The State of the WTA and Its Ever-Changing Storylines

By
at Internationaled.org

Published: August 7, 2012

commentComment        



With the tennis competition at the 30th Olympics in the rear-view mirror, the 2012 season is entering the homestretch. Three of the four majors have been contested, and the only remaining portion of the season is the hard-court circuit. Every remaining WTA Tour event, including the Fed Cup final between Serbia and the Czech Republic, will be contested on a hard court.

With that in mind, let's take a look back at the dominant storylines of 2012, as well as what they project going forward.  

 

Changing of the Guard

When 2012 began, Caroline Wozniacki continued to hold the No. 1 ranking in the world, a spot she had held at the end of 2010 and for virtually all of 2011, save for one week when Kim Clijsters was atop the rankings. Wozniacki had reached the top spot without winning a Grand Slam, as she had won six titles and reached the semifinals of both the Australian and U.S. Open.

But this year, Wozniacki's stay at the top would be a short one. After losing to Clijsters in the quarterfinals of the Australian Open, she would abdicate the No. 1 ranking to Victoria Azarenka, who thrashed Maria Sharapova to win the title, 6-3, 6-0.

 

Vika, Invincible?

Azarenka's Australian Open triumph was her 12th straight victory to open the season, as she had won a warm-up tournament at Sydney before conquering the field in Melbourne. Next up for her was the Doha tournament, and Azarenka tore through the field there, not losing a set and routing Samantha Stosur in the final, 6-1, 6-2.

Her run of dominance continued at Indian Wells, where, after outlasting Mona Barthel in a third-set tiebreaker in her first match, she ripped through the field again, soundly defeating Sharapova 6-2, 6-3 to win the title.

Entering the Miami tournament, Azarenka was 23-0 on the season, a streak that extended to 26-0 as she faced Marion Bartoli in the quarterfinals. It w...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Tennis

Latest News


Comments

Comments are closed.

Sponsors

Bruins Tickets The Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston, Massachusetts. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League.

Red Wings Tickets The Detroit Red Wings are a professional ice hockey team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League.

Penguins Tickets The Pittsburgh Penguins are a professional ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League.

New York Rangers Tickets play their home games at Madison Square Garden, they are one of the oldest teams in the NHL, having joined in 1926 as an expansion franchise, and are part of the group of teams referred to as the Original Six.

San Jose Sharks Tickets The San Jose Sharks are a professional ice hockey team based in San Jose, California, United States.

Toronto Maple Leafs Tickets The Toronto Maple Leafs are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League.

New Jersey Devils Tickets The New Jersey Devils are a professional ice hockey team based in Newark, New Jersey. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League.

Washington Capitals Tickets The Washington Capitals are a professional ice hockey team based in Washington, D.C.

Buffalo Sabres Tickets The Buffalo Sabres are a professional ice hockey team based in Buffalo, New York. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League. Get the Sabres and all of your NHL Tickets here.

NASCAR season is on of the most attended sports in the world. NASCAR Tickets to the best tracks is a must every year. Some of these tracks are: Talladega Tickets, Lowes Motor Speedway Tickets, Pocono Raceway Tickets, located in Ridgeway Virginia you have Martinsville Speedway Tickets and southern US you have two of the most popular Atlanta Motor Speedway Tickets and Texas Motor Speedway Tickets. Don't miss all the racing events this year!

Boston Red Sox Tickets The Boston Red Sox are a member of the Major League Baseball’s American League Eastern Division. Since 1912, the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park. This is one of the hottest MLB Tickets sales of any team in the major league.

New York Yankees Tickets The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the borough of the Bronx, in New York City, New York and are a member of Major League Baseball's American League East Division. Get tickets to one of the hottest games of the season Yankees Red Sox Tickets.

Chicago Cubs Tickets The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League.

Phillies Tickets The Philadelphia Phillies are a Major League Baseball team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are the oldest continuous, one-name, one-city franchise in all of professional American sports, dating to 1883.

Orioles Tickets The Baltimore Orioles are a professional baseball team based in Baltimore, Maryland.

Do you love wrestling? Get your WWE Tickets and WWE Survivor Series Tickets today!