Andy Murray admits that he is using his friend and rival Novak Djokovic as the template to aspire to as the Scotsman rises to number three in the world rankings after victory in the Shanghai Masters.
Murray is now ahead of 15-time Grand Slam winner Roger Federer in the world list, after beating David Ferrer 7-5 6-4 in Sunday’s final.
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Former world number two Michael Stich says tennis players “want to earn more money” but are “willing to give less than they should” after Andy Murray says they may consider going on strike over their playing schedule.
British number one Murray said on Monday that players want “a few less tournaments a year”, but Stich believes the complaint is not valid and the events are what provide them with a job.
Michael Stich was speaking to Victoria Derbyshire who broadcasts weekdays 1000 to 1200 on Radio 5 live.
To hear more Radio 5 live highlights, please visit the best bits page.
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Andy Murray says a strike by players over a packed tennis calendar is a “possibility”.
The British number one adds that players want changes to happen “sooner rather than later”, ahead of a meeting in Shanghai next month to plot their next move.
Murray argues that the current calendar is “gruelling” on the body.
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Britain’s Oliver Golding says he is “amazingly happy” after winning the US Open boys’ title with victory over the junior world number one.
The 17-year-old came from a set down to win 5-7 6-3 6-4 against his former doubles partner and top seed from the Czech Republic Jiri Vesely.
The 13th seed follows in the footsteps of fellow Briton Andy Murray who also won the boys’ title at Flushing Meadows back in 2004.
The draw for the Internazionali BNL d’Italia is out and it’s highlighted by a loaded top half of the draw, led by Serena Williams, and what should be an unpredictable bottom half of the draw, led by No.2 Angelique Kerber.
Here are the storylines we’re watching as the last major tune up to the French Open is set to begin.
1. Serena makes her return.
The clay season officially begins for Serena Williams this week, as the American is in Rome and has already been spotted practicing. The World No.1 has not played since losing in the round of 16 at the Miami Open and has just three tournaments under her belt this season. She’s looking to break her title drought, which goes all the way back to the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati last summer.
Serena has a bye into the second round and will open against one of two Anna’s: Anna-Lena Friedsam or Anna Karolina Schmiedlova. Schmiedlova has lost her last 10 tour matches. It’s a draw that should give Serena a few good matches to play herself into form but the business end of the tournament could be tough. Victoria Azarenka, Simona Halep, and Svetlana Kuznetsova are all looming in her half of the draw. To win the title Serena could have to go through Ana Ivanovic, Halep or Kuznetsova in the quarterfinal, and Azarenka (if she’s healthy) in the semifinal.
Rome also offers an opportunity for Serena to pick up points. With her limited play since the US Open, her point lead has began to shrink. Last year she withdrew from the tournament after her opening round match, meaning any progress past that stage this year will help her repad her lead.
2. Azarenka health watch.
Azarenka takes her 26-1 record into Rome, but she arrives under a cloud of questions. Azarenka was forced to withdraw from the Mutua Madrid Open last week due to a back injury, which she says she picked up in her opening match. It’s always difficult to gauge how serious Azarenka’s injuries may be given her cautious nature, so it was good to see her still in the tournament when the draw was released on Friday.
The book on Azarenka is that she’s less of a threat on clay. While she’s committed to proving people wrong this year, a deep run in Rome would certainly put her on the short list of favorites at the French Open, where she has never made it past the semifinals.
Azarenka was a finalist in 2013 and played well last year before losing to eventual champion Maria Sharapova in the quarterfinals. She opens against either Magarita Gasparyan or Madrid quarterfinalist Irina-Camelia Begu, and could play either Daria Kasatkina or Karolina Pliskova in the third round. If healthy, this is a good draw for Azarenka until the semifinals, where she could face off against Serena for the second time this year.
3. Vinci returns home.
Roberta Vinci makes no qualms about it: she does not play well in Rome. The 33-year-old Palermo native has won just six matches in the last 11 years in Rome. The attention and the expectation has been debilitating in the past but she hopes this year is different.
This year the US Open finalist returns to the Foro Italico to much fanfare. It could be her final appearance at the tournament if she holds firm to her previously announced plan to hang up her racquet at the end of the year. She will open her tournament against either Johanna Konta or a qualifier. Vinci told WTA Insider this week that she’s asked tournament organizers to schedule her first match on the famed Court Pietrangeli. The sight of that court overflowing with her vocal Italian fans should be something to see.
Another thing to keep an eye for: If Vinci can get some wins in Rome, she could play Serena in the semifinals in what would be a rematch of their US Open semifinal.
4. Muguruza and Suárez Navarro lead the Spanish Quarter.
Both women were disappointed to bow out of Madrid early, none more so than Carla Suárez Navarro, who was playing well but caught an upper respiratory illness during the week that left her unable to battle through a three-set match against Samantha Stosur. As for Muguruza, she lost in the third round to Begu, and it seemed the pressure of being Spain’s No.1 followed her everywhere she went in Madrid.
Which means Rome should be a refreshing change of pace for both women, who should be factors at the French Open. Suárez Navarro was a finalist here a year ago and so long as she’s put her illness behind her, she should be one to watch this week. She could face Timea Bacsinszky in the third round and Muguruza in the quarterfinals. Muguruza opens against either Danka Kovinic or Ekaterina Makarova.
5. Kvitova’s tough draw.
She couldn’t defend her title in Madrid but Kvitova has been playing good ball on clay. She made the quarterfinals in Stuttgart, losing to eventual champion Angelique Kerber, and earned two good wins in Madrid before losing to Daria Gavrilova. She’s never made it past the quarterfinals in Rome.
Her draw doesn’t inspire much confidence but if she can get through the first few rounds Kvitova could settle down. Her path to the semifinal starts with either Andrea Petkovic or Madison Keys, then possibly Venus Williams, with Angelique Kerber potentially in the quarterfinal.
@andreapetkovic yassssss ? #ihavenoideawhatimdoing pic.twitter.com/ZGPnwdN9Ra
— Madison Keys (@Madison_Keys) April 4, 2016
6. Andrea Petkovic and Madison Keys earn the first round popcorn.
Main draw play begins on Sunday. Here are the first round matches to watch:
– Andrea Petkovic vs. Madison Keys
– Daria Kasatkina vs. Karolina Pliskova
– Venus Williams vs. CoCo Vandeweghe
– Jelena Jankovic vs. Eugenie Bouchard
– Daria Gavrilova vs. Sabine Lisicki
– Kristina Mladenovic vs. Jelena Ostapenko
All photos courtesy of Getty Images.
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.
MADRID, Spain – No.6 seed Simona Halep capped off a dominating week in the Spanish capital, conquering Dominika Cibukova 6-2, 6-4 to claim the Mutua Madrid Open crown and her first title of 2016.
Hear from Madrid champion Halep on WTA Insider: Champions’ Corner.
Madrid holds a special place in the Romanian’s career: it was here in 2013 that she received a wildcard that kick started her ascent into the WTA’s elite. In 2014 Halep returned as a finalist, and this year she led a strong Romanian contingent that made tournament history before she captured her second career Premier Mandatory title.
“I saw always that it’s a special tournament because of Mr. [Ion] Tiriac, because of many Romanians that are coming here. I feel like home,” Halep said.
“You know, it’s a special feeling that many Romanians are coming to support me.I see many flags in the crowd. It means a lot.”
Despite coming into the tournament surrounded by questions about her health and fitness, Halep’s performance in Madrid was nothing short of dominating. She dropped just one set all tournament long, and in the last round she overpowered Sam Stosur 6-2, 6-0 to reach the final against Cibulkova.
Into her third final of the year, No.38-ranked Cibulkova is the lowest ranked player to reach a Premier Mandatory final since 2009, when the WTA Roadmap was introduced. In fact, even though she famously reached the Australian Open final in 2014, Madrid marks the Slovak’s first ever appearance at a Premier Mandatory final.
Halep kept Cibulkova’s fast-paced game contained throughout the match, breaking her in the very first game to start out with an early lead. Despite Cibulkova’s trademark dogged resistance, Halep broke once more at 4-1. Halep weathered three of the Slovak’s break opportunities and went on to close the set at 6-2.
The same pattern unfolded in the second set, with Halep again breaking in the first game. Though Cibulkova raised her level of aggression, she couldn’t keep up with Halep and the Romanian’s deadly forehand, which did the bulk of the damage: Halep hit 11 of her 20 total winners and conceded just two unforced errors out of 10 from that wing.
“I expected a tough match today,” Halep said. “I thought that I would struggle a little bit with her shots, but I was very strong on my legs and could block. I could make my game, I can say.”
With the win Halep will make her return to the WTA Top 5, at No.5, and both Cibulkova and Halep will enter the Road To Singapore Leaderboard’s Top 8.
Cibulkova’s appearance in the final bumps up her ranking to No.26, putting her in perfect position to receive a seed at the French Open.
“I just want to get some rest and prepare for Roland Garros,” Cibulkova reflected after the match. “Because my game on clay really came together. I know what to do.
“I would play bit more aggressive from the beginning. But she was playing really well, so wasn’t like I played bad feels and I have to feel bad.”
That winning feeling. ? #MMOPEN pic.twitter.com/NKyQIKPNVj
— WTA (@WTA) May 7, 2016
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.
THE WINNERS
No.6 seed Simona Halep capped off a dominating week in the Spanish capital, conquering Dominika Cibukova 6-2, 6-4 to claim the Mutua Madrid Open crown and her first title of 2016.
Madrid holds a special place in the Romanian’s career: it was here in 2013 that she received a wildcard that kick started her ascent into the WTA’s elite. In 2014 Halep returned as a finalist, and this year she led a strong Romanian contingent that made tournament history before she captured her second career Premier Mandatory title.
With the win Halep will make her return to the WTA Top 5, at No.5, and both Cibulkova and Halep will enter the Road To Singapore Leaderboard’s Top 8.
Read the full story and watch highlights here | WTA Insider: As It Happened
Meanwhile in doubles, the No.5 seeded team of Caroline Garcia and Kristina Mladenovic struck once again in their burgeoning rivalry with World No.1 team Sania Mirza and Martina Hingis. The Frenchwomen defeated Hingis and Mirza 6-4, 6-4 to claim the doubles title at the Mutua Madrid Open.
“It’s definitely great period for us,” Garcia said in the post-match press conference. “Three finals, three titles, and two times against No.1 in the world, Martina and Sania, and once against Bethanie and Lucie. So it’s only great matches every single time.
“Very, very happy with what we produced on the court today.”
Read the full story here.
GAME, SET, MATCH: WTA Insider
Game: Simona Halep gets back in the game.
After a season of stalls, Simona Halep is back in the conversation after rolling to her first title of the season at the Mutua Madrid Open. Halep lost just one set all week — a surprising bagel from her compatriot Irina Camelia Begu — posting dominant set scores all week and beating Dominika Cibulkova 6-2, 6-4 to win the title on Saturday. The win moves Halep back into the Top 5 and into the Top 8 on the Road to Singapore Leaderboard, and it was a win that felt incredibly necessary for Halep after all her 2016 setbacks, which include injury and illness to start the season and a frustrating loss in her first match in Stuttgart to start the clay season.
“No one cares about me now,” Halep said with a laugh after her second round win in Madrid. “I care about myself, so that’s ok.”
“Attention is less and it’s good for every player I think, when you get a little less attention. I always felt normal, but sometimes the people around you expect more results, better results and that’s why you get frustrated and you get nervous. Now I feel ok, I have no points to defend, so I am free.”
In Madrid, Halep played like a woman completely free of pressure and expectation, something we haven’t seen since the US Open Series last summer. Even after the seeds feel around her and she became the overwhelming favorite to win the title by the time the quarterfinals rolled around, Halep took it match-by-match and kept it simple. Her game flowed accordingly. She saved her best for her last two matches, reeling off 11 consecutive games to beat Sam Stosur in the semifinals and using her counterpunching prowess perfectly to thwart Cibulkova less than 24 hours later.
Last year Halep struggled to back up her tremendous 2014 clay and grass seasons, where she made the French Open final and Wimbledon semifinals. She took a surprising loss to Caroline Wozniacki in Stuttgart and lost early in Paris and London. This win in Madrid, her biggest title since Indian Wells last year, put her back on the radar in Europe. Now to see how she handles it.
WTA Insider: Champions’ Corner with Halep
Set: Kristina Mladenovic and Caroline Garcia get Lucky No.13.
The French pair continue their run on clay, moving their impressive win-streak to 13 matches by beating co-No.1s Sania Mirza and Martina Hingis in Madrid to win their third consecutive title. Perhaps even more impressive than the streak is their back-to-back wins over Mirza and Hingis in finals, a feat no team had yet to achieve. They also beat No.2s Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Lucie Safarova to win their first title in Charleston. Those are quality wins and their undefeated streak on clay has surprised event them.
“We didn’t expect to play better on clay than on hard,” Garcia said. “On hard we were already happy with what we did, two finals and one very close to get one more win. But maybe our game is even better on clay. I don’t know. But our kick serve and forehand with spin is a little bit more efficient on this surface.
“Also we needed time to [adjust to each other]. We are knowing each other better and better every week, so maybe it’s going to be better and better every week. We hope so, but sometimes it’s just on one point where you go to cover the other one, and at the beginning you didn’t do it. It’s one more point with no ad and tiebreak like this, and one point can change everything.”
Match: Sam Stosur and Dominika Cibulkova finding their clay form.
Both women should be threats in Paris in two weeks’ time. Since the tour turned to European clay, Stosur has made the final in Prague and the semifinals in Madrid, her biggest result on clay since making the 2010 French Open final. It took a fantastic effort form Halep early in their semifinal to fend off Stosur’s ruthless forehand and flip the match on its head.
As for Cibulkova, she continues to be one of the best players of 2016. She’s made the final or better at two of the last three tournaments she’s played, winning the title in Katowice. She’ll be seeded in Paris after her run to the final, a fact that will be the source of great relief for every other seeded player (just as Madrid’s top seed Agnieszka Radwanska).
RANKING MOVERS:
Notable singles ranking movers for the week of May 9, 2016.
Louisa Chirico (USA), +54 (No.130 to 76): The biggest ranking jump of the week goes to the 19-year-old American Chirico. She breaks into the Top 100 for the first time with her run from the qualifying rounds of the Mutua Madrid Open all the way to the semifinal.
Dominika Cibulkova (SVK), +12 (No.38 to 26): Cibulkova’s rivals can breathe a sigh of relief now that she’s back inside the Top 30: the dangerous Slovak is now going to be seeded at top events moving forward.
Daria Gavrilova (AUS), +7 (No.39 to 32): Australian youngster Gavrilova reaches a career high ranking of No.32 this week after her quarterfinal showing in Madrid, her biggest result of the year since the Australian Open.
Timea Bacsinszky (SUI), +5 (No.15 to 10): Bacsinszky is back into the Top 10 – after winning the International-level event in Rabat and reaching the round of 16 in Madrid, the Swiss equals her best ranking.
Simona Halep (ROU), +2 (No.7 to 5): She only jumped up two spaces, but it’s a big leap for Halep to put her back up to No.5 in the world after a dip this season.
UPCOMING TOURNAMENTS
Internazionali BNL d’Italia
Rome, Italy
Premier | $2,599,610 | Clay, Outdoor
Monday, May 9 – Sunday, May 15, 2016
Internationaux de Strasbourg
Strasbourg, France
International | $226,750 | Clay, Outdoor
Sunday, May 15 – Saturday, May 21
NÜRNBERGER VERSICHERUNGSCUP
Nurnberg, Germany
International | $226,750 | Clay, Outdoor
Sunday, May 15 – Saturday, May 21
Roland Garros
Paris, France
Grand Slam | – | Clay Outdoor
Sunday, May 22 – Sunday, June 5
TOP 20 PLAYER SCHEDULES
1. Serena Williams- Rome, Roland Garros
2. Angelique Kerber – Rome, Nurnberg, Roland Garros
3. Agnieszka Radwanska – Roland Garros
4. Garbiñe Muguruza – Rome, Roland Garros
5. Simona Halep – Rome, Roland Garros
6. Victoria Azarenka – Rome, Roland Garros
7. Roberta Vinci – Rome, Nurnberg, Roland Garros
8. Belinda Bencic – Roland Garros
9. Petra Kvitova – Rome, Roland Garros
10. Timea Bacsinszky – Rome, Roland Garros
11. Carla Suárez Navarro – Rome, Roland Garros
12. Maria Sharapova
13. Flavia Pennetta
14. Venus Williams – Rome, Roland Garros
15. Lucie Safarova – Rome, Roland Garros
16. Ana Ivanovic – Rome, Roland Garros
17. Elina Svitolina – Rome, Roland Garros
18. Sara Errani – Rome, Roland Garros
19. Karolina Pliskova – Rome, Roland Garros
20. Svetlana Kuznetsova – Rome, Roland Garros
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!
Best wishes to those celebrating birthdays this week:
Timea Babos (HUN) – May 10, 1993
Katerina Siniakova (CZE) – May 10, 1993
Christina McHale (USA) – May 11, 1992
Anastasia Rodionova (AUS) – May 12, 1982
Kristina Mladenovic (FRA) – May 14, 1993
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.