2020 ATP Cup preview: Can Serbia bounce back from heartbreaking Davis Cup defeat?
THERE are plenty of storylines that could play out at the inaugural 2020 ATP Cup in Australia early in the New Year. The tournament is the same style as the controversial Davis Cup, but with a clear goal that makes sense – to get the best players playing. Each win gains ATP Tour ranking points […]
Three WTA Young Guns to watch in 2020
A TRIO of up-and-coming stars aged 21 or younger as of the end of 2019 shone brightly in this year and really put their names up into lights with strong performance. These three players had never won a singles title prior to 2019, and now one is Grand Slam champion, and the other two are […]
Year in review – 2019: Kiki Bertens
THIS year was an important break-even year for 28-year-old Kiki Bertens. The Dutchwoman was able to maintain her ninth placed ranking at year’s end, having moved up into the top 10 in 2018 after previously being ranked no higher than 18 prior to that. Rank: #9 Wins: 55 Losses: 26 Titles: 2 Prize Money: $4,208,026 […]
Open BLS De Limoges wrap – Day 7: Alexandrova romps to third title in four years
NUMBER one seed Russian, Ekaterina Alexandrova has continued her stranglehold on the Open BLS De Limoges event, with a straight sets win over unseeded Belarusian, Aliaksandra Sasnovich in just 56 minutes. In a tournament that saw the seeds fall often and early, Alexandrova was the sole remaining seed from the remaining eight, but it helped […]
Open BLS De Limoges wrap: Day 6 – Sasnovich the challanger for Alexandrova in final
BELARUSIAN, Aliaksandra Sasnovich is the only player standing in between Ekaterina Alexandrova and the top seeded Russian’s third Open BLS De Limoges in four years, after the pair won through to the final. Both players had to battle hard during different points of their semi-finals, with Sasnovich coming from a set down to defeat Belgium’s […]
Open BLS De Limoges wrap: Day 5 – Alexandrova still alive as semi-finals decided
THE final four of the Open BLS De Limoges have been decided, with reigning champion and number one seed, Ekaterina Alexandrova still alive to win her third tournament in four years. She knocked off Ana Bogdan in the quarter finals, 6-4 6-2 to advance through to the semi-finals to play American qualifier, Nicole Gibbs who […]
Open BLS De Limoges wrap: Day 4 – Reigning champ the sole seed as home nation reps fall
IN what was a day of upsets, only one seed remains in the Open BLS De Limoges – reigning title holder Ekaterina Alexandrova. The number one seed and two-time winner knocked out one of the only two remaining French women in the draw, Oceane Dodin 6-3 6-4 to advance through to the quarter finals stage. […]
Open BLS De Limoges wrap: Day 3 – Parmentier knocks out Fed Cup teammate as Alexandrova escapes scare
REIGNING Open BLS De Limoges title holder and number one seed, Ekaterina Alexandrova has escaped a scare from Romanian, Monica Niculescu to move through to the second round. The Russian, gunning for a standalone record of three titles at the event, had to fight hard to win, 6-4 2-6 6-3 in just under two hours. […]
Open BLS De Limoges wrap: Day 2 – Brady and Pera lead one-sided dominance
THE American success at the Open BLS De Limoges continued on Day 2 of the tournament, with fourth seed Jennifer Brady and eighth seed Bernarda Pera advancing through to the second round without too much fuss. The duo from the United States were among five players that moved past the opening round, not dropping a […]
Open BLS De Limoges wrap: Day 1 – Gibbs fights back to secure second round spot
AMERICAN qualifier, Nicole Gibbs has moved through to the second round of the Open BLS De Limoges after an impressive come-from-behind win on Day 1. Gibbs made the main draw of the French hardcourt tournament following success navigating the qualifying stages, and was drawn against seventh seed Slovenian, Tamara Zidansek. The 26-year-old American is currently […]
Rodionova and Smith book Wildcard spots at Aus Open
ARINA Rodionova and John-Patrick Smith have booked their ticket to the Australian Open with wins in their respective Wildcard Playoff draws at Melbourne Park over the past week. The wins meant the pair does not need to go through qualifying, sparing them at least three matches in what is predicted to be scorching Melbourne heat. […]
Year in review – 2019: Belinda Bencic
THE past 12 months have been a rapid rise for Belinda Bencic, who went from a developing talent into a genuine top performer across the WTA Tour. She won just the two titles, but collected more than half of her career prize money, and upped her output to catapult herself into the top 10. Rank: […]
