 |
| Kvitova was on great form in Dubai |
March 11th - WTA highlights while i've been away
After a month off Forehand Passing Shots is back! I've been off running my own eight day amateur tournament and diving into a busy new job but now my attention is well and truly back on the pro game and a lot has been happening in the last four weeks.
Tomorrow I'll look at the ATP World Tour but here is a keep recap of recent headlines on the WTA tour.
Serena back in Pole Position
In Doha Serena Williams completed her climb back to the summit by reclaiming the World No.1 ranking for the first time since October 2010.
While i'm sure the 31 year-old American would have prefered, as expected, to have regained the top spot with her 16th major title in Melbourne it is nonetheless just reward for a truly spectacular twelve months that has seen Serena produce some of the best tennis of her career
Williams did not have a golden end to her week in Doha though as in the final outgoing World No.1 and Aussie Open champ Victoria Azarenka scored her first win over Serena since Miami 2009.
Serena is just 40 points clear of Azarenka at present and the top spot will very much be up for grabs again when both our in action in Miami.
Red hot Kvitova returns in Dubai
When Petra Kvitova is on, really on, I maintain that she is the second best player in the world after Serena. In recent weeks she has displayed a return to that form that took her to the 2011 Wimbledon title and within sight of the No.1 ranking early last year.
The Czech left-hander led Serena 4-1 in the third in their Doha quarter final, the victory that sealed Williams' return to the top ranking, and then was very impresive in taking the crown in Dubai.
Kvitova swept past Agnieszka Radwanska and Caroline Wozniacki before surviving a wobble against in-form Sara Errani to come through 6-2, 1-6, 6-1 in the final.
Errani on form - after hard court finals in Paris and Dubai the Italian won her first title of the year back on her beloved clay in Acapulco and overtook Radwanksa for most wins in 2013 in the process.
JJ ends title drought - Jelena Jankovic had lost five WTA singles finals since last tasting victory at Indian Wells three years ago. But the former World No.1 snapped that streak with a title run at Bogotá.
Heather hits the 30s - British No.1 Heather Watson cracked the top 40 for the first time on 25th February by reaching a new career high of No.39. The tantalising prospect of Watson being seeded at Roland Garros or Wimbledon is a real possibility.
Annie K at last reaches a final - after years of semi-final heartbreak former British No.1 Anne Keothavong reached her first WTA final at the inaugural Brasil Tennis Cup in Florianopolis.
The Londoner partnered Valeria Savinykh to reach the doubles final before falling to the experience of Anabel Medina Garrigues and Yaroslava Shvedova.
Cornet wins memorable marathon - Alize Cornet may not have won the title in Acapulco but the Frenchwoman secured one of the most memorable wins of 2013 en route to a semi-final finish.
Cornet survived an amazing NINE match points against Lourdes Dominguez Lino in their quarter final before winning by the narrowest of margins 3-6, 7-6(12-10), 7-6(7-2) after three and a half hours of battle.
No comments:
Post a Comment