Preview Notes: Ladies Open Biel Bienne Biel, Switzerland | April 10 – 16, 2017 | Usd $250,000 International Event
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
PREVIEW NOTES: LADIES OPEN BIEL BIENNE BIEL, SWITZERLAND | APRIL 10 – 16, 2017 | USD $250,000 INTERNATIONAL EVENT WTA Website: www.wtatennis.com | @WTA | facebook.com/wta Tournament Website: www.ladiesopen.ch | @wtabielbienne | facebook.com/WTABielBienne WTA Communications: Adam Lincoln ([email protected]) BIEL QUICK FACTS Main draw dates: Monday - Sunday, April 10 – 16, 2017 Singles Final: Sunday, April 16, NB 3:00pm Doubles Final: Sunday, April 16, 12:00pm TBC Venue: Swiss Tennis Center Status: WTA International event Staging: Tournament’s debut year Draw sizes: 32 singles / 16 doubles teams / 32 singles qualifying Surface: Rebound Ace Hardcourt (Indoors) Total prize money: USD $250,000 Tennis Ball: Babolat Team PRIZE MONEY AND RANKING POINT BREAKDOWN RANK RANK SINGLES USD $ DOUBLES USD $ POINTS POINTS Winner 43,000 280 Winner 12,300 280 Runner-Up 21,400 180 Runner-Up 6,400 180 Semifinalist 11,300 110 Semifinalist 3,435 110 Quarterfinalist 5,900 60 Quarterfinalist 1,820 60 Round of 16 3,310 30 Round of 16 960 1 Round of 28 1,925 1 MAIN DRAW QUICK HITS (excludes qualifiers) Singles wildcards: Belinda Bencic (SUI), Rebeka Masarova (SUI), Carla Suάrez Navarro (ESP) Youngest singles player: Rebeka Masarova (August 6, 1999) Oldest singles player: Roberta Vinci (February 18, 1983) Singles withdrawals: Kristina Mladenovic (left leg), Yaroslava Shvedova (right ankle), Tsvetana Pironkova (illness), Kirsten Flipkens (right knee) TOURNAMENT TALKING POINTS This is the tournament’s inaugural staging, joining Switzerland’s other event, July’s Ladies Championship Gstaad, on the WTA calendar Eight players ranked in the Top 50 are competing at the 2017 Ladies Open Biel Bienne – No.18 Barbora Strycova, No. 25 Carla Suάrez Navarro, No.30 Timea Babos, No.34 Roberta Vinci, No.37 Laura Siegemund, No.44 Alizé Cornet, No.46 Julia Goerges and No.47 Monica Niculescu Follow WTA on Twitter: www.twitter.com/WTA Facebook: www.facebook.com/WTA YouTube: www.youtube.com/WTA 1 PREVIEW NOTES: LADIES OPEN BIEL BIENNE BIEL, SWITZERLAND | APRIL 10 – 16, 2017 | USD $250,000 INTERNATIONAL EVENT Top seed Strycova is coming off a fourth-round run at Miami, where she fell to World No.3 Karolina Pliskova No.2 seed Suárez Navarro has endured a stop-start opening to the season, but rounded into form last week with a semifinal run in Monterrey Siegemund, meanwhile, is coming off a semifinal showing at Charleston, accounting for seven- time major winner Venus Williams along the way Swiss No.1 Timea Bacsinszky is not competing in singles but will team up with compatriot and multiple Grand Slam winner Martina Hingis in doubles Former Top 10 player Belinda Bencic recquired a wildcard to play in Biel, having slipped to No.130 following an injury-affected 2016 One To Watch – Rebeka Masarova has also been awarded a wildcard to compete in front of her home crowd. The 17-year-old, who announced herself to the tennis world last summer by reaching the semifinals in Gstaad, is playing her first event of 2017 COUNTRY BREAKDOWN Excluding qualifiers, a total of 16 countries are represented in the main draw, led by Germany with five players: Belgium (1) Elise Mertens Chinese Taipei (1) Hsieh Su-Wei Croatia (1) Donna Vekic Czech Republic Kristyna Pliskova, Barbora Strycova (2) Anett Kontaveit Estonia (1) France (3) Alizé Cornet, Océane Dodin, Pauline Parmentier Germany (5) Mona Barthel, Annika Beck, Julia Goerges, Laura Siegemund, Carina Witthoeft Great Britain (2) Naomi Broady, Heather Watson Hungary (1) Timea Babos Italy (2) Camila Giorgi, Roberta Vinci Romania (2) Sorana Cirstea, Monica Niculescu, Russia (1) Evgeniya Rodina Slovakia (1) Jana Cepelova Spain (1) Carla Suάrez Navarro Switzerland (3) Belinda Bencic, Viktorija Golubic, Rebeka Masarova USA (1) Julia Boserup Follow WTA on Twitter: www.twitter.com/WTA Facebook: www.facebook.com/WTA YouTube: www.youtube.com/WTA 2.