| ST. PETERSBURG, FL, USA – The WTA announced that Iga Swiatek and Katerina Siniakova have secured the 2022 WTA Year-End No.1 Singles and Doubles Rankings. This is the first time in her career that Swiatek has finished the season in the top spot, becoming the 15th player overall and first from Poland to earn the WTA Year-End No.1 singles ranking accolade. The week of November 7 marks her 32nd week as the WTA World No.1, a position she reached on April 4, 2022, and only Serena Williams (57 weeks), Martina Hingis (80 weeks) and Stefanie Graf (186 weeks) have held the top ranking for longer streaks after making their No.1 debut. Siniakova has secured her third WTA Year-End No.1 finish in doubles, which she first achieved in 2018 (when co-ranked with regular partner Barbora Krejcikova) and also again last year in 2021. Siniakova is the first player outright to finish the year as the doubles No.1 in consecutive years since Sania Mirza in 2015 and 2016. Siniakova, along with Krejcikova, first achieved the No.1 ranking on October 22, 2018 and this week marks Siniakova’s 70th week overall in the top spot. “Iga and Katerina have enjoyed memorable seasons and I am delighted to see them earn the WTA Year-End No.1 Rankings,” said Steve Simon, WTA Chairman and CEO. “The Hologic WTA Tour this year has been more competitive than ever, featuring more than 50 tournaments across six continents, and Iga and Katerina deserve huge credit and recognition as they continue to redefine excellence in our sport.” Swiatek has won an incredible eight tournaments in 2022, including winning six events in a row which took in a 37-match winning streak. Among those eight titles were two Grand Slams, at Roland-Garros and the US Open, winning WTA 1000 tournaments at the Qatar TotalEnergies Open (Doha), BNP Paribas Open (Indian Wells), Miami Open presented by Itaú and Internazionali BNL d’Italia (Rome), and WTA 500 events at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix (Stuttgart) and the San Diego Open. Overall she has won 67 matches this season, and has amassed the second-most year-end ranking points with 11,085 since the WTA Rankings were introduced, sitting only behind Serena Williams in 2013 who earned 13,260 across that season. |
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| Siniakova’s season has seen her win six titles, at the WTA 500 bett1open (Berlin), WTA 250 tournaments at the Melbourne Summer Set and Jasmin Open Monastir, in addition to three Grand Slams, at the Australian Open, Wimbledon and the US Open. Her title in New York with Krejcikova secured the team the career Grand Slam, a feat achieved by only six other doubles teams, and she capped off her memorable season by reaching the title match at the WTA Finals in Fort Worth on Monday. Click here to read more on Swiatek and Siniakova’s amazing seasons which saw them capture the WTA Year-End No.1 rankings. |
WTA
United Cup Mixed Team Event To Debut In 2023
| LONDON – The world’s best players will unite to compete side by side at the United Cup, a stunning new team event set to launch the global tennis season in 2023. The United Cup, an ATP-WTA event presented in partnership with Tennis Australia, will showcase equality at the highest level of the sport, with mixed teams from 18 countries competing across Brisbane, Perth and Sydney over 11 days, from Thursday 29 December to Sunday 8 January 2023. |
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| The power and passion of team competition will come to life as the players unite to represent their countries with national pride and USD $15 million in prize money on the line. In a world first for a mixed team event, 500 Pepperstone ATP Rankings and WTA rankings points are also up for grabs. The first 12 countries will qualify via the six highest-ranked No. 1 players that enter, on both the ATP Tour and Hologic WTA Tour. The remaining six countries will qualify according to the best combined ranking of their respective No. 1 men’s and women’s players. Teams will feature three to four players from each Tour. Each city will host two groups of three countries, competing in a round-robin format, with ties comprising two ATP and two WTA singles matches, and one mixed doubles match. Each City Final winner will advance to the United Cup Final Four in Sydney (6-8 January), with the next best performing team from the group stages completing the quartet. Andrea Gaudenzi, ATP Chairman: “The United Cup marks a major step forward for the game of tennis. Most importantly, it will create incredible new experiences for our fans. We’re excited to see the best men’s and women’s players competing together, with ranking points on the line, to launch the season like never before.” Steve Simon, WTA Chairman and CEO: “The United Cup is an important and strategic collaboration between the WTA, the ATP and Tennis Australia that reflects a continued commitment in elevating our sport. This exciting singles and mixed doubles team event will bring together emerging stars and established athletes from both Tours to compete on the same stage, giving players and fans a unique experience in which the final outcome may be determined with women and men competing together.” Craig Tiley, Tennis Australia CEO: “The United Cup presents a unique opportunity to unite both the men’s and women’s tour in a brand-new way that has never been seen before. We have the opportunity here in Australia to leverage tennis’ unique position to allow the world’s top men and women to compete side by side and represent their country at the highest level. We couldn’t be more delighted to see how this event unfolds in January.” 2023 ATP Tour Calendar Updates: In parallel, the ATP has today announced the relocation of the Sofia ATP 250 tournament license. From 2023, the event will be staged in Australia in Week 1 of the season alongside United Cup, providing additional playing opportunities in the swing ahead of the Australian Open. In addition, the Belgrade ATP 250 tournament scheduled for April 2023 will relocate to Banja Luka (Bosnia and Herzegovina). To view the updated 2023 calendar, click here. For more information on United Cup, please visit www.UnitedCup.com and follow @UnitedCupTennis on social media. |
Bernarda Pera Wins Hamburg For Second WTA Title In A Row
Make it two in a row for Bernarda Pera. Following her maiden triumph in Budapest last week, the 81st-ranked Croatian-born American remained unstoppable on the WTA Tour after winning the 2022 Hamburg European Open title. Pera upset the tournament’s top seed Anett Kontaveit of Estonia 6-2, 6-4 on Saturday afternoon.
As reported by Florian Heer from Hamburg, in a great atmosphere inside packed Rothenbaum Tennis Stadium, Pera was the dominant player in most of the rallies. The 27-year-old left-hander broke Kontaveit’s serve four times to extend her winning streak to 12 matches.
“I expected a good fight and I played well. I was able to dominate the points and able to win,” said Pera, who didn’t drop a set during the last two weeks and lost just 39 games. Prior to this month, Pera never reached a final on the WTA Tour although she was runner-up at WTA 125 level for the first time in Karlsruhe in May. Pera earned €26,770 as well as 280 WTA Rankings points. She will attain a new career-high of World No. 54 on Monday.
During the trophy ceremony, Pera dedicated her Hamburg trophy to her ex-coach Kristijan Schneider, who passed away in April. “I was lucky enough to be coached by him,” she said. “I hope that I can bring at least a little bit of his shine, passion and drive into the world.”
Kontaveit collected €15,922 for finishing runner up and earned 180 WTA Rankings points.
“Bernarda played a really good match. She was really aggressive from the first point, was very solid and took initiatives right away. She made my life really difficult today and played a great match,” the World No. 2 said.
Kontaveit added she would leave with some positives from the past seven days in northern Germany. “I had a really nice week here in Hamburg. The city is beautiful, and the tournament was organized super well. I am definitely leaving with my head held high,” she said and will next compete in Prague.
Chang & Kulikov earn maiden title in doubles
Earlier in the day, Sophie Chang and Angela Kulikov capped their dream week in Hamburg by lifting their first WTA Tour doubles trophy as a team. The US-Americans, both ranked outside the Top 100, upset No. 3 seeds Miyu Kato from Japan and Aldila Sutjiadi of Indonesia 6-3, 4-6, 10-6 in one hour and 26 minutes.
“The biggest obstacle was managing ourselves in this moment. This was so exciting, as this was my first big tour-level match. We stayed focused, stuck to our plan and we knew that when we do our job, the result is coming to us,” said Kulikov.
Following five team title wins on the ITF World Tennis Tour, four of them this season, the pair made their debut at a WTA 250 event. “It was a wonderful experience here in Hamburg. These are the things you’re dreaming about when you’re a little kid,” Chang said.
“When I got here, I wasn’t a ‘WTA member’. Everything was like ‘wow,'” Kulikov added. “I didn’t even know that it was a combined ATP/WTA event. When I saw that Carlitos (Alcaraz) was here, I called my sister, and everything was so exciting for us. I still felt like a little kid in so many moments. Now, I feel a bit better, as we have this title under our belts, but I hope that I can stay this tennis nerd that I am.
“This season has been great. We played very well together, and we have something special on court as tennis players but we are also very good friends. We have a lot of fun.”
And how will their celebration look like tonight? “Das Bier (the beer),” Chang responded in German. “A lot of dreams came true in a very short period, like in the last 20 minutes. Hamburg will remain an unforgettable place for us.”
Chang and Kulikov split €9,680 in prize money and earned 280 WTA Doubles Rankings points.
Iga Swiatek To Become WTA No. 1 After Ash Barty Retirement
The WTA announced that Poland’s Iga Swiatek will become the new WTA World No.1 when the rankings are released on Monday, April 4 following the Miami Open presented by Itaú, becoming the first man or woman from Poland to ascend to the No.1 position in singles. She will become the 28th woman to capture the WTA World No.1 ranking.
At 20 years, 308 days of age, Swiatek will become the youngest player to make the WTA World No.1 debut since Caroline Wozniacki did so in 2010, aged 20 years and 92 days.
“I am really satisfied and proud of myself for reaching the No.1 spot,” stated Iga. “I feel like my tennis is going the right way and my goal is to stay at No.1 and continue what I am doing.” On the impact she is making in Poland, Swiatek said, “Polish fans continue to grow more and more passionate about tennis. It is amazing to see and one of my goals is to make tennis more popular in Poland and I hope this will help grow the game. The support from home and all around the world has been great.”
“Iga is an incredible player with an all-around athleticism and unique shot-making ability, and I am delighted she will become the new WTA World No.1 ranked player,” said Steve Simon, WTA Chairman and CEO. “To achieve all that she has at such a young age and reach the pinnacle of the WTA rankings is a true testament to her hard work and professionalism. I am pleased to congratulate Iga on this very special moment and achievement.”
With the announcement of current WTA World No.1 Ashleigh Barty retiring from the sport earlier this week, Swiatek has now secured her rise to the elite ranking position with her win today over Viktorija Golubic in the second round at Miami. Her victory over Golubic was her 12th match win in a row as she advances in Miami.
Swiatek started the season in excellent form, reaching the semifinal stage at her first two events– Adelaide International, a WTA 500 level event, and the Australian Open – marking a continuation of her success across 2021, when she picked up the title at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia in Rome and qualified for the season-ending WTA Finals for the first time in her career.
In 2022, Swiatek has captured back-to-back WTA 1000 titles at the Qatar TotalEngergies Open in Doha and the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells.
Swiatek first rose to prominence after winning the title at Roland-Garros in 2020 without dropping a set, and at No.54 became the lowest-ranked Roland-Garros champion since rankings were introduced in 1975. Her success in Paris also saw her become the first Polish player (man or woman) to win a Grand Slam singles title and was subsequently voted as the WTA Most Improved Player at the end of the 2020 season.
“Absolutely Spent” Ash Barty Announces Retirement
Australian tennis women’s world No. 1 Ashleigh Barty has announced her retirement from the sport, saying she has lost the drive to compete at the highest level.
“I don’t have the physical drive, the emotional want and everything it takes to challenge yourself at the very top level anymore,” she said in a video posted on social media on Wednesday.
“I am so thankful for everything this sport has given me and leave feeling proud and fulfilled. Thank you to everyone who has supported me along the way,” the 25-year-old said.
In an emotional interview with a close friend, Barty said she was “absolutely spent” when it came to tennis.
“I know physically I have nothing more to give and that for me is success. I’ve given absolutely everything I can to this beautiful sport of tennis and I’m really happy with that,” said Barty.
“It’s given me all of my dreams and more, but I know that the time is right now for me to step away and chase other dreams, and put the racquet down.”
The announcement came two months after Barty became the first Australian to win the Australian Open since 1978.
The Australian tennis star finishes her career with three Grand Slam titles – the French Open in 2019, Wimbledon in 2021 and this year’s Australian Open, where she beat out American Danielle Collins in the final.
“As a person, this is what I want. I want to chase after some other dreams that I’ve always wanted to do, and always had that really healthy balance, but I’m really, really excited,” said Barty.
Following her Australian Open triumph, Barty withdrew from Indian Wells and the Miami Open, saying her body needed more time to recover.
Wednesday’s announcement marked the second time Barty has walked away from tennis, previously taking a hiatus to play cricket in 2014 before returning in 2016,
Hologic and the WTA Tour join forces in landmark partnership
The WTA and Hologic today jointly announced a landmark partnership introducing Hologic as the global title sponsor of the WTA Tour.
The multi-year alliance, the largest global sponsorship in WTA history and Hologic’s first worldwide sponsorship, aims to achieve significant progress through a shared vision of greater wellness and equality for women. The groundbreaking partnership allows both organizations to rally around their collective mission to champion women while modernizing their respective industries of healthcare and sports.
As one of the world’s top medical technology innovators, Hologic focuses primarily on improving women’s health and wellbeing. That includes industry-leading products in every category of its business: diagnostics, imaging systems, and surgical devices. Hologic’s areas of emphasis include state-of-the-art preventive care, reducing disparities in healthcare access and education, and unique research that helps countries worldwide better prioritize women’s health.
“Hologic and the WTA come together with a collective purpose as pioneering advocates for women,” said Hologic Chairman, President, and CEO Steve MacMillan. “We are proud to stand with the WTA in its commitment to the highest integrity and values. Ultimately, our partnership allows us to jointly raise the profile of women even higher and to share the importance of early detection and treatment with women across the world.”
Hologic’s sponsorship also affirms the continued growth of women’s tennis and the strong brand values the WTA embodies. “From the start, we knew Hologic was the right partner,” said WTA President Micky Lawler. “As we embark on a new era of women breaking barriers and understanding how imperative our health is to reach our full potential, Hologic joins the WTA family at a pivotal time. Reflecting on the passion we both share for women’s equality around the world, I look forward to the meaningful change this partnership will spark for our athletes, sport, and fans.”
“As a professional athlete who relies on my health to perform at the highest level, I’m excited that Hologic has partnered with the WTA,” said Ashleigh Barty, WTA World No. 1. “Hologic’s initiative to invest in women’s tennis shows its commitment to women’s health and women’s sport. I look forward to playing on the Hologic WTA Tour and the impact this partnership will generate for women globally.”
Hologic will be integrated into the WTA across all platforms, including net signage at all WTA tournaments and virtual advertising at WTA 1000 and 500 events. As the official health partner of the WTA, Hologic becomes the founding partner of Hologic WTA Labs, a WTA initiative focused on health innovation and research-based projects specific to female athletes. Hologic and the WTA plan to announce more joint activities in the coming months.
The new partners also will emphasize the importance of preventive care through the annual Well Woman medical visit. To learn more about the Well Woman exam, visit ScreeningsForHer.com.
Hallmark WTA Rankings For 2021 Season
The WTA celebrated the historic ranking milestones achieved across the 2021 season following the announcement of the 2021 year-end rankings.
Highlights from a record-breaking year include six women making their Top 10 debuts across the season, with three countries – Tunisia, Greece and Estonia – being represented in the Top 10 for the first time in WTA history, and six teenagers finishing inside the Top 100.
In addition, the 2021 WTA Year-End World No.1 Ranking in singles and doubles belongs to Ashleigh Barty and Katerina Siniakova respectively, four players finished in the Top 50 in both singles and doubles, while overall 35 countries and regions are represented in the singles year-end Top 100.
A breakdown of the Top 10 year-end finishers is below, and for more record-setting and notable information on the 2021 WTA year-end rankings, click here.
1.Ashleigh Barty: For the third consecutive year, Barty finishes the year at No.1, joining Stefanie Graf, Martina Navratilova, Serena Williams and Chris Evert as the only players to finish as year-end No.1 for three consecutive years.
2.Aryna Sabalenka: The 23-year-old Belarusian becomes the 33rd different woman to finish the year in the Top 2 since the rankings were introduced in 1975.
3.Garbiñe Muguruza: After three consecutive year-end Top 10 finishes (from 2015 to 2017), Muguruza’s AKRON WTA Finals Guadalajara title lifts her to a No.3 year-end ranking after finishing last season ranked No.15.
4.Karolina Pliskova: This is Pliskova’s sixth consecutive Top 10 finish, the longest active streak.For the first time since 1986, there are two women representing the Czech Republic ranked in the year-end Top 5 as Pliskova finishes at No.4 and Krejcikova at No.5. In 1986, Hana Mandlikova finished at No.4 and Helena Sukova at No.5.
5.Barbora Krejcikova: Krejcikova’s previous-best year-end ranking was No.65 (2020). She is the only woman to finish the year in the Top 10 in singles (at No.5) and doubles (at No.2).
6.Maria Sakkari: The first Greek woman to finish the year in the Top 10, Sakkari has improved her year-end ranking for the 11th consecutive year.
7.Anett Kontaveit: With her ranking of No.7, Kontaveit posts the highest year-end finish by an Estonian, previously belonging to Kaia Kanepi, who finished 2012 ranked No.19. Kontaveit’s previous season-ending best ranking was No.21 (2018).
8.Paula Badosa: For the first time since 2000, Spain has two women in the year-end Top 10 as Badosa joins Muguruza. In 2000, Conchita Martinez (No.5) and Arantxa Sánchez-Vicario (No.9) both finished in the Top 10.
9.Iga Swiatek: The 20-year-old becomes the second Polish woman to finish the year in the Top 10, joining Agnieszka Radwanska, who finished in the year-end Top 10 eight times during her illustrious career.
10.Ons Jabeur: A breakthrough year for Jabeur concludes with yet another milestone as she becomes the first Arab woman to finish in the Top 10 at No.10 after climbing as high as No.7 on November 1.
Aussie Open Title Puts Sofia Kenin as No. 1 American
After capturing her first Grand Slam title in her maiden major final at the Australian Open, Sofia Kenin breaks into the WTA Top 10 for the first time in her career today at World No.7.
At 21 years, 81 days old, Kenin becomes the youngest American woman to make her Top 10 debut since Serena Williams in 1999, and surpasses Madison Keys and Serena Williams in the rankings to also become the new American No.1.
By lifting the trophy in Melbourne, Kenin is the youngest American woman to win a major since Serena Williams at the 2002 US Open. She now owns four Tour-level titles, having lifted her first three trophies last year at the Hobart International, Mallorca Open and the Guangzhou Open. Click here to listen to Kenin discuss her dream run in Melbourne on the latest episode of the WTA Insider Podcast.
WTA Adds Clay-Court Electronic Line-Calling, Coaching From Stands
The WTA (Women’s Tennis Association) has announced two new trials that will take place over the 2020 season as the organization continues to demonstrate its commitment to innovating the sport.
Electronic line calling on clay
Electronic line calling will be tested on the clay court surface for the first time at the Volvo Car Open in Charleston, South Carolina, utilizing FoxTenn technology. The FoxTenn system, which was officially approved for hardcourt use by the WTA in 2018, will debut on clay at Charleston’s Billie Jean King Stadium Court and the Althea Gibson Club Court in April. The same challenge protocols will be used as those on hard and grass courts, that of three challenges per set and no ball mark inspections.
Coaching
Following the introduction of on-court coaching in 2008 and the use of WTA-authorized tablets in 2015 (with SAP), coaching from the stands will begin a trial allowing for coaching from the player box at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships and the Hungarian Ladies Open (Debrecen). The coaching trial will continue through the season at all WTA Premier and International events.
As coaching is currently not allowed from the player box and is difficult to regulate, the trial will allow coaches to coach and provide input to their player through verbal encouragements, hand signals or quick coaching tips consistent with the manner they currently engage with a player, from the box and now without penalty. Any type of coaching conversation must take place through the WTA’s existing on-court coaching protocol, whereby a player can request their coach to come to their bench once a set. “The WTA has always embraced the opportunity to introduce new technology and innovations to enhance women’s tennis, and we’re excited to see where these trials take the sport,” said WTA Chairman and CEO Steve Simon. “We’re hopeful these provisional changes will have a positive impact in improving the overall playing environment and upgrading the way fans can enjoy the WTA Tour.”
Ash Barty Wins Shiseido WTA Finals, Earns Year-End No. 1
WTA World No.1 Ashleigh Barty claimed her fourth singles title of the season today at the Shiseido WTA Finals Shenzhen, prevailing over the defending champion Elina Svitolina in the final. She becomes the first Australian woman to lift the Billie Jean King Trophy in 43 years, after Evonne Goolagong Cawley did so in 1976.
Barty’s win also signifies another historic milestone, as the Australian has won the largest prize money check in professional tennis by earning $4.42 million.
Barty becomes the first reigning World No.1 to lift the Billie Jean King Trophy since Serena Williams in 2013 and is now the fifth player to clinch the title on her debut appearance, following Serena Williams (2001), Maria Sharapova (2004), Petra Kvitova (2011) and Dominika Cibulkova (2016). Including the victory over Svitolina, Barty has won a Tour-leading 56 match wins this season.
Timea Babos and Kristina Mladenovic successfully defended their WTA Finals crown, defeating No.2 seeds Hsieh Su-Wei and Barbora Strycova to lift the Martina Navratilova Doubles Trophy once again. They become the first team to clinch back-to-back WTA Finals doubles titles in 11 years, after Cara Black and Liezel Huber from 2007-08.
Babos has now won her third WTA Finals doubles title, having also triumphed in 2017 with Andrea Sestini Hlavackova. The last player to capture three consecutive WTA Finals doubles titles was Lindsay Davenport from 1996-98.
The WTA also announced that Barty and Barbora Strycova have earned the 2019 WTA Year-End World No.1 Singles and Doubles Rankings presented by Dubai Duty Free.
Australia’s Barty has clinched the year-end WTA singles No.1 ranking for the first time in her career, becoming the 14th WTA player since the inception of computer rankings in 1975 to achieve the accolade.
Strycova has earned this season’s year-end No.1 doubles ranking also for the first time, and 2019 marks the second year in a row a player from the Czech Republic has achieved the honor, after Barbora Krejcikova and Katerina Siniakova ended 2018 as the co-ranked No.1 team.
“On behalf of Dubai Duty Free, I’d like to offer our congratulations to Ashleigh Barty and Barbora Strycova on achieving the WTA Year-End World No.1 singles and doubles rankings for the first time in their careers,” said Colm McLoughlin, Executive Vice Chairman & CEO, Dubai Duty Free. “Ashleigh and Barbora have written their names into the history books in 2019 following their debut Grand Slam titles at Roland Garros and Wimbledon respectively, which was just one of many amazing achievements this season, and I look forward to welcoming them to the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships next year in February.”
Barty became the 27th player to reach the WTA World No.1 ranking on June 25, 2019, and including her triumphant week at the Shiseido WTA Finals Shenzhen, has amassed 15 weeks in the top spot. Her ascent to the World No.1 ranking over the summer also marked the first time an Australian woman had held the position since Evonne Goolagong Cawley reached this historic milestone on April 26, 1976.
