WTA Future stars returns to Bangkok

WTA Legend and hometown hero Tamarine Tanasugarn welcomed back the WTA Future Stars in Bangkok, Thailand, today as she introduced 50 children aged 10-12 years from a local primary school, the Preedavittaya School, to tennis for the first time in a series of fun basic activities and drills.

Tanasugarn, who will be returning as a WTA Finals Legend Ambassador in Singapore this October, shared her experience with the next generation saying, “It has been great working with the WTA to promote tennis in Thailand through the WTA Future Stars programme over the last few years. Each time, we are able to reach out to a new group of children and introduce them to tennis, and I really enjoy being able to share my experience with them. It would be great to see more children take up tennis in Thailand and hopefully we will see some Thai stars in future!”

“Over the last four years, the WTA has built a strong foundation in the Asia-Pacific through the WTA Future Stars initiative, which has been an integral part of raising awareness on tennis and the WTA Finals in the region. The WTA Future Stars was launched alongside the first edition of the WTA Finals held in Singapore in 2014, and we have since gone on to conduct clinics and masterclasses in China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Philippines, Malaysia and Singapore. Working closely with our WTA legends like Tamarine Tanasugarn, the WTA Future Stars outreach is aimed at highlighting how sport is great way for young boys and girls to develop beneficial life skills that will help them to achieve whatever goals they may set for themselves,” said Melissa Pine, Vice President of WTA Asia-Pacific and Tournament Director of the WTA Finals.

Speaking after assisting Tanasugarn during the clinic, the 2017 WTA Future Stars Under-14 finalist from Thailand, Pimrada Jattavapornvanit, said, “It was a wonderful experience to be able to represent my country at the WTA Future Stars tournament in Singapore last year, and I am glad to be able to attend the clinic today to share my passion for tennis with other local children. Tamarine Tanasugarn is our role model and being able to stand next to her to encourage more children in Thailand to play our sport is a very special experience for me.”

Mr. Kitsombat Euammongkol, President of the Lawn Tennis Association Thailand (LTAT), said, “This is the second year that the WTA has worked with the LTAT to host the WTA Future Stars at our national tennis centre, and it has been a great success. We look forward to more opportunities in the future to work with the WTA to promote tennis in Thailand. I would also like to wish our 2018 WTA Future Stars representatives from Thailand all the best at the tournament in Singapore in October.”

The WTA Future Stars Clinic is part of a regional platform to promote tennis among children throughout Asia-Pacific and includes the WTA Future Stars Tournament where each country sends two representatives to compete in the U14 and U16 categories respectively.

Launched in 2014 when the WTA Finals was first hosted in Singapore, the WTA Future Stars tournament started with 12 countries, and in 2018 will bring together players from 21 markets in the Asia-Pacific region.

The WTA Finals, which is the crown-jewel of the WTA calendar, will take place in Singapore from October 21 – 28 2018 where the best in women’s tennis will compete for the year’s biggest prize purse of US$7 million. Players accumulate points throughout the season and the top eight singles players and doubles teams on the Porsche Race to Singapore Leaderboard then compete in the season finale at the Singapore Indoor Stadium.

Invitation to participate in tennis blog survey

Are you a reader of tennis blogs?

Are you willing to take a brief survey asking you about the role of tennis blogs in your consumption of tennis media?

Dr Brigid McCarthy of the Department of Communication and Media, La Trobe University is currently conducting research that seeks to understand the particular uses and gratifications for readers of fan-created tennis blogs and the tennis reportage they provide. It seeks information about the diversity and frequency of consumption, how readers appraise the fan blog as a form of sports journalism, how readers engage with the content, and how the consumption might complement consumption of tennis news provided by traditional media outlets.

The survey should take no more than fifteen minutes to complete.

To find out more about participating, or to fill out the survey, please follow this link:
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/tennisblogresearch

My top 10 FREE tennis apps on iPhone

As a tennis fan, phone apps are very important to keep me updated on all the latest news about my favourite tennis stars, the access to real-time scores, offerings in the upcoming tournaments, etc.

In this post, I would like to share the list of my favourite apps. This does not take into consideration of Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, which are highly essential in keeping me updated with breaking news and amazing photos of the tennis players usually created and shared by the tennis fans in the community. I spend a lot of time on the web because many nice tennis contents are still not available on mobile applications such as Menstennisforums, TennisForum or most of the men's tennis players like Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal.

Here's a list of my top 10 FREE tennis apps, must-haves for any enthusiasts.

1. ATP/WTA Live
Any tennis fan needs to have this on their phone. This is the official live scoring app provided by the ATP World Tour and WTA. So that means, you get to follow your favourite tennis players and all the tennis tournaments throughout the entire season, including the ATP Challenger Tour events. What I find most helpful are some of the important features such as OOP (order of play), live match statistic (so that I can use the data to complement with my discussion with fellow tennis Twitter friends from around the world during an ongoing match), tournament draws and head to head records.

2. Australian Open Tennis Championships
Each year I'd be looking forward to this Grand Slam tournament because of the amazing efforts done by their social media team. There are so many information available about the tournament and they never failed in engaging with their audiences online. I particularly love the official colour and the newly designed AO logo. They have the push alerts function so it's great for any avid fans to receive breaking news and special offers be it purchases at the Melbourne Park or online.

3. Wimbledon Championships
Just like the historical tournament itself, this is the mother of all tennis apps. It has a sleek yet elegant layout design. I particularly love the live commentary, 360 degree video from the practice courts and their daily live coverage on podcast. If you're visiting the tournament, you can enable push messages to be delivered to your mobile. Love this app a lot!

4. US Open Tennis Championships
This is another important app built for a Grand Slam tournament, which every tennis enthusiast needs to have on their phone. It has all the features offered by other GS tournaments but this is my least favourite app among the 4 of them. I did not mention about the Roland Garros French Open app because it has been taken off iTunes.

5. MyATP
Since the individual men's tennis players don't usually have their own apps, this is the best app you could have. You can subscribe to your favourite tennis players and watch out for trending updates. There are a lot of Q&As with featured tennis players, which you can comment, like and share, so that's a plus point for this app. You can also send and receive direct messages with the people that you follow or follow you, so you can image the interactivity going on with the tennis fans around the world. This is an awesome app!

6. WTA Finals
WTA doesn't have an app that can be used all year long like MyATP. However they do have an app for the WTA Finals. It's extremely useful if you're using this at the venue. They have an interaction fan zone where tennis enthusiasts can answer tennis trivia questions. You can also take your Singapore Selfie which you can use to share on your social media and help promote the beautiful country at the same time.

7. Tennis TV
This is an extremely important app if you needed access to live tennis matches on the go. The app is free and you can watch snippets of videos on the Freeplay tab. However, in order to watch live or replay old matches, you need to be ready to fork out some money to pay for the subscription fee. It's quite hefty considering you need to pay RM62.90 per month (USD15) or RM519.90 annually (USD126). Highly recommended any tennis fans to subscribe to this instead of using those illegal streaming online.

8. Maria Sharapova Official App
Updates are pretty slow on these app due to lack of content. I downloaded this app just for the sake of downloading it. I would prefer to read about her updates on her Instagram account.

9. Garbiñe Muguruza Official App
I love Garbine but I don't really fancy this app because updates are also extremely slow due to lack of content. Again, I recommend to follow her on social media platforms instead for the latest updates.

10. Virtua Tennis Challenge
I don't play online games that much but I thought it'll be really nice to mention about this game as one of my favourite tennis apps. I have played this game many years back and I still think SEGA produced the best tennis game. Great visuals as always, you can save your game progress and the ability to adjust your control on different surfaces including clay, indoor hard court and grass. Simply the best tennis mobile game.

Meanwhile, if you're interested in adult gaming, be sure to visit RB88 to access to betting sites that covers your favourite tennis matches and other sports of your preference.

Do let me know if there are other really cool tennis apps which I don't mention here. Or apps which are available on Android and not on iOS.

Venus Williams and Garbine Muguruza In Wimbledon Final

Source: Pool/Getty Images Europe via zimbio.com

Even with the absence of Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova, Wimbledon women's singles spotlight still shine with Venus Williams and Garbine Muguruza in the final.

Williams, 37, who is a winner of seven major tennis tournaments managed to beat Britain's top female player Johanna Konta to guarantee a place for her ninth Wimbledon final. The American will be seeking a whooping sixth Wimbledon singles title and her first since 2008, when she defeated her younger sister, Serena. A year later, she lost the final to Serena.

It has been a tough two weeks for Williams who came into the tournament after involving in a fatal car crash incident, which eventually saw new evidences that pointed out she had drove lawfully.

Williams who is currently world's no. 11 will play no. 15 Garbine Muguruza of Spain, who cruised into her second Wimbledon final by ousting Magdalena Rybarikova, 6-1, 6-1, in slightly more than an hour.

Source: Pool/Getty Images Europe via zimbio.com

Muguruza, the French Open champion last year, reached the final at Wimbledon in 2015, when she lost to Serena Williams in straight sets. At this point of time, Muguruza could be playing her best tennis and on top of her game. She has lost only one set in the tournament, and that was during her upset match of the world's no. 1, Angelique Kerber, in the fourth round. She was back in the game after that and dismissed Svetlana Kuznetsova in straight sets in the quarterfinals.

Both Williams and Muguruza will go into the final with a 3-1 head-to-head with them. In their last encounter, Muguruza defeated Williams in three sets in their quarterfinal match in Rome, Italy. The rest of the previous matches were on hardcourts with the last one in Wuhan final back in 2015. Williams certainly comes in with an advantage playing at Wimbledon final but Muguruza has already sent out an early warning saying that she has learned from her Wimbledon heartache two years' ago to beat Williams in Saturday's final.

Thai youths shine with WTA Future Stars

Press Release

From left: Tamarine Tanasugarn, Pat Vasuratna, Melissa Pine, Nat Punnin and Yayuk Basuki at the WTA Future Stars Bangkok Clinic (Photo credit - WTA)

WTA Future Stars served up a smashing success on the first stop of the junior Race to Singapore, with WTA Finals Legend Ambassadors Tamarine Tanasugarn and Yayuk Basuki leading a clinic for 20 local juniors and 16 children from Childline Thailand Foundation (CTF), at Bangkok’s LTAT National Tennis Centre.

Tanasugarn and Basuki offered advice on a range of themes, such as the importance of teamwork, doubles match strategy and the keys to success on court. The accomplished pair also inspired the children with tales of WTA life, travelling the world. The tour veterans were then joined by two former WTA Future Stars participants – Nat Punnin, Thailand’s 2015 representative and Pat Vasuratna, a 2016 representative – to stage a doubles masterclass.

Sharing her thoughts on the clinic, Tanasugarn said, “Every time I get on the court for WTA Future Stars, I feel more passionate and excited about the future of tennis in South-East Asia. It was great to share some of my experiences and especially the importance of teamwork, and hope that they will take our advice to heart.”

The clinic gave the children from CTF a chance to learn a range of basic tennis skills, some picking up a tennis racquet for the very first time. For the 20 junior players, the clinic provided a unique opportunity to enhance their play with advice from their seniors in the WTA Future Stars programme, as well as the two WTA Legends. The WTA Legends and WTA Future Stars then paired up to demonstrate the formations, strategies and movement required in the doubles game.

Speaking after the clinic, Salakthip Ounmuang and under-14 junior player said, “My dream is to be a professional tennis player and to represent Thailand. Meeting and learning from the two WTA legends has inspired me even more, and I’m very thankful for the experience. After today, I better understand how the doubles skills will help me improve my game.”

The session was part of WTA Future Stars, a tournament that brings together players from across the Asia-Pacific region. Each country sends two representatives, one each in the U14 and U16 categories, to compete against each other during the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global.

The WTA Future Stars regional outreach will make its next stop in India in July, before wrapping up in Indonesia in August.
Basuki, Indonesia’s highest ever ranked tennis player, said, “I am glad to see the enthusiasm and joy on the faces of these kids and I hope their passion for tennis continues to grow. I also look forward to welcoming Tamarine to Indonesia in August and having her share her stories with some of our junior players too.”

"The LTAT is pleased to welcome the WTA to Bangkok to conduct the WTA Future Stars Masterclass with one of our local heroes, Tamarine Tanasugarn, as well as Asian legend Yayuk Basuki. It is our honour to host the event at the LTAT Stadium and we are delighted that our junior players enjoyed this invaluable experience today which hopefully inspires them to pursue their passion for tennis,” said LTAT President Mr. Kitsombat Euammongkol.

Speaking after the session, Melissa Pine, Vice President of WTA Asia-Pacific and Tournament Director of the WTA Finals, said, “WTA Future Stars continues to provide an opportunity to touch the lives of youth in this region. It is heartening to see how passionate the children are about learning how to become better athletes and tennis players.” “Seeing our WTA Legends inspire the next generation with their valuable expertise and wisdom is truly a heart-warming experience,” Pine added. “We are thankful for the support of WTA alumnae such as Tamarine Tanasugarn and Yayuk Basuki, and the wider tennis family for helping us engage and impact the lives of children in Asia-Pacific.”

To wrap up the day, the WTA and WTA Finals promoters Lagardère Sports will host a cocktail evening for media and stakeholders at Rajpruek Country Club to promote The BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore 2017 presented by SC Global. The crown-jewel of the WTA calendar will take place in Singapore from October 22 – 29 2017 where the best in women’s tennis will compete for the year’s biggest prize purse of US$7 million. Players accumulate points throughout the saeason and the top eight singles players and doubles teams on the Porsche Race to Singapore leaderboard then compete in the season finale at the Singapore Indoor Stadium.

Tickets now available to watch the greatest in women's tennis at the 2017 BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore

The BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global will return on 22-29 October 2017 at the Singapore Sports Hub where the greatest in women’s tennis will face off in the year-end crown jewel event of the WTA calendar. The Top 8 singles players and Top 8 doubles teams will compete for a record US$7 million in prize money and the prestigious Billie Jean King Trophy and the Martina Navratilova Doubles Trophy respectively. For online tennis betting odds for the women players, do check out NZ betting sites.

Public sale of tickets launched today at WTAFinals.com by reigning champion Dominika Cibulkova and new WTA Finals Legend Ambassador Kim Clijsters, at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart, Germany. Clijsters, a former WTA World No.1, had an illustrious career claiming three WTA Finals titles, 41 singles and 11 doubles WTA titles, along with four singles and two doubles Grand Slam titles before retiring in 2012.

Melissa Pine, Dominika Cibulkova, Kim Clijsters, Steve Simon - (Photo Credit - Getty Images)

Clijsters will join fellow WTA Legends Martina Navratilova and Arantxa Sánchez Vicario to promote the WTA Finals at various tournament stops throughout the year. She will be in Singapore to engage fans and the community during the WTA Finals, hosting tennis clinics and meeting fans at the Fan Village and the Racquet Club.

The WTA Finals festival will start two days before the tournament on Friday, 20 October, with the glitzy red-carpet public Singles Draw Ceremony followed by the opening of the Fan Village on Saturday at the Singapore Sports Hub, where fans can meet and have their pictures taken with the stars of the WTA amongst other tennis-themed activities. The award winning hospitality program, Racquet Club, will also be back with its five-star dining experiences, which includes access to the Aces Lounge and premium baseline seats.

“It is such an honor to be an ambassador of the WTA Finals which is probably the toughest tournament to compete in because every match is against the best,” stated Kim Clijsters. “I have heard so much about Singapore and how great the tournament is, so I am really excited to be part of the event. It seems the fans in Singapore are a lot of fun so I am looking forward to meeting them and visiting the beautiful city.”

“The unique beauty of the WTA Finals is that it brings together not only the greatest players of the season for some show-stopping tennis on court, but also some of the biggest names in women’s tennis,” said Steve Simon, WTA CEO and Chairman. “This allows us to celebrate the sport and build a strong legacy through many impactful initiatives. We are pleased to welcome Kim to join us at what is sure to be a very exciting WTA Finals in Singapore.”

WTA Finals 2016 Champion Dominika Cibulkova - (Photo Credit - Lagardère Sports)

Reigning WTA Finals champion Dominika Cibulkova recounted her finals experience, “I really enjoyed my first time in Singapore - the event experience was first class, the atmosphere on court with all the show lights was electrifying, and most importantly it was a monumental win for me that left me wanting more and dreaming bigger. I definitely hope to make it back to Singapore this year.”

The 2017 Road to Singapore began in January and the season’s first quarter has progressed with a mix of players climbing and breaking into the top 8 on the leaderboard, demonstrating the strength and depth of the WTA player field.

Melissa Pine, Tournament Director of the WTA Finals and Vice President of WTA Asia Pacific said, “We have seen some strong performances in the first quarter from young players like Karolina Pliskova and Johanna Konta, doubles players like Kristina Mladenovic and Elena Vesnina achieving breakthrough in the singles and legendary performances from the Williams sisters. The WTA Finals field last year brought fans eight days of exhilarating tennis and sporting excellence and I am looking forward to even more thrilling action at the Singapore Indoor Stadium this October.”

Tickets for the WTA Finals 2017 start at just S$27*. All tickets, including single sessions, packages and hospitality tickets are available for purchase via WTAFinals.com from 26 April. The All Singles Evening Pass, launched for the first time last year, returns this year to give fans an opportunity to watch all eight players on court over two consecutive days. Groups of 10 or more will also receive further discounts of up to 10% or more.

Apart from watching the matches, fans and ticket holders this year can also look forward to more perks throughout the WTA Finals qualification season, as there will be opportunities to win special, money-can’t-buy experiences. From meet and greet sessions as well as access to clinics and private practice session viewings, ticket buyers this year even stand a chance to win a trip to catch some exciting grass court action at the Aegon International Eastbourne in England and attend WTA’s PreWimbledon Party to build up their excitement to the WTA Finals.

Sarah Clements, Vice-President of Tennis, Asia, at Lagardère Sports said, “Singapore is hosting our fourth tournament, and we aim to raise the level of fan engagement and experience even higher. With initiatives and opportunities to win exclusive experiences for ticket buyers, fans are going to enjoy the year-long Road to Singapore even more.”

WTA Malaysian Open returns to Kuala Lumpur for the eighth consecutive year with new title sponsor

WTA Malaysian Open 2016

Image via WTA website

The country’s premier women’s tennis tournament, ALYA WTA Malaysian Open 2017, will serve up the action in Kuala Lumpur on 27 February 2017 for its eighth consecutive year.

Sanctioned by the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA), the ALYA WTA Malaysian Open 2017 will take place at TPC Kuala Lumpur amidst the green surroundings of ALYA Kuala Lumpur, the newly launched luxury leisure development by Sime Darby Property, formerly known as KLGCC Resort. The high-end property brand is the new title sponsor for this highly-anticipated sporting event for the first time since its inaugural staging in 2010.

The event will open its gates on 24 February 2017 for the qualifying draw and will last until 5 March 2017, when the winners of the Singles and Doubles tournaments will be decided.

The new tournament website is yet to be available and scheduled to be launched on 13 February 2017, where information on the event, players and matches, as well as side activities and promotions will be made available.

Based on the info shared in forums, here's the Main Draw list as of 31 January 2017.

1. Suarez Navarro
2. Svitolina
3. Garcia
4. Putintseva
5. Knapp (SR)
6. Q. Wang
7. King
8. Nara
9. Cirstea
10. Mertens
11. Peng
12. Rodina
13. Buyukakcay
14. Duan
15. Hsieh
16. Ozaki
17. Sakkari
18. Linette
19. Kozlova
20. Hibino
21. Falconi (#104)

BMW Malaysian Open 2014 Tickets Up For Grabs

For immediate release

The BMW Malaysian Open 2014 returns to the Royal Selangor Golf Club (RSGC) from the 14th – 20th of April 2014. The most prestigious tennis tournament in the South East Asian region will see Defending Champion Karolina Pliskova as well as 2013 Wimbledon Doubles Champion and 2012 BMW Malaysian Open Champion, Hsieh Su-Wei returning to Kuala Lumpur to compete in this year’s tournament.

Also competing for the first time this year will be former World Number One Venus Williams and recent Australian Open finalist, Dominika Cibulkova together with a host of other accomplished international players compete for a prize purse of US$250,000 and valuable World Ranking Points.

The fourth edition of this prestigious tennis tournament will host an array of fun activities that will appeal to tennis enthusiasts, families and young adults. Fans can look forward to an exciting tournament with enhanced spectator experience and entertainment throughout the event week.

The public will also gain easy access to the ticketing entrance at the Royal Selangor Gold Club (RSGC) through various shuttle services provided. Fans can head to Traders Hotel Kuala Lumpur and KLCC multi-level car park at Jalan Binjai opposite Platinum Park for free shuttle. On the 19th and 20th April, free shuttle will also be provided from the open air car park next to RHB Bank on Jalan Tun Razak. A variety of F&B outlets will be available for public such as Pizza Hut, KFC, Chatime, Cream & Fudge Ice Cream, to name a few.

The first 50 fans to register at the information counter of the BMW Malaysian Open from the 14th till the 17th of April will receive exclusive vouchers for exciting goodies.

Visitor with passes can stand a chance to win a pair of tickets to Paris, courtesy of Air France and complimentary Weekend Drive Experience by BMW Malaysia. Spectators have the opportunity to have their pictures taken at event to be run on OOHM LED screens that are displayed around Klang Valley and Penang.

Fans will not only catch their tennis idols perform but also get autographs taken at intimate player-fan sessions.

Ricoh Malaysia will host a variety of interactive games including mini tennis, speed serve and tennis video games with exciting prizes to be won. In addition, this year an exclusive photo exhibition themed ‘Strong Is Beautiful’ will be showcased at the BMW Malaysian Open, featuring inspirational women from all walks of life. From games to contest, food to exhibitions there would not be short of activities and entertainment for spectators at the BMW Malaysian Open 2014.

“Malaysian tennis enthusiasts should not miss the opportunity to meet their tennis idols, take part in the fun activities lined up and catch the world-class tournament first hand. The BMW Malaysian Open 2014 promises to be the best tennis tournament in Malaysia and the tournament this year will be much bigger and much better than last year as we aim to raise the profile of the sport here.” said Dr. Gerhard Pils, President & CEO, BMW Group Malaysia.

The tournament will once again see 32 players from the WTA, the world’s leading women’s tennis tour. The leading tennis competition for women will also feature 16 teams for the doubles title. Similarly to its previous editions, the tournament will place local talents through wild card entries.

The BMW Malaysian Open takes place from the 14th – 20th of April 2014 at the prestigious Royal Selangor Golf Club (RSGC). For information on ticketing and discount information, please visit www.ticketpro.com.my.

For more information on the tournament check out (tournament information, scores and contest)

Website: www.bmwmalaysianopen.com


Facebook: www.facebook.com/BMWMalaysianOpen

WTA Launches "Road to Singapore" Journey to WTA Championships 2014

It's going to be an exciting year ahead for many of us in Asia, particularly tennis fans in the Southeast Asia region as we're going to have the year-end WTA Championships in Singapore in 2014.

Here's the official press release from the PR team in Singapore in regards to this highly anticipated event.

For immediate release

Serena Williams

The Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) launched today the "Road To Singapore", a season- long campaign which will see the WTA stars through their journey from the beginning of the year to its culmination during the season-ending WTA Championships in Singapore. For the first time in the 44-year history of the WTA Championships, a city in Asia-Pacific will host the prestigious year-end event, which will take place during October 17-26, 2014, and through 2018.

 "I am starting my 2014 season today, but I’ve already made qualifying for the WTA Championships one of my biggest goals,” said Serena Williams, WTA World No.1 and four- time WTA Championships winner. "I am really excited about the WTA Championships being held in Singapore for the first time, as it's an amazing city that I'd like to visit. Women's tennis is definitely growing and becoming more and more global each year."

Ana Ivanovic

Li Na

The fans of women's tennis will have the opportunity to get closer to their favorite stars and the Championships via a season-long "Road To Singapore" journey. Throughout 2014, fans can be fully engaged with the Championships and WTA Stars' journeys to Singapore by visiting the newly launched Championships website www.wtachampionships.com and becoming "A Road To Singapore Insider". Through the dedicated platforms, newly launched for the "Road to Singapore" adventure, fans will enjoy an unparalleled access to their favorite players' season-long journey, including enhanced editorial coverage across all platforms.

(Images via Getty Images)

Victoria Azarenka defends Australian Open crown in dramatic final

Victoria Azarenka not only had to fight against Li Na who was a crowd's favourite but also overcame an accusation of gamesmanship after taking a medical timeout late in the semifinal against Sloane Stephens to triumph in the Australian Open women's final.

Li Na takes a tumble

Luck was clearly on the defending champion's side when Li Na had to have her ankle taped after the first fall. The second tumble came and Li Na was blacked out momentarily after hitting her head. 

The dramatic final was also interrupted by a nine-minute break due to the Australia Day fireworks.

It was an emotional win for Azarenka

Azarenka prevailed after playing for two hours and 40 minutes with the score 4-6 6-4 6-3 to win her second Grand Slam title. She will retain her no.1 world ranking.

"I feel really happy right now," Azarenka said. "It's been a long match. It's been a tough match. Li Na was absolutely playing great tennis. Unfortunate things that happened to her, you know, but that's sport."

 Azarenka poses with the Daphne Akhurst Memorial Cup in the changerooms

A bottle of champagne to celebrate the win

Redfoo was at the changerooms to celebrate Azarenka's triumph

(Images via Zimbio.com, Sina Tennis)

Agnieszka Radwanska gets high fashion makeover

How do you know when a tennis player is already up there? When she is winning back to back titles and getting a high fashion makeover.

This is obviously happening to Agnieszka Radwanska who is currently ranked no.4 in the world.

Radwanska recently launched a new website and it features some interesting photos of the Polish player. Hope there will be more to come.

(Images via Agnieszka Radwanska's official website)

Caroline Wozniacki and defending champion Hsieh Su-Wei commit to play BMW Malaysian Open 2013

Malaysian tennis fans will be in for a treat next year as former world no. 1 Caroline Wozniacki will play in the BMW Malaysia Open from Feb 25-March 3 at the Royal Selangor Golf Club.

Wozniacki who is now ranked no. 10 will be joined by defending champion Hsieh Su-Wei.

Earlier Wozniacki was spotted at the Miami Heat game with her golfer boyfriend Rory McIlroy who reportedly bought a $10.9 million home in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida.

(Image via Tennis Forum)

WTA Tour pre-Wimbledon bash video and photos

The women's tennis players arrives at the WTA Tour Pre-Wimbledon Party at The Roof Gardens, Kensington yesterday ahead of the SW19.

Maria Sharapova is the favourite player to win this tournament.

Petra Kvitova

Ana Ivanovic

Caroline Wozniacki

The Williams sisters

Li Na

Sorana Cirstea

(Images via Sina Sports)

Venus Williams set to play at the BMW Malaysian Open 2012

Good news to Malaysian fans! One half of the Williams sisters will be coming to this part of the world early next year.

CARBON Worldwide, the organiser of the WTA Tour BMW Malaysian Open, has confirmed the participation of former world no. 1 Venus Williams for the US$220,000 tournament on Feb 27-March 4 at the Bukit Kiara Equestrian and Country Resort.

Make sure to remind Venus not to wear her skin coloured underwear in this country or else she'll be targeted by certain religious groups here.

(Via NST)

Foursquare: How to unlock the XPERIA Tennis Fan badge

Here's a tip for Foursquare badge collectors...

Let's say if you're going to attend the Sony Ericsson WTA tennis tournament in Kuala Lumpur this week, remember to check in to "Sony Ericsson Tennis Hotspot" to unlock the XPERIA Tennis Fan badge.

There are different hotspots for different venues around the world.

To find out tips posted by fans, simply follow Sony Ericsson WTA on Foursquare.

Kleybanova, Chan Yung-jan/ Zheng Jie win WTA Malaysian Open

Alisa Kleybanova won her first WTA title at the Malaysian Open today after beating favourite Elena Dementieva 6-3, 6-2 in an all-Russian final.

“It has been a tough week with many tough sets and matches. I’m just so happy to finally claim my first title,” the fourth-seeded Kleybanova said.

“I’ve been waiting so long for this moment, training hard and playing in many tournaments. Everything came together in the final and I would like to thank Elena for the good match.”

Meanwhile, Zheng Jie and Chan Yung-jan defeated sisters Anastasia and Arina Rodionova 6-7(4), 6-2, 10-7 to win the doubles title.

This is their first title in just their second event together and earned $11,000 each for the victory.

Personally, I had a blast through the entire week at the WTA Malaysian Open. Hope to see more players in action again next year!

(Images via Yahoo! Sports)

WTA Malaysian Open 2010: Day 6 Results & OOP for Final Day

It's an all Russian affair final at the WTA Malaysian Open 2010 tomorrow.

Elena Dementieva and Alisa Kleybanova, who have never played each other before, will be looking to make history by becoming the first winner of the inaugural US$220,000 event.

Alisa Kleybanova

In today’s first singles semifinal match, Kleybanova defeated 19 year-old Ayumi Morita 6-4, 6-1.

Meanwhile, in a rain delayed second singles semifinal match, Dementieva beat Sybille Bammer 6-1, 6-3.

Elena Dementieva

The last match of the day saw Alla Kudryavtseva and Galina Voskoboeva take on the first seeded pairing of Chan Yung-Jan and Zheng Jie in the second doubles semi-final.

It was an easy victory for Zheng Jie and Chan who worked together perfectly and sealed their place in the finals with 6-4, 6-0.

They will meet sisters, Anastasia and Arina Rodionova tomorrow. Tomorrow’s matches will kick-off with the doubles final at 2PM on Centre Court. Following that will be the singles final at 4PM and the prize presentation.

Here's the complete results and OOP for the final day FYI.

(Via Carbon Media)

WTA Malaysian Open 2010: Day 5 Results & OOP for Day 6

Alisa Kleybanova

Top seed Elena Dementieva displayed her class and was hardly pushed throughout her two-set encounter with Magdalena Rybarikova.

The Russian triumphed in just 1 hour and 2 minutes to win 6-0, 6-3, setting up an exciting semifinal match against no.6 seed Sybille Bammer, who overcame Chang Kai-Chen 6-3, 3-6, 3-6.

In another match yesterday, Ayumi Morita played strongly to defeat Chanelle Scheepers 6-3, 7-5 and progressed to the other semifinal where she will meet Alisa Kleybanova who defeated Anastasia Rodionova 4-6, 6-3, 6-4.

In doubles, second seeds Chan Yung-Jan and Zheng Jie booked their place in the semifinals after overcoming Vitalia Diatchenko (RUS) and Chanelle Scheepers (RSA) 4-6, 4-6.

Here's the complete results for yesterday.

Click on image for larger view

Today’s singles semifinal matches will see Alisa Kleybanova take on Ayumi Morita at 2pm on Centre Court. That match will be followed by the second singles semifinal featuring Elena Dementieva and Sybille Bammer.

The final match of the day will see a doubles semifinal between the pairing of Chan Yung-Jan and Zheng Jie against Alla Kudryavtseva and Galina Voskoboeva. The winners will play against sisters Anastasia and Arina Rodionova.

Click the following image for the OOP on Day 6.

Click on image for larger view

(Via Carbon Media)