Fed Cup

Teenage Sensation Marta Kostyuk Relishing Fed Cup Debut

Published

11 months ago

10/02/2018

Marta Kostyuk (zimbio.com)

15-year-old Marta Kostyuk has proved that experience is irrelevant as she revived the Ukraine’s Fed Cup chances in their clash with Australia.

As the highest ranked player in her team, the world No.185 once against illustrated her talent with a 7-6(3), 6-3, win over Daria Gavrilova. A player ranked more than 150 places higher than her in the WTA rankings. Hitting 22 winners and capitalising on the 36 unforced errors produced from her rival.

“I’m playing good tennis,’’ Kostyuk told fedcup.com. “A fairytale is more like it happened once and you don’t know when it will happen again, so it’s just another great tournament for me.’’

Making her Fed Cup debut this weekend, Kostyuk bust onto the scene earlier this year. At the Australian Open she reached the third round as a qualifier, 12 months after she won the junior title. She is the youngest player to reach the last 32 in a major tournament since Mirjana Lucic-Baroni at the 1997 US Open.

Kostyuk’s surge in form has continued beyond Melbourne. Prior to the Fed Cup, she won her biggest title on the professional circuit yet. An $60,000 ITF event in Burnie. The rise of the teenager hasn’t gone noticed by Gavrilova. Who exit her match against Kostyuk with feelings of both disappointment and admiration.

“(Kostyuk) definitely plays beyond her age and she played pretty good tennis today and she has got nothing to lose. She pulled out some crazy shots in the end and she’s on a winning streak. She hasn’t lost a match in a while so I’m sure she’s really confident.’’ Said Gavrilova.

Besides her impressive play, Kostyuk has also won praise for her maturity away from the court. Something she credits her mother, Talina Beiko, for. Beiko is a former player who reached a high of 391st in 1994.

Breaking through at such a young age, it is inevitable that there will be comparisons to that of other tennis stars. In Kostyuk’s case, it is Martina Hingis whom she is compared with. Hingis is the youngest grand slam winner of all time at the age of 15 years and nine months following her triumph in the doubles at the 1996 Wimbledon Championships.

“It’s amazing that people are comparing me to such a big player but I’d love to just be myself,” Kostyuk explains.

After the first day of Fed Cup competition, the Ukraine is currently tied at 1-1 with Australia. In the other match Ash Barty overcame a scare to defeat world No.883 Lyudmyla Kichenok 4-6, 6-1, 6-4.

Fed Cup

Sorana Cirstea Announces Fed Cup Retirement, WTA Stars Prepare For 2019

Sorana Cirstea announces her Fed Cup retirement as WTA stars prepare for the 2019 season.

Published

1 month ago

15/12/2018

Tony Fairbairn

Sorana Cirstea (zimbio.com)

World number 85 Sorana Cirstea has announced her retirement from Fed Cup after competing in the competition for 12 years.

The Romanian first made her debut when she was just 16 years old when she competed against Sweden in Zone Group I Europe/Africa.

Since then Cirstea has won 16 of her 29 Fed Cup rubbers but has now announced that it is time to move on and wishes the team the best of luck for the future.

“I feel like I have done my duty. And now is the time to pass the relay baton onto the new generation,” Cirstea said on her Facebook page.

“I would like to thank my teammates, the Federation, the captains, the coaches and everyone who was involved in our success, and especially the Romanian crowd that has been supporting me over the years.”

The 28 year-old will look to now improve her ranking after a disappointing 2018 season which included a 17-25 win-loss record.

WTA Starts Prepare For 2019

Meanwhile other WTA players have been preparing for the new season, which officially begins in 16 days. Here is some of the best action from the off-season so far:

Caroline Wozniacki

The Dane decided to use her off-season to improve her tennis with a certain 23 time grand slam champion:

https://www.instagram.com/p/BrGQjLaAkZN/

Aryna Sabalenka

The Belarusian rising star had an amazing 2018 season and is using unique training methods to improve further next season:

https://www.instagram.com/p/BrR8iX4jumH/

Garbine Muguruza

Despite an underwhelming 2018 season, the Spaniard has been practicing in California to get ready for the 2019 season:

https://www.instagram.com/p/BrRSeoClwvx/

Julia Goerges

Practice is perfect in Julia Goerges’ case as she looks to expand on her Wimbledon semi-final:

https://www.instagram.com/p/BrC8jJnBO_w/

Naomi Osaka

The US Open champion is getting ready for the new season in Los Angeles as she looks to gain even more fans in 2019:

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bq-7699gldE/

Fed Cup

VIDEO: Was It A Wise Choice For Denis Shapovalov To Skip The Next Gen Finals?

Ubitennis founder Ubaldo Scanagatta speaks with John Horn about the Canadian rising star.

Published

2 months ago

12/11/2018

Ubaldo Scanagatta

Last week saw Greece’s Stefanos Tsitsipas add to his title collection at the Next Gen Finals in Milan, but one notable absentee from the tournament was Denis Shapovalov.

The 19-year-old is the youngest player inside the world’s top 100 at 27th and the fourth highest ranked among the Next Generation. A group of upcoming players under the age of 21. Shapovalov opted to end his season early due to exhaustion. Ubitennis analyses Shapovalov’s decision and looks ahead to what the future could have in store for him.

Fed Cup

Katerina Siniakova saves two match points to secure the 11th Fed Cup title for

Published

2 months ago

11/11/2018

sampaolo

Katerina Siniakova secured the decivive 3-0 point to earn Czech Republic its 11th Fed Cup title and its 6th triumph in the past eight seasons at this event since 2011. Siniakova had to save two match point at 4-5 in the third set to beat US Sofia Kenin 7-5 5-7 7-5 in the third singles match to the delight of the enthusiastic Czech fans, who packed the O2 Arena in Prague.

Siniakova scored her second singles win this weekend after beating Alison Riske on Saturday.

Siniakova converted her first break chance and went up a double break early in the first set. Kenin got back on serve at 1-2 in a 10-minute game before breaking again in the fifth game to take a 3-2 lead. Sinakova bounced back by breaking serve once more. Kenin converted on her break point at deuce at 3-5 down before drawing level to 5-5. Siniakova reeled off five consecutive games to build up a 7-5 3-0 lead, but Kenin came back from 15-40 down to win her first game of the second set. The US teenager broke twice in a row in the fifth and seventh games. Siniakova pulled the break back for 4-5 with a series of backhand winners. Kerer broke again at love in the 11th game to take a 6-5 lead before sealing the second set on the fourth set point.

Siniakova saved three break points in the first game of the decider before breaking serve on her second chance. The Czech player consolidated the break with a hold to build up a 3-0 lead.

Siniakova fended off four break points to hold serve for 4-1 in a 19-minute marathon fifth game. Kenin fought back by winning four consecutive games thanks to two consecutive breaks in the seventh and ninth games to take a 5-4 lead, but she fired the ball beyond the baseline twice from 40-15 and failed to convert her two match points. Siniakova reeled off six points in a row from 0-40 down at 5-5. Siniakova got the final break of the match in the 12th game to seal a thrilling win after 3 hours and 44 minutes, when Kenin sent her forehand into the tramlines. The Czech team celebrated the fourth of their six titles since 2011 at the O2 Arena in Prague.

Siniakova scored the third win in four singles Fed Cup rubbers. She hit 4 aces and won 56 percent of her first serve points. Kenin hit 42 winners but she made 76 unforced errors.

Czech Republic ended a 8-match losing streak against the USA at Fed Cup level.

Petr Pala has won his sixth title as captain of the Czech Fed Cup team. He boasts an impressive 24-4 win-loss record in the 28 Fed Cup matches where he took charge of the Czech team.

The US team captained by Kathy Rinaldi did not defend their title won in 2017, but they featured a young team with three players Danielle Collins, Sofia Kenin and Nicole Melichar, who made their debut at this event this weekend.