David Goffin Archives - Page 2 of 2 - World Tennis Magazine

STARS

Ana Ivanovic beat Caroline Wozniacki 6-2 7-6 (2) to win the Toray Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo, Japan

David Goffin beat Joao Sousa 6-4 6-3 to win the Moselle Open in Metz, France

Karolina Pliskova beat Varvara Lepchenko 6-3 6-7 (5) 6-2 to win the Kia Korea Open in Seoul, South Korea

Monica Niculescu beat Alizé Cornet 6-4 6-0 to win the Guangzhou International Women’s Open in Guangzhou, China

Borna Coric beat Malek Jaziri 6-1 6-7 (7) 6-4 to win the Izmir Cup in Izmir, Turkey

DAVIS CUP

World Group Playoffs, winner promoted to World Group in 2014: Serbia 3, India 2 at Bangalore, India

SAYING

“This is a tough decision to make for me, even harder than playing the Grand Slam matches. But I think this is about the right time to say goodbye to everyone, because my body doesn’t allow me to participate in any high-level tennis matches.” – Li Na, a two-time Grand Slam tournament champion, announcing her retirement from tennis.

“There were some very tough moments, especially in the second set. But I just tried to take it one point at a time, and I’m really happy to make it through. It’s just an amazing feeling to win this title.” – Ana Ivanovic, after capturing the Toray Pan Pacific Open.

“I think it’s very tough to play against me because I put many balls back and run a lot and fight for every ball. I think in this heat and humidity it’s definitely not easy to play against me.” – Monica Niculescu, following her victory in Guangzhou, China.

“This is very special because my family was here today. That’s the advantage of playing close to home. Winning my second title feels just as good as the first one. I’m very happy.” – David Goffin, after winning the Moselle Open.

“Even if I lost today, it was a great week for me as well, reaching the final. I hope that I can come back next year and hopefully go one step further.” – Joao Sousa, who lost to David Goffin in the final at Metz, France.

“I have been trying my best to improve day in and day out by pushing and pushing … but that does not appear to be the best approach for me right now. I will use this time to work on making a full recovery and take care of my body to compete at my best next season.” – Victoria Azarenka, announcing she will miss the rest of the year and try to recover fully from her injuries.

“Since returning from the US Open my team and I have decided that right now it is best for me to take a break from professional tennis.” – Ashleigh Barty, an 18-year-old Australian announcing she is stepping away from the sport.

SPEAKING OUT

The tennis world speaks out on the retirement of China’s Li Na.

“A sad day for tennis but I’m sure your future will be bright and the star you left on our sport will never dim.” – Serena Williams.

“It’s definitely sad, sad news. We’re going to miss such a great champion and such a great character. We love having her on the tour. She’s such a nice person and has brought so much to tennis in Asia and the world. We’re going to miss her a lot.” – Ana Ivanovic.

“Her speech after winning the AO (Australian Open) title was the best speech I have ever seen and heard.” – Aleksandra Krunic.

“One of the funniest players on tour, great humor, hard worker and a true champion.” – Melanie South.

“It’s sad to hear Li Na is retiring. I think everybody is sad about it. She had a great career, though, and it’s really not easy to recover after so many knee surgeries. We’re all going to miss her. I hope to see her at tournaments. She’s very funny. She’s just a great girl.” – Monica Niculescu.

“Great player and even better person! Always funny and smiling, inspired millions of people around the world! We will miss you.” – Lucie Safarova.

“It’s hard to be a household name in a nation with 1.4 billion people, but that’s what Li is.” – Stacey Allaster, WTA Tour chief executive.

“What an honor/pleasure it was competing against this great champion/person.” – Kim Clijsters, in a Twitter.

“Li Na, one of the funniest and nicest players on tour! A great competitor and a role model both on and off the court! You will be missed!! An exciting new chapter starts today!” – Caroline Wozniacki.

SAYONARA

Saying she has no regrets, Li Na said goodbye to the tennis tour. Winner of two Grand Slam tournament titles, the Chinese superstar said surgery on her knees were the reason she decided to stop playing. “After the surgery in July, I tried very hard to recover, hoping I can make it to participate in tennis matches in China, especially the Wuhan Tennis Open which is the first-ever big tennis match in my hometown,” Li said. “However, this is my fourth big surgery, and with my age and physical state, it is hard for me.” Li won the French Open in 2011 to become Asia’s first Grand Slam tournament champion. She won her second major in January in her third trip to the Australian Open final. “I’m very satisfied with my tennis career,” the 32-year-old said. She only entered seven tournaments after winning in Australia, and she hasn’t played since being stopped in the third round at Wimbledon. Citing a knee injury, she withdrew from three tournaments in August, including the US Open. “I feel this is the best time for me to retire, she said. “I don’t feel sorry or have any regrets about retiring. When I was making this decision I asked myself, ‘If I retire, will I regret it?’ My heart told me I wouldn’t, because I’ve done my best.”

Li, who was the first Chinese player to win a WTA title, the first to break into the top 20 and, by being ranked second in the world became the highest-ranked singles player from Asia, man or woman, knows what’s in her future. “What I really want to do now is try to set up a tennis school of my own and do basic things to help build up the base for Chinese tennis,” she said. “Like a pyramid, I believe only with a solid base Chinese tennis can have a better future.” And she knows what that future holds. “Keep an eye out. They’ll be coming,” she said. “Maybe even better than me.”

SEASON TO SAVOR

There’s no Grand Slam tournament title this time around, but 2014 is Ana Ivanovic’s best year yet. The 2008 French Open winner beat another former number one player, Caroline Wozniacki, to capture the Toray Pan Pacific Open, the 15^th WTA title of her career. It was Ivanovic’s 52^nd match win of the year – the most she’s ever had in one season – and her fourth WTA title of the year, another personal best. “Caroline played a great match today,” Ivanovic said. “It was a really good battle out there.” After four consecutive breaks to begin the match made it 2-all, Ivanovic won 17 consecutive points to capture the opening set. That seemed to get Wozniacki started. The Dane broke serve and was two points from taking a 4-1 lead. In another dramatic turn over events, Ivanovic won five of the next eight games to push the set to a tiebreak, which the Serb won 7-2. “I really tried to come into the net and finished a lot of points at the net,” Ivanovic said. “I am happy because Wozniacki is a great defensive player and she gets a lot of balls back.” It was the Serb’s first Toray Pan Pacific Open title in her eighth trip to the tournament. “I tried to serve and return well,” Wozniacki said. “I tried to play the first couple of balls out wide so she has to run for it. But Ana was playing very aggressively.” Both finalists are in the running for next month’s season-ending WTA Finals, which features the world’s top eight players. “I’m really happy that this is one step closer to the WTA Finals in Singapore,” Ivanovic said. “It’s coming close and everything’s on the line.”

SPECIAL WEEK

David Goffin has been a world-beater since Wimbledon, and proved it by capturing the Moselle Open title. The 23-year-old Belgian has won 34 of his past 36 matches, including his first ATP World Tour trophy in Kitzbühel, Austria, in July and three ATP Challenger Tour titles. Since falling to Andy Murray in the opening round at Wimbledon, Goffin has compiled a 17-2 record. On his way to the Moselle final, he upset top-seeded Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 1-6 7-6 (5) 7-5. He only needed two sets to stop Joao Sousa in the title match and earn his 50^th career tour-level win. Having finished 2013 ranked 113^th in the world, Goffin is now in the top 35 in the rankings. Goffin joins Milos Raonic, Grigor Dimitrov and Bernard Tomic was players born in the 1990s who have won multiple ATP World Tour titles.

SEASON OVER

Two-time Australian Open champion Victoria Azarenka will miss the rest of this year as she attempts a full recovery from injuries. “Unfortunately I will not be competing in any tournaments for the remainder of the season,” the 25-year-old Belarusian said on her Facebook page. “It has been a very tough year for me.” Azarenka won the Australian Open in 2012 and 2013, and she reached the US Open final both years. But this year the former world number one has struggled with foot and knee troubles and has seen her singles ranking plummet to 25^th in the world. She announced her season had ended after withdrawing from this week’s Wuhan Open in China, citing a foot injury.

SECOND TITLE

Heat and fatigue weren’t the only things Monica Niculescu overcame to capture her second career WTA title. The Romanian trailed Alizé Cornet 4-2 in the opening set of the Guangzhou International Women’s Open final before rallying to win 10 straight games. “I was so happy to finish in the end because it was very hot and very humid, and I was very, very tired,” Niculescu said after her win. “But to finish so strong was amazing for me. I have many emotions right now, but most of it is joy and confidence. It’s my second WTA title and that’s just an amazing feeling.” The 26-year-old champion did not drop a set the entire week while losing just 17 games in the five matches. Cornet, on the other hand, committed 12 double faults. “I had a good feeling about this tournament when I entered it,” Niculescu said.

SIZZLING

Mariusz Fyrstenberg and Marcin Matkowski – a duo known as “Polish Power” – finally captured the Moselle Open doubles crown. The two were runner-up in both 2007 and 2008 to Frenchmen Arnaud Clement and Michael Llodra. And the Polish pair hadn’t won any title in 14 months, the last coming in July 2013 in Hamburg, Germany. This time, though, they bested Marin Draganja and Henri Kontinen to collect their 15^th title as a team. “Recently we haven’t won much,” Fyrstenberg said. “It’s always great to have a title. It’s very refreshing and you get confidence. Hopefully it’s not over.” Fyrstenberg and Matkowski were playing in their 38^th tour-level final together. Draganja and Kontinen, playing in just their second ATP World Tour tournament together, were bidding for their first team title.

SUCCESS, FINALLY

It took a while before Karolina Pliskova finally took home the big trophy at the end of the tournament. Ranked 32^nd in the world and seeded second in the Seoul, Korea, event, Pliskova was finally successful in her fourth WTA final of the year, needing three sets before stopping American Varvara Lepchenko. The 22-year-old Czech had lost three singles finals this year – the latest coming against Germany’s Sabine Lisicki at the WTA Hong Kong Open last Sunday – before finally prevailing. It was her second WTA title. Lepchenko reached the title match after knocking off defending champion Agnieszka Radwanska in the quarterfinals and fellow American Christina McHale in the semifinals.

SITE SELECTED

France and Switzerland will clash in the Davis Cup Final in Lille, France, November 21-23. The tie will be played indoors under a retractable roof at Stade Pierre-Mauroy. The stadium has a capacity of more than 50,000, but a court will be set up at one end with seating capacity around 27,000. The largest attendance for a Davis Cup Final was in 2004 when 27,200 spectators watch Spin defeat the United States at Olympic stadium in Seville, Spain. “Lille will be a spectacular setting for one of the most eagerly anticipated Davis Cup Finals in years,” ITF president Francesco Ricci Bitti said. The tie will feature Switzerland’s Roger Federer, winner of a record 17 Grand Slam tournament titles, and 2014 Australian Open champion Stan Wawrinka going against a strong French squad that could include, among others, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Gael Monfils and Richard Gasquet.

STAYING HOME

Former Wimbledon junior girls singles champion Ashleigh Barty is taking a break from tennis. The 18-year-old Australian, saying she needs to take time out, offered no reason for the layoff or when she might return. Teamed with Casey Dellacqua, Barty reached the women’s doubles final at three Grand Slam tournaments in 2013 – the Australian Open, Wimbledon and the US Open. But she has had difficulty in singles, her highest ranking being 129^th in the world in 2013, but currently at 216^th. She received eight wild-card entries into Grand Slam tournament singles events before qualifying for this year’s US Open, where she lost in the first round to 30^th-seeded Barbora Zahlavova Strycova. Barty has not played since and, for the time being, has no plans to play again.

SIDELINED

Spain’s Nicolas Almagro won’t return to the tennis court until next year. The 29-year-old under surgery on his left foot in July, and is still recovering. He has withdrawn from the Shanghai Rolex Masters and the BNP Paribas Masters in Paris. Almagro last played at Roland Garros in May, losing in the first round to American Jack Sock. He reached the semifinals in Houston, Texas, USA, earlier in the year as he compiled a 14-9 record on the ATP World Tour. Almagro is currently ranked 28^th in the world.

SENIOR FIELD

Former French Open champion Iva Majoli will compete in the four-player WTA Legends Event during the WTA Finals in Singapore. Majoli won the clay court Grand Slam tournament in 1997. Others in the select field include 18-time Grand Slam tournament winner Martina Navratilova; Tracy Austin, who won the US Open in 1979 and 1981, and 2013 Wimbledon winner Marion Bartoli in the inaugural WTA Legends Event.

STATOIL MASTERS

American Andy Roddick will make his debut at the Statoil Masters Tennis event at the Royal Albert Hall in London, Great Britain, December 3-7. Roddick won the hearts of British tennis fans when he lost a 16-14 final set to Roger Federer at Wimbledon in 2009. Greg Rusedski has also announced that he will return to the ATP Champions Tour event. Also in the field will be Tim Henman and Mark Philippoussis. Others will be announced later. Besides competing in the ATP Champions Tour event, Roddick and Rusedski will join Henman, John McEnroe, Kim Clijsters and Sabine Lisicki for the Mylan World TeamTennis Smash Hits tennis charity event co-hosted by Sir Elton John and Billie Jean King on December 7. It is the first time the event will be held outside the United States and will raise money for the Elton John AIDS Foundation.

SELECTED

Mark Stenning and Ed Woolard have been named Life Trustees of the International Tennis Hall of Fame & Museum. Stenning had been CEO of the Hall of Fame until earlier this year, when he stepped down. Woolard has been a longtime supporter of the Hall of Fame in numerous capacities, most recently serving as vice chair of the organization’s Capital Campaign.

SHARED PERFORMANCES

Guangzhou: Chuang Chia-Jung and Liang Chen beat Alizé Cornet and Magda Linette 2-6 7-6 (3) 10-7 (match tiebreak)

Izmir: Ken Skupski and Neal Skupski beat Malek Jaziri and Alexander Kudryavtsev 6-1 6-4

Metz: Mariusz Fyrstenberg and Marcin Matkowski beat Marin Draganja and Henri Kontinen 6-7 (3) 6-3 10-8 (match tiebreak)

Seoul: Lara Arruabarrena and Irina-Camelia Begu beat Mona Barthel and Mandy Minella 6-3 6-3

Tokyo: Cara Black and Sania Mirza beat Garbiñe Muguruza and Carla Suárez Navarro 6-2 7-5

SURFING

Kuala Lumpur: www.malaysianopentennis.com/2014/

Shenzhen: www.shenzhenopen.com/

Wuhan: www.wuhanopen.org/

Beijing: www.chinaopen.com.cn/en/index.shtml

Tokyo: www.rakutenopen.com/