The doubles team of the year: Barbora Krejcikova and Katerina Siniakova
Barbora Krejcikova and Katerina Siniakova became the first doubles team in 15 years to win two back-to-back titles at the French Open and Wimbledon in the same year. Repeating the same double they achieved five years ago in the junior circuit. The Czech team also reached two finals at the Miami Open and in Shenzhen.
Another doubles team, who produced an impressive season was the pair formed by Ashleigh Barty and Coco Vandeweghe, who won the Miami Open and their first Grand Slam title at the US Open. In the final of the US Open they saved two championships point in the second set to beat Australian Open champions Timea Babos and Kristina Mladenovic. In the semifinals the Australian-American team beat Krejcikova and Siniakova.
The rising star of the year: Olga Danilovic:
Serbian 17-year-old player Olga Danilovic showed her potential as a future star by winning her maiden WTA title in Moscow last July against another “millennial” Anastasia Potapova to become the first player born in the third millennium to win a WTA singles title. This was the first match between two players under 18 since Tatiana Golovin and Nicola Vaidisova played the final of the 2005 Japan Open Tennis Championships. Olga Danilovic is the daughter of former basketball player Predrag Danilovic, who won the Olympic silver medal in Atlanta 1996, while her mother Svetlana is a sports reporter for Radio Television of Serbia.
The best match of the year: Halep beat Stephens 7-6 (8-6) 3-6 6-4 in the Rogers Cup in Toronto
Simona Halep beat Sloane Stephens 7-6 (8-6) 3-6 6-4 after 2 hours and 41 minutes to win a roller-coaster final of the Rogers Cup in Toronto in a re-match of this year’s Roland Garros final. Halep broke twice in the opening five games to race out to a 4-1 lead in the opening set, but Stephens broke twice to claw her way back to 4-4. Helep broke back to take a 5-4 lead, but Stephens broke again to draw level to 5-5 and held her serve for 6-5. Halep saved two set points to force the first set to the tie-break. Stephens took a 6-4 lead in the tie-break, but Halep won four consecutive points to win the first set 8-6 on the tie-break after saving four set points.
Stephens broke Halep twice in the first three games of the second set to take a 5-3 lead. Stephens did not convert three break points in the ninth game before converting her fourth chance to force the match to the third set.
Both players traded breaks in the decisive set before Halep got the crucial break in the fifth game to take a 3-2 lead. The Romanian player earned another break in the seventh game to build up a 5-2 lead, when Stephens hit a volley into the net. Stephens saved a match point before breaking serve for 5-3 in the 8th game. The US player saved two more match points, but Halep hit an ace to close out the match on her service game.
“Both matches at Roland Garros and in Toronto were crazy good. She makes me play better and better every time we meet each other. That’s great for me”, said Halep.
