Tennis News

MADRID, Spain – America’s Sloane Stephens won her first Premier Mandatory match of 2016 at the Mutua Madrid Open, recovering from a set down to defeat Brazilian No.1 Teliana Pereira, 3-6, 6-3, 6-2.

Watch live action from Madrid this week on WTA Live powered by TennisTV!

“It was a good match,” she said after the win. “She has a difficult game style, so she’s tough to play against. But I was happy to start playing better to get the win.”

Stephens has been one of the most impressive players of the season – capturing three titles in Auckland, Acapulco, and Charleston – but had stumbled in the opening hurdles of the Australian Open, BNP Paribas Open, and Miami Open. That dubious pattern was in danger of repeating for the 2013 Australian Open semifinalist, who dropped six straight games to lose the opening set from a double break advantage.

Undaunted, the American raced ahead by another double break in the second, and though Pereira clawed one back, Stephens duly served out the see-sawing second set, eventually engineering the win in just over two hours.

“I was just trying to make more balls than she was and just run around a lot,” she said with a laugh. “I needed to be really patient.”

Ranked just outside the Top 20, Stephens has gone on to win the title at every tournament in which she has won a match, but should face equally stiff opposition in the second round, as she next plays the winner of qualifier Patricia Maria Tig and Daria Kasatkina. The young Russian played Stephens in the quarterfinals of the Volvo Car Open, where she held a match point before falling in three sets.

“I still really haven’t fully adjusted to the time difference, so I’m ok. It’s like a 3 o’clock match for me right now!”

Earlier in the evening, French star Alizé Cornet outlasted a stirring challenge from Spain’s own Paula Badosa Gibert, who won the opening set before succumbing to a bilateral leg cramp early in the third, 2-6, 6-2, 2-2, ret. Born in Manhattan, Badosa Gibert moved back to Spain at the age of seven and won last year’s junior French Open title. For Cornet, the victory marks her first win on red clay this season, an important start towards defending the fourth round points she earned at Roland Garros nearly 12 months ago.

Of the other two seeds in action on Saturday, No.12 seed Elina Svitolina battled back to defeat Yanina Wickmayer, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4. No.15 seed Sara Errani wasn’t able to pull off the same Houdini act against the always dangerous Camila Giorgi, losing, 7-5, 7-5, to her countrywoman in one hour and 37 minutes. Ekaterina Makarova reunited with former doubles partner Elena Vesnina for the first time since Wimbledon, and put down a comprehensive 6-3, 6-4 singles win over Annika Beck; Christina McHale was equally emphatic over Anna-Lena Friedsam, 6-0, 6-4.

In doubles, No.5 seeds Caroline Garcia and Kristina Mladenovic won a 10th straight match in their first round over Anna-Lena Groenefeld and CoCo Vandeweghe, winning, 6-4, 7-5. Including their decisive Fed Cup win over the Netherlands, Garcia and Mladenovic haven’t lost a match since Miami, taking home titles in Charleston and Stuttgart – where they took out top seeds and Co-No.1s Martina Hingis and Sania Mirza – in back to back weeks. No.7 seeds Carla Suárez Navarro and Garbiñe Muguruza thrilled the home crowd with a 6-4, 7-6(4) win over Gabriela Dabrowski and Anastasia Rodionova, while Xu Yi-Fan and Zheng Saisai were three games into their first rounder with Kasatkina and Laura Siegemund when the Stuttgart runner-up was forced to retire due to dizziness.

BIEL/BIENNE, Switzerland – The inaugural Ladies Open Biel Bienne will commence on Monday at the Swiss Tennis Center in Roger Federer Allee, Biel, Switzerland.

While the new indoor hardcourt event is attracting many of the top players- Carla Suárez Navarro, Roberta Vinci, Karolína Pliskova are all confirmed, among others, it is the Swiss who are particularly excited.

At the Biel draw, Belinda Bencic explained that it has always been her dream to play in Switzerland. As a youngster, she would watch Martina Hingis play at the Zurich Open, before it shut down ten years ago. Now, she is being given the opportunity to play in front of a home crowd, herself.

“I’m absolutely thrilled to be here’, Bencic said. “I’m glad to have a tournament in Switzerland where I can finally play at home and it’s absolutely amazing. The new stadium looks amazing. I will definitely enjoy my first match. I’m familiar with the conditions and I think it’s definitely an advantage for us home players’.

“I was so sad when it [the Zurich Open] stopped being there because it was my dream to play in Switzerland. I used to watch Martina Hingis from as long as I can remember so I’m very thrilled that there is now a tournament in Switzerland.”

Rebeka Masarova is a rising Swiss start with a history of playing well in her home country, having made an impressive tour debut at the Ladies Championship Gstaad last year, making the semifinals at just 16 years old and as the World No.797. Masarova was also excited to be playing at home again and hopes Biel will bring her similar success.

Viktorija Golubic knocked countrywoman Masarova out of the Gstaad semifinal last summer en route to the title, said that it means a lot to her to have two tournaments in Switzerland and that she enjoys the pressure of playing at home.

Bencic will play Carina Witthoeft in the first round, Masarova will face Annika Beck and Golubic has drawn against Laura Siegemund. The full draw can be found here. The tournament will run from 10-16th April.

ROME, Italy – Former World No.5 Eugenie Bouchard emerged on top of a match that featured 14 breaks of serve against former No.1 Jelena Jankovic, 6-4, 2-6, 6-3, to advance into the second round of the Internazionali BNL d’Italia. Reigning Australian Open champion Angelique Kerber looms as her next opponent.

Watch highlights, interviews and more video from Rome right here on wtatennis.com!

“I think I’m still on that journey of trying to, you know, be the best player I can be,” she said in her post-match press conference. “I feel like I have been working hard every single day, and I feel like I have good guidance, I’m on the right path.

“So I think it’s just making sure I still continue to believe in myself, and, you know, trusting that if I do all the right things, if I work hard, if I have the talent, if I have good guidance, you know, one day it has to come.”

The 2014 Wimbledon runner-up recovered from an early break to win four of the next five games and clinch a one-set lead, but twice fell behind a double break to Jankovic, who was playing her second match on clay in 2016 thanks to a right shoulder injury. The Serb recently reunited with Ricardo Sanchez, with whom she’d worked at the time she finished 2008 No.1 in the world, and went on to level proceedings at a set apiece.

“I played well on several occasions, and I think I did pretty well in that second set,” Jankovic told press after the match. “I think mentally and as well physically I went down in that third set. I was getting physically tired and then mentally, as well, because I haven’t been playing matches, and as well I lost a little bit of strength and just being on the court for a while.

“It’s only my second match since Indian Wells, so it’s been a while since I have been competing on a daily basis and just being out there.”

3rd Set!@Jelena_Jankovic storms back to force a decider vs Bouchard 4-6, 6-2! #ibi16 https://t.co/nAbq201T08

— WTA (@WTA) May 10, 2016

For her part, Bouchard – who also returned to former coach Nick Saviano – had lost a similarly topsy-turvy three-setter at the Mutua Madrid Open to Irina-Camelia Begu; undaunted in Rome, she raced ahead 3-0 in the decider and never looked back, hitting 29 winners in the nearly two-hour match to 32 unforced errors, and winning 12 of her 16 approaches to net.

“I knew it would be a tough battle. I have played her a couple of times before, and, you know, she gets a lot of balls back. She’s tough. She stays with you. I just had to keep being tough.

“I realized that she started controlling too many points, so in the third set I decided no matter what, you know, even if I make a couple more mistakes I need to step in and go for it. I think that made the difference.”

Earning her first win on red clay this season, the Canadian booked a second round encounter with No.2 seed Angelique Kerber, who is looking to shake off her own early Madrid defeat to Barbora Strycova, and earned a bye in the round of 32. 

“I feel like it’s my first year on tour again. I feel like it’s 2013 again where I’m playing all these tournaments almost for the first time and obviously not expected to win these matches.

“So it’s been an interesting experience kind of going back to that, and refreshing, as well, and challenging, as well. I play seeds early on. I go and play smaller tournaments. It’s a different lifestyle for me.

“But I’m grinding and I truly love that. I see it as a challenge.”

.@GenieBouchard edges Jankovic 6-4, 2-6, 6-3!

Sets @InteBNLdItalia Second round vs @AngeliqueKerber! #ibi16 pic.twitter.com/oe15UC11b5

— WTA (@WTA) May 10, 2016

ROME, Italy – Eugenie Bouchard scored her biggest victory of the year to battle past No.2 seed Angelique Kerber 6-1, 5-7, 7-5 at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia and claim her first win against a Top 10 player since 2014.

Watch highlights, interviews and more video from Rome right here on wtatennis.com!

Ahead of their second round clash, Bouchard showed her introspective side when asked about her 2016 campaign – she has reached two finals but also suffered two first-round losses.

“I think I’m still on that journey of trying to be the best player I can be,” she said in her press conference after defeating Jelena Jankovic. “I feel like I have been working hard every single day, and I feel like I have good guidance, I’m on the right path.

“So I think it’s just making sure I still continue to believe in myself, and, you know, trusting that if I do all the right things, if I work hard, if I have the talent, if I have good guidance, one day it has to come.”

The first big test of that mentality came in the form of Australian Open and Stuttgart champion Angelique Kerber, World No.2. Though Bouchard leads their head to head 2-1 – winning their two most recent encounters – the pair hadn’t faced each other since 2014, the year the Canadian rocketed up the rankings.

The top German came out of the gate playing uncharacteristically flat and error-prone, striking almost two per game in the first set alone. Bouchard took advantage of the free points, employing rock-solid defense to keep returning the ball back to Kerber to keep drawing out the errors.

Bouchard won eight games in a row to put the World No.2 down 6-1, 3-0. Kerber finally got a chance to break for 3-1 in the second set, aided by a costly double fault from the Canadian. That seemed to kick start her comeback into the match: Bouchard struck four errors in one game as Kerber rallied back to level the score at 4-4. A gutsy smash from the back of the court on break point gave Kerber the set.

The German carried her momentum into the decider, breaking early to go up 2-0, but Bouchard got the break right back and the pair were on even footing for most of the final set. A late break at 6-5 gave the Canadian the extra push she needed, and she took the match after two hours and twenty minutes.

“I did feel like I was playing better tennis today, especially at the beginning,” Bouchard said after the match. “That’s how I want to play. That gives me confidence knowing I can play that way against one of the best players in the world.

Despite her victory against No.2 Kerber being her first Top 10 win since her 2014 defeat of then-No.7 Caroline Wozniacki in Wuhan, Bouchard can still find learning moments from the match.

“For sure I’m happy to win, but at the same time I’m disappointed in myself having a lead like I had, you know. I feel like I could have done better in that second set,” she said.

“My goal next time is if I’m in a position like that is to really be more mentally disciplined and keep pushing. Because, you know, these players, if you give them a chance they will come back.”