Wednesday, August 17, 2016
Tuesday, August 16, 2016
Monday, August 15, 2016
Martina Hingis & Timea Bacsinszky win silver in Rio Olympics
First the meteoric rise, five grand slam singles titles while still a teenager, the world number one ranking and her dazzling smile adorning magazine covers around the world.
Then there were the accidents, injuries, relationship bust-ups, retirements, two comebacks and a two-year suspension for testing positive for cocaine in 2007.
Older and wiser, the former Swiss Miss added another line to an already rich plot on Sunday when, 20 years after playing in her only previous Games in Atlanta, she added an Olympic medal to her collection in Rio.
It was not the color Hingis wanted as she and partner Timea Bacsinszky were beaten to gold in a 6-4 6-4 defeat by Russians Ekaterina Makarova and Elena Vesnina and there were plenty of tears shed at the end.
But a while later the 35-year-old, who came out of retirement for a second time in 2013 and has won three grand slam doubles titles to add to the nine she managed earlier in her career, reflected on her achievement.
"I think if you asked me 10 years ago if I would be here in Rio, I would say you're crazy because I didn't play for six years and being able to play for gold is unbelievable," she told reporters.
"Of course, you are a little disappointed (not to win gold), but looking back it's been an incredible journey," added Hingis, who had hoped to partner Roger Federer in a dream mixed doubles match-up until he was forced out by injury.
The Swiss, who recently announced that she had split with doubles partner Sania Mirza, said the tears were a mixture of joy and relief after a tension-packed week in which herself and Bacsinszky had saved two match points in the semi-final.
"We are there together to fight through thick and thin. We are one team, we made it on the court this far and I think we were very emotional in general," she said. "If it doesn't touch you at the Olympic Games, where does it touch you?"
Slightly disappointing, but the Russians were better and took their chances when it counted.
If Martina and Timea played together longer before the Olympics they would have gotten the gold.
They had their chances but lack of playing together regularly, and miscommunication on a lot of key moments proved to be their undoing.
Hingis also had a bit of bad luck given that she was suppose to play with Belinda Bencic originally (they might have had an even bigger shot together).
And of course the withdraw of Stan and Roger robbed her of a possible medal in mixed.
I'm sure Martina will continue to do well with her new doubles partner. Already looking forward to watching her play again at the U.S. Open in a few weeks.
It may not have been the exact result they and the Swiss fans wanted, but silver is still fantastic.
Who would have thought that at 35, Martina would still be going strong and win a medal at the Olympics.
Another one for the record books, and another lovely memory to add to her continuously illustrious career.
Congrats ladies!.
Sunday, August 14, 2016
Martina Hingis & Sania Mirza release official statement on partnership split
After three Grand Slam victories and eleven WTA doubles titles together, we have mutually agreed that we would each be open to playing with other players for the remainder of the season.
Perhaps, because of our great past results, we have had very high expectations from our partnership and unfortunately did not get the results we desired recently. We would like to clarify that it was a totally professional decision based purely on our recent results.
The professional decision has not and will not in any way affect the wonderful personal relationship that we continue to share. We also look forward to defending our title in the year-end WTA Finals in Singapore in October for which Santina has already qualified. We hope that this puts to rest some of the fabricated stories that have been doing the rounds in some sections of the media.
Best
Sania and Martina
Martina Hingis Official Facebook
The professional decision has not and will not in any way affect the wonderful personal relationship that we continue to share. We also look forward to defending our title in the year-end WTA Finals in Singapore in October for which Santina has already qualified. We hope that this puts to rest some of the fabricated stories that have been doing the rounds in some sections of the media.
Best
Sania and Martina
Martina Hingis Official Facebook
Saturday, August 13, 2016
Martina Hingis & Timea Bacsinszky going for gold in Rio Olympics
RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil - Timea Bacsinszky and Martina Hingis staged a stunning comeback on Friday night to defeat Andrea Hlavackova and Lucie Hradecka and keep alive their dream of an Olympic gold medal.
Four years ago in London, Hlavackova and Hradecka won silver and they looked on course for a return to the final when took the first set and surged ahead in the second. However, their Swiss opponents hung doggedly onto their coattails, escaping from a dramatic second set to complete a 5-7, 7-6(3), 6-2 victory.
The turning point came with Hradecka serving at 5-4 in the second set. Having already saved one match point, Hingis fended off another with a ferocious volley that struck Hlavackova in the eye from point-blank range.
Despite a lengthy injury timeout, it was a blow from which Hlavackova and Hradecka were unable to recover. The Czechs lost the first two points on the resumption to drop serve and while they did manage to force a tie-break, it was one that never looked like going their way.
Bacsinszky and Hingis compounded this misery in the decider, rattling off four straight games to complete the comeback.
Heading into Rio, an Olympic medal was one of the few prizes missing from Hingis' resume. Her hopes of winning one were dealt a double blow by the withdrawal or first Roger Federer and then Belinda Bencic. Bacsinszky, though, has deputized ably and on Saturday the first-time partnership will meet Ekaterina Makarova and Elena Vesnina for gold.
Makarova and Vesnina were quarterfinalists in London and have picked up a couple of Grand Slam titles since then. Against Lucie Safarova and Barbora Strycova they needed to draw on all this experience to overcome a slow start and edge through, 7-6(7), 6-4.
wtatennis.com
Four years ago in London, Hlavackova and Hradecka won silver and they looked on course for a return to the final when took the first set and surged ahead in the second. However, their Swiss opponents hung doggedly onto their coattails, escaping from a dramatic second set to complete a 5-7, 7-6(3), 6-2 victory.
The turning point came with Hradecka serving at 5-4 in the second set. Having already saved one match point, Hingis fended off another with a ferocious volley that struck Hlavackova in the eye from point-blank range.
Despite a lengthy injury timeout, it was a blow from which Hlavackova and Hradecka were unable to recover. The Czechs lost the first two points on the resumption to drop serve and while they did manage to force a tie-break, it was one that never looked like going their way.
Bacsinszky and Hingis compounded this misery in the decider, rattling off four straight games to complete the comeback.
Heading into Rio, an Olympic medal was one of the few prizes missing from Hingis' resume. Her hopes of winning one were dealt a double blow by the withdrawal or first Roger Federer and then Belinda Bencic. Bacsinszky, though, has deputized ably and on Saturday the first-time partnership will meet Ekaterina Makarova and Elena Vesnina for gold.
Makarova and Vesnina were quarterfinalists in London and have picked up a couple of Grand Slam titles since then. Against Lucie Safarova and Barbora Strycova they needed to draw on all this experience to overcome a slow start and edge through, 7-6(7), 6-4.
wtatennis.com
Friday, August 12, 2016
Martina Hingis & Timea Bacsinszky help Switzerland reach semis at Rio Olympics
RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil - World Co-No.1 Martina Hingis kept her hopes of a first Olympic medal alive as she and countrywoman Timea Bacsinszky blasted past No.3 seeds Chan Yung-Jan and Chan Hao-Ching, 6-3, 6-0 to reach the semifinals of the Olympic tennis event in women's doubles.
Bacsinszky bounced back from a disappointing first round defeat in singles to play just her second doubles tournament of 2016 alongside Hingis, the reigning US Open, WTA Finals and Australian Open champion.
Together, the pair have dropped just one set through their first three matches, and were particularly dominant against the Chans - a formidable pair who were the last team to defeat Hingis and then-partner Sania Mirza before the duo went on a 41-match winning streak - winning the second set in just 35 minutes.
After going down an early break to start, the No.5 seeds broke serve six straight times to book a semifinal encounter with either Russians Daria Kasatkina and Svetlana Kuznetsova or No.6 seeds Andrea Hlavackova and Lucie Hradecka of the Czech Republic. Hlavackova and Hradecka captured the silver medal at the London Olympics, falling to three-time Olympic champions Venus and Serena Williams.
Hingis is playing her first Olympic tennis event since 1996, when she was 15 years old.
On the top half of the draw, Czechs Lucie Safarova and Barbora Strycova kept up their giant-killing run with a three-set win over former World No.1s Sara Errani and Roberta Vinci. The Italians reunited for the Olympics, but fell in a tough 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 defeat to Safarova and Strycova, who began their tournament with a win over the Williams sisters.
Bacsinszky bounced back from a disappointing first round defeat in singles to play just her second doubles tournament of 2016 alongside Hingis, the reigning US Open, WTA Finals and Australian Open champion.
Together, the pair have dropped just one set through their first three matches, and were particularly dominant against the Chans - a formidable pair who were the last team to defeat Hingis and then-partner Sania Mirza before the duo went on a 41-match winning streak - winning the second set in just 35 minutes.
After going down an early break to start, the No.5 seeds broke serve six straight times to book a semifinal encounter with either Russians Daria Kasatkina and Svetlana Kuznetsova or No.6 seeds Andrea Hlavackova and Lucie Hradecka of the Czech Republic. Hlavackova and Hradecka captured the silver medal at the London Olympics, falling to three-time Olympic champions Venus and Serena Williams.
Hingis is playing her first Olympic tennis event since 1996, when she was 15 years old.
On the top half of the draw, Czechs Lucie Safarova and Barbora Strycova kept up their giant-killing run with a three-set win over former World No.1s Sara Errani and Roberta Vinci. The Italians reunited for the Olympics, but fell in a tough 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 defeat to Safarova and Strycova, who began their tournament with a win over the Williams sisters.
Santina Split: Martina Hingis took the call to part ways with Sania Mirza
One of the most successful women’s doubles teams in recent times has parted ways. Martina Hingis has conveyed to her partner Sania Mirza that she will no longer partner her on the WTA Tour, sources close to the Indian star have told journalists.
Reports suggest Hingis will play with Coco Vandeweghe of the United States while Mirza will team up with Barbora Strycova of the Czech Republic. The 24-year-old Vandeweghe brings new energy to the partnership and the duo is likely to compete together in the US Open.
For some time, Hingis and Mirza have had differences over their mixed doubles run-ins. Hingis partners Paes in mixed while Mirza plays with Croatian Ivan Dodig. Their last two encounters have been evenly split. While Mirza and Dodig prevailed in the quarters of the Australian Open, Paes and Hingis got their own back by besting them to win the French Open title in a close match.
Pivotal role
Sources say Hingis was peeved that Mirza was unhappy after the French loss and that reflected in their interactions. The Swiss player has been pivotal in the recent success of both Mirza and Paes on the doubles tour. Mirza reached the top spot in the rankings after they won the Family Circle Cup last April, becoming the first Indian woman to do so. Paes and Hingis have completed a career Grand Slam in mixed doubles as partners.
Hingis and Mirza are ranked number one in the world of women’s doubles. Both have 10790 points which puts them far ahead of third-placed Caroline Garcia at 6605 points. The Indo-Swiss duo have claimed five titles this year, with the cherry being the Australian Open. That had ensured their berth in the season-ending $7,000,000 WTA finals in Singapore in October but it remains to be seen if the defending champions play together.
The Santina split was confirmed by a source close to Mirza. “Yes, the partnership is over. They have not got the desired results in last five months. You see, they have lost to players outside the top-100 and it reflects that something is wrong. But this is a regular (phenomenon); you can change partners if results are not coming,” the source said.
But it is far from clear what may have led to the end of the partnership. Pairs as successful as Mirza and Hingis hardly split over things such as short-term results. But neither side has formally spoken out on the split which, sources in the Indian tennis team said, had been sought by the former world singles champion.
Hingis has been the pivotal factor in the recent successes of both Mirza and Leander Paes. The unhinging of the Santina combo could well see a major impact on Mirza’s world ranking.
The gutsy Indian, however, does have the tenacity to beat frightful odds. It remains to be seen just how she reinvents herself and whether she is able to retain her top world ranking.
Reports suggest Hingis will play with Coco Vandeweghe of the United States while Mirza will team up with Barbora Strycova of the Czech Republic. The 24-year-old Vandeweghe brings new energy to the partnership and the duo is likely to compete together in the US Open.
For some time, Hingis and Mirza have had differences over their mixed doubles run-ins. Hingis partners Paes in mixed while Mirza plays with Croatian Ivan Dodig. Their last two encounters have been evenly split. While Mirza and Dodig prevailed in the quarters of the Australian Open, Paes and Hingis got their own back by besting them to win the French Open title in a close match.
Pivotal role
Sources say Hingis was peeved that Mirza was unhappy after the French loss and that reflected in their interactions. The Swiss player has been pivotal in the recent success of both Mirza and Paes on the doubles tour. Mirza reached the top spot in the rankings after they won the Family Circle Cup last April, becoming the first Indian woman to do so. Paes and Hingis have completed a career Grand Slam in mixed doubles as partners.
Hingis and Mirza are ranked number one in the world of women’s doubles. Both have 10790 points which puts them far ahead of third-placed Caroline Garcia at 6605 points. The Indo-Swiss duo have claimed five titles this year, with the cherry being the Australian Open. That had ensured their berth in the season-ending $7,000,000 WTA finals in Singapore in October but it remains to be seen if the defending champions play together.
The Santina split was confirmed by a source close to Mirza. “Yes, the partnership is over. They have not got the desired results in last five months. You see, they have lost to players outside the top-100 and it reflects that something is wrong. But this is a regular (phenomenon); you can change partners if results are not coming,” the source said.
But it is far from clear what may have led to the end of the partnership. Pairs as successful as Mirza and Hingis hardly split over things such as short-term results. But neither side has formally spoken out on the split which, sources in the Indian tennis team said, had been sought by the former world singles champion.
Hingis has been the pivotal factor in the recent successes of both Mirza and Leander Paes. The unhinging of the Santina combo could well see a major impact on Mirza’s world ranking.
The gutsy Indian, however, does have the tenacity to beat frightful odds. It remains to be seen just how she reinvents herself and whether she is able to retain her top world ranking.
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