The 2017 St. Petersburg tour event has arrived. This is not a universal situation on tour, but for many WTA professionals, this is a chance to bounce back following the Australian Open. Anyone who didn’t go too deep in Melbourne can build back rankings points and prize winnings at this WTA Premier tournament. Some players will be sluggish due to lack of match play early in the year, and that’s what will lend intrigue to the week in Russia.
The competition in the 28-player main draw will begin on Monday, January 30.
Event Details
Event: St. Petersburg Ladies Trophy
Category: WTA Premier Level
Date: January 30 – February 5, 2017
Location: Sibur Arena / Dynamo Tennis Center – St. Petersburg, Russia
With a prize money allotment of roughly $711,000, this tournament has added nearly $25,000 in prize money compared to a year ago, which is obviously the sign of a very healthy and thriving event with a secure place on the WTA Tour. This is a Premier tournament, but that status doesn’t necessarily guarantee big crowds or the resources to continue to grow.
Points
Champion – 470 points
Runner-up – 305
Semifinal – 185
Quarterfinal – 100
Round-of-16 – 55 points
Former Champions and Results (5 Years)
Year Champion Runner-up Score
2016 – Roberta Vinci def. Belinda Bencic – 6-3, 6-4
2015 – Jelena Ostapenko d. Patricia Maria Tig – 3-6, 7-5, 6-2
2009-2014: Not held
2008 – Magdalena Rybarikova d. Anna Lapuschchenko, 6-4, 6-2
2007: Not held
2006 – Alberta Brianti d. Alla Kudryatseva, 6-1, 6-4
2005 – Ekaterina Bychkova d. Emma Laine, 6-1, 6-2
Player Info:
Here are some of the more high-profile players at this tournament, where the top four seeds get an automatic bye into the second round:
Simona Halep is always one of the strongest contenders in major tournaments. That she doesn’t go deep in slams as consistently as one might think is baffling. Halep had a disastrous Australian Open, where was booted out in the first round by America’s Shelby Rogers. It’s the second year running that she lost in the opening round after she went down to Japan’s Shuai Zhang 12 months ago. After the match, Halep admitted she was hindered by a bout of tendinitis, which had affected her left knee since the WTA Finals in October. We will know how fit the Romanian is when she returns. The big players have the tendency to regroup quickly. It would be major surprise if Halep leaves Russia empty-handed.
Dominika Cibulkova was the sixth seed in Melbourne but was bounced out well before the business end of the tournament. The short Slovakian has been the finalist in Australia before (2014) but was upset by 34th-ranked Ekaterina Makarova, 6-2, 6-7, 6-3 in the third round. Cibulkova ended the 2016 season in sublime fashion when she took the year-end WTA Finals trophy by beating world No. 1 Angelique Kerber in the final. It would be intriguing to see if she can build on her 2016 success. The new season may have just begun, but so far she has failed. She’s a player with plenty of potential but continues to fall short of expectations.
Svetlana Kuznetsova should be disappointed. She had an excellent draw in the Australian Open and she messed it up. The two-time major champion fought valiantly to overcome fellow veteran Jelena Jankovic in the third round but couldn’t make most of that victory. Kuznetsova was beaten by compatriot and 24th seed Anastasia Pavlychenkova, 6-3, 6-3 in the round of 16. The result was an immediate repercussion of the three-and-a-half-hour battle with Jankovic. Kuznetsova learned a lesson the hard way. She needs to avoid unnecessary three-setters to avoid upsets in future rounds. Kuznetsova is striking the ball crisply and would like to believe she can beat anybody on any given day. However, the field is strong and she will need to be on her toes.
Sibur Arena / Dynamo Tennis Center
The 2017 St. Petersburg WTA event will take place on the larger campus of the Dynamo Tennis Center and the club which resides within it. The main central venue is Sibur Arena, a stadium which began to be built in 2010 and was completed in 2013, seating nearly 7,000 people for the main court at this tournament. This is an indoor event as part of the winter swing, removed from Australia and the Southern Hemisphere, where more summery conditions prevail at this point on the calendar.
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