ABIERTO MONTERREY AFIRME MONTERREY, MEXICO FEB 29 - MAR 06 , 2016

TOURNAMENT INFO

TIER: International
PRIZE MONEY: $226,750

SURFACE: Hard
DIRECTOR: Hernan Garza Echavar

Monterrey hosted a WTA event for the first time in 2009 at the Sierra Madre Tennis Club.

While Marion Bartoli was the inaugural winner of what is now known as the Abierto Monterrey Afirme, 2010, 2011 and 2013 champion Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova has been the tournament's dominant figure. In 2014, former World No.1 Ana Ivanovic was victorious.

The event attracted publicity during the 2012 staging when Serena Williams and Gisela Dulko delighted fans by rallying on an acrylic mini-tennis court that was floating on water at the Santa Lucía Riverwalk.

Monterrey is informally known as "the city of mountains" and is the capital city of México's northeastern state of Nuevo León. It is a base for many major international corporations and is México's second richest city.

Timea Bacsinszky conquers Monterrey 2015

Bacsinszky had beaten Garcia in the Acapulco final last Saturday and for a while it looked like this one would be a flip-flop as well, with Garcia taking the opening set, 6-4, and, after Bacsinszky jumped out to a 3-1 lead in the second set, a four hour rain delay stopping her and her momentum in their tracks. 

 When play resumed at around 11:30pm, though, it seemed like Bacsinszky never really left the court. Swinging freely from both wings the No.4-seeded Swiss cruised through the rest of the second set and kept it going in the third set, eventually closing out the No.3-seeded Garcia, 4-6, 6-2, 6-4. The match ended at 12:54am, and Bacsinszky cried tears of joy during her on-court interview. 
 "I'm just really happy to play so well at the beginning of the year," Bacsinszky said in her post-match press conference. "I'm going to keep trying to push my limits in the next tournament I'm playing. I hope to keep improving all parts of my game, doesn't matter whether 
I'm winning or losing. "I always just want to be a better tennis player, and be a better person too."

ANA IVANOVIC ADVANCES TO SEMIS INTO MONTERREY 2015

Ana Ivanovic demostró en la cancha que está dispuesta a retener el cetro del Abierto Monterrey AFIRME al avanzar a las semifinales del torneo, tras vencer a la francesa Kristina Mladenovic por parciales de 6-3 y 6-2.

La rival de Ivanovic en la semifinal será la francesa Caroline García, quien en su duelo de cuartos de final venció a la eslovaca Magdalena Rybarikova. La serbia no pasó por muchos apuros para ganar a Mladenovic, en apenas una hora de partido en la Cancha Central del Club Sonoma, ante cerca de 3 mil fans que soportaron una temperatura que rondó los cinco centígrados. 
 Por su parte García, tercera sembrada del torneo, avanzó tras el retiro por lesión en el tobillo de Rybarikova. La francesa ganaba 7-5 el primer set, cuando la eslovaca tomó la decisión de dejar el duelo. Las semifinales de singles están programadas para iniciar no antes de las 16:00 horas. 
El primer duelo será el de Sara Errani ante Timea Bacsinszky, y le seguirán Ivanovic frente a García.

News Quarter-Final. Abierto Monterrey Afirme Monterrey. 6 March 2015

Cuatro duelos de poder a poder serán los que se vivirán la jornada del viernes en el Abierto Monterrey AFIRME, con los Cuartos de Final del cuadro de singles. 

 La serbia y aún campeona del torneo, Ana Ivanovic se enfrentará a la francesa Kristina Mladenovic por su pase a las semifinales, en un juego que está programado para iniciar no antes de las 19:00 horas en la Cancha Central del Club Sonoma. 
 Ivanovic y Mladenovic saldrán a la cancha con condiciones muy diferentes a las que tuvieron en sus duelos de segunda ronda, ya que deberán medirse bajo un clima frío, el cual contrasta con el calor que se vivió el miércoles en Monterrey. 
 En duelo pactado para no antes de las 18:00 horas, la segunda sembrada Sara Errani, se enfrentará a la tri campeona del torneo, Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, quien la noche del jueves se impuso a Johanna Larsson en parciales de 6-4 y 6-4. Urszula Radwanska, quien se abre paso en el torneo desde la fase de calificación, se enfrentará, no antes de las 15:00 horas, a Timea Bacsinszky campeona la semana pasada del Abierto Mexicano de Acapulco. 
Urszula se impuso el jueves con autoridad a la eslovaca Daniela Hantuchova en parciales de 6-2 y 6-4. 
 Para cerrar la jornada de cuartos de final, Magdalena Rybarikova se enfrentará a la francesa Caroline García, quien por la noche del jueves venció a por 7-6 (7/2) y 6-0 a la italiana Francesca Schiavone.

Ana Ivanovic in press Conference. Abierto Monterrey Afirme Monterrey. THE ORIGINAL PIC

Ana Ivanovic in press Conference. 
Abierto Monterrey Afirme Monterrey. 
THE ORIGINAL PIC

Ivanovic into 3 round. Parmentier out. Abierto Monterrey Afirme Monterrey 2015

Ana Ivanovic was on her game in the late night match at the Abierto Monterrey Afirme on Wednesday, cruising past talented Frenchwoman Pauline Parmentier, 6-3, 6-2. 

"It was a very good match. It was a little late, but I'm happy to win," Ivanovic said. "It was different conditions than yesterday too - it was a little bit slower out there, and a little bit heavier. 
But I was happy to get the victory and get through to the quarterfinals in Monterrey again." There was another difference from Tuesday to Wednesday.
On Tuesday, Ivanovic was given an oversized teddy bear after her match
Where is the bear now? 
"It's in my room!" 
Ivanovic said. 
"In the middle of the night when I wake up, I'm a little scared."

Ana Ivanovic blog. ready for practice! Monterrey 2015

ready for practice! 
Abierto Monterrey

ANA IVANOVIC ADVANCES IN MONTERREY 2015. VAIDISOVA OUT

But it was Vaidisova, a two-time Grand Slam semifinalist and former World No.7, who got drawn into that spot. And Ivanovic looked completely psyched up for it, winning in straights, 6-1, 7-6(4). 

 It wasn't all plain sailing - after storming out to a 6-1, 3-0 lead in just over half an hour, Ivanovic watched on as Vaidisova brought out some vintage form, winning five of the next six games to go ahead 5-4 and eventually pushing the second set to a tie-break. Ivanovic wrestled control back just in time, though, reeling off four points in a row from 4-3 down to close out the breaker and the match.

"When I saw I was going to play against her I knew it would be a tough match because she's a great player," Ivanovic said of Vaidisova. "She didn't play for a while, and now she wants to play again, and in the second set she was playing really well and making some really good shots out there.
"I'm happy I won the tie-break because you never know what will happen in a third set."

kristina Mladenovic and Ana Ivanovic. Abierto Monterrey Afirme Monterrey Party 2015. PHOTO OF THE DAY

We had lots of fun at the #AbiertoMty players party
 #WeCouldBeHeroes 
#Monterrey
PHOTO OF THE DAY

Abierto Monterrey Afirme Monterrey 2015. The tournament's official player party.

The WTA stars went from tennis clothes to party attire to superhero outfits 
At the end of a long day of matches, practice and off-court training, the WTA stars headed to the VIP Lounge at Club Sonoma for the tournament's official player party. 

And though the fashion, gourmet dinner and traditional Mexican dance performances were fantastic, there was one more fantasy to come on the big night: the WTA stars showing their Power To Inspire - or Superpower To Inspire.

ANA IVANOVIC AND JOVANA JAKSIC IN MONTERREY 2015

Last year at the Abierto Monterrey Afirme, Ivanovic and Jaksic battled it out in the first all-Serbian final in WTA history - Ivanovic won that one, but had some very kind words for her countrywoman. 

 "I think we both enjoyed the final - it was very special for our country, it was the first time two players from our country were in a WTA final together," Ivanovic said that night in Monterrey. "It was also great to see Jovana doing so well here this week. I think she definitely has a bright future ahead of her."

Abierto Monterrey Afirme Monterrey 2015; Main Draw Singles,

Abierto Monterrey Afirme Monterrey, MEXICO Mar 02 - Mar 08; 2015. Tournament Info

Tournament Info 
Tier: International 
Prize Money: $500,000 
Surface: Hard 
Director: Hernan Garza Echavar 

Monterrey hosted a WTA event for the first time in 2009 at the Sierra Madre Tennis Club. While Marion Bartoli was the inaugural winner of what is now known as the Abierto Monterrey Afirme, 2010, 2011 and 2013 champion Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova has been the tournament's dominant figure. In 2014, former World No.1 Ana Ivanovic was victorious. The event attracted publicity during the 2012 staging when Serena Williams and Gisela Dulko delighted fans by rallying on an acrylic mini-tennis court that was floating on water at the Santa Lucía Riverwalk. Monterrey is informally known as "the city of mountains" and is the capital city of México's northeastern state of Nuevo León. It is a base for many major international corporations and is México's second richest city.