Tennis News

SYDNEY, Australia – With the Australian Open just around the corner, six of the WTA’s Top 10 players are heading to the Apia International Sydney to fine-tune their preparations for the year’s first major.

The Sydney draw is out and Angelique Kerber, Agnieszka Radwanska, Dominika Cibulkova and Karolina Pliskova are all in action at the Premier-level event – here’s a rundown of what they’re up against this week.

Click here for the complete Sydney singles and doubles draws.

POSSIBLE QUARTERFINALS

EARLY MATCHES TO WATCH

Sloane Stephens vs [4] Karolina Pliskova: Stephens is back in action for the first time since August after a left foot injury ended her season after the Olympic tennis event. But it won’t be an easy welcome back to the WTA as she’s drawn Brisbane champion Pliskova in the first round. Stephens leads their head-to-head record 2-0, but the pair haven’t played since late 2015.

[7] Elina Svitolina vs Monica Puig: Svitolina and Puig are set to meet for the second time in as many weeks, and this time it’s at a tournament where the Puerto Rican reached the final last year and is defending valuable points. Svitolina leads their head-to-head 2-1 after last week’s win in Brisbane.

As the top two seeds, Kerber and Radwanska received a bye into the second round. Kerber awaits the winner between Daria Kasatkina and Timea Babos, while Radwanska will face either Roberta Vinci or a qualifier in her first match.

KERBER & RADWANSKA’S ROAD TO THE FINAL:

Should World No.1 Kerber make it past her tricky second-round battle, she could face British No1 Johanna Konta in the quarterfinals. Precedent would be on her side, though, as Kerber’s won both of their previous two encounters in straight sets – including their semifinal clash at the 2016 Australian Open.

It doesn’t get any easier from there, with WTA Finals champ Dominika Cibulkova and defending Sydney champion Svetlana Kuznetsova potentially looming in the semifinals.

For 2013 champion Radwanska, it’s a more straight-forward road to the final but it’s littered with dangerous floaters.

A battle against longtime nemesis Caroline Wozniacki could await in the quarterfinals – though she trails their head-to-head 6-9, Radwanska’s come out on top in their last two matches in Wuhan and Beijing. After that, she could get the big hitting Pliskova in the semifinals.

EASTBOURNE, Great Britain – Former No.1 Caroline Wozniacki is starting to find her footing after a long layoff that forced her to miss the entire clay court season – including the French Open. Speaking with WTA Insider Courtney Nguyen at the Aegon International after her first round win over Alizé Cornet, Wozniacki first felt things were starting to fall into place following a pre-tournament practice with good friend and World No.3, Agnieszka Radwanska.

“I feel like I’m getting closer to where I want to be,” the Dane said in a Dropshot Edition of the WTA Insider Podcast. “I had a really good two hour practice with Aga yesterday; that made me feel good and like I know what I need to do. Birmingham wasn’t the best place to get rhythm because we kept going on and off the court.

“It was nice to get here knowing the weather is usually better here than anywhere else in the UK.”

Wozniacki reflects on her long absence from the tour, one that led her to a highly scheduled period of rest, relaxation, and a return to the piano, a former childhood pursuit.

“I used to play when I was younger, and I used to play some concerts as well. I just thought, ‘I have some time off, and it’s good for the brain as well.’

“I was good. Was. You know, when you start out playing again and think, ‘I used to do this so easily.’ Right now, I’m not very good, but then you keep improving every time because you start remembering things. I’m still getting there; I have a piano at home, and every time I’m home I’ll get lessons. I bought a keyboard for when I’m on the road, but I decided I had too much luggage, but maybe next trip!”

Listen to the full interview with the two-time US Open finalist below: 

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EASTBOURNE, Great Britain – Coming off her first Grand Slam semifinal since 2012, former World No.4 Samantha Stosur told press at the Aegon International that she will be working with Andrew Roberts, official hitting partner for the Australian Fed Cup team, after parting with longtime coach David Taylor.

“He’s coming here and Wimbledon and then we’re going to assess what we want to do from there,” she said on Tuesday. “Other than that, that’s the arrangement.”

Stosur had announced earlier in the season that she and Taylor would separate after the French Open, citing the latter’s desire to travel less. The 2011 US Open champion described how the connection with Roberts came about just after the French Open.

“We had spoken a little bit, and I actually spoke to him on the phone the day before the French Open started. Then once I finished there, then it was kind of like, ‘All right, what is the plan?’

“It’s very hard to think about things when you’re obviously so involved in a tournament. So, yeah, It was kind of last minute. Then it was possible for him to be able to come over.

“That was really good for me that he was able to come over on short notice and come.

“We will just see how it goes from here.”

Stosur lost her first match of the grass court season, 6-2, 6-1, to former No.1 Caroline Wozniacki.