Tag Archives: Amelie Mauresmo

Caroline Garcia Defeats Aryna Sabalenka to Claim WTA Finals Crown

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Caroline Garcia has claimed the biggest singles title of her career…

The 29-year-old half-Spanish French tennis player took a tight first set and went on to a 7-6 (4), 6-4 victory over Aryna Sabalenka to win the championship of the WTA Finals on Monday night.

Caroline GarciaThe sixth-ranked Garcia became the second player from France to win the season-ending event after Amelie Mauresmo in 2005, also the last time the WTA Finals were held in the U.S.

The event was moved to Texas from China over concerns about the safety of Peng Shuai, a Grand Slam doubles champion who accused a former government official there of sexual assault. Coronavirus restrictions also played a part in the decision.

Garcia won her last six sets after dropping the first in a winner-take-all match against Daria Kasatkina in group play. She is the oldest WTA Finals winner since Serena Williams at 33 in 2014.

The only player to win titles on all three surfaces this season, Garcia was just as comfortable as Sabalenka on the temporary indoor hard court at Dickies Arena near downtown Fort Worth.

As a result, Garcia handed the No. 7 player from Belarus just her third loss in 12 career hard-court finals. Sabalenka was trying to become the first player from her country to win the WTA Finals.

There was only one break point in a meeting of the tour (Garcia) and tournament (Sabalenka) leaders in aces coming into the match.

Garcia converted that break point in the first game of the second set while handing No. 7 Sabalenka just her third loss in 12 career hard-court finals on the temporary indoor court at Dickies Arena.

Garcia won six consecutive points in the tiebreaker, capped by her 10th ace of the first set for a 6-2 lead. Sabalenka’s third double fault ended the set. Garcia finished with 11 aces.

“It was a lot of aces, sometimes not too many rallies,” Garcia told the crowd. “But that’s our game style, and I hope you enjoyed it.”

Garcia matched Sabalenka’s power from the start in her fourth victory of the season, second only to Swiatek’s eight.

“I just dropped my level for a little bit on the tiebreak and in the first game of the second set,” Sabalenka said. “That was the key moments.”

Tied in the deciding game, Garcia’s service winner gave her a second match point, and Sabalenka sent a forehand long. Garcia dropped to the court on her back with her arms raised.

Caroline Garcia Defeats Coco Gauff at US Open to Reach First-Ever Grand Slam Semifinal

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Caroline Garcia is celebrating a special first…

The 28-year-old part-Spanish French tennis player defeated Coco Gauff 6-3, 6-4 at the US Open to reach her first Grand Slam semifinal.

Caroline GarciaGarcia, the tournament’s 17th seed, produced a clinical display to beat the 18-year-old 12th seed.

The in-form Garcia has yet to drop a set at Flushing Meadows, with this her 13th successive win in a streak that included her claiming her first WTA 1000 win in five years at Cincinnati.

In only her second major quarterfinal – and first since the 2017 French Open – Garcia immediately put Gauff on the back foot on Arthur Ashe Stadium and rarely relented.

Making her 42nd Grand Slam appearance, Garcia unsettled her opponent and subdued the home crowd with a fast start in which she quickly established a 4-0 lead with a second break of serve.

Contesting her first quarterfinal at her home Slam, Gauff hit back in the fifth game but the damage had already been done. Garcia punched the air as she went on to clinch her first set point on serve after 45 minutes.

The teenager was bidding to become the youngest American woman to reach the last four in New York since Serena Williams did so aged 17 in 1999.

However, her task was made even tougher as she lost her serve in the opening game of the second set.

Willed on by the crowd, Gauff – set to make her top-10 debut after the tournament – saved two break points when trailing 3-1 but crucially she was unable to take an opportunity of her own in the following game.

Garcia dropped her racquet and held her hands up in disbelief as Gauff netted on the first match point to make her the first Frenchwoman to reach the last four since Amelie Mauresmo in 2006.

Garcia will meet Ons Jabeur for a place in the US Open final.

León García Has Been Appointed as Captain of Spain’s Davis Cup Team

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Gala León García is breaking down barriers while making history.

The 40-year-old Spanish former professional tennis player has been appointed as captain of Spain’s Davis Cup team by La Federación Internacional de Tenis, becoming the first-ever female coach of a Davis Cup team.

Gala León García

In a statement, the federation says León García will replace Carlos Moya, who stepped down as captain after Spain fell out of the World Group.

Without Rafael Nadal and David Ferrer, Spain lost to Brazil in the playoffs, dropping the five-time champions to the zonal groups for the first time since 1996. The team also lost to Germany earlier this year.

Andy Murray, who is currently coached by Amelie Mauresmo, tweeted his congratulations to León García.

“congrats to Gala Leon Garcia for becoming first female Spanish Davis cup captain today…” tweeted Murray, adding, “hopefully first of many!”

More details are expected in the coming days.

León García turned pro in 1990 and retired in 2004. She achieved her highest ranking of No. 27 in September 2000. She earned one WTA title and 6 ITF titles.

Bruguera Among This Year’s Class of 2015 International Tennis Hall of Fame Nominees

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Sergi Bruguera’s name is being entered into the annals of tennis history…

The 43-year-old Spanish tennis player is among this year’s nominees for the Class of 2015 International Tennis Hall of Fame.

Sergi Bruguera

Bruguera, best remembered for winning consecutive Men’s Singles titles at the French Open in 1993 and 1994, turned pro in 1988. He retired from professional tennis in 2001.

During his 14-years on the ATP tour, Bruguera amassed a career reacord of 447 wins vs. 271 losses. In1989, he was named the ATP‘s Newcomer of Year. In all, he won 14 career singles titles and three doubles titles.

His highest career ranking came in August 1994 when he reached No. 3 on the ATP charts.

Bruguera will join two-time major champion Amelie Mauresmo, who’s now Andy Murray‘s coach, two-time major winner Mary Pierce and multiple singles and doubles Grand Slam winner Yevgeny Kafelnikov.

Mauresmo won the Australian Open and Wimbledon in 2006, and spent 39 weeks at No. 1 in the WTA rankings. In June, she was hired to wo

Pierce’s two Grand Slam singles titles came at the 1995 Australian Open and 2000 French Open. She also won one major title apiece in doubles and mixed doubles.

Kafelnikov won the 1996 French Open and 1999 Australian Open in singles, and four Grand Slam doubles trophies.

Garcia: The Unofficial MVP During France’s Fed Cup Matches Against the United States

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Caroline Garcia is having a banner year… And, she’s got this week’s Fed Cup results to prove it.

The 20-year-old half-Spanish tennis player almost singlehandedly led France to a 3-2 upset of the United States in the international Fed Cup competition on Sunday.

Caroline Garcia

Garcia had a hand in all three of her country’s victories. She beat the USA’s Madison Keys and Sloane Stephens in singles matches early in the meet before joining teammate Virginie Razzano to win the decisive doubles match.

“I’m not sure what I’m doing differently,” she said. “I don’t know. I guess it’s working, so I’ll try to keep doing it, whatever it is.”

France qualified for the World Group in 2015 and will compete for the Fed Cup championship.

The USA is relegated to World Group II for next year.

Garcia and Razzano beat Stephens and Keys 6-2, 7-5 in the fifth and deciding match of the best-of-five, two-day competition held at Chaifetz Arena on the campus of Saint Louis University.

Garcia, ranked 51st in the world, came from out of nowhere to capture her first WTA championships in winning both the singles and double titles in the Claro Open Colsanitas in Bogota, Columbia, on April 13.

She carried the momentum from those victories into the Fed Cup.

“She was totally amazing, unbelievable,” France captain Amelie Mauresmo said. “She really rose to the occasion and was fearless.”

Garcia and Razzano used a pair of nifty passing shots to break Stephens’ serve in the 11th game of the second set. The pair won the lengthy 14-point game to take a 6-5 lead. Razzano then served out the match.

Garcia began her run by beating Stephens 6-3, 6-2 in the opening match on Saturday.

“She was the star of the weekend,” USA captain Mary Jo Fernandez said. “I never thought that she got nervous in any of the matches. She’s really aggressive and it’s all coming together.”

France played Sunday without its top player, Alize Cornet, who suffered a groin injury in a three-set loss to Keys on Saturday.

Fernandez took a chance on using Keys and Stephens in the series-deciding doubles match. The duo of Lauren Davis and Christina McHalewas originally slated to play.

But Fernandez chose to go with the two singles players even though they were coming off tough matches earlier in the day. Keys had just 35 minutes of rest after her loss to Garcia.

“I was trying to go with the players that had big weapons and (could) impose their game on the French,” Fernandez said.

Said Keys: “Not very often do you finish a match and go out again (35) minutes later. I was a little bit more tired.”