The 2016 Kremlin Cup tennis tournament will give WTA professionals a final chance to win a premier-level tournament. This is the last one of the season. There will be a noticeable sense of urgency in Moscow, especially for Russian players, who want to impress in front of their home fans.
The competition in the 28-player main draw begins on Monday, October 17.
Event Details
Event: Kremlin Cup
Category: WTA Premier Level
Date: October 17-23, 2016
Location: Olympic Stadium – Moscow, Russia
The 2016 Kremlin Cup title is bolstered by its Premier status and its place near the end of the tennis calendar. With a prize money allotment of nearly $760,000, this is a genuine opportunity to walk away with a very large paycheck.
The points structure under the WTA system is that for the women, the championship at a Premier classification means 470 points. A runner-up finish is worth 305. A semifinal result is 185 points, and a quarterfinal appearance offers 100 points. Round-of-16 results will give 55 points.
Former Champions and Results
Year Champion Runner-up Score
2015 – Svetlana Kuznetsova def. Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova – 6-2, 6-1
2014 – Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova def. Irina-Cameila Begu – 6-4, 5-7, 6-1
2013 – Simona Halep def. Samatha Stosur – 7-6(1), 6-2
2012 – Caroline Wozniacki def. Samantha Stosur – 6-2, 4-6, 7-5
2011 – Dominika Cibulkova def. Kaia Kanepi – 3-6, 7-6(1), 7-5
Player Info:
Dominika Cibulkova is a serious contender for a place in Singapore and she put herself in a commanding position by closing out defending champion Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in straight sets to make the semifinals in Linz. It is also her eighth semifinal of the year. She has won two titles this season and has appeared in three more finals and as a result of her consistency, Cibulkova is currently standing in the ninth position just behind eighth placed Johanna Konta. Cibulkova is in good form and is also the top seed in Moscow. It would be hard to bet against Cibulkova, who has won this tournament before.
Carla Suarez-Navarro fought hard to beat Denisa Allertova 6-4, 4-6, 6-2, to book her spot in the Linz semifinals. The Spaniard not only beat her opponent but also overcame nerves in a tight tussle which lasted close to two hours. She hasn’t had greatest of seasons — 36-19 and has won just one title. Suarez-Navarro had a disastrous Asian swing, where she suffered a straight set loss in the third round to Johanna Konta in Wuhan and endured another straight-set opening-round defeat to Yaroslava Shvedova in Beijing. A ticket to Singapore looks like a long shot, but if she can win in Moscow, there is a good chance she’ll end the year in the top 10.
Elina Svitolina has beaten a No. 1 player twice this season. Svitolina defeated longstanding No. 1 Serena Williams at the Rio Olympics and at the China Open, the Ukrainian took care of Angelique Kerber, the one who replaced Serena at the top of the world rankings in straight sets. She had a forgettable outing at the majors, where except for Roland Garros (fourth round), she failed to progress beyond the second round. Svitolina is a decent 36-20 on the year with one title but hasn’t played much tennis. She had a good run in Tokyo, where she upset Garbine Muguruza 6-2, 4-6, 6-3, on her way and progressed to the semifinals. In China, she again made the semifinals, but didn’t tire herself much by participating in too many tournaments. Svitolina will come to Russia on back of a giant killing win and good form, but can she break her semifinal jinx and win the title?
Olympic Stadium
The arena was built for the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow. It holds over 20,000 for concerts and can bring in 16,000 people for sporting events. It is among the largest indoor arenas in the city of Moscow.
Originally, it was built specifically for the 1980 Summer Olympics, being divided in to two distinctly different halls to host different sports like basketball and boxing. This stadium is part of a greater sporting complex that also has a swimming pool. That complex is known as Olumpyskiy Sports Complex and can hold about 80,000 people in total. It was the world’s first indoor bandy area and usually, when smaller events are hosted – things like basketball or this tennis tournament – only about a quarter of the floor is used.
