Tennis News

CHARLESTON, SC, USA – 2010 Volvo Car Open champion Samantha Stosur eased past 2007 champion Jelena Jankovic, 6-1, 6-3, to advance into the third round in Charleston.

“I’ve had eight hours of practice on clay courts, so all in all, I’m pleased with how I started the match and got through it in straight sets,” she said after the match. “That’s not easy to do against Jelena; we’ve had some really long matches in the past, so I was glad to get through.”

Crafty shot from @BamBamSam30! #VolvoCarOpen pic.twitter.com/Oz10dPwqh6

— WTA (@WTA) April 5, 2017

Stosur is coming off a solid run to the round of 16 at the Miami Open, and was facing a tough test in Jankovic, who led their head-to-head 7-2 and won their most recent encounter at the 2013 French Open.

“Right from the first practice, I felt comfortable. I obviously had a great clay court season last year,” she added, referring to her run to the final four last spring in Roland Garros. “So I’m really trying to pick up from there, and keep the good tennis from Miami going.”

Still, it’s been a tough Sunshine Swing for the Serb, who won just one of her last five matches heading into Charleston – though she emerged victorious against Ekaterina Alexandrova on Monday – and appeared on the brink of a swift defeat as the Aussie took the opening set.

Outstanding volley by @Jelena_Jankovic! ? #VolvoCarOpen pic.twitter.com/uYoIKXhhqF

— WTA (@WTA) April 5, 2017

Jankovic settled and played more consistent tennis in the second, but Stosur proved too strong, taking the contest on one hour and 13 minutes.

“A lot of it comes down to the serve; if I can hit my spots and be accurate, it’ll be hard for my opponent.

“If I’m getting 65% or more in, that’s pretty good. On a clay court, it can be a little more because I’ll be hitting a few more kick serves, but the worst part of my year last year was my winning percentage on first serves. That’s really been a focus, and tonight that was really good.”

Up next for the former World No.4 is eiher No.10 seed Irina-Camelia Begu or Kristina Kucova.

.@BamBamSam30 is first through to @VolvoCarOpen Round of 16!

Tops Jankovic 6-1, 6-3! pic.twitter.com/X9NNwHN03V

— WTA (@WTA) April 5, 2017

KEY INFORMATION:
Tournament Level: Premier
Prize Money: $780,900
Draw Size: 32 main draw/32 qualifying
Qualifying Dates: Saturday, June 11 – Monday, June 13 
First Day of Main Draw: Monday, June 13
Singles Final: Sunday, June 19, 1.30pm GMT
Doubles Final: Sunday, June 19, after singles final

MUST FOLLOW SOCIAL MEDIA ACCOUNTS:
@WTA
@WTA_Insider – WTA Insider, Senior Writer Courtney Nguyen
@BritishTennis – LTA handle
Get involved in conversations with the official hashtags, #AegonClassic and #WTA.

TOURNAMENT NOTES:
· Former Wimbledon finalist Agnieszka Radwanska accepted one of the Top 10 wildcards, returning to tournament after a nine-year absence as top seed.
· Angelique Kerber is No.2 seed and defending champion. Two-time Wimbledon champion also in draw, taking up second Top 10 wildcard.
· Former World No.1 Caroline Wozniacki plays in only her second tournament since Miami after recovering from an ankle injury.
· There have been 11 different champions in the past 11 years in Birmingham. There is just one returning champion in the field this year – Kerber (2015).
· Click here on Saturday to see the full draw (ceremony at noon).

WILDCARDS:
Agnieszka Radwanska (POL), Petra Kvitova (CZE), Naomi Broady (GBR), Tara Moore (GBR)

Every week on wtatennis.com we’ll bring you 10 Things To Know about the week ahead – who’s playing, where and more. This week the Road To Singapore goes through a familiar stop off – and a brand new one.

1) Old and new.
The preparation for Wimbledon intensifies this week, with tournaments old an new on the calendar – the Aegon Classic Birmingham and the Mallorca Open. Birmingham has been a fixture of the grass court season since 1982. The Mallorca Open, on the other hand, is in its very first year.

2) The No.1 seed is making her Birmingham return.
Agnieszka Radwanska, the World No.3, is the No.1 seed this week. Traditionally, the Pole has elected not to play this week – in fact the only time she has ventured to Britain’s second city came in 2007 when she lost to Elena Likhovtseva in the second round.

3) And she has been handed a tricky start.
Saturday’s draw was not kind to Radwanska, pairing her with recently crowned ‘s-Hertogenbosch champion CoCo Vandeweghe. It was not the only eye-catching first-round match-up either: two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova takes on Lucie Safarova; Carla Suárez Navarro meets Elina Svitolina; and Karolina Pliskova faces Barbora Strycova.

4) The defending champion is back and ready to defend.
Last year Angelique Kerber won this event after coming out on top in a memorable final with Karolina Pliskova. It was also the first WTA title of her career on grass – the eight other titles have come on hardcourts or clay.

5) Kerber is trying to successfully defend a WTA title for the second time.
If she repeats at the Aegon Classic Birmingham this year, it will be Kerber’s second successful WTA title defense. The first also came this year, at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix.

6) Can a home favorite make a statement on grass?
Simona Halep’s withdrawal bumped British No.1 Johanna Konta into the final seeded slot. She opens up against Misaki Doi, before a potential second-round clash with former World No.1 Caroline Wozniacki. Heather Watson, Naomi Broady and Tara Moore are also in the draw, facing Camila Giorgi, Daria Gavrilova and a qualifier, respectively.

7) Or is the stage set for one of the WTA’s young pretenders?
The WTA’s highest-ranked teenager Belinda Bencic enjoyed a sparkling grass court campaign 12 months ago, reaching the final in ‘s-Hertogenbosch and lifting the title in Eastbourne. Seeded No.4 this time, the Swiss has only recently recovered from a back injury and looking a tad rusty on her return in ‘s-Hertogenbosch. Should she falter there are several other young guns capable of making a mark, including Madison Keys, Gavrilova and former Wimbledon junior champion Jelena Ostapenko.

8) Homecoming queen.
Garbiñe Muguruza is the star attraction at the inaugural Mallorca Open, where she will compete in her first match since being crowned Roland Garros champion.

9) Seamless transition?
The switch from clay to grass has not proved a problem in the past for Muguruza. Last year she followed up  quarterfinal appearance in Paris by reaching the Wimbledon final. She will expect to improve on her preparations, though – in 2015 she won a combined total of one match in Birmingham and Eastbourne.

10) Keeping good company.
Muguruza will be wary of another early exit after being paired with former Wimbledon semifinalist Kirsten Flipkens in the first round. There is danger lurking elsewhere in the draw, too, in the shape of fellow seeds Eugenie Bouchard, Ana Ivanovic, Jelena Jankovic and Kristina Mladenovic.

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.