2021 Gippsland Trophy WTA preview: Grand Slam winners stack draw
IN the other WTA event running parallel to the Yarra Valley Classic, the 2021 Gippsland Trophy features three Grand Slam winners amongst the seven Top 20 players who have entered the event. With Ash Barty headlining the Yarra Valley Classic, the talking point of the Gippsland Trophy will be that the two most recent Grand […]
Three-set thrillers see come-from-behind victories
ACTION heated up in the quarter finals of the Abu Dhabi WTA 500 event with each of the four matches going the full three sets to determine a winner. In three of those four matches, the winner dropped the first set before coming back to win, including one 6-0 first set loss. That disastrous first […]
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. […]
2021 WTA Abu Dhabi preview: Big guns enter new 500 tournament
A NEW year brings with it new hope and that is certainly the case for the WTA Tour as a brand-new looking logo and colour scheme to kick-start 2021. In what is a fitting opening to the season, a first-time tournament in Abu Dhabi will take place, with a fairly stacked draw of primarily European […]
Sabalenka claims back-to-back titles to end 2020 season
BELARUSIAN Aryna Sabalenka has capped off a promising second half of 2020 to win back-to-back titles to finish the year and secure a top 10 spot. Since a disappointing second round exit at the US Open, Sabalenka has a 14-2 record, including a nine-game winning streak on her way to titles in both Ostrava Open […]
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 […]
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 […]