Tennis player Kaia Kanepi took a giant leap in the world singles rankings, jumping from 94th to 65th after her 14-match winning streak was snapped in a WTA event final on Sunday. Anett Kontaveit improved her position by a more modest bump, going from 23rd to 22nd ranked in the world.
Last week in Australia was a success for both Kaia Kanepi and Anett Kontaveit, the latter reaching the finals in the Grampians Trophy, a tournament organized specifically for players isolating in their hotel rooms after a positive case of COVID-19 was discovered on the plane Kontaveit and many other players arrived with. The final however was not played due to there being a time crunch with matches having already been delayed on Thursday.
Published on: Monday, February 08, 2021
By: AFP
Ashleigh Barty poses with her trophy.
MELBOURNE: World number one Ashleigh Barty insisted Sunday she felt “no extra pressure” ahead of the Australian Open as she tuned up with a battling win over Garbine Muguruza to win the Yarra Valley Classic.
The Australian wore down the two-time Grand Slam champion 7-6 (7/3), 6-4 on Margaret Court Arena in one hour and 47 minutes to claim her ninth WTA singles title.
It was a big confidence boost for the 24-year-old in her first tournament in 11 months, after struggling to rediscover her best form in earlier rounds and then missing out on court time when Serena Williams pulled out of their semi-final.
The first tennis Grand Slam tournament of the season - the Australian Open - is set to begin on Monday night Estonian time with Estonians Anett Kontaveit (WTA 22nd) and Kaia Kanepi (WTA 65th) in action on the opening day.
Australia s Ash Barty, left, is congratulated by Spain s Garbine Muguruza after winning the final of the Yarra River Classic in Melbourne on Feb 7. AP
MELBOURNE: Ash Barty didn’t play competitive tennis in almost a year. It seems like she didn’t miss a beat.
Top-ranked Barty cashed in on her first championship point against Garbine Muguruza in the Yarra Valley Classic and Daniil Medvedev clinched the ATP Cup title for Russia within seconds of each other Sunday as the tune-up tournaments for the Australian Open were culminating the eve of the years first major.
After a hectic preparation, which included 14-day quarantines under strict Covid-19 pandemic regulations for the 1,200 or so players, coaches and staff who flew in for the Australian Open, the warmup week of tournaments was being capped with five finals and two semi-finals.