Istanbul Cup 2018

[britbox]

Caroline Wozniacki will be the marquee name heading up the field at the Istanbul Cup. The Australian Open champ is the only Top 10 player heading to the Turkish tournament with most of her peers electing to play the Premier event in Stuttgart.

Despite the lack of other Top 10 entrants, the field is given a boost in name value by double major winner Svetlana Kuznetsova, Agnieszka Radwanska and the in-form Naomi Osaka. 2017 winner Elina Svitolina is not defending her title.

Photo by karlnorling

It’s the last hardcourt tournament opportunity for the top tour players before the focus switches to the clay swing and the lead up to Roland Garros.

$226,750 prize money is on offer for this WTA International event.

Fact Flash
Istanbul is the only city in the world that straddles two continents: Asia and Europe.

 

[britbox]

Draw for Istanbul

 

[kskate2]

Caroline probably won't play in Stuttgart again.

 

[britbox]

Caroline probably won't play in Stuttgart again.

Any particular reason @kskate2? I was surprised that she elected to play Istanbul instead.

 

[kskate2]

Any particular reason @kskate2? I was surprised that she elected to play Istanbul instead.

Remember last year when Sharapova was making her comeback, Stuttgart gave her a WC and then allowed her to start her first round on Wed. Caroline and another player were very vocal about the tournament's actions. Woz withdrew last year after she was slated to play there.

 

[britbox]

Remember last year when Sharapova was making her comeback, Stuttgart gave her a WC and then allowed her to start her first round on Wed. Caroline and another player were very vocal about the tournament's actions. Woz withdrew last year after she was slated to play there.

Oh yeah, I remember now... Fair play to her for standing by her views. Meanwhile, Maria is coining it in at Stuttgart as Porsche's primary ambassador.

 

[Hoergren]

.



It’s the last hardcourt tournament opportunity for the top tour players before the focus switches to the clay swing and the lead up to Roland Garros.
.

Well Britbox - your wrong - it's a clay tournament this year - that's one of the reasons for NOT choosing Stuttgart and of course because Caroline won the tournament a couple of years ago. The Maria thing - well forget that we should get on with other things.

BTW I'm going to this event next Monday - after the Istanbul event. Hope I can bring some live pictures and perhaps a video from meeting Caroline as I've been so lucky to be accredited by Danish TV2 to the event. App. 12000 tickets on sale - will be fun to see her live for the first time - me thinks:

 

[britbox]

Well Britbox - your wrong - it's a clay tournament this year - that's one of the reasons for NOT choosing Stuttgart and of course because Caroline won the tournament a couple of years ago. The Maria thing - well forget that we should get on with other things.

BTW I'm going to this event next Monday - after the Istanbul event. Hope I can bring some live pictures and perhaps a video from meeting Caroline as I've been so lucky to be accredited by Danish TV2 to the event. App. 12000 tickets on sale - will be fun to see her live for the first time - me thinks:

Correct, I'm only three years out of date though

Enjoy the exho!

 

[Hoergren]

And as you can see on the highlights from last year - there is a roof too - so nice event me thinks

 

[Hoergren]

ORDER OF PLAY - TUESDAY, 24 APRIL 2018

CENTER Starting at: 11:00 am

[Q] Dalila JAKUPOVIC (SLO) vs Irina-Camelia BEGU (ROU) [7] 57 06
Not Before 1:00 pm
[WC] Ayla AKSU (TUR) vs Pauline PARMENTIER (FRA) 26 26
Not Before 3:00 pm
Agnieszka RADWANSKA (POL) [3] vs Donna VEKIC (CRO) 16 02 ret.
Not Before 5:00 pm
Maria SAKKARI (GRE) vs [WC] Cagla BUYUKAKCAY (TUR) 75 62
Not Before 7:00 pm
Caroline WOZNIACKI (DEN) [1] vs Ekaterina ALEXANDROVA (RUS) 62 62

COURT 1 Starting at: 12:00 noon

Yulia PUTINTSEVA (KAZ) vs Sorana CIRSTEA (ROU) [6] 06 61 60
[Q] Arantxa RUS (NED) vs Shuai ZHANG (CHN) [4] 62 63
Not Before 3:00 pm
Aryna SABALENKA (BLR) [8] vs Polona HERCOG (SLO) 26 57
After Suitable Rest
Reka-Luca JANI (HUN)/Elitsa KOSTOVA (BUL) vs Chen LIANG (CHN)/Shuai ZHANG (CHN) 36 67

COURT 2 Starting at: 12:00 noon

Q] Viktoriya TOMOVA (BUL) vs Q] Valentyna IVAKHNENKO (RUS) 75 64
Not Before 1:30 pm
Q] Danka KOVINIC (MNE) vs Q] Anna KALINSKAYA (RUS) 62 63
Kateryna BONDARENKO (UKR)/Aleksandra KRUNIC (SRB) [1] vs Desirae KRAWCZYK (USA)/
Giuliana OLMOS (MEX) 63 63

 

[Hoergren]

From the players party - nice

 

[Hoergren]

Patrik Wozniacki: Wozniacki doesn't particularly like playing Stuttgart despite making the final twice. The surface is slippy, and isn't much like the rest of the European clay courts. She'd rather play on a surface like Rome and RG.

Patrik Wozniacki: Caroline skipped Rome last year because of allergies, but she's chancing it this year, and see how it goes.

Miss popular

 

[Horsa]

From the players party - nice

I love that bronze dress. I think it's really jazzy.

 

[Hoergren]

ORDER OF PLAY - WEDNESDAY, 25 APRIL 2018

CENTER Starting at: 12:30 pm

Sara ERRANI (ITA) vs Kirsten FLIPKENS (BEL) 63 64
Not Before 3:00 pm
[WC] Ipek OZ (TUR) vs Kateryna BONDARENKO (UKR) 64 46 06
Not Before 5:00 pm
[Q] Viktoriya TOMOVA (BUL) vs Svetlana KUZNETSOVA (RUS) [2] 57 64 16
Not Before 7:00 pm
Pauline PARMENTIER (FRA) vs Yulia PUTINTSEVA (KAZ) 62 26 63

COURT 1 Starting at: 12:30 pm

Ekaterina MAKAROVA (RUS) [5] vs Aleksandra KRUNIC (SRB) 61 16 46
Ajla TOMLJANOVIC (AUS) vs Alison VAN UYTVANCK (BEL) 63 63
Christina MCHALE (USA) vs Irina-Camelia BEGU (ROU) [7] 46 46

COURT 2 Starting at: 1:00 pm
[WC] Ayla AKSU (TUR)/Harriet DART (GBR) vs Bibiane SCHOOFS (NED)7Renata VORACOVA (CZE) [2] 62 16 10-7
Natela DZALAMIDZE (RUS)7Anna KALINSKAYA (RUS) vs Dalila JAKUPOVIC (SLO)7Irina KHROMACHEVA (RUS) [4] 36 63 10-7
Not Before 3:00 pm
Aryna SABALENKA (BLR)/Maria SAKKARI (GRE) vs Nicola GEUER (GER)/Priscilla HON (AUS) 63 67 10-12

 

[Hoergren]

 

[10isfan]

Sad for Aga. Her body is breaking down from years on tour. Maybe she’ll retire soon?

 

[kskate2]

Sad for Aga. Her body is breaking down from years on tour. Maybe she’ll retire soon?

She might. Especially if she wants to start a family anytime soon.

 

[Hoergren]

ORDER OF PLAY - THURSDAY, 26 APRIL 2018

CENTER Starting at: 12:30 pm

Maria SAKKARI (GRE) vs Aleksandra KRUNIC (SRB) 63 61
Not Before 3:00 pm
Kateryna BONDARENKO (UKR) vs Polona HERCOG (SLO) 26 11 ret.
Not Before 5:00 pm
Sara ERRANI (ITA) vs Caroline WOZNIACKI (DEN) [1] 75 36 36
Not Before 7:00 pm
Ajla TOMLJANOVIC (AUS) vs Donna VEKIC (CRO) 16 26


COURT 1Starting at: 11:00 am

[Q] Arantxa RUS (NED) vs [Q] Danka KOVINIC (MNE) 26 62 60
Not Before 12:30 pm
Raluca OLARU (ROU)/Yana SIZIKOVA (RUS) vs Xenia KNOLL (SUI)/Anna SMITH (GBR) [3] 26 64 7-10
[WC] Ayla AKSU (TUR)/Harriet DART (GBR) vs Chen LIANG (CHN)/Shuai ZHANG (CHN) 26 26
Natela DZALAMIDZE (RUS)/Anna KALINSKAYA (RUS) vs Oksana KALASHNIKOVA (GEO)/Galina VOSKOBOEVA (KAZ) 64 63
After Suitable Rest
María IRIGOYEN (ARG)/Ellen PEREZ (AUS) vs Kateryna BONDARENKO (UKR)/Aleksandra KRUNIC (SRB) [1] WO

 

[Hoergren]

 

[Hoergren]

ORDER OF PLAY - FRIDAY, 27 APRIL 2018 - QUARTERS

CENTER Starting at: 12:30 pm

Maria SAKKARI (GRE) vs [Q] Arantxa RUS (NED) 63 76
Polona HERCOG (SLO) vs Svetlana KUZNETSOVA (RUS) [2] 61 16 75
Not Before 5:00 pm
Caroline WOZNIACKI (DEN) [1] vs Pauline PARMENTIER (FRA) 64 36 ret. abdominal problems
Not Before 7:00 pm
Donna VEKIC (CRO) vs Irina-Camelia BEGU (ROU) [7]

COURT 1 Starting at: 12:30 pm
Xenia KNOLL (SUI)/Anna SMITH (GBR) [3] vs Nicola GEUER (GER)/Priscilla HON (AUS) 62 62
Natela DZALAMIDZE (RUS)/Anna KALINSKAYA (RUS) vs Chen LIANG (CHN)/Shuai ZHANG (CHN) 36 16