Palermo qualifiers advance thanks to extra matchplay
IT might not be an exact fact, but no doubt after months off from competitive tennis, qualifiers have the best chance of causing an upset in Palermo. They had to fight through three qualification matches to make their way into the main draw, with a lot of their opponents coming off exhibition matches and training […]
Cocciaretto upsets Hercog in Palermo, claims first top 100 scalp
ELISABETTA Cocciaretto led the Italian charge on day one of the Palermo Ladies Open with a strong upset of Polona Hercog of Slovenia. The 45th ranked Slovenian is a decade older than the teenager, and had easily accounted for her three years ago with a 6-2 6-0 thrashing when Cocciaretto was just 16-years-old. A lot […]
Trevisan destroys top seed in qualifying, becomes fifth Italian in Palermo
IT was an unsurprisingly bumpy start to the return of the WTA Tour at Palermo Ladies Open, but qualifying is now completed with the final 32 players determined ahead of main draw matches in just under 12 hours. Following the withdrawal of the top two ranked players – Simona Halep and Johanna Konta – as […]
2020 Palermo Ladies Open preview: WTA Tour returns in Italy
FOLLOWING the withdrawal of world number two Simona Halep and would-be second seed Johanna Konta, the 2020 Palermo Ladies Open field, which kicks off the recommencement of the WTA Tour on Monday, is wide open. As it stands, Petra Martic is the highest ranked player confirmed to play at the event, and given her recent […]
Tournament rewind: 2019 Palermo Ladies Open
TALENTED up and comer, Jil Teichmann surprised all when she took out the 30th Palermo Ladies Open last year, coming through victorious in the final against raging favourite and top seed, Kiki Bertens. In that match, Teichmann won 7-6 6-2 in an hour and 52 minutes on the Italian clay. She played a consistent game, […]
Ash Barty withdraws from US Open
WORLD number one Ash Barty has confirmed she will not compete at the 2020 US Open today, with the Grand Slam set to go ahead from August 31 to the dismay of many during the COVID-19 health crisis. A huge decision, Barty’s withdrawal sees the Australian fan favourite the most significant name to be removed […]
Konta and Evans go down in ominous sign for return of tennis
READYING for the eventual return of international tennis, a Battle of the Brits team event has begun in Roehampton, London, with 40 singles matches and 20 doubles matches playing out over the next seven days featuring Britain’s top male and female talent. Organised by Jamie Murray, the event features two mixed teams – Union Jacks […]
WTA Tour returns: Who, where and when?
WHILE the world still battles the 2020 global pandemic that is COVID-19, it might be difficult to imagine an international sport that stretches every continent going ahead. But that is exactly the case for the WTA and ATP Tours that start in the next month. While the ATP Tour kicks off later in August, the […]
Young Gun Focus: Iga Swiatek
A TALENTED speedster with an attacking mentality and plenty of oomph, it is hard to believe that the Poland 49th ranked talent Iga Swiatek is only 19 years old. A right-hander with plenty of speed, resilience and hard-hitting, Swiatek uses her swift movement and continuous barrage of hits to wear down her opponent making her […]
Opinion: What would a WTA Tour version of the Laver Cup (Williams Cup) look like?
IN yesterday’s opinion article, we took a look at the current format of the ATP Tour’s Laver Cup, a team tournament which pits Team Europe off against Team World. We analysed how the current method is not the best way to have the closest contest, and some alternatives that the Tour could look at to […]
