Dubai: Samantha Stosur Interview
An interview with Samantha Stosur after her win in the first round of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships.
An interview with Samantha Stosur after her win in the first round of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships.
An interview with Agnieszka Radwanska before her opening round match at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships.
Serena Williams takes on Yulia Putinseva in the quarterfinals of Roland Garros.
Learn more about top-ranked Tunisian Ons Jabeur at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships.
NOTTINGHAM, Great Britain – Zheng Saisai had never beaten Johanna Konta in their two previous encounters, but turned around a losing head-to-head to stun the No.2 seed and hometown favorite, 6-4, 7-5, to advance into the quarterfinals of the Aegon Open Nottingham.
Konta last played Zheng in the second round of this year’s Australian Open, where she became the first British woman to reach a Grand Slam semifinal since 1983. Now ranked inside the Top 20 for the first time in decades, the Brit eased out to an early 2-0 lead, only to see her Chinese opposition walk away with six of the next eight games, breaking serve twice to take the opening set in 45 minutes.
The second set was an even more hotly contested affair, one in which Konta again lead by a break at 4-2, getting within six points of a decider. Zheng broke back, however, and served out a titanic final game that forced her to face three break points to earn her spot in the last eight in just over two hours.
Up next for Zheng is either Andrea Hlavackova or Ashleigh Barty, the young Aussie playing in her first WTA tournament since 2014.
More to come…
Kristina Mladenovic takes on Katerina Siniakova in the first round of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships.
Two years after stunning World No.1 Serena Williams in the second round of the French Open, Garbiñe Muguruza enjoyed a full circle moment on the terre battue in 2016, defeating Williams once again to capture her maiden major title.
“I’m pretty shocked still,” the Spaniard said in her post-match press conference. “Pretty excited about what just happened. I think I’ve got to take my time and enjoy, because with tennis players it goes so fast.
“You have to right away think about another tournament. I want to enjoy.”
Muguruza was the first Spanish woman to reach the Roland Garros final since 2000 (Conchita Martinez); with her win over Williams, she became the first Spaniard to win a Grand Slam title since Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario in 1998, and the first two rise into the Top 2 on the WTA rankings since December of 1996.
Racing out to a set and a break advantage, Muguruza had four championship points on Serena’s serve before ultimately serving out the victory one game later.
“It was very difficult to see you have four match points and doesn’t go your way. But it’s a final. There’s no room for being disappointed or for excuses.
“I still had another chance serving, and even after. I just tried to be calm even though inside, I was like, ‘Oh, there’s no way.’ I managed to be calm and just think about what I have to do every point, you know, and don’t think about match point or championship point.”
With her first Grand Slam title already under her belt, the 2015 Wimbledon finalist will certainly be one to watch as the tour turns to grass, and as May’s WTA Player Of The Month!
Final Results for May’s WTA Player Of The Month
1. Garbiñe Muguruza (70%)
2. Simona Halep (20%)
3. Serena Williams (10%)
2016 WTA Player of the Month Winners
January: Angelique Kerber
February: Carla Suárez Navarro
March: Victoria Azarenka
April: Angelique Kerber
How it works:
Finalists are selected by wtatennis.com
Winner is then determined by a fan vote on wtatennis.com
Watch Garbiñe Muguruza hit the practice court ahead of the start of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships.
Highlights from all the second round action on Day 3 of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships.
DUBAI, UAE – Lauren Davis secured a quarterfinal spot in her debut appearance at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships, staging an impressive comeback to beat Ekaterina Makarova 4-6, 6-1, 6-3.
“I love playing here – it’s my first time here in an amazing city…just the atmosphere here is so great,” the delighted American said in her on-court interview.
“I’m really happy with my persistence, resilience and how I handled myself despite losing a few games in a row.”
Comeback queen! ?@LaurenDavis93 comes from a set behind to beat Makarova 4-6, 6-1, 6-3 and reach @DDFTennis Quarterfinals! pic.twitter.com/EpCGOYoSFb
— WTA (@WTA) February 22, 2017
It was an inconsistent display from both players. Makarova made the initial breakthrough in a seesaw first set, but Davis was resurgent in the second, combining exquisite use of the forehand with grit to get herself back on level terms, as her opponent’s game utterly collapsed.
The Russian took an eight-minute bathroom break before the decider, but it did not help her regroup; she remained lackadaisical when it came to capitalising on break points in the final set.
The 23-year-old American took advantage, wrapping up the match in one hour and 57 minutes. Her reward will be a last-eight clash with either Christina McHale or Elina Svitolina.