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Andy Murray’s Year-End No. 1: ATP 2016 Year In Review

Andy Murray did something that no one predicted, which was dethroning Novak Djokovic as the World No. 1.

After making the finals of the Australian Open and French Open, Murray won his second Wimbledon trophy. He became No. 1 for the first time in his long career, and capped his spectacular year by snagging the year-end No. 1 after defeating Djokovic at the ATP Finals.

Watch Murray’s Year in Review segment:

Original author: Ashley Ndebele

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Hot Shots: WTA 2016 Year In Review

Agnieszka Radwanska is arguably the most creative player on the WTA.

One of her best shots this season was against Monica Niculescu at Indian Wells, where she demonstrated one of her best skills: anticipation.

Watch the Hot Shots: Year in Review segment:

 

Original author: Ashley Ndebele

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Dominika Cibulkova’s Gratifying Victory: WTA 2016 Year in Review

Dominika Cibulkova had one of the most gratifying wins of the season as she won the biggest trophy of her career, months after marrying her long-time partner Miso Navara.

27-year-old Cibulkova won the WTA Finals title, defeating top seed Angelique Kerber.

Watch Cibulkova’s 2016 Year in Review segment:

 

Original author: Ashley Ndebele

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The Other American Women: WTA 2016 Year In Review

There are sixteen women in the top 100. Here are the five highlights below:

Madison Keys:

21-year-old Keys had a break-through season, ending the year as No. 8. Keys qualified for the WTA Finals for the first time in her professional career.

Venus Williams:

Williams and Rajeev Ram won silver medals in the 2016 Olympic Mixed Doubles. The 17th-ranked American added to her already impressive resume that included seven career Grand Slams singles, fourteen Grand Slam doubles, two Grand Slam mixed doubles, and four Olympic gold medals.

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Victoria Azarenka’s Baby News: WTA 2016 Year In Review

After having a great first half of the season, Victoria Azarenka’s season interrupted by good news: she found out she was pregnant.

Two-time Australian Open champion, who swept Indian Wells- Miami “Sunshine Double” in March, found out in July that she was expecting her first child.

During an exclusive interview with Tennis Channel, 27-year-old Azarenka revealed how happy she was

“You know obviously in theory you know the process but to actually go through that you truly start to deeply understand the magic of it and it’s quite a ride, I have to say,” said Azarenka.

Now the question is will she return to the tour, or will she retire after giving birth?

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Maria Sharapova’s Shocking News: WTA 2016 Year In Review

When Maria Sharapova put out a statement on her website in early March that she was going to hold a press conference, a lot of people speculated that she was retiring. When she did hold the press conference on March 7th however, she shook the world as she announced she had failed a drug test.

During her conference, five-time Grand Slam champion Sharapova revealed she had tested positive for, meldonium, a substance she had been taking since 2006 for health issues.

The 28-year-old initially received a two-year-ban but after a successful appeal, the ban was reduced to fifteen months. Sharapova’s suspension ends on April 26, 2017.

Will she be able to find the form that has one her the five career Grand Slams?

Watch Sharapova’s 2016 Year in Review segment:

Original author: Ashley Ndebele

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Serena Williams’ 22nd Grand Slam: WTA 2016 Year In Review

After losing in the semifinal of the 2015 U.S. Open and the finals of the 2016 Australian Open and French Open, Serena Williams finally matched Steffi Graf with her 22nd career Grand Slam.

Williams got her revenge on Angelique Kerber in Wimbledon, after losing to the German at the Australian Open Final at the beginning of the year. The American defeated Kerber in the Wimbledon final to win her seventh Wimbledon title, fourteen years after winning her first Wimbledon trophy.

Now the question is will 35-year-old Williams be able to pass Graff and catch Margaret Court, who has the most (24) Career Grand Slam titles?

Watch Williams’ 2016 Year in Review segment:

Original author: Ashley Ndebele

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Queen of Clay Garbine Muguruza: WTA 2016 Year In Review

When Garbine Muguruza upset defending champion Serena Williams in the second round of the 2014 French Open, many people predicted she would one day win the French Open. They predicted correctly since Muguruza did win it in 2016, her first Grand Slam title.

The 23-year-old Spaniard took out 2015 winner Williams in the finals, wining the match in straight sets 7-5, 6-4.

Muguruza had a big letdown after her huge win in Roland Garros, winning only thirteen more matches.

Watch Muguruza’s 2016 Year in Review segment:

Original author: Ashley Ndebele

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Angelique Kerber’s Remarkable Year: WTA 2016 Year In Review

2016 was Angelique Kerber’s best year on the WTA. The 28-year-old German won her first Grand Slam at the Australian Open, defeating six-time Australian Open champion Serena Williams in the final.

Kerber consolidated her maiden Grand Slam by winning the U.S. Open, defeating first-time Grand Slam finalist Karolina Pliskova in the final match.

Kerber capped her spectacular year by ending the season as World No. 1.

Watch Kerber’s remarkable year:

Original author: Ashley Ndebele

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Serbia’s Kecmanovic Wins Second Straight Orange Bowl

PLANTATION, Fla. (AP) Serbia’s Miomir Kecmanovic won the Metropolia Orange Bowl Boys’ 18s singles title for the second consecutive year Sunday, beating China’s Yibing Wu 6-3, 6-1 on green clay at the Frank Veltri Tennis Center.

The 17-year-old Kecmanovic will finish the year as the world’s No. 1-ranked junior. He’s the third player in the Orange Bowl’s 70-year history to win consecutive Boys’ 18s singles titles, joining Billy Martin (1973-74) and Harold Solomon (1969-70).

Kecmanovic also joins Dominic Thiem (2011) and Andy Roddick (1999) as the only players to win the Boys’ 18s singles titles at both the Eddie Herr in Bradenton and Orange Bowl in the same year, dating to 1993 in the tournaments played in consecutive weeks.

Sixteen-year old Kaja Juvan of Slovenia won the Orange Bowl Girls’ 18s singles title. She beat top-ranked Anastasia Potapova of Russia 6-1, 6-4.

Original author: AP

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1st Runner-Up Match of the Year: Wimbledon Semifinal

Milos Raonic had a difficult task coming into the 2016 Wimbledon semifinal match, which was to defeat Roger Federer for the first time in a Grand Slam, but Raonic did manage to defeat him in a five-set thriller to reach his first Grand Final.

Raonic broke Federer in the fourth game of the first set to go up 3-1. He was able to consolidate the break and quickly closed the first set 6-3.

There were no breaks of serve in the second set, but Federer won the tie-break 7-3, taking the set 7-6 to level the match.

Federer broke Raonic’s serve for the first time in the seventh game of the third set, and that was enough to give Federer to the third set.

In the 12th game of the fourth set, Federer was up 40-0 but somehow Raonic managed to break the Swiss, taking the set 7-5 to level the match 2-0.

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IPTL: OUE Singapore Slammers Retain Trophy

OUE Singapore Slammers triumphed over Indian Aces in the final of International Premier Tennis League (IPTL) on Sunday, December 11, 2016 in Hyderabad, India.

For the second time in two years, the Slammers defeated the Aces in the showdown match.

The Slammers won the match 30-14, winning all their sets. Carlos Moya won the opening set 6-4 over Mark Philippoussis in the men’s legends singles. Kiki Bertens followed with another win, defeating local favorite Sania Mirza 6-3 in the women’s singles.

In the mixed doubles, Marcelo Melo and Bertens beat Ivan Dodig and Mirza 6-1. In the men’s doubles, Nick Kyrgios and Melo defeated Dodig and Feliciano Lopez 6-2.

In the final set, Marcos Baghdatis defeated Lopez 6-4.

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2nd Runner-Up Match of the Year: Australian Open Final

This was a match result that no one so coming as seventh-seeded Angelique Kerber of Germany defeated top seed Serena Williams of United States in an exciting final of the 2016 Australian Open.

Kerber was the overwhelming underdog as this was her first Grand Slam final, and had a daunting task of playing a then 21-time Grand Slam champion (Williams now has 22 Grand Slam titles).

Kerber broke Williams in the fourth game of the first set to go up 3-1. Kerber was able to consolidate the break but Williams broke back in the sixth game. Kerber broke right back and was able to close the set 6-4.

Williams came back strong in the second set, breaking Kerber in the fourth game to go up 3-1 and eventually taking the second set 6-3 to level the match.

In the third set, Kerber took the first two games to go up 2-0 but soon Williams got the break back. Kerber got another opportunity to go up 4-2 but again, Williams caught up.

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IPTL: Indian Aces, Slammers to Battle for Trophy

The Indian Aces and the OUE Singapore Slammers will play the final match on Sunday, December 11, 2016 in Hyderabad, India.

The Aces, the local team, solidified their place at the top of the leaderboard after they beat the Slammers 23-19 in India, the last leg of the 2016 IPLT tour.

The Slammers defeated, the reigning champions, defeated the Japan Warriors 30-20.

Team Indian Aces:

Feliciano Lopez, Kirsten Flipkens, Rohan Bopanna, Thomas Enqvis, Ivan Dodig, Mark Philippoussis, and Sania Mirza.

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3rd Runner-Up Match of the Year: Wimbledon Quarterfinal

After being forced to sit out the 2016 French Open due to knee surgery, seven-time Wimbledon champion Roger Federer showed no signs of rust as he came from two sets down to defeat Marin Cilic in a thrilling Wimbledon 2016 quarterfinal match.

Ninth-seeded Cilic came firing out of the block with his big serve and heavy groundstrokes but Federer stood his ground. There were no breaks of serve in the first set, but Cilic won the tie-break to take the set 7-6(4).

In the third game of the second set, Cilic broke Federer’s serve to go up 2-1. The Croatian was able to consolidate the break and held his serve as he closed out the set 6-4.

In the third set, the Swiss broke Cilic in the seventh game to go up a break 4-3. Federer won the next to games to take the third set 6-3.

There were no breaks of serve in the fourth set and so they headed to the tie-break. Federer won it 11-9 to level the match 2-2.

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Sam Groth Leads Australian Open 2017 Play-Off Field

Former World No. 53 Sam Groth is among Australians competing at the Australian Open 2017 Play-Off from December 12-18, 2016.

Sixteen men and sixteen women will vie for two direct entries (one man and one woman) into the 2017 Australian Open.

Tournament Director Francis Soyer is pleased with this year’s field.

“The Australian Open play-off continues to draw some of Australia’s best male and female players to compete for the ultimate prize – direct entry into their home Grand Slam,” Soyer said.

Groth, who is the seeded second, was ranked No. 53 in October 2015 but his ranked has dropped to No. 181.

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Kathy Rinaldi New U.S. Fed Cup Captain, Succeeding Fernandez

WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. (AP) Former top-10 player Kathy Rinaldi is the U.S. Fed Cup team’s new captain.

The U.S. Tennis Association announced Thursday that Rinaldi is succeeding Mary Joe Fernandez, who stepped down in October after eight years in the job.

Rinaldi will have extra duties, working more closely with the American players during the WTA season and offseason. She will also work with the USTA’s player development program.

Her debut as head of the U.S. Fed Cup team will come against visiting Germany in February.

Fernandez helped the United States reach two finals in the annual competition, but did not win a title. The U.S. last won the Fed Cup in 2000.

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4th Runner-Up Match of the Year: Wimbledon Fourth Round

In a match that lasted nearly three hours, Dominika Cibulkova of Slovakia defeated Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland in what was arguably the best Wimbledon fourth round match of 2016.

Cibulkova, who was seeded 19th, pulled a major upset after she beat 3rd-seed Radwanska 6-3, 5-7, 9-7.

The diminutive Cibulkova, who was up a set, served for the match at 5-4 in the second, but Radwanska wasn’t ready to pack her bags as she broke Cibulkova to level the set 5-5. Radwanska won the next two games to take the second set.

At 5-5 in the deciding third set, Cibulkova earned several break points but Radwanska fought them off.  Up 6-5, Radwanska earned a match point but Cibulkova was able to hold.

After breaking Radwanska to go up 7-6, the 19th seed served for the match but the Pole broke back to level the set 7-7. Cibulkova broke again to go up 8-7, earning another opportunity to serve for the match.

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Victoria Azarenka Opens up About Her Pregnancy

Two-time Australian Open champion Victoria Azarenka is no stranger to challenges but she’s about to face her toughest, yet most fulfilling one: bringing a human being into this world.

Azarenka announced her pregnancy a few months after sweeping Indian Wells- Miami “Sunshine Double,” a tough feat.

She is clearly enjoying the experience of being pregnant.

“My pregnancy’s been completely different experience from anything I’ve done before.

You know obviously in theory you know the process but to actually go through that you truly start to deeply understand the magic of it and it’s quite a ride, I have to say.”

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Davis Cup Captain Yannick Noah to Skipper Fed Cup Side

PARIS (AP) The French Tennis Federation has named Yannick Noah as France’s Fed Cup captain for next year.

Noah, who is also France’s Davis Cup captain, replaces Amelie Mauresmo. She stepped down last month because she is expecting her second child.

Mauresmo had been in charge of the Fed Cup team since 2013 and guided it to this year’s final, where it lost 3-2 to the Czech Republic in a tense final.

Under Mauresmo, France won six out of nine Fed Cup ties.

First up for Noah is the first round match against Switzerland in Geneva in February.

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