Tennis News

BIRMINGHAM, Great Britain – A handful of points from elimination to start the day, No.6 seed Carla Suárez Navarro won back-to-back matches on Friday to roar into her first career Premier-level grass court semifinal at the Aegon Classic, narrowly defeating No.2 seed and reigning Australian Open champion Angelique Kerber, 6-4, 1-6, 7-5.

Watch live action from Birmingham and Mallorca this week on WTA Live powered by TennisTV!

“It was really tough,” an exhausted Suárez Navarro said in her on-court interview. “Angie was fighting all the time, til the end. Every point was very tough; we had to fight five, six balls to win each point. But I’m really happy with the way I finished the match.”

Suárez Navarro began the day forced to resume her rain-delayed second round encounter with Andrea Petkovic, who had won the first set on Thursday. The Spaniard turned the tables on the former French Open semifinalist in dramatic fashion, winning a pair of tie-breaks to dispatch the German veteran, but her day wasn’t over yet as Kerber loomed later in the afternoon.

“When I play really aggressive, I can go into the net and finish the point. It’s much easier for me. Today, I was very good with my backhand and finished a lot of points at the net. I will try to play like this tomorrow!”

A solid doubles player, the Spaniard noted that she’s no stranger to doubling up during the week.

“When you play singles and doubles, sometimes you have to play two matches,” she said in her post-match press conference. “You spend a lot of time in the club. But a long time ago, I don’t remember that I play two singles in the same day.”

On her weakest surface, Suárez Navarro took it to the 2012 Wimbledon semifinalist, hitting 33 winners to just 23 unforced errors, and emerged victorious in a 36-minute opening set.

“All the time I go on court on grass I try to play aggressive, try to think that I can play good on grass.

“I’ve have good matches here, try to have also good matches in Eastbourne. Then the final test is Wimbledon, you know. Try to be ready for Wimbledon.

“At Wimbledon, all the players are there. The best players, you know. Women’s tennis right now is really close. All the matches are difficult.”

Kerber, who hit 38 winners and 25 unforced errors in her second match of the day (after defeating Australia’s Daria Gavrilova), was hoping to defend a title for the second time in 2016, and raced through the second as the Spaniard began to fade.

Wow! ? ? #AegonClassic https://t.co/o7U78rqLlM

— WTA (@WTA) June 17, 2016

But Suárez Navarro held her nerve in an epic deciding set, serving out a titanic final game that forced her to save three break points that, had Kerber converted, led to her second final set tie-break of the day.

“I had to fight and play my best tennis to beat the best players. But I really enjoyed the match-up today.”

A disconsolate Kerber looked for a silver lining following the disappointing defeat.

“I had few matches before Wimbledon. That was my goal. Of course, it was not the score I would like to have after this tough match, but still I think I’m finding my rhythm.

“I’m playing good tennis. Today was a close match, just one or two points decided the match. Carla won at the end. It’s always tough to play against her. We always have tough matches.

“That’s all I can say. I just take positive things from the week. I’m feeling good on grass. This is the positive thing I will take into Wimbledon now.”

Saturday’s semifinal between Suárez Navarro and Madison Keys not only determines who will reach the championship match, but also who reaches the Top 10. Keys won their only previous match back in 2013, but the American needed three sets to defeat the wily veteran.

“She serves really good and has a lot of confidence, so I’ll try to enjoy my game tomorrow and enjoy the match.”

When asked what she planned to do at the end of a long day, the Spaniard admitted she’ll be taking in some football and root for her home team.

“I have my physio here with me, so I’ll have a really good massage. I’ll also watch the Spanish team at the Euro Cup, so I’ll relax a little bit tonight!”

Earlier in the day, CoCo Vandeweghe won her eighth straight match with a 6-4, 6-2 win over Yanina Wickmayer, while Barbora Strycova won an entertaining two-setter against former Wimbledon semifinalist Tsvetana Pironkova, 6-2, 7-5.

“Playing two matches today isn’t easy,” Vandeweghe said after her quarterfinal win. “We had a two-hour break and then to go out and compete again, because we both had full matches to play.

“We were facing the same conditions, which is good when you’re playing an opponent that is in the same predicament as you are instead of a fresh opponent that hasn’t played a match that day.

“I think I definitely have the confidence. There’s no reason I shouldn’t. I haven’t lost a match yet. That definitely helps in the big moments. I’m not panicking.”

Playing some of her best tennis of the year on grass, the American shrugs off notions that this is her best surface, pointing to the quantity of grass court tournaments – or lack, thereof.

“I’m not immune to social media. I’ve seen the stats, the SAP stats and whatever of me on grass versus other surfaces, so I only have one comment to that.

“They take a grass court season, that’s so small, there’s only three tournaments, excluding Wimbledon, to play, four if you include Wimbledon. So four tournaments out of the year I’m playing, those stats are taking off hard court that’s two-fourths of the year, and then clay that’s one forth of the year. I think those stats aren’t quite where I’d — I kind the scoffed at them a little bit.

“My stats would probably, if you took my best four hard court tournaments, I think they’d be up there as well.”

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— Carla Suarez Navarro (@CarlaSuarezNava) June 17, 2016

1) Radwanska strikes back.
World No.3 Agnieszka Radwanska appeared poised to begin her grass court prep in earnest at the Aegon Classic, but saw her hopes stunted by the streaking CoCo Vandeweghe at the beginning of the week. Top seed at the Aegon International, things won’t get any easier for the 2015 finalist, who could play dangerous opponents like 2014 Wimbledon finalist Eugenie Bouchard or the surging No.15 seed Irina-Camelia Begu before even hitting the quarterfinals.

2) Bencic’s big return.
Things began to come together for the Swiss Miss around this time last year, winning her first career title at the Aegon International at the start of an amazing summer for the youngster. Seeded No.3, she is projected to play Carla Suárez Navarro in the quarterfinals; typically thought of as a clay courter, the Spaniard made it all the way to the semifinals in Birmingham, and could be posed to do more damage this week.

3) Bacsinszky kicks off grass court campaign.
Breaking through at last year’s French Open, Bacsinszky is more than capable on grass courts, having made the quarterfinals at Wimbledon with a win over former finalist Sabine Lisicki. The Swiss star opens against Kristina Mladenovic, who has shown signs of life after a slow start to 2016 – winning the French Open women’s doubles title with Mallorca Open champ Caroline Garcia.

4) Safarova surging forward.
Seeded in Bacsinszky’s section of the draw is Lucie Safarova, another player who has played well on both sides of the Channel. Runner-up at last year’s French Open, Safarova made her major breakthrough two years ago when she reached the final four at Wimbledon, falling to eventual champion Petra Kvitova. On the back foot due to illness and injury, how well will the Czech veteran rebound this week?

5) The British are coming.
Four British women headline the main draw of the Aegon International, led by No.11 seed Johanna Konta. Niggling injuries contributed to an early loss in Nottingham, but Konta is back on the surface where it all began one year ago. So too is Heather Watson, who was within inches of upsetting Serena Williams at Wimbledon. Tara Moore is hoping to back up her quarterfinal run in Nottingham, while Naomi Broady hopes to make a splash in Eastbourne.

6) Kvitova in search of inspiration.
One of the best grass court players of her generation, two-time Wimbledon winner Petra Kvitova is seeded No.5 in Eastbourne, and hopes to get on a roll ahead of her most successful major tournament. In the same quarter as No.2 seed Roberta Vinci, the Czech powerhouse opens against the big-hitting Timea Babos, with Konta potentially looming in the third round.

7) Wozniacki on the comeback trail.
Caroline Wozniacki was one of the tournament’s early winners on Sunday, setting up a second round encounter with No.7 seed Samantha Stosur. The Aussie is coming off a run to the French Open semifinals, but has never been comfortable on grass, giving the former No.1 the opportunity to pull off an upset and kickstart her own comeback from an ankle injury that kept her off-court through the clay court season.

8) Youth is served.
One of the most entertaining opening round match-ups occurred on Sunday evening between former French Open junior champion Daria Kasatkina and former junior Wimbledon champion Jelena Ostapenko. The Latvian knocked out Kasatkina in her first WTA tour-level grass court match, recovering from a set down to play No.12 seed Dominika Cibulkova. Can the Qatar Open finalist get on another roll?

9) Santina headline doubles draw.
Their quest for a Non-Calendar Year Grand Slam may have come to a close, but the season is hardly half over for reigning Co-No.1s Martina Hingis and Sania Mirza, who reunite for their first tournament since the French Open. Top seeds in Eastbourne, Santina opens against wildcards Stosur and Lucie Safarova, while Birmingham semifinalists Chan Hao-Ching and Chan Yung-Jan are on the other half of the draw, seeded No.2.

10) And see where you can watch action from Eastbourne on TennisTV!

MALLORCA, Spain – Caroline Garcia capped a near-perfect transition from clay courts to grass with her second title of 2016, easing past Anastasija Sevastova, 6-3, 6-4, to win the inaugural Mallorca Open.

Watch live action from Birmingham and Mallorca this week on WTA Live powered by TennisTV!

“I’m glad to win any tournament; it doesn’t matter what surface!” a giggling Garcia told press after the match.

“When I arrived here, it was my first tournament on grass this year, so I wasn’t expecting to go this far or win the trophy. It’s a great achievement after a long and diffcult week, so I’m happy to be the winner.”

The Frenchwoman had always proven quite adept on clay, following up her title run at the Internationaux de Strasbourg with a maiden Grand Slam crown in women’s doubles with countrywoman Kristina Mladenovic. But success on grass had hitherto proven far more elusive, with the youngster pointing to a lack of comfort on the often slippery surface.

“For now, this is my best season; when you win your first title, you never know if you’ll win another. It was a dream to win my first, and now I have three, plus the French Open in doubles. The work I’m doing with my team is definitely paying off.”

That all changed this week in sunny Mallorca, where the No.6 moved effortlessly about the court to defeat a pair of former Wimbledon semifinalists in Ana Ivanovic and Kirsten Flipkens to capture her first grass court title on Sunday. Across the net was Sevastova, who was once ranked No.36 in the world before injuries and illnesses forced her to briefly retire. Back on court since early 2015, the Latvian has rocketed back up the rankings, returning to the Top 100 earlier this year.

But it wasn’t enough to overcome Garcia, who won 74% of ponts behind her first serve and broke serve four times in the 85-minute final.

“After so many emotions, it’s hard to remember the match. I remember match point because it was very long! There were a lot of rallies and it was a very intense match; I had to return very well because she used the serve to start aggressively. It was probably the best I played all week, trying to be aggressive and taking the opportunities when they came, so I’m happy with the way I played today.”

With her second title of the season under her belt, the French star moves back into the Top 32, helping her to become the new French No.1 and earn a seed at the upcoming Wimbledon Championships.

“It’s good, but I don’t play tennis to be No.1 in my country. It’s a good achievement but I want to go higher and higher. It’s work from every day and every week, and I’m happier that I’ve won a title to help bring up my ranking. My goal is to be better and better each week, so it gives me a lot of motivation to continue with the hard work.

“It’s always very difficult as you’re starting at a Grand Slam, and it gives me a lot of confidence to head to Wimbledon with a title. I’d never played on grass with a lot of pleasure, but I think this week it changed a lot. Grass is a very difficult surface for everyone, but now that I’ve won one, maybe I’m a favorite [at Wimbledon], but a far-away favorite! I’ll try my best to play as I played here, and I’ll need to be at 100%, and very efficient.”

THE WINNERS

Madison Keys capped of her debut into the WTA’s Top 10 in style: defeating tour veteran Barbora Strycova, 6-3, 6-4, to win the title at the Aegon Classic Birmingham. 

A quarterfinalist at last year’s Wimbledon Championships, Keys played near-perfect grass court tennis during the 79-minute affair to claim her first WTA title since 2014 – also on grass in Eastbourne.

“I’m feeling pretty good. I think getting this many matches in a row was a huge opportunity that I think that can definitely help me at Wimbledon,” Keys said.

“I obviously really love the surface, so the more I get to play on it, the happier I am.”

Read the full story and watch match highlights here.

Meanwhile, in sunny Spain, Caroline Garcia capped a near-perfect transition from clay courts to grass with her second title of 2016, easing past Anastasija Sevastova, 6-3, 6-4, to win the inaugural Mallorca Open.

“I’m glad to win any tournament; it doesn’t matter what surface!” a giggling Garcia told press after the match.

“When I arrived here, it was my first tournament on grass this year, so I wasn’t expecting to go this far or win the trophy. It’s a great achievement after a long and diffcult week, so I’m happy to be the winner.”

With her second title of the season under her belt, the French star moves back into the Top 32, helping her to become the new French No.1 and earn a seed at the upcoming Wimbledon Championships.

Read the full story here.

RANKING MOVERS:
Notable singles ranking movers for the week of June 20, 2016.

Tsvetana Pironkova (BUL), +13 (No.72 to 59): Pironkova backed up her run to the French Open quarterfinals with a quarterfinal appearance at the Aegon Classic Birmingham. This time, the Bulgarian made it out of qualifying rounds and jumps up 13 spots in the WTA rankings.

Kirsten Flipkens (BEL), +9 (No.61 to 52): Flipkens pulled of the upset of the tournament when she knocked out World No.2 Garbiñe Muguruza out of the Mallorca Open, but she didn’t stop there. Her run to the semifinals of the inaugural grass event earned her a jump to World No.52.

Caroline Garcia (FRA), +7 (No.39 to 32): Garcia earned her second WTA title of the year at the Mallorca Open, and her ensuing leap to No.32 makes her the French No.1 and guarantees her a seed at Wimbledon. She leapfrogged her countrywoman and doubles partner Kristina Mladenovic, who has now dropped to No.33.

Madison Keys (USA), +6 (No.16 to 10): The most newsworthy ranking move of the week belongs to Keys, who captured the title at the Aegon Classic Birmingham and broke the WTA Top 10 for the first time. Read here to find out why the move is so historic.

Barbora Strycova (CZE), +4 (No.30 to 26): Strycova reached her second WTA singles final of the year in Birmingham and now rises to No.26, inching closer to her career-high ranking of No.20.

CoCo Vandeweghe (USA), +3 (No.32 to 29): Vandeweghe backed up her title win at last week’s ‘s-Hertogenbosch with a semifinal appearance at Birmingham, earning her a career-high ranking of No.29 and guaranteeing her a seed at a Grand Slam for the first time.

UPCOMING TOURNAMENTS

Aegon International Eastbourne
Eastbourne, Great Britain
Premier | $711,778 | Grass
Sunday, June 19 – Saturday, June 25

The Championships, Wimbledon
London, Great Britain
Grand Slams | $19,174,575 | Grass
Monday, June 27 – Sunday, July 10

TOP 20 PLAYER SCHEDULES
1. Serena Williams – Wimbledon
2. Garbiñe Muguruza – Wimbledon
3. Agnieszka Radwanska – Eastbourne, Wimbledon
4. Angelique Kerber – Wimbledon
5. Simona Halep -Wimbledon
6. Victoria Azarenka – Wimbledon
7. Roberta Vinci – Eastbourne, Wimbledon
8. Belinda Bencic – Eastbourne, Wimbledon
9. Venus Williams – Wimbledon
10. Madison Keys – Wimbledon
11. Petra Kvitova – Eastbourne, Wimbledon
12. Timea Bacsinszky – Eastbourne, Wimbledon
13. Carla Suárez Navarro – Eastbourne, Wimbledon
14. Svetlana Kuznetsova – Eastbourne, Wimbledon
15. Flavia Pennetta
16. Samantha Stosur – Eastbourne, Wimbledon
17. Karolina Pliskova – Eastbourne, Wimbledon
18. Johanna Konta – Eastbourne, Wimbledon
19. Elina Svitolina – Wimbledon
20. Sloane Stephens – Wimbledon

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!
Best wishes to those celebrating birthdays this week:

Francesca Schiavone (ITA) – June 23, 1980