From Seoul, South Korea, March 2018

Indian Wells Masters (BNP Paribas Open), California

The tournament at Indian Wells is the first Premier Mandatory tournament of the WTA year.The other 4 Premier Mandatory tournaments are Miami Open, Madrid Open and Beijing Open. The facilities in this at Indian Wells are considered to be at least as good as those from the four Grand Slam tournaments, if not better. For long time, the BNP Paribas tour insisted for this tournament to be transformed in a fifth Grand Slam.

The huge central court can host 16,100 spectators, and the second biggest court has 8,000 seats. 29 courts are to be used, and the entire complex has almost 220,000 m².

128 players will enter competition, with 32 favorites entering from the second round.

The 32 favorites are as follows:

(in paranthesis - when a certain player left the competion;

no paranthesis - player still in competition at the date this article was published)

Point system:

Winner - 1000

Runner up - 650

Semifinalists - 390

Quarterfinalists - 215

Round of 16 - 120

Round of 32 - 65

Round of 64 - 35

Round of 128 - 10

History:  Williams Sisters' Controversy

<Serena Williams after winning at Indian Wells in 2001>

Venus and Serena Williams, two very successful American players, refused to play the Indian Wells tournament from 2001 to 2014 despite threats of financial sanctions and rating point penalties. 

The two were scheduled to play in the 2001 semi-final but Venus withdrew  due to an injury. Amid speculation of match fixing, the crowd for the final loudly booed Serena Williams when she came out to play the final and continued to booher intermittently through the entire match, even to the point of cheering unforced errors 

and double faults.

Williams won the tournament and was subsequently booed during the awards ceremony. The following month at the Ericsson Open, Richard Williams, Serena and Venus's father, claimed racial slurswere directed at him while in the stands. Neither Venus nor Serena played the tournament until 2015, when Serena Williams played in the tournament, ending her 14-year boycott of the event. Venus Williams ended her boycott by competing in 2016.

(wikipedia.org)

GALLERY OF THE CHAMPIONS:

2017 winner: Elena Vesnina, Russia

2016 winner: Victoria Azarenka, Belarus

2015 winner: Simona Halep, Romania

2014 winner: Flavia Penetta, Italy

2013 winner: Maria Sharapova, Russia 

wtatennis.com

wikipedia.org

From Cluj-Napoca, Romania, February 2018

1. Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships, UAE

RESULTS:

FINALISTS:

WINNER:

Elina Svitolina reigned supreme at the 2018 Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships, defending her title from last year.

The 23-year-old defeated Russian Daria Kasatkina with a 6-4 6-0 win.  In the semifinals, Kasatkina passed over Garbine Muguruza in a three-set match, while 

Svitolina beat German Angelique Kerber in two sets. As Caroline Wozniacki did not participate in the Dubai competition, she lost her number one position to Simona Halep, who also did not paricipate due to a leg injury.

2017 winner:

Elina Svitolina, Ukraine

2. Hungarian Ladies Open, Budapest

FINALISTS:

WINNER:

Belgium’s Alison van Uytvanck won the second title of her career when she defeated Dominika Cibulkova for the Hungarian Open title in Budapest.

The unseeded Belgian fought through a hard-fought battle to claim her 6-3 3-6 7-5 victory over the top seeded Slovak.

"I had two tough service games in the third, and I was able to manage to get through that,  and it was getting better and better. I was getting a little bit more confident, and I just kept fighting. I’m so happy with the win."

2017 champion:

Timea Babos (left), Hungary

wtatennis.com

From Cluj-Napoca, Romania, February 2018

Qatar Total Open, Doha

<Winner: Petra Kvitova, Czech Republic>

The 2018 Qatar Total Open is a professional women's tennis tournament played on hard courts.  It turned into a WTA Premier 5 tournament starting with the 2018 WTA Tour. 

Points (singles):

Winner - 900

Runner-up - 585

Semifinal - 350

Quarter final - 190

Round of 16 - 105

Round of 32 - 60

Round of 56 - 1

Seeds:

Seed No 1 Caroline Wozniacky was defeated by Petra Kvitova in the semifinals. Seed No 2 Simona Halep was scheduled to play Garbine Muguruza in the semis, but she withdrew before the match due to an older unhealed ankle injury. 

2017 champion:

Karolina Pliskova, Czech Republic

wtatennis.com

wikipedia.com

From Georgensgmund, Bayern, Germany, January 2018

1.Australian Open, Melbourne

Australian Open point system:

Win: 2000

Runner-up: 1300

Semifinals: 780

Quarter-finals: 430

4th round: 240

3rd round: 130

2nd round: 70

1st round: 10

Results from Quarter Finals to the Final:

Results from Quarter Finals to the Final:

From Georgensgmund, Bayern, Germany, January 2018

Danish Caroline Wozniacki is finally a Grand Slam champion, after securing victory

 over top seed Simona Halep in her first Australian Open final, 7-6(2), 3-6, 6-4. 

"I think last year, already for a year and a half, I've proved that I can beat anyone out there

on court", Wozniacki said at her post-championship press conference. 

"When you're in the finals, I'm not going to lie, I was really nervous before going out there on court,

but once I kind of settled in and we had the warmup, I thought, I have everything to win."

Simona Halep had an impressive comeback in the first set when, from the score 4 to 1 for Wozniacki,

 she pushed the set into tiebreak.

However she was defeated in the tiebreak in the end.

Halep won the second set, 6 to 3, but she got more and more tired, while Wozniacki 

seemed to manage her condition better.

In all, Caroline hit just 19 unforced errors and 25 winners in a nearly 3 hours match. 

For Halep, it was another agressive display: 40 winners off-set by 46 unforced errors, accompanied

by an impressive six aces off her ever-improving serve.

Simona had more winners, but also more errors. Caroline's winners came in key moments 

of the match. This, and her better physical condition were the aspects which mattered in the end.

"I was really tired", Halep said after the match. "I had so many problems at my feet, pain everywhere.

But, you know, I think I did pretty well with all the things that were going on.

After the first set, I was just out. I don't know what happened. No energy, no power. 

But then I just said that I have to hit all the balls, and then I could take the second set."

<Caroline reacts after the final point>

Wozniacki had been the underdof in her first previous Grand Slam (US Open) finals, against 

Kim Clijters in 2009 and Serena Williams in 2014. She had her own physical issues late 

in the AO final, calling her trainer for an acute left knee injury.

<Players hug after match>

With the match in critical stage, Caroline got one last streak, earning the championship point with

 a sensational rally and taking the win one point later, becoming the first from her country

 to win a singles Grand Slam title.

"That was a crazy point. I think we both played very well."

"I can still smile", Halep said. "It's fine. I cried, but now I'm smiling. It's just a tennis match in the end. 

But I'm really sad I couldn't win. I was close again, but the gas was over in the end."

"She was better. She was fresher. She had actually more energy in the end."

<Simona and her team>

Ranked No. 1 for 67 weeks between 2010 and 2012, Wozniacki will return to the top spot 

on Monday after six years.

"I think being the new Grand Slam champion and World No. 1 sounds pretty good. I'm very excited for that.

 It's a dream come true."

VIDEOS:

Blood pressure is rising, Halep seeks medical treatment

Caroline Wozniacki press conference (F)

Simona Halep press conference (WF) 

The fight to the top: Halep v Wozniacki final

spiegel.de

wtatennis.com

ausopen.com

From Neupotz, Rheinland-Pfalz, Germany, January 2018

Side Note: It was satifsfying for me as a Romanian to witness Simona's way 

into the semifinals, and I was also very pleased to see Korean's Jeong Hyeon's

 impressive performance at this tournament. 

Halep-Kerber 6-3 4-6 9-7

The second semifinal in the women's tournament in Australia. 

It seemed so easy for Halep to bring the score to 5-0 as Kerber did not play much 

in the beginning of the match.

After an unbalanced first set however, Kerber came back and won the seond one. 

Both players were great, but the thrid set was heart attack 

after heart attack for any of the supporters of these two players, and

perhaps for the players themselves too.

The Romanian, twice a French Open runner-up, saved two match points on her way to victory.

At the score 7:8 Angelique Kerber struggled with a good baseline game before Halep made the

 crucial point, and narrowly missed the final of this Australian Open.

Speaking courtside, Halep said:

"It was very tough.. I'm shaking now, very emotional. She's a very good opponent,

moving well, hitting from everywhere. I'm really glad I could win this match.

I tried to be very calm. Today was like a rollercoaster, up and down,

 but I didn't give up. "

"I had just confidence in myself. I decided after I twisted my ankle (in the first round)

that I would fight for every point in this tournament and then I wold rest.

I didn't give up, not even a ball.

If you don't give up, you van win the match in the end.

I did it an I'm really proud of myself actually."

Halep will face Caroline Wozniacki in the final on Saturday. Both players are seeking 

to win their first Grand Slam title, and Wozniacki is also looking forward 

to replace Halep as WTA Number One. 

<In the other semifinal, Wozniacki beat Belgian Mertens in two sets 3-6 6(2)-7(7)>

Simona Halep v Angelique Kerber match highlights (SF)

Simona Halep on court interview (SF)

Following is the current ranking of the first 5 players.

The winner of the tournament will be awarded 2000 ranking points 

and the runner-up 1300 points.

If Caroline wins on Saturday, she will be the new Number One. 

Australian Open point system:

Win: 2000

Runner-up: 1300

Semifinals: 780

Quarter-finals: 430

4th round: 240

3rd round: 130

2nd round: 70

1st round: 10

 Angelique Kerber is a former champion of the Australian Open.

In 2016 she won the trophy after a match against Serena Williams. 

bbc.com

express.co.uk

theguardian.com

spiegel.de

From Georgensgmund, Bayern, Germany, January 2018

Round 3 in the women's tournament at Australian Open. One of the smallest players in the draw, 

Lauren Davis, current ranking 76, was one of the protagonists of the longest and 

best contest of the women's tournament. Her opponent was top seed Simona Halep. 

Halep had to save three match points before surviving 4-6 6-4 15-13 against Davis. 

Simona was also injured since the very first round. The encounter with Davis lasted 

three hours and 45 minutes on Rod Laver Arena. The last set seemed neverending, 

as each of the players kept winning on their serve. 

The American had to call a medical timeout late in the third set because of a toe-curling problem. 

Davis said: "I think my second toes are infected. 

I was just jamming them a lot with how much I was moving around the court."

"That first match point just, I felt something and I couldn't really put any pressure 

- it was my right toe, and then it eventually was my left toe, also. "

"The trainer wrapped them really well and I was able to move fine after that."

“Was very tough match. So long. I never played a third set so long,’’ said Halep. 

“So I’m really happy that I could stay and win it. I’m almost dead."

“I have no idea how much I run, I just know that my muscles are gone. 

My ankle… I can’t feel it any more. But it was nice to win and to again 

be in the fourth round of this tournament is great.’’

Her Australian coach, Darren Cahill labelled it a “magnificent” effort from players,

 the fight extraordinary, and tenacity remarkable.

 “It was just an heroic effort from both ladies, but really proud of Simona,’’ he said.

Having never played such a lengthy match, the Romanian faces a huge challenged to 

recover for the matches to come. She had carried in a left ankle injury from her opening 

round against Australian Destanee Aiava, and have been on anti-inflammatories and pain-killers since.

“For sure they wore off by the end of the match,’’ said Cahill, who also coached

 Lleyton Hewitt and Andre Agassi to No.1. “But she’s a tough chick.’’

Halep has yet to win a Grand Slam tournament. She has a mixed record at the 

Australian Open, being eliminated in the first round in four of her seven appearances, 

including her past two campaigns, 2016 and 2017. 

ausopen.com

heraldsun.com.au

express.co.uk

wtatennis.com

From Ganghwa Island, South Korea, January 2018

Rainy weather at Shenzen on the day of the finals. 

After continuously being delayed,the game was finally played indoors,

thus it was not streamed online nor televised. 

Simona Halep won her first trophy of the year beating Czech Siniakova in a 3 sets match, 6-1, 2-6, 6-0.

Halep and Siniakova also met last year, in 2017, in the Shenzen final, when Siniakova won. 

Siniakova met Sharapova in the semifinals, where she had a tough match that she was able to win i the end. 

Halep's rival in the semifinals was another Romanian, Irina Camelia Begu. 

Begu and Halep played together as a team for the doubles competition which they won. 

<Simona Halep with the singles trophy>

<Simona Halep with both doubles and singles trophies>

<Halep and Begu with the doubles trophy>

Photos: Simona Halep's Instagram

From Ganghwa Island, South Korea, January 2018

1.Brisbane, Australia

SEMIFINALISTS

RESULTS

WINNER

***

2. Shenzhen, China

SEMIFINALISTS

RESULTS

WINNER

***

3. Auckland, New Zealand

SEMIFINALISTS

FINALISTS

WINNER

wtatennis.com