Champion of Champions. Petko Has the Final Laugh in Sofia

A week she started on the wrong foot ended in superb fashion for the ultra-popular Andrea Petkovic who clinched the title in the last edition of the Tournament of Champions in Sofia. After being crushed by Carla Suarez Navarro in the opening round robin match, the German picked herself to cruise past Australian Open runner-up Dominika Cibulkova and home hope Tsvetlana Pironkova. With a 2-1 record, she was second in her group and qualified for the semis. 

Having found her game at the best moment, Petko defeated rising star Garbine Muguruza 6-1,6-4 to book a date with Italy's Flavia Pennetta in the final. The match was once again an uphill battle. Flavia was untouchable in the early stages. She was magnificent, sealing the opener 6-1. But as usually with the Italian, she cannot really keep up the intensity for long. As soon as the opponent begins to fight back, she loses the momentum and the battle turns around. That exactly what Petkovic did. She stayed with Pennetta until she saw the opportunity to strike blood, turning things around to claim an epic 1-6,6-4,6-3 victory.

"I love watching Flavia play, but I hate playing her because she's so difficult to play!" said the German. "I'm happy I could gather enough energy and play well enough to win it in the end."

Both players had a great season. Petkovic won three titles—Charleston, Bad Gastein, and now Sofia—in addition to reaching her first Grand Slam semifinal at Roland Garros. Flavia made the quarterfinals at both the Australian and the US Open and won the biggest crown of her career in Indian Wells. After some tough months marred with injuries, the duo has fought its way back into the top 15 and are seriously threatening to go higher next year. 

"I'm happy I met Flavia in the final because we've both been coming back from injury this year," declared Andrea. "I was so happy when she won Indian Wells because I know what she went through, and so it's even nicer to play her for this title today. I hope the next season is even better for her."

This event marked the end of the regular 2014 season. There are a few 125k tournaments left and of course, the Fed Cup final, but most players have already booked a truly deserved vacation. Petkovic is not one of them though, as the German is hoping to help her country lift the Fed Cup crown for the first time since 1992. Go, #teamGermany!

The exclusive field in Sofia consisted of, from left to right, Andrea Petkovic, Flavia Pennetta, Tsvetlana Pironkova, Ekaterina Makarova, Garbine Muguruza, Dominika Cibulkova, Carla Suarez Navarro, respectively Alize Cornet.

Flavia had a good week in Sofia being very close to lifting the trophy. She was in an excellent position to close out the victory before Petkovic fought back to eventually win an epic final.

Although she lost the first match, Andrea Petkovic rebounded in great style to clinch the trophy. She beat Italian Flavia Pennetta 1-6,6-4,6-3 to crown herself champion of champions in Sofia.

photos: Anton Stakov, Desislava Kulelieva, Anton Stakov

Roger Continues Charge with Hometown Glory

Roger Federer took full advantage of his recent run of excellent form as he crowned himself champion at his hometown tournament in Basel.

The Swiss was in cruise control throughout the week and, although he dropped two sets (with Uzbek Denis Istomin and Croat Ivo Karlovic respectively), he found his game when it mattered most. He beat red-hot Belgian David Goffin 6-2,6-2 to claim his 6th trophy on homesoil. It's worth mentioning that Federer took advantage of some convenient defeats. For example his arch-rival, second-seeded Rafael Nadal, lost to 17 y.o. Croatian sensation Borna Coric in the quarterfinals.

"It is always such a treat to be in the final here, receiving a standing ovation from the crowd," confessed Roger. "It's why I play tennis, why I play the tournament here in Basel. It will remain very special for me personally.

The triumph is crucial for the Swiss who closes the gap in the battle for the year-end No.1 finish. Novak Djokovic now leads the race by less than 500 points, a very narrow margin considering there are 2500 points left up for grabs in the two final tournaments. Paris will probably shed more light on the matter, but the ATP World Tour Championships in London will have the final say. 

"It would be very special to reclaim No. 1," told Federer. "World No. 1 is what it's all about in our game. With the year I have had and the amount of finals I have played, the level of tennis I have played, I am pleased to see that I have a shot. But having a shot and being there is two separate things. I am sure that Novak is going to come in very motivated, just after having a baby. I am very happy for him. There are clearly interesting weeks ahead."

As the Swiss said, there are definitely interesting times ahead, so let's wish him the best of luck! #Letsdothis #FedererMagicIsOn

Federer continued his quest for the year-end No.1 position by claiming his sixth hometown crown in Basel. In the final, the Swiss beat red-hot Belgian David Goffin 6-2,6-2.

photos: GETTY IMAGES

Old Fox Serena Still Reigns Supreme

It's clear to me that a miracle doesn't happen every day—that's why it's called a miracle. When Simona Halep destroyed world No.1 Serena Williams in their round robin match, the world was quick to announce the emergence of a new queen. The Romanian had played fabulous tennis in her first two clashed losing a total of seven games against Serena (6-0,6-2) and Canadian darling, Eugenie Bouchard (6-2,6-3). Courteosy of the result, she was guaranteed a place in the semis independent on the outcome of her final clash with Ana Ivanovic. However, should she had lost to the Serb in straight sets, her biggest rival, i.e. Serena, would exit the competition and Ivanovic would go through. 

The situation was tricky. On one hand you don't want to give Serena a chance at revenge, but on the other hand you want to win the battle on court and dot want to get involved in strategic calculations—or need be, do you? The confusion was such that it completely derailed Simona. She "chose" the worst option: she lost to Ivanovic in three sets. It's easy to do the shoulda-woulda-coulda now, but in my view a true champion should be smart and make the most of his/her opportunities. What followed was the most natural of scenarios: Halep crushed Radwanska in the semis, Serena struggled against bestie Wozniacki, and the two got to meet again in the championship showdown.

Simona was overconfident that she can beat Williams again. She started strong breaking her opponent to seize an early lead. What she didn't consider is that the American is the fiercest competitor out there and that she's at her best when she feels she has nothing to lose. In a fracture of a second, she turned things around going to serve out a devastating 6-3,6-0 victory to three-peat at the Season's Ending WTA Championships.

"She was playing so well in the first set, like she did the last time we played," Williams said. "I was literally on the side of the court and I laughed. But then I just told myself I had nothing to lose. I knew I just had to relax and start playing better if I wanted to win—and I really wanted to win."

"It's just been an unbelievable week," Williams confessed. "I just started training again last week because I had such a bad knee in Beijing. I can't believe I even made it to Singapore, and now I have the Billie Jean King Trophy, so I'm just really excited."

To add to the celebration, Serena also clinched the year-end No.1 spot this week, for the second season running, straightening her reign as the WTA's leading lady. In 2014, the American didn't have things quite her way, having to wait until the US Open to make a Grand Slam quarterfinals. However, she won in New York and she retained the No.1 ranking throughout the season. With the emergence of the young guns, it remains to be seen if she can maintain her dominance in 2015. My guess is that Serena will not go away any time soon. 

In their round robin match, Simona Halep destroyed Serena, stunning the world No.1 6-0,6-2.

Courtesy of the results this week, Serena clinched the year-end No.1 trophy for the second season running.

When the two met again in the final, Serena was better prepared. She returned the favour, quickly dismissing Halep 6-3,6-0 to three-peat at the WTA Championships in Singapore. 

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The Bryans Have Really Won It All!

After claiming their 100th team title on homesoil, at the US Open, the extraordinary Bryan brothers have achieved two more major milestone this past weekend, completing their Masters 1000 collection, respectively securing the year-end No.1 for a record 10th time. 

While both are remarkable, ground-breaking performances, the Shanghai crown stands out a bit better as it basically marks the completion of a mission. A tough, extremely difficult mission, the mission to win it all. And at this point, the Bryans have literary won it all. They won all the four majors at least twice, the Olympic gold medal in London 2012, the Masters Cup, their 100th title, and now all the Masters 1000 trophies. All these in addition to setting tons of other records, which really make them the best tennis duo of all time.

In Shanghai, Bob and Mike Bryan put in quite a performance, cruising through the draw with relative ease. In the final, they defeated reigning French Open champions, Frenchmen Julien Benneteau and Eduoard Roger-Vasselin.

“To win here, it's been a long time coming to Shanghai. To finally get across the finish line as the winning team was extra special today," said Mike.

“It's another great milestone. This week was full of them for us. To come and get in the title match, have a shot at winning the tournament that's eluded us, complete the Golden Masters, is amazing,” added Bob.

“It was really the last thing left for us to do. We can definitely shut it down today and be happy guys.”

With nothing left to win, it's difficult to imagine what's next in store for the twins. One amazing thing is that they are not scarce on motivation, so it seems they will be around to dominate men's doubles for many more years to come. Well done, boys! Huge congrats!

In addition to their slew of records, the extraordinary Bryan brother wrote another page in the history book by defeating Frenchmen Julien Benneteau and Edouard Roger-Vasselin to win in Shanghai and complete their Masters 1000 collection.

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Federer Pulls Shanghai Miracle

Just when we thought that Federer's days of magic are long gone, the Swiss put together another masterful performance to claim his first title at the Shanghai Masters, one of the three Masters 1000 trophies missing from his resume (in addition to Monte Carlo and Rome).

But let's not forget that the week started with Federer saving five match points in his first round encounter with Argentinean Leonardo Mayer. All credit to the Swiss, but it was really a stroke of luck that saved him, Mayer's passing shot chipping the net before landing in his court—Federer was outplayed at that point and his Shanghai adventure could have been over. The sensational Heimlich maneuver proved a defining moment, Roger making the most of his second chance by going on and lifting the title. However, it was the extraterrestrial performance against world No.1, Novak Djokovic, in the semis, that got everyone talking. It was a super serve and volley display from the vintage Federer who broke once in each set to extract revenge on Djokovic for his heart-breaking defeat in the Wimbledon final. 

“It was a great match,” declared a thrilled Federer. “I think I played very well. There was nothing in the game today that wasn't working. I think it was a high-level match. I'm unbelievably happy with the way it went.”

Although he didn't quite maintained the same level in the final, Roger did an excellent job to dismiss the fierce opposition of the always dangerous Frenchman Gilles Simon. Although Simon has made a reputation of challenging him in the past, the Swiss remained strong when it mattered most, recovering from a break down in the opener on his way to a 7-6,7-6 victory. 

"It makes me very happy winning here because this tournament means a lot to me," said Federer. "I've always enjoyed coming here. I've come close a couple of times, but I've always wanted to win it as a Masters 1000.

"I feel unbelievable prestige to win this event. Especially putting my hands on the trophy for the first time is a good feeling, I must say. I'm very happy with the way I'm playing. Overall I'm just extremely happy right now."

Simon had a great week too, stunning Australian Open champion, Stan Wawrinka, and the always-dangerous Czech, Tomas Berdych, en route to his second Masters 1000 final (he lost to Andy Murray in the 2008 Madrid final).

In addition to claiming the elusive Shanghai trophy, Federer has also reduced the difference between him and Novak Djokovic at the top of the rankings. The battle for the year-end No.1 is very much on right now, with the Swiss having a decent shot of grabbing that last-minute provided solid showings in Basel, the Paris Masters, and the Masters Cup in London. #LetsdothisFederer!

After saving five match points in the first round, an overly aggressive Roger Federer took full advantage of his second chance, going all the way to lifting the Shanghai Masters 1000 crown. In the final, the Swiss defeated Gilles Simon.

photos: GETTY IMAGES

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.

photos: GETTY IMAGES

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!

photo: GETTY IMAGES

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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