat.

“It was an amazing time for me here,” she said.

“I’m so happy I could beat so many good players here and play my first final. Jelena was too good, but I’m happy with my week.”

This was Jankovic’s first WTA main tour title since claiming the Bogota crown two years ago, she won a challenger in China earlier in the year. This was also the Serbian’s 14th career title.

The doubles went to the number one team of Martina Hingis and Sania Mirza. The top seeds breezed Shilin Xu and Xiaodi You 6-3, 6-1 to claim their 6th title of the year.

    WTA Seoul: Begu claims Second Career Title


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Begu ended the run of qualifier Aliaksandra Sasnovich with a 6-3, 6-1 victory to capture the Seoul title.

After an even start that split the first six games, Begu raised her game to soar to a 6-3, 5-0 lead. Sasnovich managed to hold to avoid the bagel, but no comeback was on the cards as Begu served it out to seal an easy victory.

“I think the key today was to stay calm and make my opponent run more, and I think I was successful in those. I was also hitting the balls deep and close to the lines,” Begu said.

“I also think I was better on the important points – I wasn’t dominating every game, but I did better on the big points.”

This was her second WTA title after winning Tashkent back in 2012.

“I’m so happy to win my first WTA title in three years – it’s been a long time, and I’ve improved a lot, I think,” Begu said.

“I’ve learned a lot from many matches and many experiences, and most of all I think I’ve become much more consistent when I’m playing. I feel totally different from three years ago.”

The doubles final was played later in the day and saw top seeds Lara Arruabarrena and Andrea Klepac rally from a set down to take out second seeds Kiki Bertens and Johanna Larsson, 2-6, 6-3, 10-6.