Australian Open: Thursday Day 11 Roundup
Catch up on the action from the semifinals of the Australian Open.
Catch up on the action from the semifinals of the Australian Open.
In 2004 the Olympics returned to its spiritual birthplace, Athens, and after three successive gold medals, the United States’ stranglehold on tennis at the Games was finally loosened by a brilliant Belgian…
Athens, Greece, 2004
Athens Olympic Tennis Center
Hardcourt
There is a school of thought that suggests peaking for a big tournament is all about preparation; carefully choosing how much to play and, more importantly, when, in order to maximize the chance of success.
In Athens, Justine Henin threw that theory out of the window.
Coming into the tournament on the back of a 10-week layoff due to a mystery viral infection, there were plenty of questions surrounding what sort of shape the World No.1 was in.
Answers from the early rounds were inconclusive – Henin was rarely forced out of first gear, sweeping past her first four opponents without dropping a set.
In the semifinals, though, any lingering doubts were well and truly extinguished as she battled life and limb with the mercurial Anastasia Myskina for nearly three hours, recovering from 5-1 down in the third before finally triumphing, 7-5, 5-7, 8-6.
Twenty-four hours later she had to drag her weary limbs back on court to face World No.2 Amélie Mauresmo.
Remarkably, there was not a hint of fatigue in her play, as she skipped across the baseline, her elegant groundstrokes at their fluent best. Instead, it was Mauresmo a step off the pace, chasing shadows as she was pushed one way, then another.
After just one hour and 15 minutes, Henin had arrived at match point. Fittingly, it was another textbook point that won it for her – a crisp backhand drive down the line, setting up the easiest of overheads, which the Belgian gleefully accepted to become her nation’s first female gold medalist in 20 years.
“I can tell you honestly that I was always dreaming about Grand Slams,” Henin said. “But now maybe I change my mind tonight, because it’s different.
“You feel like you’re playing for the whole country, for the colors of your country. That’s something really different. When you’re in a Grand Slam, you’re alone.”
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Olympic Memories: Sydney
Olympic Memories: Atlanta
Olympic Memories: Barcelona
Olympic Memories: Seoul
MELBOURNE, Australia – Serena Williams is set to return to No.1 in the WTA rankings after winning her seventh Australian Open title, a 23rd Grand Slam title that breaks the Open Era record she hitherto shared with Stefanie Graf.
Serena came to Melbourne with a slim hope of taking back the top spot, but opportunity knocked when defending champion and top seed Angelique Kerber bowed out in the fourth round to CoCo Vandeweghe.
Despite the German’s early exit, the American still needed to make history to take back the ranking she held for 186 consecutive weeks – a record she narrowly missed breaking and holds alongside Graf.
But she did just that on Saturday, defeating elder sister Venus Williams, 6-4, 6-4 to guarantee her accession back to the top of women’s tennis.
The feat came as a surprise to Serena, as she shared in her post-match press.
“in the beginning of the tournament, I was like, ‘If I win, will I be No. 1?’
“[My coach Patrick Mouratoglou] said, ‘No, no, no.
“I was like, Whatever.
“So, today on the court when they were like, ‘And No. 1,’ I was like, ‘Whoa, really?'”
As for Venus, the five-time Wimbledon champion will move up to No.11, with a return to the Top 10 for the first time since last fall firmly in sight.
“I feel motivated to continue, to continue to go out there and hit the ball the way I know I can,” Venus said. “There’s only things I can improve on, to be honest, and to build on.
“I feel I played very well this week, pulled a lot of things out of my pocket. I got more stuff in my pocket. Get it out.”
Billie Jean King congratulated Serena on returning to No.1 on Twitter:
Congrats @serenawilliams on your 23rd major title and return to the top of the@WTA rankings. You are a history maker and a trailblazer.
— Billie Jean King (@BillieJeanKing) January 28, 2017
Maria Sharapova has had to fight her way back from injury several times in her career, so it’s no surprise that with this latest unexpected setback, she’s knows just what to do.
Julia Goerges, Karolina Pliskova, Yulia Putintseva, Agnieszka Radwanska, Alizé Cornet – who will win January’s WTA Shot Of The Month presented by Cambridge Global Payments? Vote now!
Elina Svitolina takes on Evgeniya Rodina in the first round of the Taiwan Open
NANCHANG, China – No.6 seeded American Vania King is in to her first WTA final of the year and her first since 2013 after her win over No.7 seed Risa Ozaki in the Jiangxi Open.
Watch live action from Nanchang this week on WTA Live powered by TennisTV!
“I will go on and play my game, because I play the best when I play my game,” King said of the final. “Just try to be aggressive, try to control the points. It will be difficult, obviously everyone plays good at this point. That means I have to work for it.”
King broke twice in both sets, getting ahead early on in the score by grabbing the break in each of Osaki’s opening service games.
She’s set to face China’s Ying-Ying Duan in the final after the local pushed past Misa Eguchi in straight sets. This is the 27-year-old’s first time in a WTA-level final.
“I’m very happy to make the final,” Duan said. “[I was] a bit nervous today during the match so I called my coach to court. I believe we both were very keen on winning the match.
“It’s my first time in a WTA final and I have never played Vania before. I think I’ll just give my best and play aggressively.”
ST. PETERSBURG, Russia – Unseeded Kristina Mladenovic pulled off a stunner at the St. Petersburg Ladies Trophy, dispatching No.4 seed and former World No.1 Venus Williams, 6-3, 6-1 in just 54 minutes.
“Venus is a top player, a top champion,” Mladenovic said after the match. “It must have been difficult for Venus to come here after playing back-to-back weekends. I was just trying to play aggressive tennis.
.@KikiMladenovic has made a blistering start against Venus Williams! @Formula_TX pic.twitter.com/n0QdLEfWEZ
— WTA (@WTA) February 2, 2017
“To be on the same court is a big honor. I’m very happy to say I played with her and that I won today.”
Mladenovic enjoyed a bright start to her first encounter with the Australian Open runner-up, attacking her second serve and raced into a 5-0 lead. The Frenchwoman’s aggressive game plan paid off even as Williams soon warmed up: she blitzed eight forehand winners into the corners and beyond the player almost 14 years her senior.
.@KikiMladenovic takes the opening set off Venus 6-3! pic.twitter.com/04DNVnkwRc
— WTA (@WTA) February 2, 2017
“It was a very difficult match. I just tried to be very aggressive from the beginning. I was quite sure it would be difficult for her to adjust from Australia, as it was for me the first couple of days.
“I tried to be solid and aggressive, trying not to give her time to adjust into her game. I think I did that pretty well today and I’m happy to get the win.”
Even as things got tenser in the opening set, world No. 51 kept her nerve and served it out on her second attempt.
“I had a good feeling at the beginning of the match. I started very well, playing powerfully and serving good. The 5-0 lead was kind of surprising in a way, but it put me in a good position and even when I got tight, I stayed composed to close out the first set. It gave me confidence to continue putting the workd in and win the match.
The No.4 seed staved off four break points to start the second set but Mladenovic wore her down and broke at her fifth opportunity to take the early lead and keep up the momentum.
.@KiKiMladenovic knocks out Venus Williams 6-3, 6-1!
Sets @Formula_TX Quarterfinal vs @Roberta_Vinci! pic.twitter.com/63GwkibraJ
— WTA (@WTA) February 2, 2017
She broke again en route to an emphatic a 5-1 lead, breaking one more time to clinch her spot in the last eight, where she’ll face defending champion and No.6 seed Roberta Vinci.
“It’s going to be a very tough match. Roberta is such a great player, with a lot of variety and tactics. Our last battle was a very good one at the quarterfinals of the 2015 US Open. She plays very well on this surface, so it’ll be a tough match, but I hope to play my best tennis.”
Dominika Cibulkova talks through her win over Elena Vesnina at the St. Petersburg Ladies Trophy.
Yulia Putintseva talks through her performance after her semifinal victory at the St. Petersburg Ladies Trophy.