Stuttgart: Kerber vs. Kvitova
Angelique Kerber takes on Petra Kvitova in the semifinals of the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix.
Angelique Kerber takes on Petra Kvitova in the semifinals of the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix.
An interview with Laura Siegemund after her loss in the final of the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix.
Annika Beck battled back from a set down to oust Eugenie Bouchard from the BNP Paribas Open and book a second-round clash with Kristina Mladenovic.
The story of the tournament from the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix.
INDIAN WELLS, CA, USA – Kristina Mladenovic is happy to have found a new doubles partner in the highly experienced Russian grand slam champion, Svetlana Kuznetsova.
It was something of a shock when Mladenovic announced that she and Caroline Garcia were putting an end to their doubles ambitions for the foreseeable future.
Mladenovic and Kuznetsova got their partnership off to the best of starts at the BNP Paribas Open, defeating Anna-Lena Groenefeld and Kveta Peschke 6-4, 6-1. They next face Andrea Hlavackova and Peng Shuai in the second round.
Svetlana and Kiki all happy and such.
They're moving on here in the desert. ?? pic.twitter.com/n6fxTc30EA— Christopher Levy (@tennis_shots) March 9, 2017
The French pairing of Mladenovic and Garcia enjoyed no shortage of doubles success, winning the French Open in 2016 as well as being runners-up at the US Open later in the same year.
INDIAN WELLS, CA, USA – Reigning French Open champion Garbiñe Muguruza came through a tense finish against Kirsten Flipkens, 6-2, 6-3, in her opening round match at the BNP Paribas Open. Up next for the No.7 seed is 17-year-old Kayla Day, who stunned Australian Open semifinalist Mirjana Lucic-Baroni in three sets.
“I think it was a difficult match,” she said during her post-match press conference. “I think she’s very talented and she can hit some critical shots and she can be tricky. I’m happy because it was not a first, easy match, like a first round. I don’t know. It was a big win for me, actually.”
Muguruza had split her first four meetings with the 2013 Wimbledon semifinalist, losing both of their meetings on grass. But hardcourts have proved more fertile ground for the Spaniard, who won her third straight match against her rival on concrete after 90 minutes on court.
.@GarbiMuguruza makes a flying start against Flipkens! #BNPPO17 pic.twitter.com/6H7n5UdXfv
— WTA (@WTA) March 10, 2017
“I think grass is a very tricky surface; you never know what’s gonna happen,” the 2015 Wimbledon runner-up said during her on-court interview. “I just played my game; sometimes she plays better, sometimes I do – that’s what tennis is! – but I played better today.”
Racing out to a set and 5-0 lead, things got more complicated from there as Flipkens forced her way into the second set. Ultimately, Muguruza broke through for the sixth and final time in the match, striking 24 winners to 28 unforced errors, and came to the net an impressive 33 times – winning 21 of those points.
.@GarbiMuguruza at her very best! #BNPPO17 pic.twitter.com/qLGNiLERle
— WTA (@WTA) March 10, 2017
“It’s always difficult to close out your first match. She’s a very talented player, unbelievable, with a very different game. I got nervous!”
Muguruza is making her fifth appearance in Indian Wells, and hopes to make the quarterfinals; her previous result came on her 2013 debut, when she reached the fourth round as a qualifier.
.@GarbiMuguruza picks up 10th win of 2017!
Downs Flipkens 6-2, 6-3! #BNPPO17 pic.twitter.com/sEqGkQHwFk
— WTA (@WTA) March 10, 2017
“I never know my expectations for the tournament. I believe every time I play the tournament I see myself holding a trophy, for sure. I want to believe I’m one of these women that can win the tournament.
“After that, I could lose in third round. I just want to go out there, my next match, and try to play well, try to do my game.”
What a win for the 17 year old!!@kaylaeday upsets Lucic-Baroni 6-4, 5-7, 7-5! #BNPPO17 pic.twitter.com/HQWlw3JoxY
— WTA (@WTA) March 10, 2017
Standing between her and a second round of 16 run is Day, the American teenager who survived No.32 seed Lucic-Baroni, 6-4, 5-7, 7-5.
“This means a lot to me,” Day told press. “I was really grateful to get offered this wildcard into the tournament, and it really means a lot that I can be able to see that I can play with some of the best players in the world.”
Lucic-Baroni retired from her last tournament due to a GI illness, but nonetheless served for the match in the final set.
“It was a really close match throughout the entire match. I think I started to really believe I could win at 6-5 in the third. It was still a really tough game, because I was a little bit tight to close it out. But my serve had been giving her a lot of problems, so I knew if I stuck to my game it might work out.”
Day turned heads last summer when she took home her first Grand Slam title at the US Open girl’s singles event, and withstood the Croat’s firepower to win the final four games of the match and book a meeting with Muguruza.
“She’s such a great player. I’m really excited to go out there and play her, one of the greatest in the game right now, so it should be really fun and a great experience for me.”
INDIAN WELLS, CA, USA – Kayla Day has a beaming smile, one of those smiles which lights up a face, and while this week in the desert has given her plenty to smile about, it seems that she’s the kind of person who doesn’t need many excuses to crack out a grin.
When asked to describe herself in one word she chooses “hilarious”. The 17-year-old admits to being “pretty funny, I’m serious sometimes but I like to crack jokes a lot and laugh.” She clearly enjoys life and with the kind of impressive talent that saw her take out No. 32 seed Mirjana Lucic-Baroni on her way to the third round at the BNP Paribas Open, there is plenty to be happy about.
The California native first picked up a racket at the age of seven after watching her mom play in a women’s interclub match. She thought tennis looked ‘fun’ and subsequently signed up for a week’s tennis camp, loving it so much she ended up playing ‘every day all summer’ before locking in to regular lessons in her hometown of Santa Barbara.
A few years later she started making the four-hour round trip to Carson twice a week with her mom and she still trains there today under the watchful eye of Henner Nehles.
“My dream was always to be a professional but I really started thinking about it when I was 15,” said Day, who won the first Grand Slam match she played when she defeated Madison Brengle at last year’s US Open. That victory set up a second round meeting with Madison Keys on Louis Armstrong Stadium.
“It was such a good experience. I mean, I got two matches,” said the lefthander. “I got to play one of the great American players right now, Madison Keys. And I got to play on such a big court, and that was the first time I had ever been on such a big court.”
It was quite a fortnight for Day who claimed her first Junior Grand Slam title at the same event and also finished as runner-up in the girls’ doubles competition with Caroline Dolehide. Her junior successes ensured she ascended to World No. 1 in the junior rankings – a position she hopes to hold one day in the senior ranks, although she is having to practice the art of patience in the pursuit of her career dreams.
“I want my results to come, like, now. I want everything to be as fast as possible,” she admitted. “I think my coach is really good about telling me, like, focus on the process and improving and the results will come.”
Day is bubbly and confident and seems to be taking her success in her stride. She certainly doesn’t struggle for motivation either, divulging she was almost too psyched for her meeting with Lucic-Baroni.
“Before a match I either go Maroon 5 mellow or really pump out Kanye West or Jay Z,” she revealed. “Before I got in the car [to go to the courts] I was all pumped up and then I got in the car and I was like, man, I’m a little too pumped up, maybe I should mellow it down so I went Maroon 5 right before I went out there.”
As well as enjoying music, Day is a big fan of Stephen King novels and Netflix series like Grey’s Anatomy and The Vampire Diaries. Her non-tennis talents include speaking fluent Czech, thanks to her mom who was born and raised in the Czech Republic, and making a good butternut squash soup.
– Photos courtesy of Getty Images
Venus Williams rallied back from a set down and fought off three match points to emerge victorious against Jelena Jankovic and move into the third round of the BNP Paribas Open.
Agnieszka Radwanska was the top seed in Stuttgart but upset by hometown hero Laura Siegemund in the semifinals. As the top seed in Madrid thanks to Serena Williams’ absence, can Radwanska live up to her lofty standing in the Spanish capital?
Here’s a look at the draw, quarter by quarter.
First quarter: Aga’s tough start
The draw gods were unkind to Radwanska, who has never been shy to admit that clay isn’t her favorite surface. Her opener comes against fellow Grand Slam finalist Dominika Cibulkova, also a former French Open quarterfinalist in the midst of rebuilding her ranking. When Radwanska and Cibulkova met in Indian Wells, it turned into a nearly three-hour classic edged by the former.
If she passes that difficult test, Aussie Open semifinalist Johanna Konta or Caroline Garcia — who likes to play on clay and seems to thrive in an underdog role — awaits. Her potential third-round foe? Well, it could be 2012 French Open finalist Sara Errani. Should we keep going?
Svetlana Kuznetsova not only reached the final in Miami but was last year’s finalist in Madrid; Radwanska and Kuznetsova might tangle in the quarterfinals. Kuznetsova will be hoping the thigh injury she sustained in Prague is nothing serious.
Prediction: Cibulkova
Second quarter: Vika and the defending champion
Victoria Azarenka can play on clay, no question. But would the Belorussian have taken an extension to the hard-court swing? Maybe. She is riding a 15-match winning streak, dropping a measly four sets in the process. Azarenka became just the third women’s player to achieve the Sunshine Double, too. Given all of her success in 2016, you’d be forgiven for forgetting that there was heartbreak for Azarenka in Madrid 12 months ago. Three match points came and went against Williams, one of a trio of close matches she lost to her pal in a span of two and a half months.
Azarenka’s journey this year starts against Laura Robson, and in the second round another player returning from injury, Alizé Cornet, could feature versus the two-time Slam champ. A possible clash between Azarenka and defending champion Petra Kvitova looms in the quarterfinals.
Besides thriving in the quicker conditions in Madrid, Kvitova is sure to be buoyed by her performance in Stuttgart. Kvitova fell to eventual champion Angelique Kerber — but it was a high-quality contest between the lefties.
Prediction: Azarenka
Third quarter: Halep’s revival?
In 2013, Simona Halep needed a wildcard to play in Madrid. Those days are long gone. She doesn’t need wildcards anymore. But it isn’t the best of times for Halep. Injuries – and coming back from them – have proved to be, somewhat predictably, problematic. She sits 29th in the Road to Singapore standings. Could Madrid, where Halep made the final in 2014, mark a revival? Halep appears to have a nice path to the third round, although if the confidence is low and the body still not at 100%, the likes of Misaki Doi and Margarita Gasparyan shouldn’t be discounted.
Should she progress to that third round, Timea Bacsinszky could surface, and the Swiss ousted Halep in Miami. Garbiñe Muguruza finds herself at 35th in the Road to Singapore, going through a similar struggle as the Romanian. Muguruza, projected to play Halep in the quarterfinals, starts against Anna Karolina Schmiedlova. Schmiedlova broke through in 2015 but the Slovak can’t buy a win at the moment (199th in the Road).
Yet another younger player seeking an upturn, Eugenie Bouchard, might confront Muguruza in the second round. Karolina Pliskova, however, is the form player of the section.
Prediction: Pliskova
Fourth quarter: Surging Kerber
She was already a Grand Slam winner, but Kerber achieved a significant feat in Stuttgart: For the first time in her career, the 28-year-old successfully defended a title. Not only did Kerber repeat, but she did so in style, playing sizzling tennis from the quarterfinals onwards.
Now Kerber’s task is to put aside Stuttgart and refocus on Madrid. Last year, fresh off her success at home, Kerber fell in her opener. Mind you, it was an especially difficult pairing — with 2010 French Open finalist Samantha Stosur. The versatile Barbora Strycova – a loser to Stosur in Prague this week – is Kerber’s foe on this occasion. Strycova is certainly no slouch.
Madison Keys, Sloane Stephens or Daria Kasatkina, a trio from the younger guard, may line up against Kerber in the ensuing rounds. Kerber and Keys have already met five times, with the elder of the two holding a 4-1 advantage. Lucie Safarova picked up a maiden 2016 win in Prague this week and hasn’t stopped, making the final in her home country. Safarova and Carla Suarez Navarro – one of Kerber’s victims in Stuttgart – are on a collision course in the third round.
Prediction: Kerber
Semifinals: Azarenka, Kerber
Winner: Azarenka
INDIAN WELLS, CA, USA – No.3 seed Karolina Pliskova showed signs of improvement after her tough opening round win, easing past No.29 seed Irina-Camelia Begu, 6-4, 7-6(2) to reach the fourth round at the BNP Paribas Open for a third straight year.
“There were some ups and downs,” she said after the match. “I had 13 break points or however many in the first set, which took an hour, so it was quite difficult. I was feeling comfortable on serve, even though my first serve wasn’t great. I was up 3-1 in the second and took a little bit of a timeout and played a terrible few games.
“She improved and started swinging more aggressively. I was getting pushed back but I still believed, and started stepping into the court at the end. It could have been a third set there.”
Pliskova flirted with defeat against Monica Puig on Friday, falling behind a set and trailing 0-3 in the decider, but faced far fewer problems against Begu, who’d won their only previous encounter back in 2011.
“There’s some pressure for everyone; what I’ve experienced is that there’s a little more pressure on me now that I’m such a high seed. Everyone is expecting good tennis and good results from high seeds, so it’s always surprising if you lose first or second round. That’s been different.”
Amazing touch on the stretch from @KaPliskova! ? #BNPPO17 pic.twitter.com/ro9fEwXRFv
— WTA (@WTA) March 13, 2017
Far improved from those early days on tour, the US Open runner-up struck 21 winners over the course of two sets and maintained a +3 differential for the match – hitting just four unforced errors in the first set alone.
“During the year, there’s two tournaments where I feel like I’m really playing well. The rest, I feel more in the middle, where I’m not playing bad, but I can still win matches not playing great. One match will be bad, the next will be better, so I’m trying to find a balance where I’m playing solid. This match was definitely better than the last round, but I still can play better.”
.@KaPliskova finds the corner with the backhand! #BNPPO17 pic.twitter.com/lAipPNvuLy
— WTA (@WTA) March 13, 2017
Begu enjoyed a career-best season in 2016, getting up to World No.22 after reaching the second week of the French Open and winning her third career title in Florianopolis. The Romanian got out to a 5-3 lead in the second, and later held a pair of set points on her serve to force a deciding set.
Unwilling to go the distance for a second straight match, Pliskova dug in her heels to level the set and dominate the eunsuing tie-break, booking her spot in the round of 16 after little more than two hours on the court.
“Mentally, I was up at that point; I knew she had it in her head that she’d had two set points. I just wanted to play more aggressively because so was she; the first one stepping into the court won the point, so it ended up going my way.”
.@KaPliskova advances to @BNPParibasOpen Round of 16 with 6-4, 7-6 (2) win over Begu! pic.twitter.com/wRns2M8mhU
— WTA (@WTA) March 13, 2017
Up next for the Czech powerhouse is No.15 seed Timea Bacsinszky, who won a topsy-turvy three-setter against No.18 seed Kiki Bertens, saving four match points after missing out on three of her own to win the affair, 6-3, 5-7, 7-6(8).
“That’ll be another tough one. I beat her in Fed Cup but I’ve lost to her before. She had a tough match today, but there’ll be a day off, and I think she’ll be ready. She always plays well here, has a good game for this surface with the spin on her forehand. I’ll have to be ready for the backhand.
“I don’t want to be in the position where she’s dictating, so I’ll have to play faster. There’s a few players like this, and I have to be ready for them with my legs, closing the ball at the net, and being aggressive.”
The normally gregarious Swiss veteran was speechless when first asked how she came out victorious.
3 hours, 22 minutes!@TimeaOfficial saves FOUR match points to beat Bertens 6-3, 5-7, 7-6(8)! #BNPPO17 pic.twitter.com/ssSLWyrTyu
— WTA (@WTA) March 12, 2017
“Next question,” she joked to WTA Insider. “Is there a hospital nearby? To be more serious, when you’re at 6-6 in the third after a rollercoaster match, you know it can go either way. There’s no right tactics, things to do, thinking you have to hit aces or take more risks. It’s all about feeling what’s coming, when, how, trying to gauge what your opponent is thinking.
“We have a lot of time to think 25 seconds in between points, not to mention the decisions we make in seconds between shots!”