Sharapova within striking distance of World #1 - wins Brisbane

Happy 2015 tennis fans. 

And what a way to start the year, with the first 3 WTA winners of 2015... All familiar names... that was very prominent during 2014.

Those of Sharapova, Halep and Williams (but not Serena) - are the first to be engraved on 2015's opening week Trophies...

In the lead-up tournaments to the #AustralianOpen2015, it was wonderful to see that some of 2014's most prominent players are still looking to be in great form. 


Venus Williams - winner in the ASB Classic in Auckland, New Zealand. What a positive start to her year. I personally hope that she remains healthy and fit this year. 46 singles titles.

Simona Halep - winner in the Shenzhen Open, Shenzhen, China. Picking up where she left off in 2014. Keep your eyes on her in 2015. I personally have a feeling that there may be a Grand Slam Trophy with her name on it this year. 9 singles titles. 

Maria Sharapova - winner of the first Premier Level WTA tournament for 2015. It's great to see Maria win a trophy in the first week of the year. She has now won at least 1 tournament on tour since 2003, and also only around 700 points behind Serena at #1. 34 singles titles. 

Without getting into match details, I believe that we have great things to look forward to this year. With some of the big names playing in the Hopman Cup. Everyone looks great. Serena, Maria, Simona, Venus, Caroline, Ana... I am looking forward to the best year on the WTA ever. 

On that note. My bags are packed and I am off to my very first ever Grand Slam as a major women's tennis fan. #AustralianOpen2015, here I come. Look out for some feedback in about 2 weeks. 

Let's close of today's blog with some shots of the first winners of 2015... 

Greetings
Charlize

Maria with her Premier Level Trophy in Brisbane. 

Venus Williams with her ASB Classic Trophy.

Simona Halep with her Shenzhen Trophy.

Li Na announces immediate retirement!

"Li Na has officially announced her immediate retirement from tennis. TheAustralian Open and ROLAND-GARROS champion has been battling chronic knee problems in 2014 and has decided to call time on her career." - https://www.facebook.com/AustralianTennisMagazine?fref=nf

This is indeed very sad news for us tennis fans. This remarkably talented and entertaining trailblazer in Chinese tennis and also very quippy lady will be dearly missed. 

Read the excerpt courtesy from the WTA site....

"Friday, September 19, 2014

My dear friends,

For close to fifteen years, we've been a part of each other's lives. As a tennis player representing China on the global stage, I've trekked around the world playing hundreds of matches on the WTA tour, for China's Fed Cup team, at the National Games and at several Olympic Games. You've always been there for me, supporting me, cheering me on, and encouraging me to reach my potential.

Representing China on the tennis court was an extraordinary privilege and a true honour. Having the unique opportunity to effectively bring more attention to the sport of tennis in China and all over Asia is something I will cherish forever. But in sport, just like in life, all great things must come to an end.

2014 has become one of the most significant years in my career and my life. This year was full of amazing highlights, which included winning my second Grand Slam singles title at the Australian Open and sharing the extraordinary experience with my country, my team, my husband and my fans. It was also a year filled with difficult moments, such as having to deal with the inevitable - making the decision to end my professional tennis career......"

For the full article, please visit

http://www.wtatennis.com/news/article/4155316/title/li-na-announces-retirement

Li Na will surely be missed from my side. What are your thoughts on this?

Garbine does it again...

Garbine Muguruza likes defeating defending champions

Garbine Muguruza is no stranger to upsets, and clearly she has a preference to upend defending champions.

Everyone came to know the name Garbine Muguruza when she thrashed Serena Williams out of Roland Garros, in the second round, whilst Serena was defending her title. She also very, very nearly upended Maria Sharapova at Roland Garros, but sheer willpower brought the Champion through on that occassion.

Yesterday, she went and did it again, in the first round of the Bank of the West Classic in Stanford, California, Garbine again slay the defending champion of the tournament. Australian Open runner up Dominika Cibulkova was outclassed in the first set, and for a while found her wheels in the second set to level the scores, but at 1-all, Mugu pulled away again and finished off the "Pocket Rocket" from Slovakia 6-2, 4-6, 6-2... Definitely a future 

I had been busy with my WTA RISING STAR piece on Muguruza, but now it will have to be placed on the backburner for another couple of days. 

I think we need to track her progress through the draw at Stanford. 

Wanna follow the scores and matches this week... the best place to do that is on the Official WTA website. 

http://www.wtatennis.com/