The Italian professional tennis player Roberta Vinci, in May after the Italian Open, said she is not sure what she is doing to do after waving goodbye to the pro tour.
Ahead of the forthcoming 2017 US Open Grand Slam event, we remember how an unseeded 17-year old Melanie Oudinsailed to the quarterfinals of the 2009 event.
At Wimbledon 2009, she qualified for the event and went all the way to the Round of 16. She defeated top players like then world no. 6 JelenaJankovic along the way. At the event in New York that year she became a household name.
Oudinearned a wildcard to the event but shocked the community when she knocked out four Russian tennis stars in a row. She ousted Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova first then doubled it against Elena Dementieva. When everybody thought she had met her waterloo in Maria Sharapova, she dusted the star. She then saw off competition against Nadia Petrovato earn cult following and endless admiration. She couldn’t get past Caroline Wozniacki though, but at least she wasn’t Russian. Continue
For the main draw at this year’s tournament in Roland Garros, a wild card into Bogota might have helpedFrancesca Schiavone, former French Open champion to qualify.
She received a wild card eventually and paved her way through to defeat three of the tour four seeds. In the final, she completed the journey by taking down an injured Lara Arruabarrena.
After emerging victorious, the 35-year old Italian leapt up and down the court and spoke to the local press, comparing this victory to that of her biggest career win back in Paris.
She said; “In this moment I have memories of my championship in Roland Garros. I have always had very good performances on clay. It was too long since I won a title and I am very pleased to win again. Continue
Monica Piug, No.4 seedsurvived a stern opening-round test as she fired down, powering past WTA veteran Francesca Schiavone 6-4, 7-6(4) at the AbiertoMexicanoTelcel.
The Puerto Rican said:“I’m really happy to have the beach right there – it’s in my blood, I’m from the Caribbean so I really like it,”
“I’ve played in Mexico several years, starting from Juniors until WTA. For me, this tournament is one of the most comfortable.”
Despite starting strong and coming off with a break in the opening game, Piug looked decidedly less comfortable as she battled it out against 2010 French Open champion Schiavoneon Cancha Central.
The Puerto Rican was largely frustrated by the tricky, deliberate and one handed backhand tactic employed by Schiavone. However, in the first set, the Italian veteran was unable to take any of the three break chances she created. Continue
Despite the rumors that female tennis star Francesca schavione was considering retirement over the off season, the player has come out to debunk the news and announce that she’ll continue with the game and feature at the WTA tour spanning through 2017.
“I still feel like I have the desire and enthusiasm to try and do something in what is perhaps the one thing I’m best at, playing tennis. Now don’t start asking me if this will be my last year!!! See you in Australia,” the post read.
She had previously announced that the end of the year 2016 will bring with it her final season, but had apparently begun reconsidering her decision to quit during the last winter. The always cheerful and entertaining Francesca schavione engaged her fans in a colorful journey during the offseason. She had set up a web series asking her followers all over the world to select a suitable career in which she could engage in, with tennis being among the list. Continue
Justine Henin reckons if there had not been someone like Clijsters who gave her vicious competition, she might have ended up as a lesser player.
Henin was a guest in an ATP programme organised in the honour of her as well as one other former male Tennis player Marat Safin a fortnight back and she delivered an impressive speech on that occasion. Continue