WTA Abu Dhabi Round of 32 wrap: Gasanova shocks Pliskova in debut tournament
RUSSIAN rising star, Anastasia Gasanova has shocked third seed Czech Karolina Pliskova, claiming her first ever Top 100 victory with a 6-2 6-4 triumph in the Round of 32 at the Abu Dhabi WTA 500 event. Gasanova had no troubles knocking off the former world number one, having come through qualifying and then toppling former […]
WTA Abu Dhabi Round of 64 wrap: Top six through without a hitch, young guns also advance
OF the 16 seeds on show in the brand new WTA Abu Dhabi 500 event, 12 reached the second round. Kicking off 2021 in style, the top six seeds advanced without dropping a set, whilst 2020 in-form players, Anett Kontaveit and Jennifer Brady were amongst the seeds to fall in the opening round of play. […]
WTA Tour hypothetical: What if they had Next Gen Finals this year?
THE ATP Tour’s Next Gen Finals are a highly sought after event to show off the best young talent coming through the men’s competition. In past years, Stefanos Tsitsipas and Jannik Sinner have triumphed, leading them onto successful years the following seasons and beyond. As it stands, the WTA Tour does not have a Next […]
WTA Countdown: 2020 Top 5 Improvers – #3 Ons Jabeur
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. At number three on the countdown is Tunisian Ons Jabeur, who sits at a current career-high […]
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 […]
Podoroska and Swiatek make history as they reach Roland Garros semi-finals
IT was a history-making day in Paris as two first-time Grand Slam semi-finalists reached the last four at Roland Garros. It was not just the fact they had reached their maiden semi-finals, but in doing so, Nadia Podoroska and Iga Swiatek both achieved rare feats. Podoroska became the first ever qualifier through to the semi-finals […]
Siegemund joins top eight seeds in quarters as final match delayed
UNSEEDED German Laura Siegemund has earned a place in his first ever Grand Slam quarter final alongside a couple of top eight seeds in Sofia Kenin and Petra Kvitova. The 32-year-old veteran produced an impressive performance to down Spaniard Paula Badosa in straight sets, 7-5 6-2. The match lasted an hour and 36 minutes with […]
