“It’s Triumph & Disaster In Real-Time”: Venus On The Power Of Sports
Venus Williams perfectly summed up what makes sports so special in a powerful answer at her Australian Open press conference.
Venus Williams perfectly summed up what makes sports so special in a powerful answer at her Australian Open press conference.
CHARLESTON, SC, USA – No.15 seed Sabine Lisicki returned to the the Volvo Car Open – the site of her first career breakthrough – on Monday; the 2009 champion faced few problems against American Irina Falconi, winning, 6-4, 6-3, to reach the second round.
Watch highlights, interviews and more video from Charleston right here on wtatennis.com!
Facing off for the first time since 2011, Lisicki and Falconi took the court on the first day of main draw play at the newly-renamed Volvo Car Open; Lisicki had burst onto the WTA scene on this very court six years ago with three big wins over Venus Williams, Marion Bartoli, and Caroline Wozniacki for her first career title. Against Falconi, she hit seven double faults but nonetheless managed to win 70% of her first serve points and convert all four of her break point chances to reach the second round.
Up next for the former Wimbledon finalist is the winner of the first round between Kurumi Nara and Yulia Putintseva.
Joining Lisicki in the second round is No.11 seed Kristina Mladenovic, who snapped a four-match losing streak with a 6-4, 6-3 win over Tatjana Maria. Mladenovic booked what promises to be a big-hitting second round against Mirjana Lucic-Baroni, who defeated Peng Shuai, 6-2, 6-1. Peng was playing just her third WTA singles tournament since a back injury ended her 2015 season at the French Open.
Mladenovic’s doubles partner, Caroline Garcia, didn’t have the same luck in Charleston; splitting sets with Irina-Camelia Begu, Garcia traded 12 straight service holds before ultimately falling in a third set tie-break, 6-4, 2-6, 7-6(3).
Lara Arruabarrena will be top seed Angelique Kerber’s second round opponent; the Spaniard needed three sets to dispatch American wildcard and Rio Open runner-up Shelby Rogers, 6-4, 3-6, 6-4. Kateryna Bondarenko recovered from a set down to upset No.16 seed Misaki Doi, 4-6, 6-3, 6-1. No.12 seed Daria Gavrilova suffered a second set let down against Zarina Diyas, but the Aussie overcame the Kazakh, 6-1, 1-6, 6-3. Danka Kovinic set up a second round encounter with No.7 seed Sloane Stephens when she took out qualifier Cagla Buyukakacay, 6-1, 6-3. Qualifier Elena Vesnina continued her solid start to 2016 with a 7-5, 6-2 win over Cindy Burger; Vesnina will next play No.2 seed Belinda Bencic in the second round.
KATOWICE, POLAND – Kristyna Pliskova and No.9 seed Kirsten Flipkens kicked off their Katowice Open campaigns and battled into the second round of the International event on Monday.
Watch live action from Katowice this week on WTA Live powered by TennisTV!
Pliskova was the first of the pair to advance in Katowice, the last hardcourt tournament before the tour completes the shift to the clay and grass seasons. She faced a stern first-round test in the form of 23-year-old Brit Heather Watson, who’s been on the rise having already won a title in Monterrey earlier this year.
“It was a really tough first round for me today,” Pliskova said afterwards.
“The surface is very different – quite slow – so it took me some time to get used to it.”
The No.88 Czech put pressure on Watson right away, unleashing her powerful lefty serve and letting lose a couple of her record-holding aces. She went up 4-1, break serve twice and grabbing the first set off Watson. But before Pliskova could run away with it, Watson turned things around to take the second set.
Into a deciding set, Pliskova ran ahead to a 3-0 lead, breaking Watson’s serve twice – Watson saved four break points in the third game alone but gave up the fourth on a mishit backhand. Watson grabbed a break back, but Pliskova’s lead was too great to surmount and the Czech took the match 6-2, 3-6, 6-4.
“I played well and Heather also played well too,” Pliskova said. “So I was pleased to come through a tough third set.”
The No.9 seed Kirsten Flipkens had a much more straightforward road into the second round at Katowice, beating Donna Vekic in an emphatic straight sets, 6-1, 6-4. She only faced one break point all match, and wrapped up the encounter in less than an hour.
Stefanie Voegele, Andreea Mitu, and Elizaveta Kulichkova also advanced.
On Tuesday, 2014 champion Alize Cornet and two-time finalist Camila Giorgi are set to make their Katowice debut.
MIAMI, FL, USA – Former No.1 Victoria Azarenka boasted a good luck charm en route her third Miami Open title, and his name was Manny.
A popular French bulldog, Manny took time away from being a full-time Twitter celebrity to hobnob with the tennis elite as the Sunshine Swing came to its dramatic conclusion.
Congrats to my new friend @vika7 for her win today! pic.twitter.com/zlKoWwD5k7
— Manny The Frenchie (@FrenchieManny) March 28, 2016
Not to be outdone, Timea Bacsinszky and Svetlana Kuznetsova showed off some impressive footwork as they won their way into an exciting semifinal encounter in Key Biscayne; be sure to check it all out in Episode 2 of Dubai Duty Free Full of Surprises!
KATOWICE, Poland – 2014 champion Alizé Cornet faced an unexpected challenge in the form of Bulgarian qualifier Isabella Shiniakova on her way to the second round of the Katowice Open, advancing after a 6-2, 6-7(6), 6-3 battle.
Watch live action from Katowice this week on WTA Live powered by TennisTV!
“It was a very tough match,” Cornet said after the win. “Really happy I won as she played really good and moved so well.”
After quickly taking the first set, the Frenchwoman found herself unable to convert on any of the handful of break points that came her way. The match got even more complicated as Shinikova sent it to a tiebreaker and eventually took a set off the No.4 seed.
Cornet shook off the mid-match wobble and got back to work in the deciding set – she cruised to a quick win, despite a spell of dizziness at 4-2 up saw her have to call the trainer.
“In the third set I had trouble. I felt bad at that moment, but dug deep,” Cornet said of the mid-set scare. “I called the doctor just to double check it was nothing more serious. I don’t think it will be a big deal for rest of tournament.”
Earlier in the season, the Frenchwoman was facing up to six months out of action due to a back injury she sustained in the Australian Open. She ended up making her comeback to the tour in Miami after about two months off. Cornet appreciates these tough matches as a way to get back to her pre-layoff form.
“I’m not at the same level I was, so these sort of matches are good for me.”
Later in the day, No.8 seed Dominika Cibulkova came back from a set down to survive a tricky opening round challenge from Carina Witthoeft, prevailing 6-7(6), 6-4, 7-6(3) after a three-hour battle. Two-time Katowice finalist Camila Giorgi is also through, as well as Francesca Schiavone, Naomi Broady, and Jelena Ostapenko.
CHARLESTON, SC, USA – Charleston loves Patty Schnyder and Patty Schnyder loves Charleston. It was 10 years ago that the former Swiss No.1 made her second final in Charleston in 2006. Seeded No.3, Schnyder put together an inspired run that included a though three set win over top seed Justine Henin before losing to No.2 seed Nadia Petrova 6-3, 4-6, 6-1. The run came four years after her first romp to the final, where she beat Amelie Mauresmo, Mary Pierce, Serena Williams, and Jennifer Capriati before losing to Iva Majoli in the final.
Those seed-thrashing runs like endeared Schnyder to the Charleston crowd. The Swiss reached a career-high No.7 and won 11 titles in her career before hanging up her racquet after the 2011 French Open. Then came the announcement last year that she was embarking on a tentative comeback, entering a $25K ITF tournament in Darmstadt, Germany in July.
Schnyder remained on the ITF circuit until this week. Now 37 years old and ranked No.455, Schnyder returned to Daniel Island for the first time since 2011 after receiving a wildcard into qualifying at the Volvo Car Open. She lost in three sets to Samantha Crawford, but her return was more about relationships than results. She came back to see all the familiar faces who she befriended over her many visits to Charleston, from volunteers, to tournament staff, and of course tournament director Bob Moran.
“Patty Schnyder has been playing in our tournament since before we relocated from Hilton Head Island,” Moran said. “She’s a part of our family, and we are thrilled to welcome her back to our tournament.”
Patty Schnyder, who plays her first match at the WTA level since 2011, is a double break up in set 2. Lost set 1. pic.twitter.com/M7p2uz4U1W
— Volvo Car Open (@VolvoCarOpen) April 2, 2016
WTA Insider spoke to Schyder by phone this week.
WTA Insider: You have such a long-standing relationship with this tournament in Charleston. What has it been like coming back?
Schnyder: It’s very special, and it was just great. Getting to see people again after five years and so many volunteers, even Eleanor Adams, the tournament manager. We’re really close and spent so many years together, but it’s been emotional and lots of fun to be around them again.
WTA Insider: Why did you make the decision to retire back in 2011?
Schnyder: Everything was frustrating me and I was stressed too much. You need a switch. It was really frustration; I didn’t want to be around anything anymore. I didn’t want to travel, be on the court, compete. The stress made it all enough. It’s not that it was an easy decision but I just couldn’t handle it anymore.
WTA Insider: What brought you back to tennis?
Schnyder: I was kind of having fun playing matches [in the Swiss league], enjoying the competition. I was also working hard and I was on court again, so I thought – because I was winning those league matches and I wanted to try to get some real competition. So that was the thought, and I was having fun, and I was in the sport but not traveling, and I just love to travel. It’s a great combination and that’s always been the lifestyle I like, so why not try it?
WTA Insider: Your last tour-level tournament before this week was the 2011 French Open. What did you do during your time away from the sport?
Schnyder: I really wanted to be away from tennis. I didn’t play for one and a half years. I really needed a rest from everything.
I did some studying with animals. I was an acupuncturist for dogs. I was spending more time at home with that. Then, I started being in tennis, with some juniors again. I was coaching a bit, and I started to really enjoy being around tennis again. Those are some of the things I was doing until they wanted me back for the club team and I was hesitant. I wasn’t sure, but it was nice to be competing again.
WTA Insider: Are you in a position to be thinking about goals right now?
Schynder: No, not yet. Maybe now, I’m thinking more about goals but not really setting goals. Now, these thoughts are coming back of maybe setting something, but so far I was just trying to get my game back. It hasn’t been so easy to get the concentration back.
For so many years I wasn’t on the court and to have to focus and concentrate for over two hours is not easy and I’m realizing that’s one of the hardest parts. I also have a few injuries. Nothing bad; some players who play 15 years like me wake up with pain everywhere. I’m not like that, but I have a few injuries, which keep me off the court and from working out.
The whole thing is really about being healthy, getting the concentration and the mental stuff, but it’s fun to try to get it back at this stage of your life. It’s a challenge and I just like it.
All photos courtesy of Getty Images.
An interview with Dominika Cibulkova before her opening round match at the St. Petersburg Ladies Trophy.
Simona Halep wasn’t sure she would even make it to the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global this year. The World No.4 overcame illness and injury at the start of the season and finally found her footing on her beloved clay. She never looked back. With every match she won – finishing the regular season at 44-16 – she grew in confidence and became one of the tour’s most reliable winners.
Now she’s put herself in position to finish the season in the Top 5 for the third straight year.
The 25-year-old Romanian began her year behind the eight-ball. After finishing last year at a career-high No.2, Halep’s off-season training block was cut short due to illness that left her hospitalized for a few days. To make matters worse, in her race to prepare for the start of the season she re-injured her Achilles. Halep is a confidence player and the foundation of her game is her body. If she can’t trust it, everything else falls apart. She would win just two matches in her first four tournaments.
All of a sudden, Singapore felt like a world away.
“At the beginning of the year, the first four months were very tough for me,” Halep told WTA Insider. “I didn’t know if I could play this year because I was very sick and I couldn’t play 15 minutes on court. I had infections.”
But after a solid training block with her coach Darren Cahill at the conclusion of the Middle East swing, Halep began to find her game. She scored back-to-back quarterfinals in Indian Wells and Miami, and continued that steady momentum to capture her first title of the season at the Mutua Madrid Open. Her confidence slowly grew from there.
“I won Madrid and then I thought there was a chance I could go to Singapore, but I didn’t even think until the US Open that I could qualify. I said that I had a chance but I didn’t believe 100% that I could go there. So I’m really happy I could go there for a third year.”
In addition to Madrid, Halep would go on to make the quarterfinals at Wimbledon and then go on a 13-match win streak, winning the Bucharest Open and Rogers Cup in Canada. In fact, Halep finished her season by making the quarterfinals or better at six of last seven tournaments of the regular season.
“I feel from the practices that my level is very high,” Halep said. “Of course you never know when you go on court and playing against one tough opponent, but still I’m confident my game is in my hands. At the beginning of the year it was very difficult to think like this.”
Despite her slow start to the season, Halep would ultimately become the third woman to qualify for Singapore, behind Angelique Kerber and Serena Williams. Given her start to the season, it is a credit to her work ethic and resilience that she found a way to turn her season around.
“After May in Madrid, I played very well. I lost a few matches against Serena and Kerber in the last three, four months. So, yeah, I feel good. I feel that I deserve to be there. Of course, I didn’t win a Grand Slam yet, but still I played very well in the big tournaments.”
Halep has always counted Singapore as one of her favorite tournaments. It’s the site of her biggest career win, over then No.1 Serena Williams in group play in 2014. With the good vibes of the city and a good amount of rest and recovery, Halep is looking to improve on her 2015 performance, where she failed to advance out of group.
“You have to play well there because everyone from the top eight is playing crazy tennis, so I have to be ready.”
All photos courtesy of Getty Images.
Top seed Simona Halep made a decisive debut at the St. Petersburg Ladies Trophy, dispatching Croatian teenager Ana Konjuh in straight sets.
Sara Errani takes on Yulia Putintseva in the quarterfinals of the Volvo Car Open.