Highlights: Madison Keys vs Lara Arruabarrena
Highlights from Madison Keys’ matchup with Lara Arruabarrena at the Miami Open.
Highlights from Madison Keys’ matchup with Lara Arruabarrena at the Miami Open.
Wuhan champion Petra Kvitova opens her China Open account on Day 4, along with Simona Halep. Chris Oddo previews Tuesday’s key matchups in Beijing right here at wtatennis.com.
Tuesday
Second Round
[14] Petra Kvitova (CZE #11) vs. [Q] Wang Yafan (CHN # 143)
Head-to-head: First meeting
Key Stat: Kvitova has lost five times to players ranked outside of the Top 100 since July of 2013.
A few days after triumphantly bagging her second Wuhan title, No.14-seeded Petra Kvitova will look to keep the momentum rolling in Beijing in her second-round tilt with Chinese wild card Wang Yafan. Kvitova has won 20 of her last 25 matches, and she’s finally sustaining the type of consistency that can move her back into the Top 10. But the 26-year-old warns that it isn’t going to be easy for her to maintain the jaw-dropping level she hit in Wuhan. “I need this kind of consistency all year, which to be honest, I don’t think I can really do that,” Kvitova said after pummeling Dominika Cibulkova for her 18th career title on Saturday in Wuhan. “I’m probably the player who has up and downs. Of course, I am going to try to be better in the downs. But I don’t really think that I can be consistent all season. I’m just how I am probably, and I can’t really change it.” Kvitova may have to accept a certain amount of deviation in form due to her reliance on power and precision rather than margin, but she’s just happy to have turned her season around with some sparkling tennis over the last two months. “I’m happy that my ups, they are really high, which I love of course,” she said. “The downs are very low, but that’s how it is.” Will Kvitova stay high in Beijing and keep her hopes for a late run at a Singapore slot alive? Or will she fall prey to inconsistency against an unknown Chinese commodity? Wang, 22, has claimed seven ITF titles but has never broken into the Top 100 on tour. That said, she defeated Ana Konjuh to qualify for the main draw and knocked off World No.72 Madison Brengle in straight sets to reach the second round.
Pick: Kvitova in two
[4] Simona Halep (ROU #5) vs. Yanina Wickmayer (BEL #56)
Head-to-head: Wickmayer leads, 3-1
Key Stat: Wickmayer has lost her last 16 sets against the Top 10.
Yanina Wickmayer takes a 3-1 lifetime record into her second-round battle with Simona Halep, but the Belgian earned each of those three wins more than three years ago, and Halep has become a vastly improved, elite player since then. Halep demonstrated her superiority over Wickmayer when they last met in 2015 at the Australian Open’s round of 16, defeating her in straight sets. It’s been a mixed back for Wickmayer since she claimed the Citi Open title in late July. Since then she’s lost six of eight and only recently regained her form. On Saturday Wickmayer blasted past Monica Puig, 6-2, 6-0, and she should be confident on the heels of that strong result. But Halep is fresh off a semifinal appearance at Wuhan and she has won 24 of her last 28 matches dating back to the first week of Wimbledon. Halep was handed a lopsided defeat by Petra Kvitova in the Wuhan semis, but the Romanian’s confidence hasn’t suffered because of it. “I played semis, the best result here in China,” she said last week. “I played good matches, good tennis. Even today I’m not negative. I cannot be. I played tough matches in the last months, and all were very, very good. So I’m okay.”
Pick: Halep in two
[13] Roberta Vinci (ITA #16) vs. Caroline Wozniacki (DEN #22)
Head-to-head: Wozniacki leads, 3-2
Key Stat: Wozniacki has won the last three hardcourt meetings against Vinci.
2010 Beijing champion Caroline Wozniacki has turned her season around in the span of a red-hot month. On Tuesday she’ll look to keep the good vibes rolling when she faces No.13-seeded Italian Roberta Vinci for a spot in the sweet 16. Vinci owns 23 hardcourt wins this season and she’s always a tough out on the surface, but Wozniacki has defeated the 33-year-old in all three of their meetings on hardcourts. Can Vinci use her eclectic style to throw Wozniacki’s game off saddle, or is Wozniacki, winner of 13 of her last 15 matches and six of her last seven deciders, simply too strong at this phase of the season to be denied?
Pick: Wozniacki in two
[11] Johanna Konta (GBR #14) vs. Timea Babos (HUN #26)
Head-to-head: Konta leads, 1-0
Key Stat: Babos is bidding for her 5th Top 20 win of 2016 on Tuesday.
Two players in the midst of breakout seasons will vie for a spot in the round of 16 on Tuesday, as Johanna Konta and Timea Babos meet for the second time and the first time in more than four years. Konta, ranked No.14 this week, was outside of the Top 200 when she first met Babos, who was then No.59. Four years later both players are firmly inside the Top 30 with Konta now knocking on the door of the Top 10 and entertaining hopes of making a last-ditch run at WTA Finals qualification. But Konta will have to hurry if she wants to make it to Singapore. She’s nearly 400 points behind No.8 Madison Keys on the RTS leaderboard and Beijing could be her only chance to make up the difference. Konta started her Asian swing with a quarterfinal performance at Wuhan last week, and she actually played Petra Kvitova pretty tough despite falling to the scorching-hot Czech in straight sets. Konta has won 18 of 23 matches since Wimbledon and continues to impress with her consistent level and supreme focus. The British No.1 doesn’t ever lack intensity or purpose on the court, and that should serve her well when she meets Babos, who is still learning to compete at the elite level and can go off the rails at times.
Pick: Konta in two
By the Numbers:
23 – All but three of Wozniacki’s 26 wins have come on hardcourts this season.
133 – Zhang Shuai’s ranking at this year’s Australian Open. The 27-year-old is currently the Chinese No.1, ranked at 36. She faces Alison Riske in second-round action on Tuesday.
4 – Previous champions remaining in the draw (Wozniacki, Kuznetsova, Radwanska and defending champion Muguruza).
0 – Number of successful China Open title defenses that have occurred. Garbiñe Muguruza is bidding to become the first.
Venus Williams won a battle of WTA veterans against Svetlana Kuznetsova, wrapping up the Monday night session and snatching the final Miami Open quarterfinal spot.
An interview with Simona Halep after her win in the third round of the Miami Open.
BEIJING, China – Petra Kvitova overcame some early resistance from local favorite Wang Yafan to safely take her place in the third round of the China Open.
Watch live action from Beijing on WTA Live powered by TennisTV!
Continuing the dominant form that took her to the title last week in Wuhan, Kvitova required little more than an hour to wrap up a 6-4, 6-1 victory and set up a showdown with defending champion Garbiñe Muguruza.
Beijing resident Wang came through qualifying to take her place in the main draw and even with the roof closed due to rain she looked at ease on court. In fact, it was the World No.143 that broke first, edging 3-2 ahead when Kvitova netted a backhand.
Any suggestion that Kvitova’s recent exertions were in danger of catching up with her were given short shrift. A break to love began a run that would bring her 10 of the next 12 games and place in the third round.
Happy to be through in Beijing! Thanks to my friend Mr Roof 😉 @ChinaOpen pic.twitter.com/ZzNePB6CtB
— Petra Kvitova (@Petra_Kvitova) October 4, 2016
“I was pretty tired. I had two days off, which I think helped me. For sure, was a good win today. We’ll see how everything is going, like, in the next days,” Kvitova said.
“But I think I still do have motivation. I think it was a great week in Wuhan. I think that gave me more motivation and confidence, which I really needed before. I’m not really struggling with motivation here.”
While Kvitova’s head was ready for Wang, the same could not be said for her hands – a botched grooming session meant she took to the court with her fingers generously taped.
Kvitova with 3 fingernails taped so I ask what happens thinking it's blisters.Nope: manicure gone wrong. “Never do gel”, she said in a laugh
— Carole Bouchard (@carole_bouchard) October 4, 2016
If the Czech keeps winning, she still has an outside chance of reaching the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global. Muguruza is also in the hunt for a place in Singapore, where last year she defeated Kvitova in an epic round robin encounter.
Kvitova, who avenged this with a three-set victory in Stuttgart, is expecting another tight affair: “For sure will be great match. I think it will be great battle again. I know how we fight in Stuttgart. It was a great match over there.
“I know how dangerous she is. I mean, she’s really playing aggressive from both sides and she’s serving real well and returning as well. That’s why I think I really need to be ready from the first shot which I’m playing.”
Tuesday
Quarterfinals
[2] Karolina Pliskova (CZE #3) vs. [26] Mirjana Lucic-Baroni (CRO #29)
Head-to-head: Tied, 3-3
Key Stat: Pliskova and Lucic-Baroni have played three-setters in each of their last three meetings.
Mirjana Lucic-Baroni has already matched her total of Top 10 wins from the previous four seasons by notching three in 2017 and, on Sunday, the 35-year-old will try to make it four when she meets No.2 seed Karolina Pliskova in her first Miami Open quarterfinal.
Pliskova, who is in the Miami quarterfinals for the second time, knows it will be a challenge. She was knocked off by Lucic-Baroni in January, falling 6-4, 3-6, 6-4 to the Croatian in the quarterfinals at the Australian Open, and their last three battles have all gone the distance.
“She’s always tough,” Pliskova told WTA Insider on Monday after easing past Barbora Strycova in straight sets. “She has a big game and it was close in Australia.”
The head-to-head points to a toss-up but Pliskova comes in as the favorite based on her ranking and the expectations she has set by becoming one of the most lethal players in the last 52 weeks. Now the No.1 Czech, Pliskova is expected to come through these types of matches and she certainly has the game to do it. But how can she keep her veteran opponent off balance so that her blistering groundstrokes don’t take over the match? It’s a task that has proved difficult for many this season and it will be interesting to see how Pliskova approaches playing Lucic-Baroni from a tactical perspective.
Lucic-Baroni, meanwhile, will approach the challenge of facing Pliskova’s game with no fear. She’s playing some of the best tennis of her life – why shouldn’t the fairytale continue?
“It’s always nice when you beat a top player and then beat them again not too long after, so it’s not a ‘fluke,'” Lucic-Baroni said last week in Miami after defeating No.5-seeded Agnieszka Radwanska for the second time this season. “I know people like to say stupid things sometimes. But I don’t pay attention to that. I know I can play some great tennis and that’s really all I care about doing.”
Pick: Pliskova in three
First #WTA Premier Mandatory Quarterfinal!
Mirjana Lucic-Baroni downs Mattek-Sands at @MiamiOpen! pic.twitter.com/h4SjEMPJj3
— WTA (@WTA) March 27, 2017
[12] Caroline Wozniacki (DEN #14) vs. Lucie Safarova (CZE #36)
Head-to-head: Wozniacki leads, 4-3
Key Stat: Wozniacki’s 21 victories in 2017 place her second on tour.
Caroline Wozniacki is back in the last eight of the Miami Open for the fifth time overall and the first time since 2014, and the Dane faces a former Top 10 player on the rise in Lucie Safarova. The Czech secured her first Top 10 win since 2015 when she defeated World No.4 Dominika Cibulkova on Monday in straight sets. If that doesn’t give you an idea of what type of form the 30-year-old Czech is in, consider this: Safarova’s 16 wins in the first three months of the season are already more than she had in all of 2016. She has yet to drop a set this week and has reached the Miami Open quarterfinals for the first time on her 12th career appearance.
Can the southpaw take it a step further and shut down Wozniacki on Tuesday? It will be a difficult task. Wozniacki has won three of her last four against Safarova and is running hot as she prepares to play her sixth quarterfinal of the season. The match will likely hinge on how well Wozniacki can implement her return tactics against Safarova’s serve. The Czech entered the tournament ranked fourth in percentage of service games won this season, while Wozniacki ranked No.6 in percentage of return games won.
Pick: Wozniacki in three
By the Numbers
4 – Number of wins that Lucic-Baroni notched at Miami from 1998 to 2016. She will try to win her fourth match of the 2017 tournament against Pliskova.
22 – Pliskova took over the WTA lead in wins for 2017 with her 22nd win on Monday.
9 – Number of times that Caroline Wozniacki has reached at least the quarterfinal in her last ten tournaments.
16 – Lucie Safarova’s 16 wins (16-6) in 2017 have already surpassed her win total for all of 2016 (15-18).
Agnieszka Radwanska takes on Madison Brengle in the third round of the Miami Open.
ZHUHAI, China – After an action-filled week at the Dongfeng Motor Wuhan Open, the WTA Elite Trophy Zhuhai welcomes a new face into the leaderboard: Petra Kvitova.
Kvitova’s big win in Wuhan puts her at the No.12 spot on the WTA Elite Trophy Zhuhai leaderboard, but she’s not the only big name to join the fray. Madison Keys and Carla Suárez Navarro switched spots, making the Spaniard the top seed for the season-ending event.
Meanwhile, only a handful of points separate the next two players in contention, Svetlana Kuznetsova and Johanna Konta, so a good result at this week’s China Open could create more major shifts.
The year’s final tournament will take place in Zhuhai and will run from November 1 to 6. Like last year, the singles draw will feature 11 of the top ranked players and one wildcard, with the winner collecting 700 rankings points.
Here’s the latest leaderboard update for the WTA Elite Trophy Zhuhai as of October 3, 2016:
MADRID, Spain – All of the world’s best players have been confirmed to attend the 16th Mutua Madrid Open, which starts on May 6.
With the exception of the injured Petra Kvitova, the field is as strong as it possibly could be according to the WTA rankings – with the returning Maria Sharapova also granted a wildcard along with four other players, to be announced.
To complete the 64-player main draw for the Mutua Madrid Open, eight players will come through the qualifying stages.
Fifth seeded Simona Halep is the reigning champion in a recent roll of honour that has seen Serena Williams triumph twice (2012, 2013) and Sharapova in 2014. The tournament will mark Williams’ return to action, the former champion having struggled with a knee injury since winning the Australian Open.
The @WTA Stars ⭐️ are coming back to Madrid! ☺️. Complete list of players: https://t.co/npBfnToFP5 ?? pic.twitter.com/mYiZUTRz4x
— Mutua Madrid Open (@MutuaMadridOpen) March 28, 2017
Kvitova is also a two-time winner of the event and tournament director Manolo Santana used the announcement as an opportunity to dedicate a few words to the absent champion.
“I would like to send my best wishes and affection to Petra Kvitova, who is unable to play this year for reasons I am sure you are all aware of,” he said. “I have special admiration for Petra’s capacity to overcome adversity and I would love to see her back here fighting for her third title next year.”
The players registered for the Mutua Madrid Open are:
1. Angelique Kerber
2. Serena Williams
3. Karolina Pliskova
4. Dominika Cibulkova
5. Simona Halep
6. Garbiñe Muguruza
7. Svetlana Kuznetsova
8. Agnieszka Radwanska
9. Madison Keys
10. Elina Svitolina
11. Johanna Konta
12. Venus Williams
13. Elena Vesnina
14. Caroline Wozniacki
15. Timea Bacsinszky
16. Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova
17. Kristina Mladenovic
18. Samantha Stosur
19. Barbora Strycova
20. Kiki Bertens
21. Coco Vandeweghe
22. Caroline Garcia
23. Carla Suárez Navarro
24. Anastasija Sevastova
25. Daria Gavrilova
26. Timea Babos
27. Irina-Camelia Begu
28. Mirjana Lucic-Baroni
29. Roberta Vinci
30. Ana Konjuh
31. Yulia Putintseva
32. Zhang Shuai
33. Lauren Davis
34. Ekaterina Makarova
35. Lucie Safarova
36. Katerina Siniakova
37. Alison Riske
38. Laura Siegemund
39. Monica Puig
40. Lesia Tsurenko
41. Daria Kasatkina
42. Peng Shuai
43. Alizé Cornet
44. Monica Niculescu
45. Christina McHale
46. Julia Goerges
47. Naomi Osaka
48. Yaroslava Shvedova
49. Misaki Doi
50. Kristyna Pliskova
51. Viktorija Golubic
An interview with Victoria Azarenka after her third round win at the Miami Open.