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Notes & Netcords: April 4, 2016

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

THE WINNERS

Former No.1 Victoria Azarenka continues her climb back to the top, overpowering Svetlana Kuznetsova 6-3, 6-2 in the final to claim the Miami Open title and secure her return to the WTA Top 5.

Azarenka, a two-time champion here in Miami, won her third title of 2016 in dominating fashion without dropping a set. Even more impressive, her back-to-back titles in Indian Wells and Miami complete the Sunshine Double, a feat last achieved 11 years ago.

With the win, Azarenka also cements her position as No.1 on the Road To Singapore Leaderboard, leapfrogging Australian Open champion Angelique Kerber for the top spot.

Read the full story and watch highlights here. | As It Happened: Game-by-game analysis.

In doubles, Bethanie Mattek-Sands completed a Sunshine Double of her own. Mattek-Sands and partner Lucie Safarova capped off a fairytale reunion on Sunday afternoon with a 6-3, 6-4 victory over Timea Babos and Yaroslava Shvedova in the final of the Miami Open. The American now joins Martina Hingis and Natasha Zvereva as the third player to win both events in the same year.

Read the full story here.

GAME, SET, MATCH: WTA Insider

Game: Victoria Azarenka did what she does…

The numbers are plain as day: Azarenka is the best player in the world…right now. By going undefeated in March to become the first woman since 2005 to complete the Sunshine Double by winning both the BNP Paribas Open and Miami Open, Azarenka vaults to No.1 in the Road to Singapore Leaderboard ahead of Australian Open champion Angelique Kerber and World No.1 Serena Williams. A look behind the RTS rankings only underscores just how dominant Vika has been through the first quarter of the year.

Not only is she 22-1 on the season, capturing two of the biggest titles of the season so far as well as another significant title at the Brisbane International, but she’s done it guns blazing. The draws did not break open for Azarenka and she did not pick up her points and wins cheaply. She beat Serena to win Indian Wells, avenged her loss to Kerber en route to the title in Miami (and is 2-1 already this year against Kerber), and has notched good wins over No.4 Garbiñe Muguruza, No.8 Roberta Vinci, No.18 Karolina Pliskova, and No.21 Johanna Konta. In Miami and Brisbane she did not lose a set en route to the trophy. In Indian Wells she faced the toughest task in tennis – beating Serena in a final – and came through with a poised and focused performance to win in straight sets.

This is what Azarenka can do on hard courts and it, in particular, is what she has historically done in the first quarter of the season. In 2013 she went on a 15-match win streak to win the Australian Open and Qatar Total Open. A year before that she started the year 26-0, winning the Sydney International, Australian Open, Qatar Total Open, and Indian Wells, before finally running out of gas in the Miami quarterfinals. In all, 13 of her 20 titles have come in the first quarter of the season, when she is at her freshest and the playing on her favorite surface.

Set: …But can she keep it up?

That’s one of the big questions as the tour turns away from her best surface and towards the clay. Clay is not her worst surface (statistically that would be grass) but her results have varied greatly on the slower surface. She has won just one title on clay, in Marbella in 2011, but she has routinely put herself in position to do better. She has made the final of the Madrid Open twice (2011, 2012), and the Internazionali BNL d’Italia and Porsche Tennis Grand Prix once apiece.

“Definitely very motivated for clay season,” Azarenka said. “I always been a high favorite [sic] of proving people wrong, and that’s what also motivates me a lot.

“Going into clay season, people say it’s not my favorite surface and whatever. I’m going to work pretty hard to make sure it’s going to be my favorite surface.”

Match: Serena looking for solutions on clay.

Not since 2012 has Serena gone titleless through the first quarter of the year. That also happened to be an Olympic year. Back then she was ranked outside the Top 10 to start the season and was still finding her form after suffering a foot injury and pulmonary embolism that left her hospitalized in 2011.

She went on to go through a tear on clay, compiling a 17-match win streak with titles at the Volvo Car Open and Mutua Madrid Open, before pulling out before the semifinals in Rome. She would lose in the first round of the French Open to Virginie Razzano, but we all know what happened after that: Wimbledon champion, Olympic gold medalist, US Open champion, and WTA Finals champion.

All that is to say, don’t worry about Serena Williams quite yet.

RANKING MOVERS
Notable singles ranking movers for the week of April 4, 2016.

Svetlana Kuznetsova (RUS), +6 (No.19 to 13): 30-year-old Svetlana Kuznetsova turned back the clock to make the biggest ranking jump of the fortnight. A Miami Open champion in 2006, her run to the final 10 years later bumps her up six spots with a Top 10 berth in sight.

Victoria Azarenka (BLR), +3 (No.8 to 5): Kuznetsova’s opponent in the Miami final, Victoria Azarenka, has been on fire and on the rise all year. By claiming the Miami Open title (and thus completing the Sunshine Double, winning back-to-back Indian Wells and Miami titles), she earns a spot in the Top 5.

Timea Bacsinszky (SUI), +3 (No.20 to 17): Bacsinszky’s run to the Miami semifinals halted a string of disappointing results since the start of the season and puts her at No.17.

Angelique Kerber (GER), +1 (No.3 to 2): First-round exits in Doha and Indian Wells saw Kerber’s ranking dip to No.3, but the Australian Open champion righted the ship in Miami. Her run to the semifinals sent her back up to her career-high ranking of World No.2.

UPCOMING TOURNAMENTS

Katowice Open
Katowice, Poland
International | $226,750 | Hard, Indoors
Monday, April 4 – Sunday, April 10, 2016

Volvo Car Open
Charleston, USA
Premier | $687,900 | Clay
Monday, April 4 – Sunday, April 10, 2016

Claro Open Colsanitas
Bogotá, Colombia
International | $226,750 | Clay
Monday, April 11 – Sunday, April 17, 2016

Porsche Tennis Grand Prix
Stuttgart, Germany
Premier | $693,900 | Clay, Indoor
Monday, April 18 – Sunday, April 24, 2016

TOP 20 PLAYER SCHEDULES
1. Serena Williams
2. Angelique Kerber – Charleston, Stuttgart
3. Agnieszka Radwanska – Stuttgart
4. Garbiñe Muguruza – Stuttgart
5. Victoria Azarenka
6. Simona Halep – Stuttgart
7. Petra Kvitova – Stuttgart
8. Roberta Vinci – Stuttgart
9. Maria Sharapova
10. Belinda Bencic – Charleston, Stuttgart
11. Carla Suárez Navarro – Stuttgart
12. Flavia Pennetta
13. Svetlana Kuznetsova – Stuttgart
14. Venus Williams – Charleston
15. Lucie Safarova – Charleston, Stuttgart
16. Elina Svitolina – Bogotá
17. Timea Bacsinszky
18. Karolina Pliskova – Stuttgart
19. Ana Ivanovic – Stuttgart
20. Sara Errani – Charleston

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

Sorana Cirstea (ROU) – April 7, 1990
Risa Ozaki (JPN) – April 10, 1994

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News | WTA Tennis English

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

INDIAN WELLS, CA, USA – No.21 seed Caroline Garcia recovered from a set down to survive No.11 seed Johanna Konta, 3-6, 6-3, 7-6(1), to reach the fourth round of the BNP Paribas Open for the second time in three years.

“Maybe it’s the haircut!” she joked with WTA Insider. “Sometimes small things make a big difference on the court. I tried to forget what happened outside of tennis and just focus on myself, what I could improve. I feel more energized and better on the court; it’s great to have this mentality again.”

Konta enjoyed a bright start to the season with a second WTA title at the Apia International Sydney and a run to the Australian Open quarterfinals, but a nerve issue in her left foot forced her to sit out the Middle East Swing following a successful week at Fed Cup.

“I don’t believe I played a great match today,” Konta said after the match. “She did what she had to do to get through that, and she did a better job of finding a way than I did. I would have liked to have played better, but it just didn’t happen today.

“There were a number of shots that let me down today; quite honestly, I don’t know why, but I’m keen on improving and doing better next time.”

Playing her first WTA event since Melbourne, Konta took the opening set in decisive style against Garcia, who hadn’t won back-to-back matches since January, but the tide began to turn in the middle of the second.

“The last time I played against her in China, she played unbelievably; it was just unreal,” Garcia said. “I knew I had to play a good match, and that if I got any opportunities, I would have to be ready to take them. That’s what I managed to do in the second set when I broke her; in the tie-break, I was more aggressive and more consistent.”

Garcia earned the only break of that set to level the match, and served out some sticky situations by match’s end to force a tie-break, which she took with ease after a two hour and 11 minute tussle.

“I didn’t do enough with the opportunities that I did get,” Konta said. “Some of the break points, she served well, and others, I wasn’t brave enough. I don’t think I did enough to really take them. I was a little too passive in parts.”

In a high quality match, both players hit just 15 unforced errors each, with Garcia leading the winner count 28 to 23 – despite 12 aces from the big-serving Brit.

“This win means a lot because the beginning of the year hasn’t been easy,” she said. “Konta is a difficult player, and she’s been pretty solid most of the year. This match was a bit weird, some ups and downs and not too many rallies. I’m happy with the way I kept my focus to the end; even if I played a bad return, I stayed positive and finished with a great tie-break.

“I think it was more of a mental match because physically, I wasn’t even tired – there were no rallies! I was just working on moving from one point to another. Mentally, it wasn’t easy to keep the intensity. In the end, I brought what I did well in the match, and I returned better. I just had to win that tie-break, and I’ll keep the last point.”

Not too far from a career-high ranking of No.23, Garcia next plays No.8 seed Svetlana Kuznetsova, who dug out a three set win over No.26 seed Roberta Vinci, 6-2, 2-6, 6-1.

“I expect longer rallies than today, for sure!” Garcia said. “She’s a great player with a lot of experience. She’ll enjoy these conditions with the bouncy court. I’ll have to put as much pressure as I can, not let her dictate with the forehand.

“You can learn a lot from a match like this because she has a very tactical game. I’ll try to be more aggressive.”

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Vote: March Breakthrough Of The Month

Vote: March Breakthrough Of The Month

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

WTA March BTOM

March was defined by four breakthrough players who brought some impressive performances to the second month of 2016. Which one soared the highest?

Have a look at the nominees for March’s Breakthrough Performance of the Month and cast your vote before Thursday at 11:59pm ET! The winner will be announced Friday, April 8.

March 2016 WTA Breakthrough Performance of the Month Finalists:

Daria Kasatkina: Kasatkina’s breakthrough season continued with her first Premier Mandatory quarterfinal at the BNP Paribas Open. Unseeded in Indian Wells, the 2014 French Open junior champion began her tournament with a win over two-time winner Daniela Hantuchova, saved match point against Monica Puig and upset Timea Bacsinszky to reach the last eight, falling to Karolina Pliskova. The Russian’s run in Miami was cut short by World No.5 Simona Halep, who she pushed in two tough sets in the second round. Kasatkina is currently up to a career-high ranking of No.35 and is seeded for the first time at a Premier-level tournament at the Volvo Car Open.

Naomi Osaka: The Japanese teenager had another big week, this time in Miami. In her tournament debut, Osaka blew past Sara Errani in straight sets to reach the third round for the first time at a Premier Mandatory tournament. With her booming game, she is up to her own career-high ranking of No.95.

Timea Babos: 22 year old Timea Babos’ consistent 2016 kicked into high gear in Miami when she reached the round of 16 at a Premier Mandatory for the first time in her career. Playing Australian Open champion Angelique Kerber under the lights on Center Court, Babos appeared undaunted for much of the contest, even leading by a break in the final set before the German’s experience ultimately shone through. The former ace leader is ranked inside the Top 40 at No.39 for the first time, as well, and looks poised to move even farther up the rankings in singles and doubles, where she reached the final with Yaroslava Shvedova.

Nicole Gibbs: The former Stanford All-American has come good on the WTA level in a big way in 2016. Gibbs reached the fourth round of the BNP Paribas Open and nearly pulled off the upset against two-time Wimbledon winner Petra Kvitova. In between major success on the court, Gibbs also earned praise off of it from the likes of Billie Jean King and Chris Evert for her passionate defense of equal prize money. Following up her run in Miami, she reached the third round before bowing out to 2015 Wimbledon runner-up Garbiñe Muguruza. 

2016 Winners:

January: Zhang Shuai
February: Jelena Ostapenko

How it works:

Finalists are selected by wtatennis.com
Winner is then determined by a fan vote on wtatennis.com

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News | WTA Tennis English

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

INDIAN WELLS, CA, USA – Venus Williams’ second trip to the BNP Paribas Open since 2001 is quickly bearing fruit as the Australian Open runner-up rolled past former World No.5 Lucie Safarova, 6-4, 6-2.

“I really, really, really, really want to do well here!” she exclaimed during her on-court interview. “I’m from California, and I love the hardcourts. This is an opportunity for me to shine at home, so I’m going for it.”

“I felt really pretty good off the ground,” she added in her post-match press conference. “This court is tricky as the ball stops, so a lot of the times you’re not hitting the ball where you think you’re going to hit it. So it definitely takes adjustments.

“I don’t know if there’s enough time to adjust, anyway. You just kind of like deal with it. So it’s an interesting court. You know, I felt like I was being able to string points together, which of course puts pressure on my opponents if I’m not making as many errors.”

The American was on the brink of defeat in her opening round match against fellow former No.1 Jelena Jankovic, having had to recover from match point down to defeat the Serb in three sets.

“I can hit the ball, and I can hit it well. If anything, I feel like I’m getting better. So as long as I’m improving, I want to be here. On the day that I’m not improving and this is a realization, then that’s when you know you have to walk away. So not there yet.”

But there were far fewer problems against Safarova, who’d knocked out Australian Open semifinalist CoCo Vandeweghe in her previous match.

What was working for Venus today?

“Forehand, backhand, serve, return,” she joked. “I respect my opponent so much; it’s never easy to play a lefty because you feel the ball coming from all different directions. You feel unbalanced, but my focus was so laser that it felt good to compete in these conditions.”

In all, Venus struck 15 winners to just nine unforced errors, while Safarova hit 20 winners of her own and 27 unforced errors. More aggessive off the return, the five-time Wimbledon winner broke serve four times and one all eight points at net.

“It won’t be easy. It won’t be easy,” she repeated when asked about whether she could win the tournament. “But I would like to try. What else can I do except try? And it hasn’t really been the easiest draw, either. I’ve played some opponents who know how to play tennis. And just because your ranking says this, doesn’t mean that you do not know how to win a match.

“And I’ve had history against these opponents, so not the easiest draw so it was good to come through that.”

Up next will be resurgent qualifier Peng Shuai, who stunned No.6 seed Agnieszka Radwanska, 6-4, 6-4.

“Every day is a grind. I’m just out there trying to make a difference on the court and in my life and others’ lives where I can.”

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News | WTA Tennis English

News | WTA Tennis English

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

After a short lull in the post-Australian Open period, tennis fashion is again a hot topic as WTA players are freshly geared up for the BNP Paribas Open, the most attended tennis event in the world outside of the four Grand Slams. Marija Zivlak of Women’s Tennis Blog will present us the Top 5 new outfits that grace the courts at the state-of-the-art Indian Wells Tennis Garden in the Coachella Valley.

Garbiñe Muguruza

Garbiñe Muguruza has already launched the black-and-white designs prepared for the French Open and they’re nothing short of spectacular. While the Spaniard is set to work on her Paris title defense in the adidas Summer Stella McCartney Dress 2, this fortnight in Indian Wells she introduced the adidas Summer Stella McCartney Sleeveless Polo, unique for its updated pique fabric and prominent front slits, and the lightweight adidas Summer Stella McCartney Pleated Skirt, featuring integrated compression shorts.

Garbine Muguruza

The skirt’s contrast hem nicely matches the thin lining at the polo’s collar, while the pops of color at zipper and heat transfer logo are coordinated with Muguruza’s red Stella Barricade 2017 shoes.

Jelena Jankovic

There’s nothing more wonderful than an updated take on a retro look. Combining the historic trio of red, white and navy, with a refreshing touch of Fila’s archival green hue, the new Heritage collection shows the beauty of simplicity with its timeless silhouettes that have a contemporary aesthetic. The collection’s masterpiece is the Fila Spring Heritage II Racer Dress, looking gorgeous on the 2010 Indian Wells champion Jelena Jankovic. Since the tournament venue is known for its 354 days of sunshine a year, the dress’ UV 30 protection is more than welcome.

Belinda Bencic

Once the most prominent representative of Yonex, Belinda Bencic made a fresh start at the 2017 BNP Paribas Open, exposing her new apparel sponsor Nike, winning her first match of the season, and showing her new blonder hairstyle. The Swiss rocked the Maria Sharapova line, in particular the color-block Nike Spring Premier Maria Tank and a simple white skirt, perfectly accessorizing the look with black-and-white wristbands, white nails, and green fluorescent visor that matches the tank’s contrast V-neck.

Heather Watson

Always vibrant and youthful, New Balance opened this year’s Indian Wells tournament in style, as their representatives Heather Watson and Nicole Gibbs faced each other in the match kicking off main-draw play. A ballerina-style pleated New Balance Spring Heath Skirt, featuring orange compression shorts that can be seen through stretch tulle mesh, is nicely paired with a classic athletic look of the New Balance Spring Richmond Tank.

Nicole Gibbs

The 996v3 shoes ensured Watson’ and Gibbs’ stability by keeping their feet in optimal position even during sharp lateral movements.

Madison Keys

At the Australian Open, Nike launched one of their most powerful separates ever and after the black-and-white combo we’re enjoying the lively green version of the look. Madison Keys and many other players are making a fashion statement in this curved-hem Spring Premier Slam Tank and Spring Print Power Spin Skirt whose innovative graphic exudes the sporting dominance we associate with Nike. The Zoom Vapor 9.5 Tour footwear give Keys ultimate comfort and support her quickness.

HONORABLE MENTIONS

Venus Williams

Venus Williams is progressing through the Indian Wells draw in her EleVen Intrepid collection, which she describes as bold and smart and expects it to resonate strongly with the tennis and fitness community. The collection is centered around a graphic print in black and white, while colorful outfits can be created by combining pieces in limelight and berry.

Agnieszka Radwanska

After periods of flashy dresses, Lotto is again consistently catering to customers who appreciate utmost simplicity and sporty elegance. Agnieszka Radwanska‘s orange Lotto Spring Shela III Dress features textured mesh fabric and rounded skirt hem that brings a bit of softness to the cut.

Vote for your Indian Wells fashion favorites in the poll below!

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Insider Podcast: From Concrete To Clay

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

On this episode, WTA Insider Senior Writer Courtney Nguyen reviews the final weekend of the Miami Open, where Victoria Azarenka continued her incredible start to the season by winning her third title of the year, beating Svetlana Kuznetsova in straight sets to win Miami and become just the third woman to complete the Sunshine Double. Hear from Azarenka herself as she discusses her upcoming transition to the clay, the inherent stress of going for the American sweep in March, and how she feels to be back in the conversation amongst the game’s elite.

Nguyen is also joined by 18-time major champion and BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore ambassador Martina Navratilova to analyze the first three months of the season and preview the upcoming clay swing. Are World No.1s Serena Williams and Sania Mirza and Martina Hingis stuck in a slump? Can Victoria Azarenka continue to rack up titles on a less favorable surface like clay? Can Petra Kvitova win without a coach? Navratilova weighs in on those questions and more in a free-ranging discussion of 2016’s contenders and pretenders so far.

Azarenka: “Being a part of the discussion, I don’t listen to it that much, because it’s not interesting to me. Opinions, talks, it’s all more for people who are outside the sport. For me, I need to work and focus on my work, because it’s not going to happen if I don’t put the work in.”

Navratilova on Serena: “You don’t panic. Not when it comes to a great player like Serena Williams. I just think she needs to find some joy. It seems to me she’s just not happy on the court. Even when things were ot going her way it seemed like she was embracing that fight and right now I don’t see her embracing that fight. Sometimes that’s enough to not be able to finish those comebacks. If she finds that emotion, that passion for being in those fights then I think she’ll right the ship. There’s nothing wrong with her game.”

Navratilova on Kvitova: “Coachless doesn’t work. You can’t coach yourself. Even Roger Federer needed a coach. He was always with Severin Lüthi but he would pick up other people.”

Subscribe to the podcast on iTunes or on any podcast app of your choice and reviews are always helpful, so if you like what you’ve heard so far, leave one. Get new episode alerts by following us on Twitter @WTA_Insider.

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News | WTA Tennis English

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

INDIAN WELLS, CA, USA – Former doubles No.1 Martina Hingis seems to be hitting her stride with new partner Chan Yung-Jan; together the No.6 seeds ousted Hingis’ former partner Sania Mirza and fellow No.4 seed Barbora Strycova, 6-4, 6-4, to reach the semifinals at the BNP Paribas Open.

“It’s great,” Hingis said after the match. “It’s only our third tournament together, and I feel like we’re getting better with each match. The confidence and trust between us is growing, and I think that’s the most important thing to win matches today and in the future.

“We’re going in the right direction.”

Hingis paired up with Chan at the start of the Middle East Swing, reaching the semifinals of the Qatar Total Open and the quarterfinals of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships. Taking on Mirza and Strycova for the first time since switching partners, Hingis overcame tough opposition with the Taiwanese star by her side, ousting their higher-seeded opponents in just over an hour and 20 minutes.

“Definitely today’s match wasn’t easy,” Chan added. “Those two players are great, and they’re top players. We kept staying strong and staying together. Even though we’re a new team, we were able to make everything work. I think it’s been pretty good so far. We’re looking forward to our upcoming matches.”

Chan formerly served as stiff competition to both Hingis and Mirza when she played with sister Chan Hao-Ching, winning the last match against the team formerly known as Santina before they went on a 41-match winning streak from the end of 2015 to the beginning of 2016, playing quite a few tough matches against the pair in between.

“We know each other from playing against each other, like every single week!” she joked. “We’ve been practicing and spending a lot of time together, on court and off, using WhatsApp. I think it’s working.”

Up next for the No.6 seeds will be the winner of an interesting quarterfinal between top seeds and reigning Australian Open champions Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Lucie Safarova and the unseeded and looming pair of Kristina Mladenovic and Svetlana Kuznetsova. Mladenovic is playing her first event with her new partner since splitting with co-French Open champion Caroline Garcia after Dubai.

Mattek-Sands and Safarova could wrest the top spot on the Road to Singapore leaderboard from current No.1s Andrea Hlavackova and Peng Shuai by beating Mladenovic and Kuznetsova. If they don’t reach the final, No.2 seed and Olympic Gold medalists Ekaterina Makarova and Elena Vesnina could get to No.1 if they win the title.

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