My Performance: Karolina Pliskova
Karolina Pliskova talks through her performance in her victory in the final of the Brisbane International.
Karolina Pliskova talks through her performance in her victory in the final of the Brisbane International.
SYDNEY/HOBART – With one week between the WTA stars and the first major of the season, the Apia International Syndey and the Hobart International represent the final chances to prepare for the upcoming Australian Open. How will top Sydney seeds Angelique Kerber and Agnieszka Radwanska shake off early losses at the Brisbane International and Shenzhen Open, respectively? Can defending champion Svetlana Kuznetsova pull off another title run? Meanwhile, who will take advantage of the wide open field in Hobart?
1. Kerber searches for Aussie momentum.
World No.1 Angelique Kerber acquitted herself well enough in her first tournament of the season, but still showed signs of rust in her quarterfinal defeat to nemesis Elina Svitolina. With another first round bye, Kerber opens against Daria Kasatkina, who was a point from defeating Garbiñe Muguruza in Brisbane, only to fall in a final set tie-break. No.6 seed Johanna Konta anchors her quarter, with Dominika Cibulkova and Kuznetsova looming as potential semifinal opponents.
2. Radwanska aims for Sydney restart.
Agnieszka Radwanska started last season in imperious form, defeating Alison Riske to win the Shenzhen Open. This year, Riske turned the tables on the former World No.2, taking her out in three sets en route to the final. Seeded second in Sydney, Radwanska will play one of two qualifiers in her opening round match: Kateryna Bondarenko, or Christina McHale. A softer section could provide the court time Radwanska needs to get ready for Melbourne.
3. A Cibulkova/Bouchard rematch in sight?
The reigning BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global champion has played Eugenie Bouchard four times in the last 18 months, with the young Canadian winning three of those four encounters. Bouchard looked in solid form to start the tournament against Zhang Shuai, while Cibulkova still needs to get past Laura Siegemund for them to meet in the second round.
4. Kuznetsova puts things in perspective.
The defending champion kicked off her title defense in impressive style on Sunday, dispatching Irina-Camelia Begu in straight sets, but isn’t thinking too much about a second straight win in Sydney. “I’m not thinking about defending my title,” she said after the match. “The trophy is at home and nobody can take it away from me. This is another year and another opportunity to play. I always feel like I need a lot of matches at the start of the year.”
5. Mirza reunites with Strycova.
A week after handing off her No.1 ranking to partner and best friend Bethanie Mattek-Sands in Brisbane, Sania Mirza heads to Sydney with new partner Barbora Strycova, with whom she played in the second half of 2016. The duo face the newly formed Andrea Hlavackova and Peng Shuai to start the week. Mirza’s former partner Martina Hingis is back with CoCo Vandeweghe; seeded No.2, they could face Mirza and Strycova in another final.
6. More reunions in Sydney.
The 2010 doubles season was all about Yaroslava Shvedova and Vania King, who won back-to-back majors at Wimbledon and the US Open. King and Shvedova are back together after a long break and open against Darija Jurak and Anastasia Rodionova, who were a team to watch most of last summer.
7. Bertens headlines Hobart.
Kiki Bertens is top seed at a tournament that has been hit by a rash of injury withdrawals. Still, the 2016 French Open won’t have things all her own way as she opens against the always dangerous Annika Beck, with comeback kid Galina Voskoboeva looming in the second round. Voskoboeva won her first WTA main draw match in nearly three years after sitting out nearly two full seasons due to a foot injury.
8. Shelby’s season?
Shelby Rogers kicked off 2017 in style by knocking out Eugenie Bouchard and pushing Elina Svitolina to the brink in Brisbane. The American earned anothe rimpressive win on Sunday in Hobart, upsetting No.2 seed Anastasija Sevastova.
9. Safarova under the radar.
Unseeded and looming in Hobart is former World No.5 Lucie Safarova, who is trying to rebuild her ranking after a season of fits and starts in 2016. Safarova opens against Viktorija Golubic and could play No.10 seed Sara Errani in the second round.
10. Spears & Niculescu seek doubles glory in Hobart.
Monica Niculescu is one of the best doubles players not to have a permanent partner, but may be trying out a new partnership with fellow top seed Abigail Spears, who has been playing apart from longtime partner Raquel Atawo to start the season. The pair open against Nao Hibino and Alicja Rosolska, with No.2 seeds Kiki Bertens and Johanna Larsson anchoring the bottom half of the draw as No.2 seeds.
World No.5 Dominika Cibulkova was in clinical form against Laura Siegemund, dropping just two games en route to the second round of the Apia International Sydney.
HOBART, Australia – Lucky loser Veronica Cepede Royg needed five match points but eventually prevailed over former World No.9 Andrea Petkovic to reach the quarterfinals of the Hobart International.
The Paraguayan recovered strongly from being blanked out of the second set, completing a 6-3, 0-6, 6-4 comeback to book her place into her first WTA quarterfinal since June.
“Petkovic is a great player, she’s tall and so she has a great serve,” Cepede Royg told press afterward. “It was a tough match, but I’ve had tough matches before and I think I know how to play against the top players.
“I had to do my game, be aggressive and move. And I think I did.”
The No.129-ranked Cepede Royg opened the match with a break, playing confident and aggressive tennis against the former Top 10 German.
But Petkovic found her groove in the second set, cutting down on the unforced errors and dictating play with her backhand. And as the German’s lead grew, the Paraguayan’s confidence seemed to diminish, responding passively and second-guessing herself.
“It’s not easy to see the score at 6-0,” Cepede Royg said. “But my coach came and said to just relax, enjoy this moment, do your game and fight for every point.”
“You have to change your mentality. I was thinking too much in the match, so I focused more in my game.”
With that renewed mindset, the World No.129 turned it around in the decider and broke back to stop Petkovic’s run at 1-1 and keep the German under pressure.
They stayed on serve until a marathon final game, which saw Petkovic save four match points to keep herself alive but couldn’t serve it out. The Paraguayan eventually prevailed on the fifth time of asking, finally breaking the Petkovic serve to take the match and a spot in the quarterfinals.
“Oh man, I was thinking, ‘Oh my god, I’ve had five match points!'” Cepede Royg laughed. “I tried to be more aggressive and not think too much, just put the ball in the court and go for it. It was so difficult but I did it.”
The victory, her first WTA main draw win in almost six months, puts her through to the second quarterfinal of her career since last year’s Mallorca Open. She’ll play the winner between Australia’s Lizette Cabrera and Croatian qualifier Jana Fett for a spot in the semifinals.
NÜRNBERG, Germany – Kiki Bertens dealt a blow to Roberta Vinci’s French Open preparations by triumphing in their second-round meeting at the NÜRNBERGER VERSICHERUNGSCUP on Wednesday.
Early exits in Madrid and Rome meant Vinci arrived in southern Germany short of match practice, and her hopes of playing herself out of this funk were dashed by Bertens in an hour and 20 minutes.
Vinci looked to be sending the contest into a third set, only for the qualifier to batten down the hatches and complete the upset. Bertens’ 6-4, 7-6(4) victory sets up a meeting with Irina Falconi, who fought back to see off No.6 seed Misaki Doi, 6-3, 5-7, 6-4.
“I’m really happy with the win today, of course. I’m always happy to have a few matches before Paris and I think my level was okay today,” Bertens said.
“I didn’t start [the second set] so good, I was 4-1 down. But then I started to be a little more patient – trying to hit the ball in the court! – and from there be more aggressive, and that worked pretty well today.
There were mixed fortunes for the German contingent, Julia Goerges easing past Yulia Putintseva, 6-4, 6-2, while Varvara Lepchenko ended the hopes of No.5 seed Sabine Lisicki, 6-2, 7-6(5).
“It was a tough one. Obviously Sabine’s the favorite and she’s the home player. And she’s a great player! So I knew she wasn’t going to give me anything for free and I’d really have to fight for it and that’s what I was looking for,” Lepchenko said.
“In the second set I had a lot of opportunities that I let slip. I lost my focus a bit there and I was all over the place a bit there, and once I got back into it, it was more even and I was able to push through.”
In doubles, Annika Beck and Anna-Lena Friedsam warmed up for their singles quarterfinal against one another by teaming up to beat Chan Chin-Wei and Demi Schuurs, 6-0, 6-4.
Tennis fans @ #NVC2016 like to watch doubles just as much. E.g. @BeckAnnika & AL Friedsam advancing to semis! pic.twitter.com/Hcbjuc88lN
— Nürnberger Cup (@NuernbergerCup) 18 May 2016
SYDNEY, Australia – Johanna Konta ended home hopes at the Apia International Sydney with a straight set win over Daria Gavrilova.
Following the first-round exits for Samantha Stosur and Arina Rodionova, Gavrilova was the last Australian remaining in the singles draw. However, to the disappointment of a partisan crowd, Konta withstood a late rally to run out a 6-1, 6-3 winner and secure a quarterfinal meeting against Daria Kasatkina.
The No.6 seed made a flying start, breaking in the opening game and dropping only four points during a dominant first set display. Another early break in the second continued this momentum, and while Gavrilova fought gallantly until the end she was unable to prevent Konta closing out victory at the sixth attempt.
.@JoKonta91 advances to @SydneyTennis Quarterfinals!
Beats Gavrilova 6-1, 6-3! pic.twitter.com/zv5xD5EOnF
— WTA (@WTA) January 10, 2017
In the previous match on court, Kasatkina upset World No.1 Angelique Kerber to leave Konta as the only seed remaining in the top half. “I knew going into the match it was going to be an incredibly tough one, she’s one of the best fighters on tour,” Konta said to BT Sport.
“It’s such a strong tournament, such depth, I know going into every single match that it’s going to be a tough one and I’m just going to have to, first and foremost, take care of things my end.”
Twelve months ago, Sydney-born Konta was about to announce herself to the tennis world with a semifinal run at the Australian Open. Now she is perched at No.10 in the world and, having also reached the semifinals in Shenzhen, is enjoying another profitable start to the tennis calendar.
“I’m just happy I have accumulated already a few matches under my belt in the first few weeks of the season. I feel quite pleased about that,” she added.
“I'm right here in Sydney, enjoying my time, trying to enjoy my involvement in the tournament as much as possible” @JoKonta91 #SydneyTennis pic.twitter.com/FIWzCURaBZ
— Apia Intl Sydney (@SydneyTennis) January 10, 2017
Just one month away from the first edition of June’s Mallorca Open, Ana Ivanovic tried for the first time the centre court of the grass tournament along with Carlos Moyà and Toni Nadal during an event held at the Country Club Tennis Academy Santa Ponsa, the tournament’s venue.
The former Wprld No.1, one of the favorites to win the title, practiced on the new grass court with Carlos Moyà, a former ATP No.1, as well as Toni Nadal, Rafael Nadal’s uncle and coach.
“It is a big event for Mallorca, with big names and a hard draw,” said Ivanovic after practicing for over 10 minutes on a grass that has been tested and supervised by the All England Lawn Tennis Club. “It is a pleasure for me to prepare Wimbledon in a place I feel like at home,”
Ivanovic also unveiled one of the surprises of the event, a giant tennis ball made of 600 ensaimadas, a typical majorcan pastry.
I am so excited to play the @MallorcaOpen later this summer. Their new grass Centre Court is slick! Who's coming? pic.twitter.com/eNNhw0U6pN
— Ana Ivanovic (@AnaIvanovic) May 18, 2016
Apart from Ivanovic, the Mallorca Open will have a great line up, full of grass court specialists. Garbiñe Muguruza, Eugenie Bouchard and Sabine Lisicki all reached the Wimbledon final in the last three years, and will try to become the first champions on the inaugural edition of the event. Other big names with the likes of former No.1 Jelena Jankovic, Sara Errani, Kristina Mladenovic, Annika Beck and Julia Goerges.
A few months ago Muguruza was the selected player to put the first stone on this centre court.
Las pistas de hierba del @wtamallorca toman forma!! Grass courts at Mallorca Open are looking good!! See you there! pic.twitter.com/sercwC1JOW
— Garbiñe Muguruza (@GarbiMuguruza) May 15, 2016
“I am very excited and I can’t wait for this tournament to start” she said at the itme. “I am really happy because this surface is one of my favorites. In Spain we have a clay tradition but I think this novelty is great news. I’ll be there in a few weeks, excited to play another tournament in Spain, in a very special place like Majorca.”
I wish there was a confetti flying from the sky after every good serve! ? @MallorcaOpen pic.twitter.com/gNk7fYp1P7
— Ana Ivanovic (@AnaIvanovic) May 18, 2016
Want to see the French Open draw unfold right before your eyes? Look no further – watch the live broadcast of the draw ceremony right here on wtatennis.com!
On the eve of the calendar’s second major, wtatennis.com contributor Chris Oddo previews the pick of Roland Garros’ opening day menu.
World No. 1 Serena Williams begins her quest for a fourth Roland Garros title on Tuesday as the top half of the draw contests its first-round matches. We preview all the action here at WTATennis.com.
Tuesday, First Round
[1] Serena Williams (USA #1) vs. Magdalena Rybarikova (SVK #77)
Head-to-head: Williams leads, 1-0
Key Stat: Williams is one of nine Grand Slam winners in the main draw, and has four more major titles (21) than the other eight major winners combined (17).
Serena Williams will look to resume her march towards history in Paris this week after stumbling in the late rounds at each of the last two majors. The World No.1 sits just one behind Steffi Graf for the all-time Open Era record for major titles, but that fact is something that the 34-year-old American prefers not to dwell on. “I definitely block it out,” Williams said over the weekend in Paris. “I was one off last year, too. If I don’t win [Roland Garros] I’ll still be one off. It took me forever to get to 18. I was so stressed out. I don’t want to relive that at all.” On Tuesday Williams will hope for a stress-free encounter against Slovakia’s Magdalena Rybarikova in the final match of the day on Court Philippe Chatrier. Rybarikova has struggled with a leg injury since reaching the quarterfinals at Indian Wells and the 27-year-old has only played once since then, retiring from a challenger match in Slovakia in the first set.
Pick: Williams in two
[26] Kristina Mladenovic (FRA #30) vs. Francesca Schiavone (ITA #95)
Head-to-head: Schiavone leads, 2-1
Key Stat: Mladenovic has notched a Top 10 win in each of her last two Roland Garros appearances.
Kristina Mladenovic’s Roland Garros legend is growing with each passing year as the Frenchwoman has notched some of the grandest, most emotional wins of her career on the terre battue. In 2014 she famously upset 2011 Roland Garros champion Li Na in the first round. Last year Mladenovic took out then-World No.6 Eugenie Bouchard in her opening match. Credit to Mladenovic. She’s embraced the challenge of playing at her home Slam and delivered inspiring performances in two consecutive years. But to do it again this year the 23-year-old will have to get past a woman with a Roland Garros resumé that is far more impressive than her own. Francesca Schiavone’s legend is already as big as it gets in Paris. “La Leonessa” pulled off one of the most magical runs in recent Grand Slam history when she took the title at Roland Garros in 2010, but the 35-year-old will likely need some more of her Paris magic if she is to book her place in the second round.
Pick: Mladenovic in three
[5] Victoria Azarenka (BLR #5) vs. Karin Knapp (ITA #118)
Head-to-head: Knapp leads, 1-0
Key Stat: Knapp dropped just two games in a straight-sets win over Azarenka at Roland Garros in 2007.
Nine years ago, Italy’s Karin Knapp notched one of her best career wins at a major against Victoria Azarenka at Roland Garros, dropping just two games in a first-round blowout. But that victory came early in Azarenka’s Roland Garros career, before she had fully acclimated herself to the red clay. These days Azarenka is a much more accomplished clay-courter with seven finals on the surface under her belt and three appearances in the quarterfinals at Roland Garros (including a semifinal in 2013). If Azarenka truly has put the back issues that have plagued her on clay this season behind her, she should be able to assert herself early and often against Knapp on Tuesday.
Pick: Azarenka in two
[3] Angelique Kerber (GER #3) vs. Kiki Bertens (NED #58)
Head-to-head: Kerber leads, 1-0
Key Stat: Kerber lost in the first round in both Madrid and Rome.
On Tuesday in Paris Angelique Kerber will play her first Grand Slam match since claiming the Australian Open title in January. How will she handle the challenge? The German has been through her share of ups and downs since that triumph, but by and large she has adjusted to her newfound notoriety with maturity, managing to stay grounded and focused on playing the high-quality tennis that she has become known for. But dealing with fame hasn’t been Kerber’s only challenge this spring. The World No. 5 has also struggled with a shoulder injury that could be a factor when she meets last week’s Nürnberg champion, Kiki Bertens, in her first-round match. “I’ve had a few practice days and that gives me confidence,” Kerber told reporters this weekend about her decision to skip last week’s event in Nürnberg to rest. “I used the days at home to have a lot of shoulder treatments. Physically I’m feeling good again. I was scared to play matches before Paris. Now I can serve and there are not so many pains.”
Pick: Kerber in three
By The Numbers
4 — Williams is bidding for her fourth Roland Garros title this year. If she succeeds she’ll pull even with Justine Henin and Helen Wills-Moody on the all-time leaderboard.
40 – Schiavone is fifth among active players on the Roland Garros win list. The Italian has gone 40-14 in her 15 appearances in Paris.
4 – In the Open Era the No. 1 seed has lost in the first round just four times at a major and never at Roland Garros.
-Chris Oddo, wtatennis.com contributor