Seeds prevail in tight clashes to round out Linz Round of 16
THE Round of 16 continued at the Upper Austria Ladies Linz with another mostly predictable day on court as the first, second, fifth and sixth seeds all proceed through to the quarter finals, while Oceane Dodin defeated Sorana Cirstea to be the lowest ranked winner on Day 6. Top seed Aryna Sabalenka blew past Stefanie Voegele to continue her […]
Sabalenka survives early scare on Day 2 at Linz
TWO players retired on day two of the Upper Austria Ladies Linz, seeing six of the eight matches run out as expected and very little surprises bar the two late withdrawals. Top seed Aryna Sabalenka survived an early scare from Jasmine Paolini before consolidating a win, while it was Julia Grabher and Tereza Martincova who finished their matches early, […]
Which Sabalenka will we see in Linz? Belarusian standout player in final WTA Tour event
ARYNA Sabalenka has a perfect chance to head into the WTA Tour off-season by announcing herself ahead of a big 2021 season. In the final tournament of the year in the Upper Australia Ladies Linz, the Belarusian is the top seed and possesses by far the most power, but also great upside. The world number […]
WTA Countdown: 2020 Top 5 Improvers – #2 Victoria Azarenka
AS the WTA Tour comes to a close for the 2020 season, Draft Central is counting down the top five standout performers across a severely disrupted year who have stepped up to a new level since the Tour’s return. A former world number one and veteran in comparison to other players on this countdown, coming […]
First ever all-Belarusian final set for Ostrava Open
TOP four seeds and Belarusian duo, Victoria Azarenka and Aryna Sabalenka will contest the 2020 Ostrava Open final tomorrow after winning their respective semi-finals today. Two-time Grand Slam winner Azarenka defeated Greek talent Maria Sakkari, while Sabalenka had the better of American Jennifer Brady to make the decider. Fourth seed Azarenka has been in ripping […]
Sabalenka loses first 10 games before coming back in stunning Ostrava win
ARYNA Sabalenka has become accustomed to coming from behind in order to post a win over her opponent in Ostrava. Having to do it against Coco Gauff in the Round of 16, the Belarusian seed has done it again in the quarter finals, but this time in very odd circumstances. Taking on Spanish qualifier Sara […]
Kudermetova, Sabalenka come from behind to post impressive wins in Ostrava
VERONIKA Kudermetova and Aryna Sabalenka are through to the quarter finals of the Ostrava Open after claiming come-from-behind victories. Kudermetova toppled second seed Karolina Pliskova – who slumped to a 10-7 record since winning in Brisbane earlier this year – as the world number 47 got up 4-6 6-4 6-3 in an hour and 56 […]
Top seed bundled out as past Grand Slam winners step up in Ostrava
TOP seed Elina Svitolina is out of the Ostrava Open with her season seemingly now over on a low note, going down to Greek sensation, Maria Sakkari in straight sets. With just one international tournament remaining in the year on the WTA Tour, Svitolina looks to have ended her season with the second round exit […]
Qualifers continue to rule as three top 30 players knocked out in Ostrava
THERE were plenty of upsets to pick from on the latest day at the Ostrava Open, though the three-set win by 75th ranked Russian qualifier Daria Kasatkina against top 20 talent Elena Rybakina might have been the pick of the bunch. The 23-year-old Russian has achieved a lot more than many might expect of her […]
2020 WTA Ostrava Open preview: Elite players return for last Premier event
CZECH Republic will play host to a brand new WTA Tour tournament designed to extend the season after the entire Asian season – including the WTA Finals – was abandoned due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Instead what that means is this is arguably the last chance for many players to run out on court in […]
