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Pliskova Outhits Muhammad For Spot In Brisbane Quarterfinals

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

BRISBANE, Australia – World No.6 Karolina Pliskova made quick work of American qualifier Asia Muhammad, winning in straight sets to reach the quarterfinals at the Brisbane International for the first time.

The 25-year-old American, who scored just the second WTA main draw win of her career in the last round against wildcard Donna Vekic, fought gamely against Pliskova but couldn’t find a way through, falling 6-1, 6-4.

It was Muhammad’s first match against a Top 10 player – in fact, it was the first time she’d faced a player ranked inside the Top 50 – and it showed during the big moments. Her all-court game kept her in the points with Pliskova, but she couldn’t manage to bring up a break point against the Czech’s booming serve in the first set.

The American found her footing in the second, staying within touching distance of the World No.6 for much of the set. But the big-hitting Pliskova found her way through, slowly but surely chipping away at Muhammad and cutting off her angles until the Czech got the break to serve for the match at 5-3.

Muhammad took advantage of an uncharacteristically loose service game from Pliskova – a pair of errors to fall behind 0-30 and a double fault on break point – to wrench the advantage away.

Her heroics were short-lived, however, as the always-cool Pliskova calmly broke once more to take the match after an hour and fourteen minutes on court.

Pliskova awaits the winner between No.8 seed Roberta Vinci and Misaki Doi.

Also in action today in Brisbane, Australia’s own Destanee Aiava thrilled the local crowd by dealing a huge upset to American qualifier Bethanie Mattek-Sands. The 16-year-old Australian, ranked No.387 and also a qualifier, shocked Mattek-Sands 2-6, 6-3, 6-4 to advance to the second round.

Meanwhile, Alizé Cornet is through to the quarterfinals after a tidy victory over Christina Mchale, 6-2, 6-1.

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Radwanska Eases Into Shenzhen QFs

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

SHENZHEN, China – Defending champion Agnieszka Radwanska eased into the Shenzhen Open quarterfinals with a quick-fire win over Sorana Cirstea on Tuesday.

The previous evening Radwanska had come perilously close to a shock defeat against wildcard Duan Ying Ying, but endured no such scare this time around, wrapping up a 6-0, 6-3 victory in an hour and 19 minutes.

“After a match like yesterday, there’s always less pressure today because you know you could have gone home already,” Radwanska said. “I think I was playing much better today, more confident and everything was smoother on court and that’s why the score was like that.”

Radwanska and Cirstea have known each other since their early teenage years, and were meeting each other for the eighth time in the professional ranks. After cantering through the opening set, Radwanska found herself trailing 3-0 in the second. And she as forced to delve into her bag of tricks to avoid falling further behind before steadying the ship to chalk up a sixth win over the Romanian.

“I know Sorana for a long time, since junior days, so of course it’s different than when you play someone for the first time. Her ranking was up and down for a long time, but I know it doesn’t matter what her ranking is she can play very good tennis – she hits the ball very hard from both sides – and I prepared for that.

“The first set I was a bit lucky – it could have been a totally different score – and in the important moments I was taking my chances, and didn’t let go. At the beginning of the second set I lost some concentration, but it’s good that I came back.”

In the last eight, Radwanska will meet Alison Riske, whom she defeated in last year’s final. Riske was equally impressive in her 6-1, 6-1 second-round victory over Tsvetana Pironkova.

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Inspired Cibulkova Digs Deep To Reach Wuhan Final, Returns To Top 10

Inspired Cibulkova Digs Deep To Reach Wuhan Final, Returns To Top 10

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

WUHAN, China – Dominika Cibulkova completed her arduous journey to the Dongfeng Motor Wuhan Open final with a thrilling victory over Svetlana Kuznetsova

Watch live action from Wuhan on WTA Live powered by TennisTV!

After over two and half hours of thrilling tennis, Cibulkova added the finishing touch to a 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 victory by thumping a backhand onto the baseline. In the final she will face the winner of Friday’s evening session, Petra Kvitova.

“It feels great. I’m really tired right now, but the feeling to be in the final is unbelievable, and that’s why I love it,” Cibulkova said. “It’s just a great win for me today.”

Cibulkova’s path to the final has been far from straightforward. Rain earlier in the week forced the Slovak to play both her last 16 and quarterfinal matches on Thursday, making the level of play against Kuznetsova all the more remarkable.

“I would say that nothing has been easy here. I’ve had really tough matches from the first round so you don’t expect anything easy from this tournament. I’m really looking forward to another final and I want to keep going, keep playing like this,” Cibulkova added.

Outthought and outfought in the first set, Cibulkova went back to the drawing board at the start of the second. Her change of tack reaped immediate dividends, bookending a trademark drive volley with a couple of perfectly executed drop shots to break in the opening game.

“I have my notes with me [on court] for a couple of years now and it’s helping me, so it’s nothing new for me but it’s something that keeps me focused and helps me remember things to do – it’s just a reminder for me. But it helped me today.”

While this advantage did not last for long, the tide was turning, Cibulkova taking four of the last five games to force a decider.

With the contest in the balance, Cibulkova somehow managed to summon her best tennis. Serving at 4-4, 15-30, she finished a series of energy sapping points with spectacular winners to edge ahead. This sequence seemed to drain the belief from Kuznetsova, who soon found herself staring at three match points. One was enough, Cibulkova pouncing on an inviting serve to reach her fifth final of the season.

The result not only guarantees a return to the Top 10 but also boosts her hopes of reaching the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global for the first time. She will now occupy one of the eight qualification spots on Monday, regardless of the result in the final. 

WTA Finals: Get Your Tickets! 

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Muguruza Dodges Begu In Beijing, Eyes Singapore Spot

Muguruza Dodges Begu In Beijing, Eyes Singapore Spot

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

BEIJING, China – World No.3 Garbiñe Muguruza kicked off her Beijing title defense with a hard-fought win over Irina Camelia Begu, emerging victorious from the early test to move into the second round of the China Open.

Watch live action from Beijing on WTA Live powered by TennisTV!

Though a spate of unforced errors from the forehand wing left Muguruza vulnerable and allowed Begu to grab the first set, the Spaniard recovered and notched a 2-6, 6-2, 6-3 victory after an hour and fifty minutes.

“I think it’s very, very satisfying when you go to a tournament where you know you played well, you feel welcome,” Muguruza said after the match. “But honestly, this was last year. Nobody really is thinking about who won last year. It’s all about who is going to win this year, who is winning.

“I’m just going for my match, just concentrating the next one.”

Muguruza also kept her bid for Singapore on track as she eyes a return to the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global.

“Definitely Singapore was a great motivation to try to find my spot,” Muguruza admitted. “Well, Beijing is one of the biggest tournaments we have, so for sure I have a great opportunity to do it well and qualify.”

Also into the second round, Belinda Bencic advanced past Annicka Beck in straight sets. In a match that featured 10 breaks of serve, it was Bencic who edged through 6-3, 6-2 after an hour and 17 minutes.

Wildcard Sabine Lisicki had a more straightforward path, powering past Mirjana Lucic-Baroni 6-2, 6-2. Yulia Putintseva and Yanina Wickmayer are also through, with Putintseva weathering a stern challenge from 19-year-old wunderkind Jelena Ostapenko to advance 6-1, 3-6, 7-5. Meanwhile, Wickmayer added to Monica Puig’s post-Olympic woes, beating the Puerto Rican 6-2, 6-0 and handing her the worst defeat since the Olympic tennis event in Rio.

WTA Finals: Get Your Tickets!

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Pliskova & Radwanska Close To Singapore, Battle Royale Set In Beijing

Pliskova & Radwanska Close To Singapore, Battle Royale Set In Beijing

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

Welcome to WTA Finals month. Here are the updated scenarios after 24 hours to digest the Beijing draw for singles and doubles…

ROAD TO SINGAPORE UPDATE – Saturday, October 1st

SINGLES:

While Karolina Pliskova and Agnieszka Radwanska are next in line to qualify for the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global, Garbiñe Muguruza, Dominika Cibulkova and Madison Keys round out the Top 8 of our live Road to Singapore leaderboard.

Carla Suárez Navarro is next in line followed by Svetlana Kuznetsova, Johanna Konta, and Petra Kvitova. Four of these – Muguruza, Keys, Kuznetsova, and Kvitova are all in the same quarter of the Beijing draw, creating some exciting early round matchups at the China Open.

Petra Kvitova

Potential R16 Match-Ups in Beijing

Interesting to note this round could have a huge say in the final qualification spots if these eight players reach this stage:

Pliskova (#4 RTS) vs Konta (#11 RTS)

Cibulkova (#6 RTS) vs Suárez Navarro (#9 RTS)

Keys(#8 RTS) vs Kuznetsova (#10 RTS)

Kvitova (#12 RTS) v Muguruza (#5 RTS)

Click here for the complete China Open draws.

Qualified: Angelique Kerber, Serena Williams, Simona Halep

Next In Line (Current Top 8)

How can they qualify in Beijing ?

Pliskova – qualifies by reaching 3r OR one of the following

·Keys fails to reach 3r AND Suárez Navarro fails to reach SF

·Keys fails to reach 3r AND Konta nor Kuznetsova reach final nor Kvitova wins title*

·Suárez Navarro fails to reach SF AND Konta nor Kuznetsova reach final nor Kvitova wins title*

*all three are in the same half so only one of these is possible

Dominika Cibulkova

Radwanska – qualifies by reaching QF OR one of the following

·Keys fails to reach 3r AND Suárez Navarro fails to reach SF

·Keys fails to reach 3r AND Konta nor Kuznetsova reach final nor Kvitova wins title*

·Suárez Navarro fails to reach SF AND Konta nor Kuznetsova reach final nor Kvitova wins title*

*all three are in the same half so only one of these is possible

Muguruza – qualifies by reaching final

Cibulkova – qualifies by winning title

Keys – qualifies by winning title

Svetlana Kuznetsova

Suárez Navarro could qualify by winning title but would also need Keys not to reach QF AND Konta nor Kuznetsova to win title

It is mathematically possible for Kuznetsova or Konta to qualify this week by winning the Beijing title BUT this would have to be accompanied by early defeats for Keys, Cibulkova, Suárez Navarro, and Muguruza. 

Currently No.9 to No.13 with points behind current projected cut-off (3137)

DOUBLES

QUALIFIED: Garcia/Mladenovic, Hingis/Mirza, Makarova/Vesnina, Mattek-Sands/Safarova

NEXT IN LINE:

Shvedova/Babos

3975

1r v Savchuk/Wang

Hlavackova/Hradecka

3775

1r vs Arruabarrena/Kalashnikova (Sun)

Chan/Chan

3760

1r bye

Goerges Pliskova

3270

1r vs Aoyama/Ninomiya (Sun)

How do they qualify in Beijing:

Babos/Shvedova qualify unless Mirza/Strycova, Atawo/Spears or Xu/Zheng win the Beijing title OR by reaching the Beijing SF

Hlavcakova/Hradecka qualify unless Mirza/Strycova reach Beijing final, Atawo/Spears or Xu/Zheng win the Beijing title OR by reaching the Beijing SF

Chan/Chan qualify unless Mirza/Strycova or Xu/Zheng reach Beijing final or Atawo/Spears win the Beijing title OR by reaching the Beijing Final

Goerges/Pliskova qualify by advancing to the same round or better than Mirza/Strycova, Atawo/Spears and Xu/Zheng and if Klepac/Srebotnik don’t win Beijing title

Remaining Teams in Possible Contention (points behind current cut-off)

Atawo/Spears

-575

Must reach at least QFs to stay in contention*
(same quarter as Xu/Zheng)
1r vs Klepac/Srebotnik (Sun)

Xu/Zheng

-600

Must reach at least QFs to stay in contention*
(same quarter as Atawo/Spears)
1r vs King/Nicuescu

Mirza/Strycova

-885

Must reach at least QFs to stay in contention*
(same quarter as Goerges/Pliskova)
1r – bye; 2r vs Dabrowski/Martinez Sanchez

Klepac/Srebotnik

-1130

8th at best, must win Beijing to stay in contention and depend on other results
1r vs Atawo/Spears (Sun)

*this will change and require a better result if Goerges/Pliskova advance.

WTA Finals: Get Your Tickets!

All photos courtesy of Getty Images.

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Radwanska Outlasts Brengle In Miami Heat

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

MIAMI, FL, USA – 2012 Miami champion Agnieszka Radwanska battled through Saturday’s intense heat and humidity to swat aside Madison Brengle for a spot in the Miami Open fourth round.

Watch live action from Miami this fortnight on WTA Live powered by TennisTV!

The match, which started just after midday on one of the balmiest days in Key Biscayne, proved to be as much of a test of fitness as it was a test of Brengle and Radwanska’s tennis.

“Today was really hot. And yes, we both kind of have to get used to [the humidity],” Radwanska said after the match. “Today was a really tough day, and I knew that since this morning.

“You just try everything to stay cool, especially during the changeovers.”

It was Brengle, the unseeded American making her Miami third round debut, who kept her cool first, breaking Radwanska’s serve early and consolidating for a 3-1 lead.

But her efforts weren’t enough to trouble the World No.2, who quickly got the break back and leveled the score. A handful of well-crafted points finished at the net gave Radwanska the advantage, and she grabbed the next three games to take the set.

The pair hung tight to start off the second set, trading holds and breaks of serve for 2-2. But the heavy conditions began to take their toll on the American, whose shots misfired on the important points allowing Radwanska to rattle off four straight games for a comfortable win, 6-4, 6-2.

Radwanska is into the Miami fourth round for the eighth time in her career, and she’s seeking to extend her impressive run of reaching the semifinals or better in eight of her last nine events, a streak dating back to October of last year.

Though after an hour and 13 minutes in this intense heat, Radwanska is looking forward to a more immediate reward:

“One second after the match point, all I’m thinking is: the ice bath!”

Radwanska’s opponent in the fourth round is Timea Bacsinszky, who took a big step on her road to regaining her 2015 form by downing No.16 seed Ana Ivanovic, 7-5, 6-4.

In a see-saw opening, Ivanovic recovered from losing four games on the trot to hold a set point at 5-4. However, a wild forehand let Bacsinszky off the hook as the momentum swung again. The following game, the former World No.1 wavered, double faulting to surrender her serve and ultimately the set.

After struggling at the start of the year, Bacsinszky has been quietly playing herself into form in recent weeks, reaching the last 16 in Doha and Indian Wells, and despite a late rally from Ivanovic she held on the extend this streak.

Also advancing in this quarter were Simona Halep and Heather Watson. No.5 seed Halep withstood some early resistance before easing past Julia Goerges, 6-4, 6-1, while Watson dug deep to overcome Yanina Wickmayer, 3-6, 7-5, 6-3, in a match lasting over two and a half hours.  

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