Tennis News

MONTRÉAL, Canada – Two years after doing battle for the Rogers Cup title in 2014, Agnieszka Radwanska and Venus Williams take center stage in Montréal once more. Who else will be in action? 

Wednesday, Second Round

Central
[4] Agnieszka Radwanska (POL #4) vs. Monica Niculescu (ROU #61)
Head-to-head: Radwanska leads 3-1
Kicking off play on Wednesday on Court Central is Radwanska, champion from 2014 and among the most consistent hardcourt performers of the last 12 months. Radwanska brought the form that helped her win the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global last fall to the start of the season, reaching the semifinals or better at her first four tournaments – including the Australian Open. Inconsistencies followed on clay and grass, where the Pole found herself outgunned all too often by rival Dominika Cibulkova.

In a low-pressure part of the season with few points to defend, Radwanska will seek to maintain her hardcourt mastery of the always-tricky Niculescu, who won their only meeting on grass. The Romanian veteran used all of her guile and cunning to frustrate young Latvian Jelena Ostapenko in three sets on Tuesday, but can she surprise fellow trick shot queen Radwanska with something new in her arsenal?

Barbora Strycova (CZE #22) vs. [6] Venus Williams (USA #6)
Head-to-head: Venus leads 3-0
Following a slow start to 2016, Venus has played vintage tennis since the tour turned to grass. Reaching her first Grand Slam semifinal since 2010, the reigning Wimbledon doubles champion all but perfectly transitioned onto the hardcourts at her beloved Bank of the West Classic, where she narrowly lost to an on-fire Johanna Konta in three sets.

Strycova is no stranger to the faster surfaces herself, having reached two WTA finals of her own in 2016 in Dubai and Birmingham. Another crafty veteran, the Czech’s head-to-head with the elder Williams sister is deceptive, given that their last two matches went the distance – including their hardcourt meeting at the Qatar Total Open in 2015. Can Strycova notch her first win over a Venus who appears back in orbit?

Stat to watch: Venus is back up to her highest ranking since February 2011.

Also on court…
Kicking off the night session will be Canada’s own Eugenie Bouchard, who will seek to replicate her thrilling three-set win over Eugenie Bouchard against a familiar foe in No.11 seed Dominika Cibulkova, who won their most recent meeting at Wimbledon. Following that dynamic duo is No.2 seed and reigning Australian Open champion Angelique Kerber, who faces the always-dangerous Mirjana Lucic-Baroni for a spot in the third round. An all-American battle is on offer between No.10 seed Madison Keys and Madison Brengle on Court Banque Nationale, while Russians Alla Kudryavtseva and No.9 seed Svetlana Kuznetsova face off on Court 5.

MONTRÉAL, Canada – 2014 Montréal champion Agnieszka Radwanska came away victorious in a battle of trick shots against Monica Niculescu, dodging three set points to survive a late challenge and advance to the third round of the Rogers Cup, 6-1, 7-5.

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The fans at Court Central were treated to an array of slices, drop shots and variety as the pair of trick shot queens faced off for the third time in 2016. Despite having similar playing styles, Radwanska owns the edge in their head-to-head record, coming into the match up having won all of their previous hardcourt meetings.

Niculescu struggled to meet Radwanska shot for shot early on in the match as her signature forehand slice seemed to be missing from her game. She struck almost twice as many unforced errors as Radwanska – 13 to the Pole’s 7 – and quickly found herself trailing a double break. She got on board at 4-1, but she couldn’t stop Radwanska’s all-out assault as the No.4 seed powered on to take the first set 6-1.

Follow all the action from Day 3 of Montréal at the WTA Insider Live Blog!

But what looked to be shaping up into a straightforward victory for Radwanska got a little more complicated as Niculescu took off in the second set. Whereas in the first set Niculescu couldn’t find a way to pressure Radwanska’s serve, in the second she and Radwanska traded five consecutive breaks of serve as the Pole struggled to win points behind her vulnerable second serve.

Radwanska faced down three set points on the Romanian’s serve at 5-4 as Niculescu looked ready to extend the match. She dodged all three and ultimately earned the break on a drop shot that clipped the netcord and dribbles over. She reeled off the final four games of the match to earn her spot in the third round.

She’s set to play Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova for a place in the last eight after the Russian overcame Christina McHale 6-2, 7-5.

? from @ARadwanska #CoupeRogers pic.twitter.com/ZvbDTIUf6G

— WTA (@WTA) July 27, 2016

There’s a fresh face on the scene at this year’s Australian Open, as 17-year-old Jamiee Fourlis impressed home fans in a convincing first round win.

While Australia’s headlines focused on friend and rival Destanee Aiava, the Melbourne-born Fourlis had an agenda of her own, knocking out former World No. 50 Anna Tatishvili of the United States in straight sets.

“I tried to stay in the moment, tried to keep everything on court. There was nothing to lose today,” Fourlis told reporters post-match. “Winning your first match in a Grand Slam doesn’t come every day. At the moment I’m still trying to take it all in. But it’s an amazing feeling.”

Fourlis lost the 18/U Australian Championships to Aiava just weeks ago, and was able to play qualifying for the year’s opening Grand Slam thanks to a strong run at the annual Wildcard Playoff in late December.

After watching her compatriot Aiava bow out on Day 1, the 17-year-old kept a cool head to advance to the second round in her grand slam debut.

“She handled herself really well under the pressure of playing at home in her first Grand Slam,” childhood coach Kane Dewhurst told wtatennis.com. “She has a lot of support behind her, so it was no surprise to see her play consistently well throughout.”

Dewhurst first worked with the World No. 414 since the age of five, and was certainly impressed with what he saw in Melbourne on Monday.

“Jaimee has always been a clean ball striker. She has weapons on both sides, and it’s now just a matter of understanding when to use them. She has great variety in her game as well, and that’s why she has plenty of growth and development ahead of her.”

Fourlis fought back from an early break down in the second against Tatishvili to close out the match, 6-4 6-3, where she will meet the experienced No.8 seed and two-time Grand Slam champion Svetlana Kuznetsova.

Dewhurst, the owner of Vida Tennis, believes that while the obvious step up in class will be difficult, Fourlis has plenty of upside and could cause an upset.

“Kuznetsova will be a huge step up in class and a massive challenge, but if she can settle early, there is absolutely nothing to lose. The sky is the limit, so I’ll tell her to just get out there and go after it.

“I don’t think we should put any limits on anyone, and there is no reason she can’t cause an upset.”

She certainly has a tough assignment on her hands, but in the shadows of the MCG, home to her beloved football team, the Collingwood Magpies, Fourlis wants all the support she can get in the second round.

“Hopefully some Collingwood players can come and watch!”

Adriano Del Monte, wtatennis.com contributor.