Latest news with #WTATourFinals
Yahoo
10-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Billie Jean King Cup Finals in Shenzhen, China moves to September to fit tennis calendar
The Billie Jean King Cup Finals in Shenzhen, China will be held in September instead of November for at least 2025, in a move designed to support 'player calendar flow,' according to the International Tennis Federation (ITF). The event was previously held at the end of the tennis season, to align with the Davis Cup, its men's international team tennis equivalent. But this year's event will take place from September 16 to September 21, at the start of the run of WTA Tour events held across Asia. The dates coincide with the Korea Open, a WTA 500-level event (named for the number of ranking points its winner earns), while the U.S. Open finishes September 7. Advertisement Some of the top women's players have skipped the event in the past because of scheduling concerns or the amount of travel required. Poland's Iga Świątek skipped 2022's event in Glasgow, Scotland because it would have required a one-day turnaround between the WTA Tour Finals, held in Texas. Świątek, the world No. 2, criticized tennis authorities for the lack of foresight at the time. Świątek played last year's event in Malaga, Spain, which followed the WTA Tour Finals in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Coco Gauff, who won the Tour Finals, did not represent the U.S. in Malaga, nor did U.S. Open finalist Jessica Pegula. Italy ultimately won the tournament, beating Slovakia in the final. The event is the highest-profile women's tennis event in China since the country pulled out of its deal to host the WTA Tour Finals, also in Shenzhen. It canceled the 10-year, $140 million contract in response to a WTA boycott of the country, which followed Peng Shuai, a top doubles player, accusing a high-ranking Chinese government official of sexually assaulting her. 'I was so scared that afternoon,' she wrote on social media network Weibo of an alleged assault by Zhang Gaoli, a former vice premier in the Chinese government, who has not commented on the allegations. Advertisement 'I never gave consent, crying the entire time.' Peng then disappeared from public life, and within weeks, then-WTA chairman Steve Simon called for an investigation into her welfare. When that did not occur, Simon announced the suspension of all WTA events in China, including the Tour Finals. The WTA ended the boycott in spring 2023, after which Peng described the situation as a 'misunderstanding' in a controlled interview with L'Equipe. ITF president David Haggerty told in January that he had spoken to Peng before making the decision to host the BJK Cup Finals in China. This article originally appeared in The Athletic. Tennis, Women's Tennis 2025 The Athletic Media Company
New York Times
10-04-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Billie Jean King Cup Finals in Shenzhen, China moves to September to fit tennis calendar
The Billie Jean King Cup Finals in Shenzhen, China will be held in September instead of November for at least 2025, in a move designed to support 'player calendar flow,' according to the International Tennis Federation (ITF). The event was previously held at the end of the tennis season, to align with the Davis Cup, its men's international team tennis equivalent. But this year's event will take place from September 16 to September 21, at the start of the run of WTA Tour events held across Asia. The dates coincide with the Korea Open, a WTA 500-level event (named for the number of ranking points its winner earns), while the U.S. Open finishes September 7. Advertisement Some of the top women's players have skipped the event in the past because of scheduling concerns or the amount of travel required. Poland's Iga Świątek skipped 2022's event in Glasgow, Scotland because it would have required a one-day turnaround between the WTA Tour Finals, held in Texas. Świątek, the world No. 2, criticized tennis authorities for the lack of foresight at the time. Świątek played last year's event in Malaga, Spain, which followed the WTA Tour Finals in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Coco Gauff, who won the Tour Finals, did not represent the U.S. in Malaga, nor did U.S. Open finalist Jessica Pegula. Italy ultimately won the tournament, beating Slovakia in the final. The event is the highest-profile women's tennis event in China since the country pulled out of its deal to host the WTA Tour Finals, also in Shenzhen. It canceled the 10-year, $140 million contract in response to a WTA boycott of the country, which followed Peng Shuai, a top doubles player, accusing a high-ranking Chinese government official of sexually assaulting her. 'I was so scared that afternoon,' she wrote on social media network Weibo of an alleged assault by Zhang Gaoli, a former vice premier in the Chinese government, who has not commented on the allegations. 'I never gave consent, crying the entire time.' Peng then disappeared from public life, and within weeks, then-WTA chairman Steve Simon called for an investigation into her welfare. When that did not occur, Simon announced the suspension of all WTA events in China, including the Tour Finals. The WTA ended the boycott in spring 2023, after which Peng described the situation as a 'misunderstanding' in a controlled interview with L'Equipe. ITF president David Haggerty told The Athletic in January that he had spoken to Peng before making the decision to host the BJK Cup Finals in China. (Top photo of Italy's team at the 2024 Billie Jean King Cup Finals: Angel Martinez / Getty Images)
Yahoo
24-03-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Coco Gauff falls to Magda Linette in upset at Miami Open, defining recent serve struggles
MIAMI — Coco Gauff suffered through another frustrating afternoon Monday at a tournament near her hometown, falling in the round of 16 to Magda Linette of Poland 6-4, 6-4. For Gauff, the world No. 3, the day had many of the tell-tale signs of the previous upsets she has suffered. She served seven double faults in the first set alone, and she finished with 12 on the day. She struggled to get her first serve above the 50 percent mark for most of the on Center Court! @MagdaLinette defeats Gauff in straight sets 6-4, 6-4 and is into the final eight. #MiamiOpen wta (@WTA) March 24, 2025 After losing the first set, Gauff appeared to be on her way to getting back on track, breaking Linette at her first opportunity in the second set. But the double-fault bug got her in the next two games. That allowed Linette to pull ahead, and Gauff could never gain the advantage again. The situation is extra curious for Gauff because at the end of last year and the start of this one, she appeared to be playing a different, more effective brand of tennis. With a new motion on her serve and a newly aggressive forehand, she won the WTA Tour Finals and helped lead the U.S. to a win in the United Cup. But she was unable to carry that momentum into the Australian Open, and since losing in the quarterfinals there, she is just 4-4. Trying to stay on serve at 4-4, 30-30 in the second set, Gauff clipped the top of the net with a forehand from the middle of the court. On the next point, she sent another ball wider, and Linette had the decisive break. At an event last week in her hometown of Delray Beach, Gauff said her early-season struggles were as baffling to her as anyone. Though perhaps, she said, her career might go this way for a little while — some struggles and then a big win, like her 2023 U.S. Open triumph, and then long stretches before the next one. A long backhand gave Linette, the world No. 34, match point. On the next point, Gauff couldn't get the forehand return over the net, and Gauff's WTA 1,000 event was over. 'It wasn't great today, it hasn't been the last two weeks, so I'm just trying to figure that out,' Gauff said in a news conference a little while later. What was wrong? 'Serve, return, forehand, backhand, everything honestly,' she said. 'Just one of those days I felt off on everything.' Gauff said she tried to draw some energy from a couple of aces she hit in the second set. She tried to stay positive, but that's tough to do when she isn't feeling her game and hasn't for a while. 'It's just a series of not having great results and feeling confident on the court,' she said. Gauff has had dips in the past. When that has happened she's tried to tell herself things can't get much worse and somewhere along the way she starts playing better. The best thing to do, she said, is to close the book on hard courts until the summer and look to the clay court swing in Europe that begins next month. Gauff has had plenty of success on clay. She made the final at the French Open in 2022 and the semis last year. The silver lining of a nearly endless season is a new tournament and new swing are never far away. This article originally appeared in The Athletic. Tennis, Women's Tennis 2025 The Athletic Media Company
New York Times
24-03-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Coco Gauff falls to Magda Linette in upset at Miami Open, defining recent serve struggles
MIAMI — Coco Gauff suffered through another frustrating afternoon Monday at a tournament near her hometown, falling in the round of 16 to Magda Linette of Poland 6-4, 6-4. For Gauff, the world No. 3, the day had many of the tell-tale signs of the previous upsets she has suffered. She served seven double faults in the first set alone, and she finished with 12 on the day. She struggled to get her first serve above the 50 percent mark for most of the afternoon. Upset on Center Court! @MagdaLinette defeats Gauff in straight sets 6-4, 6-4 and is into the final eight. #MiamiOpen — wta (@WTA) March 24, 2025 After losing the first set, Gauff appeared to be on her way to getting back on track, breaking Linette at her first opportunity in the second set. But the double-fault bug got her in the next two games. That allowed Linette to pull ahead, and Gauff could never gain the advantage again. The situation is extra curious for Gauff because at the end of last year and the start of this one, she appeared to be playing a different, more effective brand of tennis. With a new motion on her serve and a newly aggressive forehand, she won the WTA Tour Finals and helped lead the U.S. to a win in the United Cup. Advertisement But she was unable to carry that momentum into the Australian Open, and since losing in the quarterfinals there, she is just 4-4. Trying to stay on serve at 4-4, 30-30 in the second set, Gauff clipped the top of the net with a forehand from the middle of the court. On the next point, she sent another ball wider, and Linette had the decisive break. At an event last week in her hometown of Delray Beach, Gauff said her early-season struggles were as baffling to her as anyone. Though perhaps, she said, her career might go this way for a little while — some struggles and then a big win, like her 2023 U.S. Open triumph, and then long stretches before the next one. A long backhand gave Linette, the world No. 34, match point. On the next point, Gauff couldn't get the forehand return over the net, and Gauff's WTA 1,000 event was over.
Yahoo
06-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
WTA introduces player maternity fund with money from Saudi sovereign wealth fund
The Women's Tennis Association announced the creation of a new maternity support initiative for its players Thursday, with the funds coming directly from the Saudi Arabian government and its Public Investment Fund. With the PIF WTA Maternity Fund, the organizations says its players will "for the first time receive paid maternity leave up to 12 months, and have access to grants for fertility treatments to build families, as well as other benefits." Benefits will reportedly be offered to more than 320 eligible players. The WTA says it is the first time in women's sports that "an extensive range of maternity benefits are being made available to self employed athletes." Former world No. 1 Victoria Azarenka, a WTA Players' Council representative, welcomed the fund, via the WRA: 'I'm honored to introduce this program, driven by players, and made possible with the support of PIF and the WTA. This marks the beginning of a meaningful shift in how we support women in tennis, making it easier for athletes to pursue both their careers and their aspirations of starting a family. Ensuring that programs like this exist has been a personal mission of mine, and I'm excited to see the lasting impact it will have for generations to come.' The program is another step in the WTA's partnership with a government known around the world for its oppression of women and the LGBTQ community. The WTA's rankings are also sponsored by the PIF, as are the ATP's, and the WTA Tour Finals were held last last year in Riyadh, with PIF money helping increase the prize pool to more than $15 million. The event will return to Riyadh in 2025 and 2026. Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International have repeatedly criticized the WTA's Saudi relationship. Tennis legends Chris Evert and Martina Navritalova have been similarly critical, while WTA founder Billie Jean King, who would face imprisonment and worse in Saudi Arabia as an open lesbian, called the issue a "hard" one. WTA chief executive Portia Archer, who said in the WTA release that she was "delighted" by the new partnership, dodged questions about that partner in an interview Monday, via The Athletic: 'Questions about Saudi society are really not questions for me or the WTA. They're questions for the Saudis to answer.' The release did mention how the PIF and the WTA have a "shared ambition to grow women's professional tennis, inspire more women and girls around the world to take up the game, and help address some of the challenges faced by female athletes." Of course, the WTA is not alone in accepting Saudi money. Far more funds have flowed into the sport of golf via its breakaway LIV Golf tour, and prominent soccer matches, boxing matches, MMA matches, horse races and Formula 1 races have all been held in the country in recent years. In this case, however, the money is explicitly going toward helping female athletes in an area where support was notably lacking.
