Tennis News

BOGOTA, Colombia – Unseeded Sara Sorribes Tormo continued her march through the draw at the Claro Open Colsanitas on Wednesday, upsetting No.2 seed Katerina Siniakova in straight sets, 6-2, 6-3 to advance to the quarterfinals.

The 20-year-old scored her fourth victory of the season against an opponent ranked above her to advance to the last eight – the second WTA quarterfinal of her career.

“It feels really good to be in quarterfinals,” Sorribes Tormo told press afterwards. “I haven’t had the best start to the year, I’ve been training well but couldn’t get the results on the court.

“But thankfully in this past month it’s turned around. I’m proud of the results and of the tennis I’ve been able to produce to get here.”

.@Sara_Sorribes moves into @CopaWTABogota Quarterfinals!

Hurries past Siniakova 6-2, 6-3! pic.twitter.com/G1Lq63ccSc

— WTA (@WTA) 12 de abril de 2017

From a break down, the Spaniard reeled off six straight games to take the opener, before claiming four of the last five games with two breaks of serve to close out the one hour, 34-minute victory.

“I think I’ve played a great match from start to finish,” she said. “I started off strongly, despite the starting from a break down.

“I think those last few games in the first set were the key, because I fought very hard and found myself getting better and better. It gave me confidence to play my game and finish well.”

Joining Sorribes Tormo in the quarterfinals is Italian veteran Sara Errani, who took down Sachia Vickery in straight sets to advance 6-2, 6-3.

“I think it’s a great match and I played at a great level,” she told press. “It wasn’t easy to play against her, and against a player like her you have to create your pace because the ball flies a lot. But I’m happy to be still in the tournament for sure.”

.@SaraErrani tops Vickery 6-2, 6-3!

Plays Johanna Larsson next in @CopaWTABogota Quarterfinals! pic.twitter.com/ja7NS6LH5s

— WTA (@WTA) 12 de abril de 2017

Errani is into her first quarterfinal of the year after halting a disappointing run of first and second round losses. She’s been battling injuries – including a right adductor injury which saw her have to miss Dubai, where she was the defending champion – and as a result has slid down the rankings to outside the WTA Top 100.

“I’ve had two good matches back to back here, this is good for me. Even with the conditions here and the altitude, I’m happy to be through in both matches two sets. I’m ready to play the next match tomorrow.”

Also through on a rainy Day 3 in Bogota, No.3 seed Johanna Larsson stayed on track against Veronica Cepede Royg, edging past the Paraguayan 6-4, 6-4. No.5 Magda Linette also came away with the win in a tight encounter, taking down Elitsa Kostova 6-4, 6-4. Aleksandra Krunic is also through after tamping down a late comeback from last year’s finalist Sílvia Soler Espinosa 6-0, 7-5.

INDIAN WELLS, CA, USA – No.18 seed Karolina Pliskova needed less than an hour to take her place in the fourth round of the BNP Paribas Open, producing a dominant display to swat aside former champion Ana Ivanovic.

Watch highlights, interviews and more video from Indian Wells right here on wtatennis.com!

After an even start, Pliskova’s game clicked into gear in spectacular fashion, a sequence of 10 uninterrupted games helping her to a 6-2, 6-0 victory.

Ivanovic, who lifted the Indian Wells title eight years ago, came into the contest nursing a knee injury that hampered her movement throughout. A string of uncharacteristic errors saw her broken to love in the opening game and while she drew level soon after, it was clear that her game lacked its usual zip.

Pliskova, on the other hand, was having no difficulty getting the ball through the court, forging ahead and wrapping up the set with a fierce backhand drive. The winners continued to flow in the second, the Czech eventually finishing with 18 as she romped to the finishing line.

Pliskova had won all three of her previous encounters with Ivanovic, including earlier this year in Sydney. “We’ve played a few times already and I’ve always won. But I think I played really good tennis today and I’m happy that I made [the next round] so fast,” Pliskova said.

The one-sided scoreline was all the more surprising given the players’ respective form heading into the tournament; Ivanovic had made the semi and quarterfinals in St. Petersburg and Dubai, while Pliskova had suffered a couple of early exits in the Middle East.

“Last year I didn’t lose any first rounds. Now I’d lost twice in a row so I’m just happy to have some matches and looking forward to the next one,” Pliskova added.

That next outing will come against Johanna Konta, a 6-4, 6-1 winner over No.2 seed Angelique Kerber’s conqueror, Denisa Allertova.

Also emerging triumphant from Monday’s afternoon session were Roberta Vinci and Magdalena Rybarikova. Vinci continued her fine start to the year by outclassing Elina Svitolina, 6-1, 6-3, while Rybarikova caused the tournament’s latest shock, dumping out No.7 seed Belinda Bencic, 6-4, 3-6, 6-3.

WUHAN, China – If Angelique Kerber thought reaching the top of the rankings would make life any easier at the WTA’s flagship events, she was given a rude awakening at Friday’s draw for the Dongfeng Motor Wuhan Open.

Indeed, Kerber’s first event since lifting the US Open and usurping Serena Williams as World No.1 will be far from straightforward after a number of potential banana skins were placed in her path at the Premier 5 event.

As one of the leading eight seeds, Kerber is the recipient of a first-round bye, meeting either Kristina Mladenovic or CoCo Vandeweghe in her opening match.

The German, a quarter and semifinalist in Wuhan’s first two years on the calendar, is projected to face No.14 seed and 2014 champion Petra Kvitova in the third round, with possible showdowns versus Carla Suárez Navarro and Simona Halep lurking further down the line.

In the bottom half of the draw, defending champion Venus Williams faces a slightly less threatening start. Her opening opponent will be either Anastasija Sevastova or Yulia Putintseva, while Svetlana Kuznetsova and Agnieszka Radwanska are likely to lie in wait in should she clear the early hurdles.

Serena Williams’ late withdrawal promoted Garbiñe Muguruza, last year’s runner-up, to No.2 seed, and she will begin against either Daria Gavrilova or former World No.1 Jelena Jankovic. This was not the only eye-catching first round match-up of a draw which also threw together No.16 seed Samantha Stosur and the resurgent Caroline Wozniacki.

The official draw for the Dongfeng Motor Wuhan Open 2016….you saw it here first. Some top matches coming your way! #wuhanopen pic.twitter.com/xOILshaqzE

— Wuhan Open (@wuhanopentennis) September 23, 2016