Tennis News

From around the world

Tomas Berdych vs Gael Monfils Preview – Miami Open 2015 Round 4

Tomas Berdych vs Gael Monfils Preview – Miami Open 2015 Round 4

  • Posted: Mar 30, 2015

Monfils

Tomas Berdych took part in a rocky Sunday in Miami, where he was forced to save an onslaught of match points to claw his way into the fourth round. His next match-up is against Gael Monfils, whom he has encountered on five previous occasions on the ATP World Tour, and holds a 4-1 lead in the head-to-head series.

Watch the match Live Here: Berdych vs Monfils Miami Live Stream

Up against the resurgent Aussie Bernard Tomic, Tomas Berdych was required to save four match points before he was finally able to secure the 6-7(4), 7-6(3), 6-1 victory. He struck 10 aces and hit 39 winners to close out the match in two hours and 35 minutes.

Later on in the day, Gael Monfils brought a premature end to his fellow Frenchman’s return to the tour when he handed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga his first loss of the year. He defeated his countryman 6-4,7-6(4) and even saved four break points in the process to ensure his win. It was Monfils’ first victory against Tsonga in five years and brought the h2h series to 2-4. For Tsonga, it was a decent showing given that he had just come off an extended spell on the sidelines with an arm injury.

Article Continues Below Ad

This marks the fifth time that Berdych and Monfils will cross paths on the ATP World Tour, with Berdych leading the series 4-1. Berdych won their most recent encounter in the Rotterdam, and is 3-0 against the Frenchman on hard courts. The Frenchman’s sole win against Berdych came in the 2013 French Open, where he defeated the Czech native 7-6 6-4 6-7 6-7 7-5. With that in mind, he has only ever managed to take one set off Berdych in their entire rivalry so it is unlikely that this match will be too troubling for the Czech.

Prediction: Tomas Berdych in Three Sets

Source link

Andy Murray vs Kevin Anderson Preview – Miami Open 2015 Round 4

Andy Murray vs Kevin Anderson Preview – Miami Open 2015 Round 4

  • Posted: Mar 30, 2015

Murray

British No. 1 Andy is through to the fourth round of the Miami Open, where he will contest yet another match against South Africa’s Kevin Anderson. It will mark their fifth meeting on the ATP World Tour; Murray holds a 3-1 lead in the head-to-head series, including a recent win in Valencia late last season.

Watch the match Live Here: Murray vs Anderson Miami Live Stream

Seeded third in Miami, Murray blasted his way past Santiago Giraldo in straight set to advance to the fourth round of the tournament. He now holds 499 wins and will look to secure his 500-win milestone when he faces Kevin Anderson on Tuesday.

“It’s nice, because when you see the list of the players that have won that many matches there aren’t loads,” said Murray. “I think there are only 40 or so players that have done it.”

Article Continues Below Ad

Murray played a clean match against Giraldo, as he struck five aces and 19 winners to earn the victory in one hour and 24 minutes.

“I played well,” Murray added. “I thought it was a good performance. I hit the ball pretty clean. He came out and started swinging a bit towards the end of the match and made it a little bit tricky, but I thought for the most part I played very well.”

Kevin Anderson also faced a similarly straightforward match on Sunday, as he defeated Argentina’s Leonardo Mayer 6-4, 6-4 to secure his spot in the fourth round of the tournament. He fired 12 aces, won 83% of his first service points and converted all three break point opportunities to close out the match in 88 minutes.

This contest will serve as the fifth encounter between Murray and Anderson. The Briton leads the head-to-head series 2-1, including a win late last season in Valencia. Murray should pick up another win against Anderson with little notable resistance if he plays his best tennis.

Prediction: Andy Murray in Three Sets

Source link

Nadal, Bouchard crash out of the Miami Open

Nadal, Bouchard crash out of the Miami Open

  • Posted: Mar 30, 2015

Nadal

World No. 3 Rafael Nadal’s campaign for his first Miami Open title will have to be put on hold for another year, as the Spaniard crashed out of the third round of the tournament with a loss to Fernando Verdasco on Sunday.

It was a timid performance from Nadal, who rallied from a set down to level the match and force a decider. However, he was unable to stop his fellow countryman from breaking serve in the final set to close out the match 6-4, 2-6, 6-3.

In the end, Nadal refused to use his physical condition as a crutch, and instead explained that the issue was with confidence and nerves at the moment.

“It’s not the question of tennis, [It’s] the question of being relaxed enough to play well on court,” the 28 year old said. “Today my game in general improved since a month and a half [ago]. But at the same time, [I’m] still playing with too many nerves for a lot of moments, in important moments.”

Article Continues Below Ad

Nadal is aware that he has been surrendering matches that were firmly within hi grasp, which is something he plans to work on with his team.

“I have been able to control my emotions during 90 per cent, 95 per cent of my matches of my career… But I’m going to fix it,” he said. “I don’t know if [it’ll be] in one week, in six months, or in one year, but I’m going to do it.

“It’s something that I need to fix for myself and with my team. I need the help of my team, but especially I need the help of myself. That’s what I am trying to do. Nobody’s going to change the situation for you.”

Canadian No. 1 Eugenie Bouchard suffered an even more devastating exit from the tournament, as she lost to qualifier Tatjana Maria 6-0, 7-6 (4). She was broken on five occasions and crashed out of the tournament in embarrassing fashion as the sixth seed in Miami.

“I’m going to take a day off,” Bouchard said, “and then I’m going to practice a lot and try to put this one behind me as soon as possible.”

Source link

Simona Halep vs Flavia Pennetta Preview and Prediction – Miami Open 2015 R4

Simona Halep vs Flavia Pennetta Preview and Prediction – Miami Open 2015 R4

  • Posted: Mar 30, 2015

Flavia Pennetta

Following impressive performances in their third round matches in Miami, Simona Halep and Flavia Pennetta are scheduled to take part in an enthralling encounter to determine who will advance to the quarter-final stage of the tournament. This is the fourth time that Pennetta and Halep will meet on the tour and the Romanian is yet to earn her first victory over the veteran. Check out the Halep vs Pennetta Head to Head.

Watch the match Live Here: Halep vs Pennetta Miami Live Stream

World No. 3 Simona Halep took part in a wildly entertaining third round match against Italy’s Camila Giorgi, whom she eventually defeated in straight sets 6-4, 7-5 to secure the win. It marked her best career showing in Miami.

“Yeah, it’s the first time I’m in the fourth round here in Miami,” Halep said. “I came from Indian Wells, where I won the title, so I have more confidence now to win matches. And I like to play here. But I’m just trying to stay focused and keep improving every match. I want to fight for every chance.”

Article Continues Below Ad

Halep’s fourth round match will be against Flavia Pennetta, who defeated Victoria Azarenka in straight sets – both competitive tiebreaks. She toppled the former Miami Open champion 7-6(5), 7-6(6).

“It was a really good match. We both played really well,” Pennetta said. “In the end I was a little bit tight, but that’s normal when you have such a great champion like her on the other side of the net.

Of their three previous meetings on the professional tour, Halep has never managed to defeat Pennetta. However, while she holds an 0-3 record against the Italian, they have not crossed paths since 2013, which means she will now play an entirely different Halep this time around. With that in mind, this could be Halep’s time to clinch that elusive win.

“She’s improved a lot,” Pennetta said. “I’m going to try everything.”

Prediction: Simona Halep in Three Sets

Check out the Best Tennis Racquets Reviews

Source link

Serena Williams vs Svetlana Kuznetsova Prediction – Miami Open 2015 Round 4

Serena Williams vs Svetlana Kuznetsova Prediction – Miami Open 2015 Round 4

  • Posted: Mar 30, 2015

Serena Williams

For the first time in nearly two years, Serena Williams and Svetlana Kuznetsova will cross paths on the WTA Tour in what will mark their tenth meeting on the professional tour. The American leads the head-to-head series 7-2, and has not lost to the Russian in six years.

Watch the match Live Here: Williams vs Kuznetsova Miami Live Streaming

Sunday afternoon saw a generational battle between Americans Serena Williams, the world No. 1 player, and 15-year-old CiCi Bellis, who took the tour by storm at last year’s US Open. While it was an intriguing match-up, the scoreline was lopsided as expected, as Williams notched a 6-1, 6-1 victory in 41 minutes of court time.

While it was a one-sided match, Williams was impressed with the way the 15-year-old handled herself during the match.

Article Continues Below Ad

“It was tough. She’s young, and her being an American and her just doing so well, you want to see people like her do well,” Williams said. “So when you’re up against them you have to kind of put that aside, even though I’m always cheering for her. But I have to put it aside and just play the match.

“If you break down her age and ability and how well she handled the moment, it was good.”

The American will come up against Svetlana Kuznetsova, who toppled 13th seed Angelique Kerber 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, including a comeback from a break down in the final set, to secure her spot in the fourth round. It was an impressive victory over a slumping player.

This marks the tenth time that these two competitors will meet on the professional tour, with Williams leading the head-to-head series 7-2. Williams has also won their last two consecutive matches dating back to 2009. Her only hard court loss to the Russian was back in 2007, while the other loss was at Roland Garros in 2009. Given those stats, the odds will greatly favour the storied Miami champion on Monday.

Prediction: Serena Williams in Straight Sets

Source link

Venus Williams vs Caroline Wozniacki Preview – Miami Open 2015 Round 4

Venus Williams vs Caroline Wozniacki Preview – Miami Open 2015 Round 4

  • Posted: Mar 30, 2015

Venus Williams Miami

Former world No. 1 players Caroline Wozniacki and Venus Williams will meet for a seventh time on the professional tour. With Williams’ 6-0 lead in the head-to-head series looming over her, Wozniacki will look put the first blemish on the American’s undefeated streak on Monday afternoon.

Watch the match Live Here: Williams vs Wozniacki Miami Live Streaming

Seeded 16th at the tournament, Venus Williams managed to overcome the 23rd seed Sam Stosur in straight sets, 6-4, 7-6(3) to secure her spot in the fourth round of the tournament.

“I served for it a few times, but the second set didn’t go exactly as I wanted,” Williams said. “It was so interesting, because once I got to the tie-breaker, that’s when I really started to feel a lot more rhythm in my game. I think she did, too. So I think playing extra games actually helped me today. “I think I’m going to be feeling a lot better once my next rounds come around.”

Article Continues Below Ad

Fourth seed Caroline Wozniacki rallied from a set down to defeat Kaia Kanepi 4-6, 6-1, 6-3. She was even down 2-1 in the final set before she pulled herself together to cross the finish line and set up her seventh meeting against Williams.

“We played a really competitive match this year,” Williams said. “I can’t remember the score in the last set, but it was tough. I was so happy to win that match. I’m going to try to learn from that. “I would love to win that match in two sets, but it’s going to take some work.”

This marks the seventh time that these two competitors will cross paths on the professional tour, with Williams leading the series with an unblemished 5-0 record. While four of those encounters took place seven years ago, the most recent match-up was last season, where Williams cruised past Wozniacki 6-3, 6-2 en route to winning the Dubai title several days later, and in January, where she defeated the Dane to capture the Auckland title. Given her dominance in the rivalry, it is difficult to envision Caroline winning this upcoming encounter.

Prediction: Venus Williams in Three Sets

For more previews, click Here: Tennis Predictions

Source link

Kei Nishikori vs Viktor Troicki Preview – Miami Open 2015 Round 3

Kei Nishikori vs Viktor Troicki Preview – Miami Open 2015 Round 3

  • Posted: Mar 30, 2015

Kei Nishikori ATP Tour

With minimal effort required, Kei Nishikori found himself strolling into the third round of the Miami Open, where he will encounter Serbia’s Viktor Troicki for the third rime on the ATP World tour. The pair split their previous two encounters and have not crossed paths on the tour since 2013, so it will be interesting to see who prevails in this intriguing rubber match. Check out the Nishikori vs Troicki Head to Head.

Follow the match Live Here: Nishikori vs Troicki Miami Live Streaming

The tournament’s fourth seed breezed into the third round in Miami with a straight sets victory over Russia’s Mikhail Youzhny. He won 70% of his first service pints and converted five break points to close out the match in one hour and nine minutes. It was also his 19th win on of the season, which emphasizes his impressive first quarter in 2015.

“I felt really good on the court,” said Nishikori. “Really confident. It was a little windy, but the weather was actually good. It wasn’t too hot or too humid. It was easy to play. And also I was almost dictating the court against Misha, and serving well. Everything was good. So really happy the way I’m playing today.”

Article Continues Below Ad

Victor Troicki needed three sets to defeat Italy’s Simone Bolelli 7-5, 3-6, 6-4. He struck nine aces, won 71% f his first service points and converted three break points to close out the match in two hours and 11 minutes.

This marks the third time that Nishikori and Troicki will cross paths on the professional tour, with the series split at 1-1. Troicki won their first meeting in 2010, while Nishikori avenged that Tokyo loss in 2010 with a Madrid Masters victory in 2013. Given that the Japanese No. 1 is the player on a upward career trajectory, the odds will favour him to earn the victory within three sets. With a title and runner-up finish already notched under his belt so far this season, Nishikori should be the pick to satisfy the oddsmakers.

Prediction: Kei Nishikori in Three Sets

Check out the Men’s Nike Tennis Apparel in our shop.

Source link

Novak Djokovic vs Steve Darcis Preview – Miami Open 2015 Round 3

Novak Djokovic vs Steve Darcis Preview – Miami Open 2015 Round 3

  • Posted: Mar 30, 2015

Novak Djokovic

Following a tough opening round match in Miami, world No. 1 Novak Djokovic is through to the third round of the Miami Open, where he will now come up against Steve Darcis for a second time on the professional tour. Djokovic leads the head-to-head series 1-0 but has not stepped across the net from Darcis for nearly seven years.

Follow the match Live Here: Djokovic vs Darcis Miami Live Streaming

It is rare that the top seed is pushed to a deciding set after winning the opening frame with a bagel. However, that was exactly the case on Saturday evening when Novak Djokovic was forced to dig deep late in the match against Slovak Martin Klizan to secure the win. The first set last 22 minutes but he ended up getting broken at 5-5 in the second set to force a third one. There, rebounded with an immediate double break and pushed to close out the match 6-0, 5-7, 6-1.

“Credit to Martin for battling and making me play the extra shot,” said Djokovic. “It was a pretty different game in the second set than it was in the first… I have been in these particular situations before many times in my career, and the experience obviously helps just to regroup and find a way.

Article Continues Below Ad

“I was frustrated, no doubt about that, and every athlete goes through ups and downs and various emotions during the matches like this, and it’s important always to regroup and maintain that self‑belief and composure.”

The Serb will now come up against Steve Darcis, who beat Norbert Gombos and Marco Cecchinato to qualify for the tournament before he added wins over Malek Jaziri and Gilles Muller to advance to the third round in Miami. Both his main draw matches required three sets, including his 6-4, 6-7(2), 6-3 win over Muller on Saturday.

This is just the second time that Djokovic and Darcis will cross paths on the ATP World Tour, and the first time in almost seven years. That first meeting took place in at the Rome Masters event, which Djokovic won in straight sets 6-4, 6-0. While Darcis has been impressive this week, his win streak will likely come to a halt against the top seed on Monday.

Prediction: Novak Djokovic in Straight Sets

Check out the Tennis Balls Reviews in our shop.

Source link

Grigor Dimitrov vs John Isner Preview – Miami Open 2015 Round 3

Grigor Dimitrov vs John Isner Preview – Miami Open 2015 Round 3

  • Posted: Mar 29, 2015

John Isner

For the first time on the ATP World Tour, an interesting encounter between Grigor Dimitrov and John Isner is scheduled to take place in the third round of the Miami Open on Monday. Given that this their first ever career meeting, it will be interesting to see who prevails at this Masters 1000 event.

Follow the match Live Here: Isner vs Dimitrov Miami Live Streaming

Seeded ninth at the Miami Open, Grigor Dimitrov defeated Canadian No. 2 Vasek Pospisil in straight sets to secure his opening win at the tournament. Following his less than stellar outing at Indian Wells, his 6-2, 6-2 win over Vasek was a much better display. He won 91% of his first service points and converted all four of his break point opportunities to close out the match in exactly 59 minutes.

In a similarly straightforward affair, John Isner defeated Andrey Rublev in straight sets to earn his place in the third round of the tournament. He struck a timid seven aces, won 96% of his first service points and converted both the break points he earned to close out the match 6-3, 6-4 in 61 minutes. Given that he is coming off his best showing at Indian Wells, it will be interesting to see if the American can pull off a similar showing in Miami.

Article Continues Below Ad

“I knew it was a match I needed to be focused for,” said Isner. “I needed to come out ready to play, because he’s a talented, very talented kid. Anything can happen. It was a tough match, but I played pretty well. I did what I needed to do.”

This is set to be the first time that Isner and Dimitrov will meet on the ATP World Tour. Given that both have had comfortable outings so far in Miami, it is difficult to gauge who will have the advantage but this is likely a match that will require a deciding set to crown a victor.

Prediction: Grigor Dimitrov in Three Sets

Source link

Rafael Nadal vs Fernando Verdasco Preview – Miami Open 2015 Round 3

Rafael Nadal vs Fernando Verdasco Preview – Miami Open 2015 Round 3

  • Posted: Mar 29, 2015

Rafael Nadal Miami Masters

An all-Spanish third round match is scheduled to take place on Sunday afternoon in Miami, as Rafael Nadal and Fernando Verdasco cross paths for a 16th time on the professional tour. Nadal leads the head-to-head series 14-1 and will look to renew the rivalry for the first time since 2012.

Follow the match Live Here: Nadal vs Verdasco Miami Live Streaming

The world No. 3 began his campaign in Miami with a straight sets victory over Nicolas Almagro. He needed one hour and 29 minutes to defeat his fellow countryman 6-4, 6-2 and secure his spot in the third round against another Spaniard. Given that the weather did not help, he was happy with his performance overall.

“In general, I think I played a solid match,” he said after braving extreme wind gusts. “I played well. I had good movement. I had to put the balls in and play with no mistakes; that was the idea today with very tough conditions. Almagro was not an easy opponent for the first round. I am happy for that.”

Article Continues Below Ad

Nadal will come up against Fernando Verdasco, who needed three sets to get past Australian qualifier James Duckworth. He rallied from a set down to beat Duckworth 4-6, 6-2, 6-1 in one hour and 47 minutes. The Spaniard struck three aces, won 78% of his first service points and converted four breaks en route to victory. He will now go on to challenge the top player out of his home nation.

This marks the s16th time that Nadal and Verdasco will cross paths on the ATP World Tour, with Nadal leading the head-to-head series 14-1. Their last meeting took place three years ago in Madrid, which also happened to be the only time that Verdasco was able to topple the former No. 1. That is unlikely to be the case this time around, although Nadal could be forced to contest a deciding set.

Prediction: Rafael Nadal in Three Sets

Source link