Aryna Sabalenka wins Linz Title; replaces Serena Williams in top 10 ranking

On November 16, 2020, Aryna Sabalenka won the Linz Open. The 22-year old Belarusian traded places with Serena Williams who has dropped to 11^th in ranking. Serena has not played since French Open due to her Achilles injury.

Aryna Sabalenka

She is a Belarusian Tennis player. She has been ranked at number 9 in singles and number 2 in doubles by the Women Tennis Association. Sabalenka won her first Grand Slam at the 2019 US Open. In all she has won twelve Women Tennis Association (WTA) titles.

Linz Open

It is played in hardcourts. It is sponsored by Generali Gruppe. It is usually held in Linz, Austria. Since 2009, it is designated as WTA International Tournament.

Ranking

Ashleigh Barty remains at the top even after skipping US and French Open in 2020.

Tennis Courts

There are four major types of tennis courts namely clay courts, grass courts, hard courts and carpet courts.

Clay courts

Clay courts are made of stones, crushed shale or brick. The French Open is the only Grand Slam Tournament that uses Clay Courts. Cost of maintenance of these courts are higher.

Grass Courts

They are the fastest types of courts. Grass courts are used at Wimbledon.

Hard Courts

They are made of Acrylic to provide greater consistency of bounce. They are faster than clay but not as faster than grass courts. The US Open and Australian Open are played in Hard courts. The US Open is played in Deco turf and the Australian Open is played in GreenSet.

Grand Slam

The Grand Slam tournaments are the four most important annual tennis events. They are US Open, Australia Open, French Open and Wimbledon. These tournaments are operated by the International Tennis Federation. The title of Grand Slam is won after a player wins all the four major championships.

Month: Current Affairs - November, 2020