Roland Garros: Venus vs Cornet
Venus Williams takes on Alizé Cornet in the third round of Roland Garros.
Venus Williams takes on Alizé Cornet in the third round of Roland Garros.
PARIS, France – Samantha Stosur dodged the rain and rolled back the years to dash Simona Halep’s French Open hopes on Tuesday.
Resuming at 5-3 down in the first set, Stosur powered through the heavy conditions and Halep’s defenses to triumph, 7-6(0), 6-3.
Halep was very much in ascendency when the match was originally stopped on Sunday evening. However, on their return 2010 runner-up Stosur was a different proposition entirely, winning the first seven points. A netted backhand ended the streak but did not halt the momentum, an inside-out forehand winner drawing her level at 5-5.
This vintage form continued into the tie-break, Stosur steamrolling Halep to complete the turnaround. The only thing that threatened the Australian’s dominance was the rain, which duly arrived at 3-2 in the second set.
This merely delayed the celebrations, though, Stosur returning to complete the job when Halep sent a drive volley sailing long.
Stosur arrived in Paris carrying a wrist injury, which forced her to withdraw from her final tune-up event.
“I didn’t know what kind of result or performance I was going to have regardless of the wrist injury, but I said after my first round I did exactly what I needed to do for that and sort it out and came here early.
“It was unfortunate I had to pull out of Strasbourg, but I needed those days to recover. Thankfully, touch wood, it’s been okay so far. I’m not struggling with it at all. I’m not even thinking about it now. I still have it taped, but it’s not bothering me and I’m able to play some of my best tennis.”
Timea Bacsinszky continued her serene progress through the Roland Garros draw with a straight set victory over former finalist Venus Williams.
No.21 seed Sam Stosur is back into the semifinals of the French Open for the first time since 2012 with her win against surprise quarterfinalist Tsvetana Pironkova.
February was packed with plenty of amazing shots – we narrowed it down to the five best.
In the end, it was Angelique Kerber – who is set to return to No.1 after the BNP Paribas Open. The German sucessfully campaigned for the honor at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships, even earning the praise of Hot Shot Queen Agnieszka Radwanska. En route to the semifinals in Dubai, the left-handed Kerber threw down the gauntlet by landing a stab volley with her right hand, forcing the error from Mona Barthel .
Click here to watch all of February’s finalists.
Final Results for February’s WTA Shot Of The Month presented by Cambridge Global Payments
1. Angelique Kerber (41%)
2. Kristina Mladenovic (22%)
3. Caroline Wozniacki (20%)
4. Daria Kasatkina (11%)
5. Karolina Pliskova (6%)
2017 WTA Shot of the Month Winners
January: Agnieszka Radwanska
How it works:
Five shots are selected by wtatennis.com
Winner is then determined by a fan vote on wtatennis.com
Bol, Croatia is known for its spectacular coastline, and now it’s home to the inaugural WTA Bol Open, a clay court WTA 125K series event.
The player party took place on a yacht and Ana Rucner, a world-class singer and cellist who competed in this year’s Eurovision Song Contest, provided the night’s entertainment.
Arantxa Sanchez Vicario was on deck and she grabbed a photo with Felisk Lukas, the WTA Bol Open tournament director.
French qualifier Marine Partaud took in the action from a distance.
It was definitely a night to remember on the “Katina” yacht, courtesy of Tomislav Debeljak.
Before the player party, though, it was time to make the draw and the top seeds, Anna Karolina Schmiedlova and Ana Konjuh, were on hand for the ceremony.
Thankfully Schmiedlova and Konjuh drew themselves into opposite halves!
Konjuh in particular was thrilled to compete in a WTA event in her home country of Croatia.
Right before the start of play, a pair of WTA legends took to the picturesque courts to compete in an exhibition match.
14-time Grand Slam winner Sanchez Vicario – known as the “Barcelona Bumblebee” – is also a WTA Finals ambassador.
Iva Majoli and Sanchez Vicario got plenty of tennis action this week: the pair are also competing in Legends Doubles at the French Open.
INDIAN WELLS, CA, USA – The BNP Paribas Open draw featured a full slate of intriguing second round possibilities, few more than No.5 seed Dominika Cibulkova’s against Jelena Ostapenko. The reigning BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global champion carved out a thrilling 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 win over the rising Latvian to book a third round meeting with Kristyna Pliskova.
“It was a really big fight,” she told WTA Insider after the match. :I feel like I had to fight for every single ball because I wasn’t feeling great on the court. It’s hard to feel great against a player who doesn’t give you rhythm. I won’t say I was struggling but I had some hard times today; I tried to stay really strong and positive, fight for every single ball. I appreciate this win a lot becuase it was a tough one.”
A former Wimbledon junior winner, Ostapenko came perilously close to handing a then-unbeaten Karolina Pliskova her first loss of the season at the Australian Open, and has been ranked as high as No.33 since reaching her first Premier 5 final at last year’s Qatar Total Open.
Ostapenko finds the angle on the backhand! #BNPPO17 pic.twitter.com/YlDvjXhAb5
— WTA (@WTA) March 11, 2017
The teenager showed her full arsenel of power shots as day turned to night on Stadium 3, hitting 33 winners to 30 unforced errors through three sets, but was undone by her serve – hitting 10 double faults to just two aces in a match that was dominated by return.
“This match wasn’t how I wanted it to be; I can play much better, but it also depends on the opponent. I knew it was going to be a hard one, so it didn’t surprise me. I just had to fight for every single ball. I was glad with how I finished the match; I felt like myself in a few moments like those.”
Cibulkova, by contrast, had something to prove after losing her last two matches in three sets, one in the semifinals of Doha to Pliskova, and another to Ekaterina Makarova at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships.
The best of @Cibulkova. #BNPPO17 pic.twitter.com/TgQqEYRl9J
— WTA (@WTA) March 11, 2017
Dealing with the pressure of defending her breakout 2016 season, the Slovak was forced to dig deep during the two hour, 11 minute epic, shurgging off a shaky serving day of her own to hit six winners to just two unforced errors in the final set to ease into the round of 32.
“It doesn’t matter how you play in practice, but I’d been practicing well. I had a few days off after Dubai and had a great week of practice. We changed a few things and I was feeling really great.
“I was going for my shots more in practice, playing more aggressively. Even if I made a mistake, my coach would remind me to be even more aggressive with my footwork and keep pressing.”
Dominika @Cibulkova books a spot in @BNPPARIBASOPEN Third round!
Ousts Ostapenko 6-4, 4-6, 6-3! pic.twitter.com/ptJ6ngAvib
— WTA (@WTA) March 11, 2017
Standing between her and a spot in the second week is the left-handed Pliskova, who is starting to come out from the shadow of sister Karolina, who kicks off her Indian Wells campaign against Olympic champion Monica Puig later tonight.
“It takes time for me to adjust to lefties,” Cibulkova said of her next match. “I have a strategy when I play them, and I try not to flip my patterns and think too much about it. I just have to return the same way, but mind the bounce. I’ve never played her before, and so it’ll be a different one. This match should give me a good feeling, and the confidence to handle a match like this and to win it.”
Pliskova roared past No.33 seed and 2016 quarterfinalist Daria Kasatkina, 6-0, 6-3, hiting five aces to advance in 64 minutes.
“I know how I can play and this wasn’t even my best,” Pliskova told WTA Insider. “I’m not that surprised to win, but I’m still happy because it was an easy score.
“I felt, especially in the second set after she called her coach, that she was trying to put every ball in. The second set was dangerous because if I missed a few shots she wasn’t. But still, I play fast, and it’s tough to put everything in – especially on the serve!”
Asked about playing Cibulkova, Pliskova debated whether to ask her sister for advice.
“I never played her, but I will maybe ask Karolina. Maybe she will tell me something, but she has a bad record against her too. Maybe I’ll just stick to my plan. Last time she won, but last three times she lost, so maybe I won’t even ask her!” she laughed.
Taking a break from the desk to catch a fun contrast in styles out on Stadium 5. Power rolling so far. #BNPPO17 pic.twitter.com/IKYxczKiJr
— WTA Insider (@WTA_insider) March 11, 2017
Still, it’s been a banner day for the top players despite the underdog heavy draw; all but two of the 16 seeds in action advanced. No.8 seed and Singapore semifinalist Svetlana Kuznetsova knocked out Sweden’s Johanna Larsson, 7-6(3), 6-4; she’ll next play No.26 seed Roberta Vinci, who earned a win over unseeded American Madison Brengle.
Coming through the toughest match of the day was No.10 seed Elina Svitolina, who extended her winning streak to 14 matches on Friday with a 3-6, 6-3, 7-6(3) win over China’s Wang Qiang. It won’t get any easier for the Ukrainian, who next faces former doubles partner and No.24 seed Daria Gavrilova; the Aussie eased past 2009 US Open semifinalist Yanina Wickmayer, 6-2, 7-6(5).
? on the backhand from @ElinaSvitolina! #BNPPO17 pic.twitter.com/9taBockf62
— WTA (@WTA) March 10, 2017
No.17 seed Barbora Strycova won a rematch of last year’s Dubai final over Sara Errani, 6-4, 5-7, 6-2; awaiting her in the third round is No.19 seed Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, who cruised past Estonian qualifier Anett Kontaveit, 6-4, 6-4.
Congratulations, Ms. Bacsinszky. Nice win today. And that was kind and thoughtful of you to make that little girl's day ?@TimeaOfficial pic.twitter.com/w09NF8wBMi
— EustaceTarwater (@EustaceTarwater) March 10, 2017
Indian Wells will also play host to a battle of surprise French Open semifinalists; No.15 seed Timea Bacsinszky reached the final four on the terre battue in 2015 and will play No.18 seed Kiki Bertens, who made the semifinals last year. Bacsinszky defeated Monica Niculescu, 7-5, 6-2, while Bertens handed an unhappy birthday present to newly 20-year-old Belinda Bencic, 6-2, 6-2.
Defending champion Serena Williams overcame a tight opening set to end Kiki Bertens’ fairytale run to get within one match of tying Steffi Graf’s 22 Grand Slam titles in Paris.
Madison Keys makes her 2017 debut and Venus Williams takes on the BNP Paribas Open’s longest tenured player. We break down today’s key second-round matchups at WTATennis.com.
Saturday, Second round
[2] Angelique Kerber (GER # 2) vs. Andrea Petkovic (GER # 79)
Head-to-head: Kerber leads, 7-3
Key Stat: Kerber will begin her 21st week at No.1 on the Monday after Indian Wells.
As a result of Serena Williams’ injury withdrawal, Angelique Kerber will make her return to the top of the WTA rankings following Indian Wells no matter how she fares. But the German is adamant about not letting this good news cause any complacency in her tennis. She’s here to compete, and to hopefully kickstart a season that hasn’t panned out exactly the way she would have liked in the first two months. Kerber is 7-5 on the season, but she has yet to reach a final and she has gone 2-5 against the Top 50. “I was coming here to win matches,” Kerber told reporters on Wednesday. “This is what I love and this is what I was practicing for the last weeks. This is more what I’m focusing on. I will try and really stay with my focus because this is my priority and I will try now not to think about getting No.1 again.”
Kerber is set to square off with compatriot Andrea Petkovic for the 11th time on Saturday. The pair will meet for the first time since 2015, when Kerber won a straight-setter in the Charleston semis.
Pick: Kerber in three
[12] Venus Williams (USA # 13) vs. Jelena Jankovic (SRB # 51)
Head-to-head: Jankovic leads, 7-6
Key Stat: Jankovic is making her record 16th appearance at the BNP Paribas Open.
A pair of legendary thirtysomethings will lock horns for the 14th time on Saturday for a spot in the third round when Venus Williams and Jelena Jankovic continue a rivalry that started over a decade ago in the quarterfinals at the 2005 Bank of the West Classic in Northern California. A lot of time has passed since then, but Williams (36) and Jankovic (32) continue to turn back the clock with brave tennis, big personality and an unquenchable lust for the competition that exists on tour. Williams made her return to Indian Wells for the first time in 15 years last season but was upset in her first match by Japan’s Kurumi Nara. She’d like to extend her stay a little longer this time, but she’ll have her hands full with Jankovic, who took the pair’s last hardcourt meeting at Hong Kong in 2015.
While Williams may still be re-familiarizing herself with the playing conditions in the desert, Jankovic has played some of her best tennis here. She won the title in 2010 and reached the final in 2015.
Pick: Williams in three
[20] CoCo Vandeweghe (USA #22) vs. Lucie Safarova (CZE # 40)
Head-to-head: Safarova leads, 2-1
Key Stat: After finishing 2016 with five consecutive losses, Vandeweghe is 8-3 in 2017.
American CoCo Vandeweghe was a set away from her first career Grand Slam final before she fell to Venus Williams in a thrilling three-setter at the Australian Open semifinals this winter. Now she’s looking to make some noise on her home soil, but the California native will have to get past a very accomplished veteran if she hopes to reach beyond the third round for the first time. Lucie Safarova has been playing very solid tennis this season, and has a final at Budapest and an 11-5 record to show for it. She has taken her last two meetings with Vandeweghe, both on hard courts, but the American is a more confident player than she ever has been before.
Pick: Safarova in three
[9] Madison Keys (USA # 9) vs. Mariana Duque-Mariño (ESP # 112)
Head-to-head: Keys Leads, 1-0
Key Stat: Keys has never been past the third round at Indian Wells.
Madison Keys will make her return to the tour after missing the first two months due to a minor wrist surgery. Keys has also been reunited with former coach Lindsay Davenport, and the pair will move forward hoping to recreate the success that they achieved in 2015, when the American reached her only career Grand Slam semifinal at the age of 19. For her first hurdle she’ll face Spain’s Mariana Duque-Mariño, a 27-year-old qualifier who earned her first ever BNP Paribas Open main draw win on Thursday when she defeated Romania’s Patricia Maria Tig.
The matchup is a good one for Keys, but how quickly can the 22-year-old shake off the rust that surely exists? In her first match since last October Keys will need to be sharp—Duque Mariño has already won two rounds of qualifying in addition to her first-round win and she’ll be hungry for the upset.
Pick: Keys in two
By the Numbers:
36 – The age of Venus Williams, who is the oldest player in this year’s BNP Paribas Open draw.
20 – Amount of weeks that Kim Clijsters and Angelique Kerber have spent at No.1 as of today. Kerber will pass Clijsters when she begins her second stint at the top of the rankings on Monday March 20th.
47 – Number of BNP Paribas Open matches won by Lindsay Davenport, which is most all-time. The American also holds the record for most final appearances with six.
28 – Agnieszka Radwanska leads all players in this year’s draw with 28 wins at Indian Wells. She’ll bid for her 29th against Spain’s Sara Sorribes Tormo today.
2015 champion Simona Halep notched a solid victory to move past Donna Vekic in her Indian Wells opener and return to the third round at the BNP Paribas Open.