WebProNews

Tag: WTA

  • Agnieszka Radwanska Defeated at French Open

    When the No. 2 ranked women’s tennis player in the world, Li Na, lost in the third round at the French Open to 21-year-old Kristina Mladenovic on Tuesday, the world saw the occasion as simply a routine upset which occurs at every major event. When No. 1 ranked Serena Williams lost to 20-year-old Garbiñe Muguruza, the world took note. And when No. 3 ranked Agnieszka Radwanska lost to No. 72 ranked, 21-year-old Ajla Tomljanovic on Friday, the world was aghast.

    Never before has the tennis world seen such a sight – the top three women in tennis have all exited the stage before the fourth round of the French Open, something which has not happened since tennis became a professional sport in 1968.

    After both Williams and Na were defeated early on, many thought that this year’s French Open was Radwanska’s to lose. The 25-year-old Pole did not see things in the same light, however: “It doesn’t mean if the first and second seeds lost, it doesn’t mean the third one is going to win… It’s stupid to say that. It doesn’t matter who is in the draw, if you play good then you’re going to win. I just didn’t play good enough today to win the match.”

    “I don’t think it was my day today,” Radwanska concluded.

    On the converse, however, it was one hell of a day for Tomljanovic.

    Coming into Friday’s contest against Radwanska, Tomljanovic had little evidence to support a bid for an upset. She was ranked No. 72 in the world, she had never advanced past the second round of a Grand Slam event, and she had never beaten anyone ranked in the top 30. Friday was a day of firsts, to say the least.

    While no one would have picked Tomljanovic to defeat Radwanska, the Pole had much confidence coming into the match: “After seeing the two first seeds go out, you kind of feel you can do this, too.I grew up with these girls who are beating them.”

    Tomljanovic used the confidence derived from the losses of both Na and Williams to propel herself to the win. “I went into the stadium for the first time, and she [Radwanska] kind of feels like home there, because she’s been there a lot more than I have… I went out there, and inside I really thought I could win. I think that showed and it is why I won.”

    Up next for Tomljanovic is No. 14 Carla Suarez Navarro. While she may be at a rank-disadvantage once again, Tomljanovic’s confidence is not shaken.

    “I definitely think the tournament is not over for me,” proclaimed Tomljanovic.

    Image via Facebook

  • Monica Puig Claims First Ever WTA Title, Moves On To French Open

    Monica Puig has won her first Women’s Tennis Association Title Saturday. It also happens to be her first career title, proving that she is an up and comer to be reckoned with.

    Other first WTA titlists this year include Garbine Muguruza in Hobart, Tsvetana Pironkova in Sydney, Kurumi Nara in Rio De Janeiroo, Caroline Garcia in Bogota, Donna Vekic in Kuala Lumpur, Carla Suarez Navarro in Oeiras and Eugenie Bouchard in Nuremberg, according to AFP.

    ”It’s amazing to do this coming from such a small island, where tennis isn’t necessarily recognized as one of the main sports. I’m just happy I’m able to be here playing tennis not only for myself, but for my country too,” Puig said, ”I woke up this morning and I felt it. I felt I was going to do something amazing. It was one of those feelings where you just know it’s going to happen, and I played some of the greatest tennis I’ve ever played.”

    Puig is rising fast in the world of tennis. Last week, she beat former champion Andrea Petkovic of Germany 6-4, 6-4.

    Instagram and Twitter were filled with excitement for Puig and her accomplishment. One tweet by Puig said “The dream is now a reality! Won my first @WTA title!!!! So happy!” followed by a very smiley emoticon. It was re-tweeted 553 times with 704 favorites. Replies were filled with congratulations in English and Spanish, along with several emoticons, some of which were incomprehensible.

    According to the Associated Press, Next up for Puig is the French Open where she faces 2010 finalist Sam Stosur. Meanwhile Soler-Espinosa will face Chanelle Scheepers at Roland Garros.

    You can watch the exciting title-claiming match on this video:

    Image via Wikimedia Commons.

  • Eugenie Bouchard: Now Serving at the Adult Table

    Eugenie Bouchard, the 19-year-old tennis sensation hailing from Westmount, Quebec has a great chance of reaching the Australian Open Semifinals if she defeats Ana Ivanovic.

    This is record-breaking stuff for Canada; Patricia Hy-Boulais has been the only other Canadian able to make it into a Grand Slam Tournament, and that was way back in 1992. In Bouchard’s lifetime, she’d be the only Canadian to accomplish this feat in the professional women’s realm. Bouchard has already won the status as the first Canadian to win a Junior Grand Slam in singles at Wimbledon, and has proven herself to be a dominant youth player. Now it’s time to prove once and for all that she can run just as well with the big dogs.

    It won’t be easy running– although she’s fortunately been able to sidestep the most dominant player in the league right now in Serena Williams, she now has the task of taking down the victor of that intense match. Ana Ivanovic is obviously on a roll with the epic triumph under her belt, so Ivanovic will undoubtedly serve up some work for Bouchard– even though she has already decimated Ivanvoic in straight sets at the Wimbledon just last summer.

    A lot can change in a year, however, and Bouchard is not taking this upcoming match lightly. She also has to forgo resting up for the match– she has a doubles round with Vera Dushevin on Monday.

    Although Bouchard tells a Canadian newspaper that “she’s just happy to be playing,” we can be sure that the gravity of her appearing in the Grand Slam tournament is not lost on her. It is a sure bet that Bouchard will take advantage of the injury issues that likely slowed Serena Williams down to cause her defeat, allowing Bouchard to sidestep the number one tennis player in the world.

    Be sure to check your local listings to see when the Monday match airs on your network. You can also read about her bathroom struggles,

    her New Year greeting gripes

    and more by following her Twitter.

    Image via Twitter

  • Victoria Azarenka Set to Play Serena Williams

    Serena Williams, the number one player in the Women’s Tennis Association, is slated to play number two player Victoria Azarenka in what should be an exciting exhibition match in Thailand next month.

    Victoria Azarenka, the 24-year-old tennis player from the Republic of Belarus, has won two Australian Open titles, a bronze medal in the 2012 Olympics and was once ranked number one in the world. According to ESPN, Azarenka has played in the Thailand invitational event twice before, but this will be the first time for Serena Williams. While both players are both extraordinarily talented, a recent injury in October served Azakrenka a disheartening loss that resulted in her being ousted from the WTA Championships. Winning this game against one of the most powerful players in WTA history will certainly make a clear statement regarding Azarenka’s skill and strength.

    The Lawn Tennis Association of Thailand, known for having the best courts in the world, made the announcement this week that the exhibition game will close out the year this December.

    Image: Wikimedia Commons