Time to Say Goodbye: Funny Li Exits the Stage

At the pinnacle of her career, Na Li stunned the world by announcing her retirement effect immediate on Fri, Sep 19. The Chinese trailblazer was expected to take part in the inaugural edition of her hometown premiere event in Wuhan, but an ailing body proved too much to handle. A recurring knee injury that forced her to miss the entire North American season, eventually led to Li deciding to hang up the racquet.

"I'm very proud of myself. After writing my letter and thanking so many people, I realized I've never taken even just a little time to thank myself. Now, at the age of 32, I want to thank the Li Na at the age of 15. It's because of the perseverance in my youth that I was able to achieve my goals."

It's common knowledge how much this player has done for Asian tennis. In addition to being the highest ranked Asian ever in singles (male or female) and its only Grand Slam champion (again male or female), Na Li's funny personality won over the world. She was twice named among the world's most influential people by Forbes, while her sky-rocketed popularity generated a huge tennis boom in China.

She will always be remembered for her on court fierce display, as well as for her witty, humerous speeches and interviews. While Miss Na Li will be deeply missed, she surely leaves her country's squad in good shape. Doubles specialist and Asia's first male or female No.1, Shuai Peng, just reached the semis at the US Open, while a slew of youngsters are starting to make a name for themselves. Therefore, China is quickly emerging as one of the most important tennis powerhouses.

"I believe Chinese tennis will enjoy a bright future," said Li. I don't want to compare myself with other tennis players, because everyone comes from a different background and we've all grown up in different circumstances, but I definitely believe Chinese tennis will get better in the future."

But tennis is just one chapter in this amazing woman's life. Asked about what her plans for the future are, Li said: "After retirement, I want to set up a tennis institute and engage in children's charities to help more kids. Also, after so many years of competition on the courts, I really want to make it up to my friends and family members, because on holidays and weekends we really had little time to get together with each other. And of course, I believe there will be a day that I will become a mother. We will see."

Let's relive the moments that made Na Li the hero of billions and billions of hearts! Goodbye, funny girl!

AUSTRALIAN OPEN 2010: Li stunned Caroline Wozniacki and Venus Williams to join compatriot Jie Zheng in the semifinals. This marked the best Grand Slam performance ever by a Chinese, male or female.

BIRMINGHAM 2010: Na Li established herself as an all-court specialist, beating Maria Sharapova to win her first title on grass.

SYDNEY 2011: Na Li won her fourth WTA title defeating the greatest tennis mom, Kim Clijsters, in the final.

AUSTRALIAN OPEN 2011: Na Li became the first Asia to reach a Grand Slam final, saving match point against world No.1 Caroline Wozniacki in the semifinals. The Chinese came close, but was unable to deny super mum Kim Clijsters the completion of her Aussie Kim prophecy.

ROLAND GARROS 2011: Na Li wrote tennis history, becoming the first Asian (male or female) to win a Grand Slam. She defeated Italian reigning champ, Francesca Schiavone, in the final.

CINCINNATI 2012: Li got back to winning ways coming from behind to deny Angelique Kerber in the final.

AUSTRALIAN OPEN 2013: Na Li once again made it to the final in Melbourne, but a series of injuries prevented her from playing her best. She eventually succumbed to world No.1, Vika Azarenka, 4-6,6-4,6-3.

WTA CHAMPIONSHIPS 2013: The Chinese trailblazer ended 2013 on a high, reaching the final at the WTA Championships in Istanbul where she succumbed once again to world No.1, Serena Williams.

SHENZHEN 2014: Li defended a title for the first time in her career, holding off the challenge of her compatriot Peng Shuai.

AUSTRALIAN OPEN 2014: After so many near-misses, Li has finally crowned herself Australian Open champion ending Dominika Cibulkova's dream run.

WIMBLEDON 2014: Li played her last professional match at Wimbledon where she lost 7-6,7-6 to Czech Barbora Zahlavova-Strycova in the third round.

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4 and Counting for Improved Ivanovic

2014 was by far Ana Ivanovic's most consistent season. The Serb-who saw her game crumble to pieces following her rise to fame in 2008-has been making tremendous efforts to get her career going again and her work is finally starting to pay off.

Winner of three titles already this year (in Auckland, Monterrey, and Birmingham), Ana put forth a master performance to emerge victorious at the premiere Pan Pacific event in Tokyo. The road was tough, but a more complex Ivanovic handled the challenge superbly. She beat a slew of fierce opponents, defeating Vika Azarenka, Lucie Safarova, Angelique Kerber, respectively US Open runner-up Caroline Wozniacki in the final without dropping a set. 

"Caroline played a great match today," the Serb said afterwards. "It was a really good battle out there—there were some very tough moments, especially in the second set. But I just tried to take it one point at a time, and I'm really happy to make it through. It's just an amazing feeling to win this title."

"I love coming out here—you guys are amazing, it's always a pleasure to see you all," she confessed. "I've made some friends here through the years and it's great to be back every year."

Probably the most significant victory this week came over Lucie Safarova, ending thus a 5-match losing streak against the Czech. This is Ana's most important success since claiming her maiden Grand Slam crown at Roland Garros in 2008.

With four WTA titles to her name, Ana is now again a solid top 10 player, which puts her in an excellent position to secure one of the eight tickets to the WTA Championships in Singapore. "I'm really happy that this is one step closer to the WTA Finals in Singapore," Ivanovic said. "It's coming close and everything's on the line."

Good luck, girl! So glad to have you back and looking better than ever!

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Lucic's Record-Breaking Title in Quebec

A week after stunning world No.2 Simona Halep to make the fourth round at the US Open, Mirjana Lucic-Baroni achieved another important milestone in her impressive comeback, claiming her first trophy since Bol in 1998. The Croatian former wonder-kid enjoyed a memorable week in Quebec, dismissing high-quality opponents like Timea Babos, Julia Goerges, respectively Venus Williams in the final to win the title.
She wrote WTA history beating Kimiko Date-Krumm's record for the biggest gap between titles (16 years and 4 months compared to 13 years and 1 month).
To make the success even sweeter, Lucic-Baroni also won the doubles final with Czech Lucie Hradecka.
"I'm so happy I can't really find the words right now to explain how happy I am," Lucic-Baroni said. "I played such a great match today against one of the best players in the world, such a champion.
"It's been so long. I'm finally playing the great tennis I always knew I could play, but it had been so long that I kind of lost a little bit of the belief in myself. But now after starting with my new coach Julian Alonso, winning matches and really getting that belief back, I'm just so ready to keep going."
The result proves that her Flushing Meadows run was no fluke, the Croatian emphasizing her intent to get her career back on track following a lengthy hiatus.

Mirjana Lucic-Baroni had the magic going for her in Quebec. The Croatian beat Venus Williams to claim the singles crown, before teaming up with Czech Lucie Hradecka to win the doubles title.

photos: Pascal Ratthe

Lisicki Back to Winning Ways in Hong Kong

When she emerged on the big scene, emotional Sabine Lisicki impressed with her power game. When at its finest, her whipping serve, combined with lethal groundstrokes, is enough to blow anyone off the court. However, after a fast rise in 2010, the last couple of seasons weren't so fortuned for the German. Besides Wimbledon—where she's always done great—Sabine has failed to shine. 

This year she once again rekindled her fire on the grass and although she didn't defend the 2013 final, she made the quarterfinals, losing to Romanian revelation, Simona Halep. Her post-London results weren't spectacular, but she continued to improve. Having been 8-8 January to June, she's now compiled a 20-15 record since Wimbledon. The German also set the fastest serve in WTA history 131mph in Stanford.
Seeded first in Hong Kong, she finally put forth a winning run, ending a three-year title draught. It wasn't quite a walk in the park, but Lisicki did brilliantly to turn matches around, recovering from 3-6,2-4 against Romanian Monica Niculescu in the first round and from a break down in the decider against former Roland Garros champion Francesca Schiavone in the semifinals. The final was again a struggle, the German recovering from 5-1 down in the first set to close out a 7-5,6-3 victory over Czech Karolina Pliskova.

"After being in three finals last year and losing them closely, this is a big step forward for me," Lisicki said. "I've won titles in doubles but obviously the main goal is to play well in singles and get these trophies. And I'm even happier because coming here was such a spontaneous decision—we literally decided three or four days before the tournament—and I felt very well all week in Hong Kong."

I hope all these hard-fought victories will spark a return to top form for Lisicki. She has a huge potential and can reach the highest heights.

photos: Hab Studio

Wozniacki's Back in Business

Former world No.1 Caroline Wozniacki has had a tough couples of years sitting by and watching powerless how she slipped down the rankings without any real strength to retain her front seat. 

While she still won titles, the Dane has fared poorly in Grand Slams failing to make the quarterfinals since the 2012 US Open (when she lost to Russian Vera Zvonareva in the semifinals). This summer however marked a slight change in fortunes for the popular Dane. It all started at Wimbledon where she reached the fourth round losing to Czech Barbora Zahlavova Strycova. She then won in Istanbul and pushed Serena Williams to three sets in Montreal and Cincinnati.

She kept the good form going at Flushing Meadows where she took full advantage of an open bottom draw to make it all the way to the final. Wozniacki's master performance came against reigning French Open champ, Maria Sharapova, whom she beat 6-4,2-6,6-2 in the fourth round. It was a vintage display from the Dane who once again turned defense into attack to beat an erratic Sharapova. She followed up on the win in convincing fashion, quickly dismissing feisty Italian Sara Errani and surprise Chinese package Shuai Peng to set up another clash with two-time defending champion, Serena Williams. 

Talking about her achievement, an ecstatic Wozniacki said: "It's incredible. I have goosebumps right now. It's been five years since I've been in the final here, so it's incredible to be back."

As expected, the American had little trouble enforcing her power game against her good friend, winning the match 6-3,6-3. Although she lost the battle and the maiden Slam still eludes her, Caroline has showed this fortnight that she is heading in the right direction.

Caroline produced one of her best performances in years to defeat reigning French Open champion, Maria Sharapova, 6-4,2-6,6-2 in the fourth round.

In the quarterfinals, the Dane was flawless against Italian Sara Errani dropping just one game.

It may not have come the way she wanted it, but injury put a stop to Shuai Peng's dream run at the US Open, allowing Wozniacki to book her place in her second Grand Slam final.

In the final, Wozniacki lost 6-3,6-3 to her good friend, Serena Williams. While the Dane is still searching for her elusive Grand Slam, the American equalled Navratilova and Evert's tally of 18 majors.

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Serena Redeems to Equal Navratilova and Evert

Coming into the US Open, Serena Williams was under immense pressure. The world No.1 has endured a bit of a Grand Slam misery this season, failing to reach the quarterfinals at all three majors (lost to Ivanovic in Australia, to Muguruza in Paris, and to Cornet in London). But as she proved time and time again, after every failure, she's come back stronger than ever.

After a successful summer in which she won titles in Stanford and Cincinnati, the American was determined to make amends on home soil, at the US Open. While the other favourite had exited earlier than expected, a focused Serena kept her eyes on the prize. She took it one match at a time,  played smart tennis when it mattered most, avoiding thus any unpleasant surprises to eventually claim her 18th Slam. Serena was dominant from the get-go. She cruised through the draw with relative ease, beating compatriots Taylor Townsend, Vania King, and Varvara Lepchenko, Estonian Kaia Kanepi, Italian Flavia Pennetta, respectively Russian Ekaterina Makarova to make the final without dropping a set. In the final, she handled perfectly what could have been a very tricky opponent—throughout the summer, former world No.1 Caroline Wozniacki had pushed her good friend to the limit in both Montreal and Cincinnati, but this time the American was untouchable. She closed out a 6-3,6-3 victory to tie all-time legends Martina Navratilova and Chris Evert at 18 Slams. "I couldn't have finished things in a better way. It is a pleasure for me to win here, I am really emotional. I couldn't ask to do it at a better place."

"It was definitely on my shoulders. It was definitely like, 'Oh, get there. Get there. Get there.'''

The No. 1 seed also collected a record prize ($3 for winning the US Open this year, plus an additional $1 million bonus for winning the Emirates Airline US Open Series), making her $4 million check the largest winner's purse in tennis history. 

Just when people were quick to announce the end of the Serena era, the two-time defending champ put on a master performance to stress her authority at the top of the rankings. She has no plans of going away any time soon, so it looks like sky is the limit for this fierce competitor.

Serena Williams defeated good friend Caroline Wozniacki 6-3,6-3 to claim her 18th Grand Slam title, equalling Martina Navratilova and Chris Evert.

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Martina's Near Miss at the US Open

When she came out of retirement she probably did not choose her partner very wisely. Daniela Hantuchova is a talented player, but she lacks the consistency and the variety to really complement Martina's smart games. Consequently, after some poor results last season, Hingis reassessed the situation and ultimately opted for another combo. She looked to have found the golden recipe when she teamed up with her trainee Sabine Lisicki to win in Miami, but the end of the collaboration left her without a partner. 

After a failed attempt with Vera Zvonareva at Wimbledon, the Swiss Miss found a permanent partner in Italian Flavia Pennetta. The two first joined forces at Eastbourne where they reached the final, but the duo really caught fire at the US Open where they came very close to lifting the title.

The fan-favourite team cruised to the final without dropping a set, taking out three seeds, Pavlyuchenkova/Safarova, Peschke/Srebotnik, respectively C. Black/Mirza. In the final they came out firing, winning the first set 6-2 and going a break up in the second. At that moment, Pennetta's game deserted her, the Italian making a slew of silly unforced errors that allowed their opponents to get back into the match. Experienced Russians Ekaterina Makarova and Elena Vesnina responded to the invitation, turning the battle around, and ultimately closing out a 2-6,6-3,6-2 victory to lift their second Grand Slam crown. 

"We teamed up in the middle of the season and two months later we're here in the finals of the US Open—I could have only dreamed of this when we started playing together," Hingis said. "It's been an incredible journey here. They were just too good today, so I'd like to congratulate them."

I was really disappointed for Hingis to have missed out on such a great chance to add a 10th doubles major trophy to her elustrious resume. It was a match she should have won, but I trust this is just the beginning of a fruitful collaboration with Flavia. Hingis is equally optimistic: "We'll go to Asia—definitely Wuhan and Beijing—and do our best there, and then next year there's again four Grand Slams," she said. Hope to see you around next year, Swiss Miss!

Martina Hingis came very close to winning her 10th Grand Slam doubles title at the US Open. The Swiss Miss and her partner, Italian Flavia Pennetta, lost 2-6,6-3,6-2 to Russians Ekaterina Makarova and Elena Vesnina.

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The Last Frenchman Still Standing

Yet another time this season, Gael Monfils is the only Frenchman still standing when a Grand Slam reaches the quarterfinals stage. Monfils, who celebrated his 28th birthday on Tuesday, played superb tennis when it mattered most, overcoming young gun, Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov, 7-5,7-6,7-5.

With Tsonga and Simon—the other two Frenchmen who made the fourth round—failing to capitalize on their opportunities against Murray, respectively Cilic, Gael is once again the carrier of the French flag.

Despite the ups and downs, this has been a good season for the talented Frenchman. He won the title in Montpellier—ending a 5-final losing streak—and reached two major quarterfinals at Roland Garros and, now, the US Open.

The most impressive aspect of his performance against Dimitrov was the manner in which he controlled the delicate situations. All three sets went the distance and the Frenchman showed great composure and mental toughnes to seize his chances. He even saved two sets points in the second set's tiebreak. After his win, Monfils, thanked the crowd, saying: “I love to play here. Such a good energy. I just feel good. I’m happy.”

Next up for Monfils is a clash with all-time great Roger Federer.

Gael Monfils celebrates his amazing straight sets victory over rising star Grigor Dimitrov. The Frenchman won the match 7-5,7-6,7-5 to reach his second quarterfinal at the US Open.

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Teen Phenomenon Turns Back the Years

In the late '90s Mirjana Lucic announced herself as a bright prospect of the game. In 1997, at the tender age of 15, the Croatian phenomenon won the very first tournament she played, in Bol. One year later she claimed the title in the very first doubles tournament she played, conquering the Australian Open doubles crown with fellow teen sensation, Martina Hingis. But it wasn't until 1999 that she recorded the best performance of her career, stunning all-time great Monica Seles to reach the semifinals at Wimbledon. While the impressive achievement should have been the beginning of an amazing journey, sadly, it marked the sudden end.

A few dark years have passed and Mirjana, now Lucic-Baroni, gave tennis another shot—she made a full-time return to the tour in 2010. Things didn't kick in immediately, but when all hope was gone, the Croatian reminded the world of the young, pony-tailed, blond girl with huge groundstrokes. In one of the biggest upsets of this year's US Open, she stunned world No.2, Simona Halep, 7-6, 6-2 to make the fourth round.

The result comes as a major surprise. Not only was in-form Halep one of the main contestants for the title, but Lucic-Baroni had failed to win back-to-back matches in a main draw since Doha.

The encounter started with Halep in command, the Romanian building what seemed like a decisive 5-2 lead. But after saving two set points, Lucic caught fire. She pushed the opener into a tiebreak—which she won 8-6—then served out the biggest victory of her career. "It's incredible. It's just amazing," Lucic-Baroni said while fighting back tears. "I can't believe this is happening to me again."

The former teen prodigy couldn't repeat the feat against feisty Sara Errani. The Italian recovered from a second set blackout to end Mirjana's dream run 6-3,2-6,6-0.

Although she did not make the quarterfinals, the Croatian has plenty to cheer for. The points she gained in New York are enough to guarantee a return to the top 100, a position that should help her get her career back on track. Let's see what future has in store for this former teen prodigy!

After shocking world No.2 Simona Halep, Mirjana Lucic's dream run at the US Open was ended by feisty Italian, Sara Errani in the fourth round. The Croatian succumbed 6-3,2-6,6-0, but reminded the world what an exceptional player she can be.

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The Little Swiss Miss

She's a wonder kid with Czechoslovakian origins who represents Switzerland. Plus, she happens to be trained by none other than mother-genius herself, Melanie Molitor. Did you figure out who I'm talking about? No, it's not Martina Hingis although you are very close. It's the little Swiss Miss: Hingis' protegee, the uber-talented Belinda Bencic who made headlines at this year's US Open by reaching her maiden Grand Slam quarterfinal.

Bencic has long been a huge promise and, after winning last year's Roland Garros-Wimbledon juniors singles double, the Swiss already proved she was ready to make the transition to the big stages. At just 17-year-old, Belinda made the semifinals of the Premier-event in Charleston and the third round at Wimbledon. However, it was her stunning Flushing Meadows campaign that got everyone talking.

Showing a mixture of court smartness and fierce groundstrokes, the little Swiss Miss caused a slew of upsets taking out 31st-seeded Kurumi Nara, 7th-seeded Angelique Kerber, and 9th-seeded Jelena Jankovic en route to the last eight.

The resemblence to Hingis is striking not just in her game, but also in her personality, both possessing tremendous star quality. And with Hingis cheering from the crowd, Bencic put on a fierce display to stun former world No.1 in front of a packed Arthur Ashe Stadium. “It was always a dream to play on this court,’’ she confessed. “I was overwhelmed. Everything was so huge.”

By beating Jankovic, the Swiss became the youngest quarterfinalist at a major since Nicole Vaidisova at the 2006 French Open and the youngest at the US Open since Hingis in 1997. And with the bottom half losing its favourites—Halep lost to Lucic-Baroni, Radwanska to Peng, Venus Williams to Errani, and Sharapova to Wozniacki—Bencic's draw is quite open. Next up for teen sensation is a clash with Chinese Shuai Peng, with the winner going on to face Wozniacki or Errani. If she can keep up a stunning form, the Swiss has a good chance of making the final. It would actually be extremely interesting to see a Bouchard-Bencic showdown in Saturday's finale. She and Eugenie Bouchard are such amazing prospects for the women's game. They're both extremely young, hungry, utterly competitive, plus they have huge fanbases. But let's hold our horses. Bencic needs to take it match by match and to celebrate this achievement. Vive la petite Swiss Miss!

Bencic kept the upsets going taking out former world No.1, Jelena Jankovic, 7-6,6-3 to reach her maiden Grand Slam quarterfinal.

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