7 Things: Sunshine Reflections
WTA Insider Courtney Nguyen | As Victoria Azarenka and Bethanie Mattek-Sands bask in a Sunshine Sweep, one last look back on Miami as the tour turns to clay.
WTA Insider Courtney Nguyen | As Victoria Azarenka and Bethanie Mattek-Sands bask in a Sunshine Sweep, one last look back on Miami as the tour turns to clay.
Doubles partners Darija Jurak and Xenia Knoll paid a visit to some reindeer ahead of the St Petersburg Ladies Trophy.
Caroline Garcia had Monday’s shot of the day at the Volvo Car Open.
Before the start of play at the Volvo Car Open, Alison Riske was treated to a tour of the Joint Base Charleston.
Riske met with Staff Sgt. David McCubbin (left) and Capt. David Schunk (right), who showed her around the C-17 Globemaster III.
Riske on the C-17 Globemaster III.
Riske on the C-17 Globemaster III.
Riske on the C-17 Globemaster III.
Riske on the C-17 Globemaster III.
After the tour, Riske visited the on-base fitness center to hand out autographed tennis balls and meet the rest of Team Charleston.
Riske with Team Charleston.
ST. PETERSBURG, Russia – Kristina Mladenovic continued her stunning run at the St. Petersburg Ladies Trophy with another shock victory, this time in the quarterfinal over the reigning champion, Roberta Vinci, 6-1 6-4.
The unseeded world No.51 continued with the approach that had seen off Venus Williams in the surprise of the second round. She tore into the 33-year-old’s serve in the first set, winning all three of the Italian’s service games. Facing set point at 30-40 in the final game, Vinci produced a wonderful drop shot down the line from deep in the court to take it to deuce, but Mladenovic was undeterred and came through for a 6-1 win.
A rocket of a return from @KikiMladenovic! @Formula_TX pic.twitter.com/2eXZkScAly
— WTA (@WTA) February 3, 2017
Vinci, facing Mladenovic for the first time since the 2015 US Open, faced break point once again at the start of the second set. This time, though, she proved more resilient and held for the first time in the match.
“Roberta is a big fighter,” said the 23-year-old of a more even second set, “and she is very smart on the court. She tried different tactics and almost turned it around in the second set. I’m happy I stayed calm and all the time responded with a game plan as well.”
The second serve increasingly proved key. Mladenovic won 50% of the points behind hers in contrast to 25% for Vinci and, although the French player served three double faults to her opponents’ one, it was that one that was crucial. A double fault from Vinci at 30-40 and 4-4 in the set gave the underdog the chance to serve for a meeting with Russia’s Natalia Vikhlyantseva in the last four.
Wonderfully delicate touch from @Roberta_Vinci! ? pic.twitter.com/LU8a5BBLaR
— WTA (@WTA) February 3, 2017
Mladenovic grew more aggressive, coming forward more with the win in sight. Serving at 5-4 she rushed too quickly to the net and gave up three break points. However she showed great composure to save all three. In a tense finale, the pair went to deuce four times before, at the third time of asking, Mladenovic converted match point with a top-spin heavy cross-court winner to qualify for her third career Premier semifinal.
“We played against each other last year in Hertogenbosch on grass and I won in three sets,” she said of Vikhlyantseva. “I discovered this young lady there for the first time and I thought she had an amazing great quality and game and potential for the future. I’m not surprised at her improvement and her ranking climbing up.”
Meanwhile the defeated champion said: “It was a difficult match, a tough match. Kiki played incredible tennis first set. In the second set I started to play much better than in the first – a bit more aggressive – I had some chances to break her, but she played too good. I played so so – this is tennis! I’m happy I managed to make it back to the quarter-final.”
Elena Vesnina takes on Belinda Bencic in the second round of the Volvo Car Open.
ST. PETERSBURG, Russia – WTA Charities brought together Ana Konjuh, Donna Vekic and dozens of young Russian players and wheelchair tennis players for a Masterclass Clinic at the St. Petersburg Ladies Trophy.
With the help of two local coaches, Konjuh and Vekic took to the Sibur Arena to run through drills with the children, as well as give them pointers on their game.
Afterwards, the pair signed WTA inspirational quote notebooks as gifts for the wheelchair tennis players.
Check out the best photos from the WTA Charities event right here!
– Photos courtesy of St. Petersburg Ladies Trophy
KATOWICE, Poland – Former World No.10 Dominika Cibulkova overcame a tight opening set and tricky opposition in 2010 French Open champion Francesca Schiavone to reach the semifinals of the Katowice Open, 7-5, 6-1.
Watch live action from Katowice this week on WTA Live powered by TennisTV!
The 2014 Australian Open finalist had never lost to Schiavone in three previous encounters, but the Italian veteran had enjoyed a solid week in Katowice, taking out Alizé Cornet in straight sets on Thursday. Schiavone edged ahead 4-2 in the first set but only won two more games from there. It was a particularly solid second set from Cibulkova, who converted all three of her break point chances and clinched her third WTA semfinal of 2016 in just over an hour and 15 minutes.
“I wasn’t as aggressive as I could be at the beginning, and I think this suited her,” Cibulkova said after the match. “My coach just told me to play my game and be much more aggressive, to go for my shots and I think this settled me down. It was a close first set and once I got this it changed the match.
“I lost the first game, but I knew that nothing bad was happening. I started to get going and then it was 3-1 to me and then we had a long game for I think 4-1. Then I think she started to get nervous a little bit and was going for her shots a lot more. This is a type of game that I like to play, so she was making it easier for me.”
Standing between Cibulkova and a second final of the season is Pauline Parmentier; the 30-year-old Frenchwoman dismantled hometown favorite Magda Linette, 6-2, 6-4 to improve her head-to-head to 3-0 against the Pole.
Earlier in the day, Qatar Total Open finalist and No.3 seed Jelena Ostapenko won a battle of big-hitters by taking out No.7 seed Timea Babos, 7-6(3), 2-6, 6-3. Surviving the opening set in a tie-break, Ostapenko lost serve three times to see her lead evaporate, but took better initative in the decider to earn her best result since her breakthrough week in Doha.
Camila Giorgi played the longest match of the day to reach a third straight Katowice semifinal, overcoming a second set hiccup to defeat 2013 Wimbledon semifinalist Kirsten Flipkens, 6-2, 5-7, 6-4, in two hours and nine minutes. Giorgi dropped just four points behind her first serve in the deciding set and aims to return to the Katowice final for a third straight year – finishing runner-up to Cornet in 2014 and Anna Karolina Schmiedlova in 2015.
Sloane Stephens takes on Daria Kasatkina in the quarterfinals of the Volvo Car Open.
American Sachia Vickery was the first to reach the second round at the Claro Open Colsanitas, while No.4 seed Lara Arruabarrena weathered a rain delay to also advance.