Yahoo News 
Puig hoping to make her mark at WTA Finals Rising Stars event
Monica Puig may be aware that she is competing in an invitational exhibition event in Singapore this week, but the fiery Puerto Rican has been playing like her life depended on it.
One of four youngsters featuring in the newly-introduced Rising Stars event that is being staged on the sidelines of the WTA Finals in Singapore, Puig has posted two solid victories in her opening two round robin matches so far, beating Kazakhstan’s Zarina Diyas on day one, and China’s Zheng Saisai yesterday to close in on a spot in Tuesday’s final.
The 21-year-old had a breakthrough year last season, reaching the third round at Roland Garros on her grand slam debut, and following it up with a fourth round appearance at Wimbledon where she ousted the fifth-seeded Sara Errani in the first round.
She peaked at No41 in the world mid-last year and was considered one of the ones to watch heading into 2014.
But Puig’s 2014 season did not go as planned as she failed to replicate her success in the majors and has dropped to No63 in the rankings.
Despite capturing her first WTA title in Strasbourg in May, the Florida-based player was unable to put together any consistent results.
But she seems to find her footing in Singapore, where she was voted by thousands of fans to take part in the Rising Stars event.
“It’s just an unbelievable thing to end the year being here and being able to play in one of the greatest stages in the world so I’m so excited,” said Puig, who was pumping herself up throughout her win over Zheng, which took place on one of the practice courts at the Singapore Sports Hub.
“The final is going to be played on the main stadium so that’s really a huge reward and that’s really what I wanted. I practiced with Simona (Halep) the other day in the main stadium and I was like ‘I really want to be here’ so I really have to work hard and earn my spot.”
Puig admits she’s had a tough year and says some unfortunate draws made things difficult for her at the majors.
“It really hurts when you lose first round knowing that you had to defend so many points,” said Puig.
“It hurts to know that I was 41 (in the world) at one point and now I’m hanging in the balance in the 60s. But you know it’s a process. I just turned 21. I have a lot of tennis ahead of me.
“Right now if I lose but I’m learning that means that I’m going to win in the future. I’d rather lose and learn than win and not know anything and just be out there and see what happens. I would really like to enjoy the process, learn what I have to learn and then be a very consistent player in the future.”
Changing coaches twice in the first six months of the season also didn’t help, but she seems in sync with her current teacher, Ricardo Sanchez, who has previously worked with Nadia Petrova and Jelena Jankovic.
“I changed coaches twice this year. I was with my coach (Alain de Vos) that I was with for six years until the end of the Australian Open and then I was with another coach (Antonio van Grichen) until Estoril and then I started with Richy (Ricardo Sanchez),” she says.
“It was really tough transition, I was hearing a lot of different voices.
“Now I’m really comfortable, now I have stability in my life. He’s really positive.
“The second week that I’m working with him I win my first WTA title, so I was really excited. It was a different outlook, he made me feel really relaxed on the court, like I can believe in myself.”
There are a host of players who are Puig’s age who have had bigger breakthroughs, most notably Eugenie Bouchard, who at 20, is already a grand slam runner-up.
With the competition amongst the youngsters reaching incredible heights, is women’s tennis as cutthroat as it seems? “Absolutely not,” says Puig. “Tennis is a competitive sport and you have to look at it that way.
“I mean, Genie (Bouchard), you see how well she’s been doing this year. For some people it clicks earlier than others. I have to accept that I’m a bit of a late bloomer, it happened in the juniors as well. So right now I’m just learning and I’m looking forward to what I’m going to do in the offseason and really get ready to boom in 2015.”
