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. […]
Young Gun focus: Aryna Sabalenka
BELARUSIAN Aryna Sabalenka is one of the rising stars of women’s tennis. After finishing 2018 with eight wins over top 10 opponents and the 11th overall ranking, she came into 2019 with lofty expectations. Sabalenka won three titles this year, all of which took place in China (WTA Elite Trophy, Shenzhen Open and Wuhan Open) […]
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: […]
2019 Open BLS De Limoges preview: Can Alexandrova make it three out of four?
WHILE most of the WTA Tour is enjoying a break before the 2020 season, a number of keen players are descending on France for the final official tournament of the year. The Open BLS De Limoges takes place on hard court in the west-central city of Limoges. Whilst the tournament is only a 125K event […]
Year in review – 2019: Simona Halep
IF you are only going to win one tournament in a year, then a Grand Slam would be top of the list. For Romanian world number four Simona Halep, that was exactly how her year panned out. Rank: #4 Wins: 43 Losses: 17 Titles: 1 Prize Money: $6,962,442 The 28-year-old Romanian has won more titles […]
