Around the Tours: Chinese teen continues run
CHINESE teenage Qinwen Zheng continued her remarkable run in Melbourne to reach a quarter final at the event. In what was only her fifth main draw match of her career – she made her WTA Tour main draw debut in Palermo last July – she was able to get past the always tough Vera Zvonareva […]
Around the Tours: Barty overruns Coco
WORLD number one Ash Barty produced a strong comeback to put away teenage prodigy Coco Gauff in three sets at the Adelaide International last night. In one of the matches of the day, Gauff took the first set against the rusty Australian, and went 4-2 up seemingly set to advance to the quarter finals. Instead, […]
Around the Tours: Osaka wins tough upon return
JAPANESE star Naomi Osaka has made a winning return to the WTA Tour in Melbourne, getting up in a tight three-set win over Frenchwoman Alize Cornet. It was the perfect start for Osaka, perhaps not the most dominant of performances, but she blew out the cobwebs and came away with the win. Cornet is a […]
2021 Billie Jean King Cup nation preview: Belgium
THE WTA Tour’s most prestigious team event is less than a month away, and Draft Central is counting down the days until it kicks off by previewing each team individually. Starting with the lowest ranked nation through to the highest one, we take a look at each squad, their fixtures, and what they might be […]
2021 Billie Jean King Cup nominations confirmed
WITH action just a few weeks away, the 2021 Billie Jean King Cup nominations have come in for the 12 teams battling it out for glory. Several big names will miss the event, led by world number one Ash Barty and world number two Aryna Sabalenka, but nations like Switzerland and Spain will be at […]
WTA Tour wrap: Collins, Zanevksa claim maiden titles
A COUPLE of maiden WTA Tour winners entered the books on the weekend as the Palermo Ladies Open and Poland Open came to a close, with top seed American Danielle Collins claiming the Palermo trophy and Belgian world number 165 Maryna Zanevska taking out the Gdynia event in Poland. In Italy, Collins ended Elena-Gabriela Ruse‘s 12-match winning […]
WTA Tour wrap: Finals set at Palermo and Gdynia
THE semi-finals are done and dusted at both the Palermo Ladies Open and Poland Open, with some intriguing clashes finalising the trophy matches. In Italy, number one seed Danielle Collins continued her excellent run with another win over a seeded competitor, downing China’s Zhang Shuai 6-4 6-3 to earn her maiden tour-level final opportunity. The 75-minute clash […]
WTA Tour wrap: Collins rolls on in Palermo
DANIELLE Collins is well on her way to her first ever WTA Tour title, with the world number 44 the overwhelming favourite in Palermo after another muscle-flexing win. The top seeded American rolled past seventh seed Australian Astra Sharma in straight sets, 6-1 6-4 to move into the final four of the tournament. The top […]
WTA Tour wrap: Quarter finals decided at Palermo, Poland
THE WTA Tour Palermo Ladies Open and Poland Open quarter-finalists have been fully decided, with nine matches played out across the two events on a huge day of action. While the seeds all had their way in Italy, it was a different story in Poland with one of yesterday’s Round of 16 matches delayed. AT […]
WTA Tour wrap: Hungarian qualifier Bondar upsets Schmiedlova in Poland
ALMOST a full day’s play was completed across both WTA Tour tournaments in Gdynia and Palermo, with eight of the nine total matches finding a result. In Poland, the Round of 32 was knocked over with a couple of contrasting results, whilst another two Round of 16 winners advanced through to the quarter finals. In […]