Muguruza's Love-Hate Wimbledon Take
WTA Insider Courtney Nguyen | Fresh off her French Open win, 2015 Wimbledon finalist Garbiñe Muguruza brings measured expectations to the All England Club.
WTA Insider Courtney Nguyen | Fresh off her French Open win, 2015 Wimbledon finalist Garbiñe Muguruza brings measured expectations to the All England Club.
SINGAPORE – Dominika Cibulkova staged a thrilling fightback to defeat Svetlana Kuznetsova and take her place in the final of the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global.
Watch interviews and highlights from Singapore on the WTA Facebook page!
In a week chock-full of dramatic moments, Cibulkova’s grandstand finish on Saturday evening will take some beating, as she hauled herself back from the brink to triumph, 1-6, 7-6(2), 6-4.
“At the end I was lying on the court and now I’m so excited. It’s my first time here playing Finals and for me it’s one of my dreams come true – it’s just incredible,” Cibulkova told Andrew Krasny during her on-court interview.
“I just played my tennis. First set, she was really, really aggressive. I knew I had to change things because I needed to play my aggressive tennis. In the end I won because I was the more positive.”
Having been blown away in the first set, Cibulkova displayed typical resolve to haul herself back into the contest. As the Russian’s level dipped slightly, Cibulkova upped the intensity, earning her first break when Kuznetsova sent a routine volley long. While Cibulkova was unable to hang onto the advantage, the momentum had swung.
The set was decided on a tie-break, Cibulkova taking charge in a series of brutal rallies. A thumping drive volley brought up set point, which she converted by guiding a backhand past her forlorn opponent.
So focused on the next point, @Cibulkova asks Kader Nouni in between games, “What's the score?” #WTAFinals pic.twitter.com/1VAr3FnGfV
— WTA (@WTA) October 29, 2016
Kuznetsova was not done, though, and when she produced a sublime lob to move 4-2 ahead in the third set the match appeared hers for the taking. Somehow Cibulkova roused herself for one final push, reeling off the next three games amidst a stream of winners.
Three more brought her to match point. Kuznetsova looked to have escaped when she dragged her opponent to the outer limits of the arena, only to be bamboozled when the reply flicked off the tape and beyond her reach.
Cibulkova, who is making her debut at the year-end Finals and only won one of her three round-robin matches, will now face World No.1 Angelique Kerber or defending champion Agnieszka Radwanska for the title.
LONDON, England – Five-time champion Venus Williams got her Wimbledon challenge underway with a hard-fought win over Donna Vekic on the opening Monday.
In a high-quality encounter, Williams held her nerve at the conclusion of both sets to run out a 7-6(3), 6-4 victory.
“The first round is never easy and she played amazing tennis today,” Williams said. “I expect players to feel free and go for it when they play me. In the first set there were some hairy moments but I guess that’s when experience sets in and I had the chance to win the important points.”
Vekic has endured a season to forget, failing to win a WTA main draw match since February. However, if she was short on confidence it did not show against Williams, trading on even terms with the World No.8 for much of their two hours on court.
She had her chances, too, particularly during an opening set, which she served for at 6-5. Perhaps undermined by memories of her recent run, the Croatian saw two sets points slip before Williams pinched it on the tie-break. The second set was just as closely contested, but once again it was the American that finished stronger, a forehand winner bringing her the solitary break in the ninth game.
Williams, who turned 36 a couple of weeks ago and is seeded No.8, is competing at a Grand Slam for a record-equaling 71st time, but still enjoys pitting herself against the new guard: “You got to enjoy the battle because that’s what it is every time you step on the court. You never know what will happen.”
Age is just a number…@Venuseswilliams kicks off her 19th #Wimbledon with a 7-6, 6-4 win over Donna Vekic ? https://t.co/86VTT9bcSG
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) 27 June 2016
One member of the next generation expected to go far this fortnight is No.9 seed Madison Keys. A champion at both Birmingham and Eastbourne over the past few years, Keys is no stranger to success on grass, and displayed her nous to overpower Laura Siegemund, 6-3, 6-1.
The next challenge will be 2013 semifinalist Kirsten Flipkens, after she brushed aside Nicole Gibbs, 6-3, 6-1. Elsewhere, there were contrasting fortunes for another former semifinalist, Ana Ivanovic, who was bundled out by qualifier Ekaterina Alexandrova.
A few days on from squeaking past World No.446 Harriet Dart in the final round of qualifying, Alexandrova elevated her game to another level, surviving a late wobble to triumph, 6-2, 7-5.
She’s held the No.1 spot for 81 consecutive weeks, and now it’s official – Sania Mirza has secured the 2016 WTA Year-End World No.1 Doubles Ranking, presented by Dubai Duty Free.
Defending champion Serena Williams leads the charge as the top half of the draw takes to the grass on Day 2. We preview a busy slate at SW19 here on wtatennis.com, courtesy of contributor Chris Oddo.
Tuesday
First Round
[1] Serena Williams (USA #1) vs. [Q] Amra Sadikovic (SUI #148)
Head-to-head: First Meeting
Key Stat: Williams is the last women to have won Wimbledon after saving a match point (2009).
Having failed to come away with the title in each of the last three majors, Serena Williams has dusted herself off and is ready to pursue Grand Slam glory at one of her favorite stomping grounds. Her first test will be against Swiss qualifier Amra Sadikovic, a 27-year-old who has only played six tour-level matches in her career. After briefly retiring from tennis, the Swiss has recently returned to the tour with a renewed sense of purpose. Williams, on the other hand, is hoping to log more matches than six this Wimbledon fortnight. The six-time champion owns a 79-10 lifetime record at SW19 and despite the fact that she’s bidding for a historical 22nd major title for the fourth time, the 34-year-old refuses to be bothered by externalities. “Honestly, I don’t feel any pressure,” Williams told assembled press on Sunday during her champion’s press conference. “I feel good and confident.” Williams arrived in London on Monday to give herself plenty of time to get reacquainted with the grass that she has prowled so efficiently since she made her first Wimbledon appearance in 1998. Despite having made the trek 17 times now, Williams says it’s always special. “It’s a unique experience,” she said. “You know, it’s just that one time a year you just get to get on this amazing, beautiful surface. It feels really good.”
Pick: Williams in two
[13] Svetlana Kuznetsova (RUS #14) vs. Caroline Wozniacki (Den #45)
Head-to-head: Wozniacki leads 6-5
Key Stat: A three-time Wimbledon quarterfinalist, Kuznetsova has not reached that far at the All England Club since 2007.
Two longtime rivals will meet for the 12th time and the first at Wimbledon on Tuesday when Caroline Wozniacki and Svetlana Kuznetsova lock horns in a highly enticing first-rounder. They are six years apart in age, and 31 spots separate them in the rankings, but in truth there isn’t a whole lot that divides these two, talent-wise. Wozniacki has slipped in the rankings due to an ankle injury that forced her out for two months this spring, but the Dane has put three events under her belt and is feeling much better about her form after a productive three weeks on the grass. “I feel like I’m getting closer to where I want to be,” she told the WTA Insider Podcast at Eastbourne, where she won two matches before falling in a tight three-setter to Monica Puig. Kuznetsova has had her moments in 2016, most notable her upset of world No.1 Serena Williams in Miami, but the Russian has lost her only match on grass to date in 2016.
Pick: Wozniacki in three
[10] Petra Kvitova (CZE #10) vs. Sorana Cirstea (ROU #85)
Head-to-head: Kvitova leads, 4-2
Key Stat: Two-time champion Petra Kvitova is one of three former Wimbledon champions in the draw.
Typically a grass juggernaut, Petra Kvitova encountered some turbulence on her favorite surface this summer when she was knocked out of Birmingham and Eastbourne in the round of 16. But the 2011 and 2014 champion has more than proven herself at Wimbledon, where she owns a 29-6 lifetime record and has produced some of her most electrifying tennis. That means it will take an exceptional effort from Romania’s Sorana Cirstea to challenge the Czech on Tuesday in a place where Kvitova has always been at her menacing best. In their lone Wimbledon meeting Kvitova eased past Cirstea in straight sets, but the world No.85 does own two victories over Kvitova and has undergone a bit of a revival of late, producing her best tennis since her breakout season in 2013 in the last six months.
Pick: Kvitova in two.
[7] Belinda Bencic (SUI #13) vs. Tsvetana Pironkova (BUL #71)
Head-to-head: Bencic leads, 2-0
Key Stat: Pironkova is playing in her 43rd consecutive major at Wimbledon. It is the third-longest active streak behind Ana Ivanovic (47) and Jelena Jankovic (51).
Belinda Bencic loves playing on grass and excels on the surface; Tsvetana Pironkova loves playing on grass and also excels on the surface. What’s not to love about this highly anticipated first-round matchup between two talented players who win with touch and placement rather than power? Bencic defeated Pironkova in the first round at SW19 last year, and she will come in as the favorite on paper, but the Swiss has yet to find her top physical form after missing two months due to a back injury. After a semifinal in ‘s-Hertogenbosch, Bencic had to pull out of her first match at Birmingham with an injury before being defeated in her first match at Eastbourne by Elena Vesnina. Pironkova has two deep Wimbledon runs under her belt (semifinals in 2010, quarterfinals in 2011) and will surely be hungry to gain revenge on Bencic on Tuesday.
Pick: Pironkova in three
Around the Grounds: Third seed and 2012 runner-up Agnieszka Radwanska will begin her 11th Wimbledon campaign with a first-round battle with Kateryna Kozlova of the Ukraine, who is making her Wimbledon debut. Great Britain’s Johanna Konta defeated Monica Puig in a third-set tiebreaker last year at Nottingham. They’ll meet again in the first round on Tuesday with Konta looking to win for the first time in four tries at Wimbledon.
By the Numbers:
137 – Svetlana Kuznetsova’s win total at the Grand Slam level, which is fourth-most among active players.
31-5 – Caroline Wozniacki’s record in first round matches at majors. The Dane has not dropped a first-rounder since 2012 Wimbledon.
SINGAPORE – Ekaterina Makarova and Elena Vesnina produced a brilliant performance on Sunday afternoon to defeat Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Lucie Safarova and lift the doubles title at the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global.
Watch interviews and highlights from Singapore on the WTA Facebook page!
A high-quality encounter was settled by a few moments of inspiration as the Russian pair closed out a 7-6(5), 6-3 victory after an hour and 38 minutes.
“It was such a great match. It was really a pleasure to play against Bethanie and Lucie and to be honest we really enjoyed playing it,” Vesnina told on-court interviewer Andrew Krasny afterwards. “We weren’t sure until the very end that we were going to win it. It was a really, really close match.”
Makarova and Vesnina have twice come up short at the year-end showpiece and more disappointment looked on the cards when they failed to serve out the opening set at 5-3. However, the ensuing tie-break – and ultimately the match – turned on a brilliant lob from Vesnina, leaving her partner with the simplest of winners. Two points later, Vesnina came up trumps again, her return finding the baseline to clinch the set.
They continued to make most of the running in the second, only to be denied by some wonderfully instinctive net play. At 4-3 the breakthrough finally came, Mattek-Sands sending a half-volley floating wide to surrender serve. There was still time for some late jitters, the previously immaculate Makarova firing long before swinging a serve out wide to close out victory at the fourth time of asking.
“It was a tough match and it was a little bit up and down. It was very important not to have a third set, because the deciding tie-break is a little bit tricky,” Makarova added. “Luckily we could stay solid and focused.”
The triumph comes on the back of a glorious summer in which the pair brought back Olympic gold from Rio. “This year for us has been amazing. The year-end Finals in Singapore is something we’ve been dreaming to win, so this is like a dream come true.”
For Mattek-Sands and Safarova, the result brings to an end an 18-match unbeaten run. It also denies Mattek-Sands the chance to overhaul Sania Mirza at the top of the rankings and finish as 2016 WTA Year-End No.1 Ranking, presented by Dubai Duty Free.
WTA Insider Courtney Nguyen | In the final Daily Dispatch podcast from the WTA Finals, WTA Insider recaps the week in Singapore and Dominika Cibulkova’s incredible win.
WTA Insider David Kane | Taking in the 2016 season from all angles, WTA World Feed commentator Mikey Perera weighs in on a year that has been full of surprises.
Women’s tennis is in full bloom in Zhuhai, China for the Huajin Securities WTA Elite Trophy Zhuhai!
Elina Svitolina was ready to get going! She arrived first in Zhuhai, where she reached the semifinals last year.
She’s already got a huge fan club in Zhuhai too!
Also popular with the Chinese fans, Petra Kvitova and Zhang Shuai were on hand for the official draw ceremony.
Following the flowers theme, Kvitova and Zhang drew the players into four groups: Rose, Camellia, Peony and Azalea.
The court is ready at custom-designed and state-of-the-art Zhuhai Hengqin International Tennis Centre!
Timea Bacsinszky took the court against Zhang for the first match of the tournament!
Despite her best effort, Bacsinszky suffered a straights sets drubbing against China’s No.1.
Meanwhile, Svitolina had to mount an epic comeback, but after two Rose Group victories she’s through to the semifinals.
It wasn’t a good day in the office for singles alternate Timea Babos though. She bowed out after two straight sets losses.
Zhang delighted Chinese fans as she booked the first semifinal spot, winning the Camellia Group with a pair of dominating performances.
Despite falling in the group stage, Bacsinszky gave us the most memorable press conference moment when she donned a Chinese opera mask she received as a gift.
Will we see more of Roberta Vinci in 2017? The Italian veteran left her future up in the air after leaving Zhuhai with two group stage losses.
But the tournament continues, and there are still two semifinal spots up for grabs! The Azalea Group spot could go to Johanna Konta…
…unless her opponent Caroline Garcia defeats her and snatches it away.
In the Peony Group, Barbora Strycova hits the court looking for a semifinal berth…
…but she faces stiff competition from Kvitova, whose tennis has flourished in recent weeks during the Asian Swing.
ZHUHAI, China – Johanna Konta guaranteed that she will end the year ranked inside the Top 10 following Wednesday’s victory over Samantha Stosur at the Huajin Securities WTA Elite Trophy Zhuhai.
Four weeks ago, Konta became the fourth Briton in WTA history to reach the Top 10 when she finished runner-up at the China Open, in Beijing. By winning her opening round-robin match in Zhuhai, she will remain among the elite until the year’s end, becoming the first British player to do so for 33 years.
Jo Durie was the last to achieve the feat, when she finished 1983 ranked No.6, following in the footsteps of Grand Slam champions Virginia Wade (1975, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979) and Sue Barker (1976, 1977, 1979).
Impressive! ??? https://t.co/aFXNFWKQd3
— Jo Durie (@Jodurie) November 2, 2016
For Konta, it is the latest accomplishment of a memorable campaign that has already seen her lift a maiden WTA title, in Stanford, and reach the semifinals of the Australian Open.
Last summer, a 16-match winning run, which began at a lowly ITF Circuit event in Granby, Canada, and ended in the second week of the US Open, sent Konta skyrocketing up the rankings and, more importantly, imbued her with a sense of belonging. Since then she has been a regular at the business end of tennis’ showpiece events, runs at Stanford, Beijing, Montréal, Eastbourne, Miami and the Australian and US Opens cementing her place at the WTA’s top table.
The 25-year-old has a work ethic rivalled by few on tour and unsurprisingly is now concentrating on taking the next step.
“I think [being in the Top 3] is what I dreamt of as a little girl. I dreamt of being No.1 in the world, being the best player out there,” Konta said after her win over Stosur. “I think you got to put also dreams aside a little bit separate just because you got to focus on the work and you got to focus on things that you can control. That’s the effort and attitude that I approach my job, what I do.”