Charleston: Daria Kasatkina vs Irina-Camelia Begu
Daria Kasatkina takes on Irina-Camelia Begu in the quarterfinals of the Volvo Car Open.
Daria Kasatkina takes on Irina-Camelia Begu in the quarterfinals of the Volvo Car Open.
Simona Halep overcame a slow start to book her place in the third round of the French Open, defeating Zarina Diyas, 7-6(5), 6-2.
After a thrilling three set match on Charleston’s Stadium court, good friends Daria Kasatkina and Daria Gavrilova met at the net for an amusing attempt at a fake-out handshake.
PARIS, France – World No.2 Agnieszka Radwanska fought off Caroline Garcia and a voracious French crowd to advance into the third round of the French Open, 6-2, 6-4.
“I think I play really good two matches. Especially this one. I think this was really a tough one,” Radwanska said in her post-match press conference.
“I’m just very pleased that I could close that match in two sets, that’s for sure.”
All three of Radwanska’s previous encounters with Garcia had gone the distance, but the reigning BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global champion recovered from an early break to race out to a set and 4-1 lead before Garcia began sinking her teeth into the match.
Breaking serve twice to get within a game of leveling the set, Garcia threw in back-to-back double faults to throw a lifeline to Radwanska, who gladly took it to advance in 95 minutes.
“I’m very sorry,” a despondent Garcia said after the match. “I’m very sorry that I couldn’t really play the way I wish I would have played. I was able to play a few balls, but most of the match I just wasn’t there. Not enough. I wasn’t able to hit the ball. I wanted to hit it, and, well, just not the right game.
“I’m disappointed. I can play better. But it was a wonderful moment. It was very emotional. The public supporting me helped me coming back in the match when I thought it was over.
“I think they believed more in me than I believed in myself.”
Love watching Aga play even tho she says she doesn't like clay she sure can weave a web round her opponents still. Good fight back by Garcia
— Jo Durie (@Jodurie) May 25, 2016
Up next for the No.2 seed is No.30 seed Barbora Strycova. The Czech veteran is in the midst of a career year, having already reached the final of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships. Despite losing her last nine main draw matches at Roland Garros – dating back to 2004 – Strycova edged out clay court specialist Polona Hercog 6-4, 6-4 to reach the third round on the terre battue for the first time in her career.
Radwanska has yet to drop a set against Strycova, though all four of their matches were on hardcourts, and the last was a little under two years ago at the Rogers Cup.
“I think I’m not really thinking about expectations or second week,” Radwanska said when asked about looking ahead to her next match. “I think taking match by match, and I’m just very happy to be in the third round.
“Of course now it’s not going to be easier. She’s playing great tennis, especially on clay. For sure another tough match.
“I’m healthy, in one piece, and I’m just ready for the next one.”
Aga Radwanska éteint les espoirs de Caroline Garcia dans ce Roland Garros ?. Elle bat la française 6-2 6-4 #RG16 pic.twitter.com/5qINfW0Ua0
— Roland Garros (@rolandgarros) May 25, 2016
Three-time champion Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova looked on course for a fourth Abierto GNP Seguros title after taking down No.3 seed Caroline Garcia in straight sets and booking a place into the final.
Former No.1 Venus Williams faced few problems against American qualifier and Mutua Madrid Open semifinalist Louisa Chirico to reach the third round at Roland Garros.
CHARLESTON, SC, USA – Kicking off finals Sunday at the Volvo Car Open, World No.1 Bethanie Mattek-Sands treated the Charleston crowd to a rousing doubles match alongside partner and Australian Open co-champion Lucie Safarova.
Up against a newly formed Czech duo in Lucie Hradecka and Katerina Siniakova, Mattek-Sands and Safarova recovered from a tough second set to rebound in the match tie-break, winning, 6-4, 1-6, 10-7, to take home their second title of the season – and Mattek-Sands’ third overall.
The win triggered a lengthy celebration from two of the tour’s biggest personalities, and even a revival of the Shaun T-choereographed dance the two debuted after winning in Melbourne.
Check out some the best photos from after the match right here, courtesy of the Volvo Car Open:
BIEL/BIENNE, Switzerland — Children attending the Ladies Open Biel Bienne over the weekend got to get a glimpse of two of their country’s biggest WTA stars, as Switzerland’s Belinda Bencic and Martina Hingis participated in the tournament’s Kids’ Day festivities, organized by Swiss Tennis.
The duo forms quite the Swiss trifecta on the WTA Tour alongside Timea Bacsinszky and held a youth clinic as part of the event ahead of Monday’s main draw.
Both players will face Carina Witthoeft in the first round of their respective tournaments, as the wildcard Bencic will face the German in singles while Hingis and Bacsinszky will square off against Witthoeft and Diana Marcinkevica in doubles.
All photos courtesy of Valeriano Di Domenico.
No.2 seed Carla Suárez Navarro kept up her momentum from Monterrey with a decisive win over American Julia Boserup to ease into the second round of the Ladies Open Biel Bienne.
Marketa Vondrousova takes on Kristyna Pliskova in the quarterfinals of the Ladies Open Biel Bienne.