Swiatek cruised to a 6-1 victory in the first set before her Chinese opponent improved in the second. Zheng managed to break Swiatek’s service early on, however, the Polish star managed to break back twice to claim the second set and thereby the match.

“I felt like I needed to be 100% focused from the beginning to the end, to think about technique and tactics,” Swiatek reflected. “I’m pretty happy that I’m not rusty and I could perform good tennis, even though I had a break.”

The winner of last year’s Porsche Tennis Grand Prix, Swiatek will be hoping she can repeat her heroics this time around as she gears up to play in Roland Garros next month. Swiatek has also won the French grand slam on two occasions.

The post Iga Swiatek Wins in Injury Return appeared first on yoursportspot.com.

The 25-year-old was able to retain her number one ranking by picking up five titles this season, including the coveted Wimbledon women’s singles title. This means that the Australian has managed to end the season as the number one women’s singles player for the third season running.

With the WTA Finals being canceled last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Barty won the 2019 edition of the tournament, raking in $6.4 million in prize money, the largest check in tennis history.

The main reason behind Barty’s decision to end her season prematurely seems to be the current quarantine requirements in Australia, Reportedly, the player is wanting to avoid spending a second two-week period in quarantine in a two-month period upon return to her home country.

The post Ashleigh Barty to Skip WTA Finals, Focus On Next Season appeared first on yoursportspot.com.

“My team and I have decided that we won’t be travelling to the US for the Western and Southern Open and the US Open this year,” Barty explained.

“I love both events so it was a difficult decision but there are still significant risks involved due to COVID-19 and I don’t feel comfortable putting my team and I in that position. I wish the USTA all the best for the tournaments and look forward to being back in the US next year.”

She also confirmed that she will be contemplating over her participation in the French Open and the other WTA European tournaments within the next few weeks.

If Barty decides to participate in this year’s French Open, she will be given the chance to defend the title she won last year. The Australian won the 2019 Roland Garros title after defeating the likes of Madison Keyes and Andrea Petkovic en route to the final.

The post Ash Barty Likely to Miss Grand Slam Action appeared first on yoursportspot.com.

Based in Cincinnati, Ohio, this tournament will be the first stop on the ATP and WTA tours following the months-long coronavirus shutdown.

The men’s singles roster is filled with top talent, with 16 of the top 20 players in the ATP World Rankings registering to participate. This includes Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic, who were expected to sit this tournament out in favor of waiting for the European clay-court season.

As for the women’s draw, 15 of the top 20 players in the WTA World Rankings have expressed their intention to participate. This includes the likes of Serena Williams, Belinda Bencic, and number one seed Karolina Pliskova.

Considering that this tournament is based in the United States, the US Open grand slam is expected to have an extremely high attendance rate from the biggest names in tennis. This could, in turn, mean a low turnout for Roland Garros, as travel restrictions and strict safety guidelines may discourage players from making the trip to France should they compete in the New York City-based grand slam tournament.

The post Tennis Returning to Full Swing at W&S Open appeared first on yoursportspot.com.

Last week, two-time Grand Slam champion Simona Halep confirmed her intention to participate in the tournament, while fellow major tournament winners Jelena Ostapenko and Svetlana Kuznetsova confirmed their participation as well. Now, three more major names will be added to the tournament tree.

They are Johanna Konta, Petra Martic, and Marketa Vondrousova—all of whom are in the top 20 of the WTA World Rankings. A fifth top 20 player, Maria Sakkari, also entered her name into the draw.

In addition to the above five players, the rest of the seeded players at the tournament are world number 22 Anett Kontaveit, world number 23 Elise Mertens, and world number 24 Donna Vekic.

After hearing news of Halep’s participation, Palermo tournament director Oliviero Palma had this to say, “Halep’s participation is exceptional news, it had been decades since Palermo last hosted a former No.1. Our city is very devoted to world tennis, her presence is one of great interest for everybody.”

The post WTA Set to Be Back in Full Swing in Palermo appeared first on yoursportspot.com.

US Open champion and one of the leading US players shocked everyone today, once she announced that she would be forced to withdraw from Volvo Car Open.

According to her statement, she does not have enough energy to compete at the highest level. “My run to the title in Miami left me completely exhausted/fatigued both physically and mentally. I don’t feel prepared to play my best and therefore it’s in my best interest to get some rest.”

Stephens then expressed her hope that she will be able to play in Charleston in future and wished a lot of luck to all other participants.

“Charleston is truly one of the best events on tour,” Stephens said in a statement. “I sincerely look forward to playing [there] again many more times. I wish the best of luck to all the girls.”

This is her second consecutive skipping because she also didn’t participate in the previous campaign because of an injury. The title she won in 2016, couldn’t be defended, and Russian player Daria Kasatkina emerged as the new champion here.

Just to remind you, Sloane Stephens moved up in the WTA Rankings this Monday. After receiving 1000 points for the title in Miami Masters, the 25-year-old surpassed Petra Kvitova, Angelique Kerber, and Daria Kasatkina, and became world no.9.

For the first time in her career, the American found herself among top 10 players, and we are going to see whether she can stay here for a longer period of time. Number one is still Simona Halep from Romania, while Caroline Wozniacki from Denmark occupies the second position.

The post Sloane Stephens Explains Why She Skipped Charleston appeared first on yoursportspot.com.

Swiatek cruised to a 6-1 victory in the first set before her Chinese opponent improved in the second. Zheng managed to break Swiatek’s service early on, however, the Polish star managed to break back twice to claim the second set and thereby the match.

“I felt like I needed to be 100% focused from the beginning to the end, to think about technique and tactics,” Swiatek reflected. “I’m pretty happy that I’m not rusty and I could perform good tennis, even though I had a break.”

The winner of last year’s Porsche Tennis Grand Prix, Swiatek will be hoping she can repeat her heroics this time around as she gears up to play in Roland Garros next month. Swiatek has also won the French grand slam on two occasions.

The post Iga Swiatek Wins in Injury Return appeared first on yoursportspot.com.

The 25-year-old was able to retain her number one ranking by picking up five titles this season, including the coveted Wimbledon women’s singles title. This means that the Australian has managed to end the season as the number one women’s singles player for the third season running.

With the WTA Finals being canceled last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Barty won the 2019 edition of the tournament, raking in $6.4 million in prize money, the largest check in tennis history.

The main reason behind Barty’s decision to end her season prematurely seems to be the current quarantine requirements in Australia, Reportedly, the player is wanting to avoid spending a second two-week period in quarantine in a two-month period upon return to her home country.

The post Ashleigh Barty to Skip WTA Finals, Focus On Next Season appeared first on yoursportspot.com.

“My team and I have decided that we won’t be travelling to the US for the Western and Southern Open and the US Open this year,” Barty explained.

“I love both events so it was a difficult decision but there are still significant risks involved due to COVID-19 and I don’t feel comfortable putting my team and I in that position. I wish the USTA all the best for the tournaments and look forward to being back in the US next year.”

She also confirmed that she will be contemplating over her participation in the French Open and the other WTA European tournaments within the next few weeks.

If Barty decides to participate in this year’s French Open, she will be given the chance to defend the title she won last year. The Australian won the 2019 Roland Garros title after defeating the likes of Madison Keyes and Andrea Petkovic en route to the final.

The post Ash Barty Likely to Miss Grand Slam Action appeared first on yoursportspot.com.

Based in Cincinnati, Ohio, this tournament will be the first stop on the ATP and WTA tours following the months-long coronavirus shutdown.

The men’s singles roster is filled with top talent, with 16 of the top 20 players in the ATP World Rankings registering to participate. This includes Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic, who were expected to sit this tournament out in favor of waiting for the European clay-court season.

As for the women’s draw, 15 of the top 20 players in the WTA World Rankings have expressed their intention to participate. This includes the likes of Serena Williams, Belinda Bencic, and number one seed Karolina Pliskova.

Considering that this tournament is based in the United States, the US Open grand slam is expected to have an extremely high attendance rate from the biggest names in tennis. This could, in turn, mean a low turnout for Roland Garros, as travel restrictions and strict safety guidelines may discourage players from making the trip to France should they compete in the New York City-based grand slam tournament.

The post Tennis Returning to Full Swing at W&S Open appeared first on yoursportspot.com.

Last week, two-time Grand Slam champion Simona Halep confirmed her intention to participate in the tournament, while fellow major tournament winners Jelena Ostapenko and Svetlana Kuznetsova confirmed their participation as well. Now, three more major names will be added to the tournament tree.

They are Johanna Konta, Petra Martic, and Marketa Vondrousova—all of whom are in the top 20 of the WTA World Rankings. A fifth top 20 player, Maria Sakkari, also entered her name into the draw.

In addition to the above five players, the rest of the seeded players at the tournament are world number 22 Anett Kontaveit, world number 23 Elise Mertens, and world number 24 Donna Vekic.

After hearing news of Halep’s participation, Palermo tournament director Oliviero Palma had this to say, “Halep’s participation is exceptional news, it had been decades since Palermo last hosted a former No.1. Our city is very devoted to world tennis, her presence is one of great interest for everybody.”

The post WTA Set to Be Back in Full Swing in Palermo appeared first on yoursportspot.com.

US Open champion and one of the leading US players shocked everyone today, once she announced that she would be forced to withdraw from Volvo Car Open.

According to her statement, she does not have enough energy to compete at the highest level. “My run to the title in Miami left me completely exhausted/fatigued both physically and mentally. I don’t feel prepared to play my best and therefore it’s in my best interest to get some rest.”

Stephens then expressed her hope that she will be able to play in Charleston in future and wished a lot of luck to all other participants.

“Charleston is truly one of the best events on tour,” Stephens said in a statement. “I sincerely look forward to playing [there] again many more times. I wish the best of luck to all the girls.”

This is her second consecutive skipping because she also didn’t participate in the previous campaign because of an injury. The title she won in 2016, couldn’t be defended, and Russian player Daria Kasatkina emerged as the new champion here.

Just to remind you, Sloane Stephens moved up in the WTA Rankings this Monday. After receiving 1000 points for the title in Miami Masters, the 25-year-old surpassed Petra Kvitova, Angelique Kerber, and Daria Kasatkina, and became world no.9.

For the first time in her career, the American found herself among top 10 players, and we are going to see whether she can stay here for a longer period of time. Number one is still Simona Halep from Romania, while Caroline Wozniacki from Denmark occupies the second position.

The post Sloane Stephens Explains Why She Skipped Charleston appeared first on yoursportspot.com.