Doha: Daria Kasatkina Interview
An interview with Daria Kasatkina after her victory in the second round of the Qatar Total Open.
An interview with Daria Kasatkina after her victory in the second round of the Qatar Total Open.
Dominika Cibulkova stared into the face of defeat against Caroline Garcia, but rallied back to advance to the round of 16 at the Mutua Madrid Open; Timea Bacsinszky also advanced.
Caroline Wozniacki takes on Agnieszka Radwanska in the second round of the Qatar Total Open.
MADRID, Spain – Revenge is the theme of the day as the round of 16 kicks off with Simona Halep and Petra Kvitova seeking to avenge some painful losses earlier this season and grab a spot in the Mutua Madrid Open quarterfinals. Preview the day’s action right here on wtatennis.com
Wednesday, Round of 16
[6] Simona Halep (ROU #7) vs [10] Timea Bacsinszky (SUI #15)
Head-to-head: Halep leads 2-1
Key Stat: Bacsinszky has spent 4 hours and 55 minutes on court compared to Halep’s 2 hours and 2 minutes
No.10 seed Timea Bacsinszky is feeling the effects of her busy schedule – fresh off of her title in Rabat, she came straight to the Spanish capital and was back at it again.
Despite her resilient effort, the cracks are showing in the Swiss’ game – she’s spent five hours on court in two matches and struggled to close out Ekaterina Makarova in the last round.
“It’s my seventh match in eight days, so if I have a lack of energy sometimes, I think it’s kind of normal,” Bacsinszky explained in press after the match. “I’m really happy that I won, whether it was in two, three sets… Even if it were in five I would be happy as well. I’m just happy that I won my match.”
The Swiss will have to channel all of her energy into her next matchup: she’s set to face No.6 seed Simona Halep on Court Manolo Santana. The on-fire Romanian only dropped two games in her demolition of Karin Knapp.
Halep has won two of their three meetings on tour, although did taste defeat earlier this year in Miami.
“Bacsinszky is revenge!” Halep said. “It’s going to be hard, it’s going to be difficult, a tough match for sure. I just want to go on court relaxed and play my game. It’s a good tournament, good people around me, so I am in a good place mentally and physically.”
Daria Gavrilova (AUS #39) vs [5] Petra Kvitova (CZE #6)
Head-to-head: Tied 1-1
Key Stat: Kvitova has yet to drop a service game in Madrid
Another rematch will be taking place on Court Arantxa Sanchez as Daria Gavrilova takes on the No.5 seed Petra Kvitova in the first match of the day.
Despite their head to head record being tied at 1-1, Kvitova will go into the matchup with revenge on the mind: the last time these two played each other was at this year’s Australian Open where the unseeded Gavrilova upset Kvitova in the second round.
But this time around the Czech is working with a new team and is back to putting together deep runs – she’s reached the quarterfinals or better at two of her last three events.
“I’m happy with my performance right now,” Kvitova said in second-round press conference. “I think I played great matches in Stuttgart, and especially two weeks before the Stuttgart I had a good preparation on the clay.
“I have a new coach. That’s always great to have someone who’s helping you and finding a good way of your game and plan. I feel okay and I hope that this will kind of continue.”
This all spells bad news for the big hitting Gavrilova, who has struggled to back up her fairytale run to the Australian Open round of 16. The Australian’s best result came in the green clay of Charleston, where she reached the round of 16 before falling to eventual champion Sloane Stephens.
Around the grounds: No.8 seed Carla Suárez Navarro closes out the women’s action on Court Manolo Santana against Samantha Stosur. The last remaining Spaniard, Suárez Navarro will face a tough test: she’s up against a well-rested opponent as Stosur received a walkover into the round of 16, and Suárez Navarro is also battling an upper respiratory illness. Meanwhile, No.4 seed Victoria Azarenka continues her steady march through Madrid: she has yet to drop a set and is up against Louisa Chirico, the American qualifier who ousted Ana Ivanovic to reach this stage. Qualifier Patricia Maria Tig – one of four Romanians left in the draw – closes out the night session against Madison Keys.
DOHA, Qatar – No.2 seed Karolina Pliskova put together a dominating performance over Caroline Wozniacki to take home her eighth career title – and her second of 2017 – at the Qatar Total Open.
The Dane went into their final matchup with a 3-0 lead in the pair’s head-to-head record, but Pliskova didn’t read the script and overpowered the former World No.1, 6-3, 6-4.
“I think I’m having a great start to the year, which is always important,” Pliskova said after the match.
“To beat players like Cibulkova and Wozniacki is something amazing. I’ve never beat them before, but I was trying really hard this week so I’m really happy with my wins here.”
Unbelievable tennis from @KaPliskova! ?? pic.twitter.com/S7zVMZ9F3W
— WTA (@WTA) February 18, 2017
The Czech was in charge from the start, not showing any signs of fatigue after playing two matches on the same day on Friday, where she set a personal record for most aces in a single match. She continued her momentum against Wozniacki, employing her trademark controlled aggression to surge ahead a double break and take a 4-0 lead.
Wozniacki changed up her strategy to get on board and halt her opponent’s momentum, stepping into the court and running Pliskova from side to side to target the Czech’s biggest weakness: her court movement. But after dropping three straight games, Pliskova got right back on track to reel off the final two and pocket the opening set.
The pair stayed on par in a tightly drawn final set, Pliskova brushing aside Wozniacki’s lone break chance to stay on course. The Czech finally got her chance in the final game, flicking over a short, low-floating forehand which Wozniacki buried into the net to give Pliskova the match.
.@KaPliskova captures @QatarTennis title!
Beats Wozniacki 6-3, 6-4! pic.twitter.com/28rO130GKX
— WTA (@WTA) February 18, 2017
Pliskova’s dominating performance is reflected in the numbers: despite Wozniacki hitting a meager five unforced errors during the entire match, she was only to hit nine winners – just a third of Pliskova’s 27. The Czech’s serve was in full swing too, winning 69% of first serve points and hitting four aces.
“It’s been a great week, despite the tough conditions for all of us,” Wozniacki reflected at the trophy ceremony. “To be here in the final is something to be really proud of, the way I’ve been playing this week.
“I’m very disappointed with the loss but Karolina was playing really well. She deserved this one, but I’m going to try to get my revenge next time.”
With the victory, Pliskova will jump to No.2 on the Road To Singapore Leaderboard, leapfrogging Australian Open finalist Venus Williams.
MADRID, Spain – Daria Gavrilova caused the latest upset at the Mutua Madrid Open draw, knocking out defending champion Petra Kvitova in the third round.
Watch highlights, interviews and more video from Madrid right here on wtatennis.com!
Kvitova is the 12th seed to bite the Madrid dust in just five days, leaving Simona Halep as the only Top 10 player left standing. Gavrilova, who faces Louisa Chirico in the last eight, impressed throughout, breaking three times en route to a 6-3, 6-4 victory.
While Gavrilova’s game never wavered, Kvitova’s failure to find her range was the source of increasing frustration. In the penultimate game of the opening set, a backhand into the net capped off a string of unforced errors that gift wrapped the decisive break.
It prompted the Czech to fling her hands skywards, and another break at the start of the second did little to lift her mood. Meanwhile, Gavrilova’s neat and tidy approach – she made 18 unforced errors to Kvitova’s 30 – continued to pay dividends, helping her out of couple of close games and safely across the finishing line.
Kvitova went into the tournament with an abdomen strain, an injury that affected not only her serve during the match but also her preparation beforehand.
“I think Daria really played a solid match. I couldn’t put everything together out there – I was still dealing with the pain from Stuttgart” Kvitova said. “I couldn’t really practice for a week. I’m glad that I won two matches and I’m glad that it feels like it’s getting better, so hopefully I can start to do more fitness and tennis practice.”
A run to the semifinals in Rome 12 months ago announced Gavrilova to the tennis world. Standing between her and a repeat performance at one of the spring’s other big events is qualifier Chirico, the beneficiary of Victoria Azarenka’s last-minute injury withdrawal.
#famous ? pic.twitter.com/rHtvoLHskp
— Daria Gavrilova (@Daria_gav) 4 May 2016
An interview with Caroline Wozniacki after her defeat in the final of the Qatar Total Open.
Elina Svitolina takes on Daria Gavrilova in the quarterfinals of the China Open.
MADRID, Spain – Martina Hingis and Sania Mirza continued their serene progress at the Mutua Madrid Open, dispatching quarterfinal foes Andrea Hlavackova and Lucie Hradecka in little over an hour.
Since seeing their 41-match winning streak ended in Doha, Hingis and Mirza have endured a relative barren patch, going four tournaments without silverware. However, inside the Caja Mágica they are casting a spell over their opponents once again, bewitching No.6 seeds Hlavackova and Hradecka, 6-3, 6-2.
This masterclass set up a semifinal clash with a resurgent Vania King and Alla Kudryavtseva, winners of a far closer encounter in the preceding match on court. Taking on No.4 seeds Chan Hao-Ching and Chan Yung-Jan, King and Kudryavtseva recovered from a slow start to prevail, 2-6, 6-4, 11-9.
On the other side of the draw, Caroline Garcia and Kristina Mladenovic continued their fine clay court campaign with victory over No.3 seeds Timea Babos and Yaroslava Shvedova.
Garcia and Mladenovic arrived in the Spanish capital having won their opening two clay court events, Charleston and Stuttgart, and a 6-4, 6-3 victory over Babos and Shvedova extends their unbeaten streak on the surface to 11 matches.
Ekaterina Makarova and Elena Vesnina are the next team tasked with ending this run. French Open champions in 2013, Makarova and Vesnina advanced without striking a ball after Svetlana Kuznetsova and Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova withdrew when the latter failed to recover sufficiently from a thigh strain.
MADRID, Spain – 2014 Madrid runner up Simona Halep held off an inspired performance from Romanian qualifier Irina-Camelia Begu and secured her spot in the Mutua Madrid Open semifinals, 6-3, 0-6, 6-1.
Watch highlights, interviews and more video from Madrid right here on wtatennis.com!
No.6 seed Halep – the only seed still standing in Madrid – leads the pack of four Romanians who’ve reached the quarterfinal stage here. It’s a historic showing for the small Latin country in Eastern Europe.
“I think it’s a big thing for our country,” Halep said. “It’s a small country, and four girls to be in the quarterfinals of such a big tournament, it means a lot.
“I am in the semifinals. Maybe the other two is going to be going in the semis. It’s going to be a good thing.”
Plenty of chances went Begu’s way in the first set: she built up 30-0 leads twice in Halep’s service games, and despite creating three break chances in the set she couldn’t convert any of them. On paper they were drawn very evenly in the first set – seven winners apiece and 12 unforced errors from Halep to Begu’s 15, but in the key moments Begu’s usually reliable forehand misfired leaving Halep in command.
Begu learned from her first set mistakes, though, and went into the second looking like she couldn’t miss – only making one error all set long. She drew Halep out of her comfort zone and left her feeling rushed, striking nine errors and suffering her first bagel set of 2016. Halep righted the ship right away though, breaking Begu early on allowing her just one game in the final set.
As good as having four Romanians in the quarterfinals was for her country, it was at times a source of distraction for Halep, who admitted afterwards that she could overhear Begu’s coaching breaks.
“Yeah, affected me a little bit, but I was stronger in the third set and I didn’t care anymore,” Halep said. “It wasn’t my best day. Anyway, if I won means that I played good tennis. I’m confident it was a good match for me.
“I take it like a positive one, even if I gave that second set easy. I was there until the end, and I’m glad that I could control myself until the end.”
.@Simona_Halep is moving onto the @MutuaMadridOpen Semifinals! #MMOPEN pic.twitter.com/ZYvuxYoH0o
— WTA (@WTA) May 5, 2016