Miami: Garcia vs. Lucic-Baroni
Caroline Garcia takes on Mirjana Lucic-Baroni in the first round of the Miami Open.
Caroline Garcia takes on Mirjana Lucic-Baroni in the first round of the Miami Open.
An interview with Serena Williams after her win in the second round of the Miami Open.
Victoria Azarenka takes on Monica Puig in the second round of the Miami Open.
Petra Kvitova had Friday’s shot of the day at the China Open.
Johanna Konta takes on Madison Keys in the semifinals of the China Open.
Angelique Kerber takes on Madison Keys in the quarterfinals of the Miami Open.
MIAMI, FL, USA – On this special Dropshot Edition of the podcast, WTA Insider Senior Writer Courtney Nguyen and WTA Web Editor David Kane preview the Miami Open final featuring the hottest player in 2016 in Victoria Azarenka against resurgent Russian veteran Svetlana Kuznetsova. The match starts at 1pm EST on Saturday.
Can Azarenka make history by becoming the first woman since 2005 to complete the Sunshine Double by winning both Indian Wells and Miami? Or will history repeat itself, with Kuznetsova once again stopping a bid for the double by winning Miami. She did it once in 2006. A decade later, she could do it again.
MIAMI, FL, USA – Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Lucie Safarova capped off a fairytale reunion on Sunday afternoon with victory over Timea Babos and Yaroslava Shvedova in the final of the Miami Open.
In 2015, Mattek-Sands and Safarova came to the fore as one of the WTA’s outstanding pairs, winning the Australian and French Opens along the way. However, Safarova’s well-documented battle for fitness forced them to park their partnership for the opening months of the new campaign.
It did not take long for the spark between the two to reappear in Miami, a succession of potentially tricky opponents dispatched with increasing authority. In the final they were particularly impressive, breaking their opponents’ intimidating serves five times to round off a 6-3, 6-4 victory.
Having sauntered through the draw without dropping a set, the No.3 seeds appeared on course for another remarkably straightforward victory when they took the first set and opened up a 4-2 advantage in the second. However, they were given a late scare when Babos and Shvedova drew level at 4-4 before eventually getting over the finishing line.
The result was particularly significant for Mattek-Sands, who, after triumphing in Indian Wells alongside CoCo Vandeweghe, now joins Martina Hingis and Natasha Zvereva as the third player to win both events in the same year.
Women's doubles champs Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Lucie Safarova have a special message for their fans. #MiamiOpen pic.twitter.com/ZibcZlUNTN
— Miami Open (@MiamiOpen) April 3, 2016
The 2016 Aces For Humanity campaign was launched by USANA and the WTA at the BNP Paribas Open and continued over the last two weeks at the Miami Open, where every ace hit by a WTA player at Premier-level events translates into a donation to the USANA True Health Foundation, whose mission is to provide the most critical human necessities to those who are suffering or in need around the world. For every ace hit by any player the WTA donates $5, and for every ace hit by a USANA Brand Ambassador, it’s $10.
USANA Brand Ambassadors Caroline Wozniacki, Eugenie Bouchard, Samantha Stosur, Kristina Mladenovic, Madison Keys, Sloane Stephens, Monica Puig, Zheng Saisai and Alizé Cornet hit 34 of the 511 aces in Miami – raising a grand total of $2,725 over the fortnight.
Read more about the campaign here and see below to find out who’s hit the most aces so far!
#AcesForHumanity Fan Giveaway
It’s simple: before each WTA Premier tournament guess how many total aces will be hit.
Next up is the Volvo Car Open in Charleston. Last year there was a total of 241 aces hit. It’s now your turn, take your best guess of how many will be hit in the desert this year.
How To Enter:
• Follow @WTA and @USANAFoundation on Twitter and before each WTA Premier tournament tweet the number of aces you predict will be hit during the whole tournament (Singles, Main Draw)
• Include the hashtag #AcesForHumanity
• Charleston deadline is April 6th at 11:59pm ET
• The winner will be announced April 11th
Aces For Humanity is a joint WTA and USANA initiative that benefits the USANA True Health Foundation, which provides critical human necessities to those in suffering or in need around the globe.
For full rules on how to enter, click here.
