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Muguruza: Guess Who's Back?

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

DOHA, Qatar – Second season syndrome is an ailment familiar to most sports fans. As the name suggests, it afflicts those sports men, women and teams that struggle to follow up a breakthrough season or notable triumph.

In the opening weeks of the season there were whispers in tennis circles that Garbiñe Muguruza could be the syndrome’s latest high-profile victim.

Last year, 41 wins (nine of them against Top 10 opponents), one title and a runner-up finish at Wimbledon saw Muguruza catapult herself from gifted prospect to one of the game’s elite.

But, having climbed to the very top of the game, how would she respond to the spotlight focused on its summit? How would her athletic game stand up to the rigors of another 60-match campaign? And how would she handle the prospect of defending all those ranking points accrued last time around?

The Spaniard made an inauspicious start, aggravated a long-standing foot injury during her first match, against Varvara Lepchenko at the Brisbane International. With that troublesome foot still bothering her, Muguruza managed to go a few rounds at the Australian Open, but looked a shadow of her magnificent best.

“I think it was an amazing year, an amazing end. I think the level was really high,” Muguruza said. “Obviously to keep that level all the time, every year, is going to be hard, especially when you did it once, and next year you’re like, ‘Hey, should I be doing the same? It’s hard to know what’s going to happen.”

At this week’s Qatar Total Open, however, the 22-year-old has finally began to find some form, blowing away Nao Hibino in her opening match, before defusing the big-serving Timea Babos on Wednesday evening.

And after seeing off Babos, she penned a message – ‘Muga’s back’ – to her WTA rivals on the lens of a nearby television camera. 

“I wrote this because I had a lot of physical problems at the beginning of the year and I’m trying to practice and work really hard to get my level back again,” Muguruza said. “And I think playing and competing here is helping me go through this process.”

The next stage of her rehabilitation will come against Andrea Petkovic, a player she has never beaten: “It’s true it’s a big challenge for me; I think I’m like 2-0 down. So I think I’m going to speak with my team and find a way and a tactic to beat her.”

Having appeared in one major final already, Muguruza is viewed by many astute observers as the leader of the WTA’s new vanguard. Despite the soaring expectation levels, the World No.5 is setting no timeframe on the next breakthough.

“I don’t think there’s an age to reach the top. I think it’s great when you’re like playing good. But being young and also having success, it can be very good and it can be very bad,” she said.

“We’ve seen some cases you’re young and you’re like, ‘I’m playing good, I’m doing a lot of things.’ But it’s also hard because you’re not as mature. Angelique Kerber said in Australia, she can maybe handle more at her age or she’s used to it more. It’s a very thin line there keeping that balance. Just with time, you can deal better with that.”

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News | WTA Tennis English

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

SYDNEY, Australia – No.5 seed Svetlana Kuznetsova began her title defense at the Apia International Sydney with a decisive 6-1, 6-4 win over Irina-Camelia Begu.

“I started the year quite good with the feeling on court,” she said in her post-match press conference. “Sometimes the results don’t go with how you’re feeling, but I feel very good at the start of the year.”

It was a year ago that Kuznetsova came to Sydney to begin what would become her best season in nearly six years, but shrugged off the pressure of going for a second straight victory.

“I’m not thinking about defending my title. The trophy is at home and nobody can take it away from me. This is another year and another opportunity to play. I always feel like I need a lot of matches at the start of the year. I remember going to Auckland and not winning a single match. Then I came here and it gave me matches, confidence.

“If I played five weeks in a row at the end of last year, I can do three or four weeks here.”

The Russian veteran showed off similar form for much of the match against Begu, who struggled through the 31 minute opening set.

Winning 10 of the first 12 games, the former World No.2 was on course for a seamless victory before the Romanian mounted a mini-comeback, drawing even at 4-4 in the second.

“What happened? What typically happens in a tennis match. I think I started to play more defensively, and she felt like she had nothing to lose. I got too passive.

“We practiced in December because she was also in Dubai; we played a practice match and that was good because I was able to remember her game.

“It’s a different style; she stays farther behind the baseline, not so much inside. She serves good, and it was hard to read.

Kuznetsova closed the door from there, and served out her spot in the second round, where she’ll meet either 2011 US Open champion Samantha Stosur or compatriot Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova.

“Overall, I think I did good, except for those four games when I didn’t play so good.”

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Radwanska Bests Vinci In Epic

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

DOHA, Qatar – No.3 seed Agnieszka Radwanska survived an onslaught from Italy’s Roberta Vinci as the two put together a veritable highlight reel from start to finish in the quarterfinals of the Qatar Total Open. It was the reigning WTA Finals champion, however, who ultimately emerged victorious, beating the No.9 seed, 3-6, 6-2, 6-3.

Watch live action from Doha & Acapulco this week on WTA Live powered by TennisTV!

“She’s a very tricky player with great hands, so you always expect tricky points from her,” she said during her on-court interview. “I was just trying to be better this time, so I hope you guys enjoyed it and I think it was a great match.”

Coming off a win over another wily veteran in Monica Niculescu in the previous round, Radwanska outdid herself with some throwback tennis on Thursday; she and Vinci came to net a combined 101 times, while the Pole hit 40 winners to just 27 unforced errors. Vinci was not too far behind with 36 winners and 20 unforced.

With more than couple of candidates for Shot Of The Year in one match, Radwanska admitted she sometimes surprised herself against Vinci: “I’m like, ‘Oh my god, that was in?’ But that’s the way I play, and against Roberta, it’s a lot of rallies and tricky shots and different points. Our games are very entertaining.

“I’m just very happy to play those shots. Winning shot of the year makes me so happy. I always appreciate those votes; I’m also happy to hear that my tennis is very enjoyable and entertaining.”

Up next for Radwanska is No.8 seed Carla Suárez Navarro, who confirmed her return to the Top 10 with a straight-sets win over qualifier Elena Vesnina earlier in the day.

“Carla is a great player, very solid from the back. We just played a few weeks ago in Melbourne. I won that one, but it’s never easy against her. It’ll be a nice challenge for me against Carla, and I’ll try my best.”

Radwanska and Vinci certainly broke the internet with their stellar shot-making; check out some of the best points and what some of their fellow players had to say below:

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News | WTA Tennis English

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

SYDNEY, Australia – No.10 seed Caroline Wozniacki survived a titanic tussle against Olympic tennis event winner Monica Puig, 6-3, 2-6, 6-4, to advance into the second round of the Apia International Sydney.

“It’s a tough match, because, you know, you kind of feel, like, oh, I’m winning pretty comfortably right now, but then she can go on a streak, starts hitting winners, has such a good serve,” the Dane explained in her post-match press conference. “That’s where it started going in in the second set, and then the third set I tried to stay closer to the baseline and maybe play a little deeper.

“It paid off. But, yeah,  win is a win. I’ll take it.”

Wozniacki had just come off a quarterfinal appearance at the ASB Classic, while Puig was looking for her first win of the season, having dropped her opening round match to Elina Svitolina at the Brisbane International. The No.10 seed broke at her first opportunity and held on for dear life to start the match, gutting out a five-deuce game to hold for 5-2 and ultimately serve out the opening set in 47 minutes.

Puig served notice last summer when she took home Puerto Rico’s first ever Olympic gold medal, but was even more impressive off the return in the second set, break serve three times to level the match.

Much like the first set, Wozniacki broke early in the third and never let go, even as Puig showed all her mettle to hold in a six-deuce game at 3-1 in the decider.

“I changed up my practice quite a bit. I did a lot of other things, probably spent more time on court than I have in a long time and less time in the gym, actually.

“That was a big change for me, because I have worked so hard on my fitness and worked so hard on trying to prevent injuries.

“But at the end of the day, I think I sometimes need to ease off a little bit. I guess I’m not a spring chicken anymore. Sometimes less is more.”

Clinching victory on her first match point, Wozniacki booked a second-round encounter with Yulia Putintseva.

“I was proud of how I managed to just keep grinding today. I feel pretty good. I’m not nervous about my form. I think it’s going to be fine.”

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Stephens Powers Into Acapulco Final

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

ACAPULCO, Mexico – Sloane Stephens needed just 54 minutes to cruise to her second WTA final of the year after an uncomplicated victory over No.8 seed Yanina Wickmayer at the Abierto Mexicano Telcel, 6-2, 6-0.

Watch live action from Doha & Acapulco this week on WTA Live powered by TennisTV!

The pair had faced off only once before, with Stephens coming out the victor of a straight forward 6-1, 6-3 match at the Miami Open. This encounter would prove to be no more difficult for the 22-year-old American.

“Obviously playing in the semifinals of any tournament is going to be tough,” Stephens said of her commanding victory. “Fortunately today I played some really solid tennis and played really well. It was a good day for me.”

Stephens set the pace early on, breaking and holding at love to give herself some breathing room at 4-1. The Belgian wasn’t displaying any of the form that saw her come back from two points away from defeat in the first round or upset Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in the quarterfinals. Wickmayer was spraying errors off both wings, finally shooting a forehand long to give Stephens set point, which she seal with a powerful forehand.

Stephens played a near perfect second set, overpowering the increasingly frustrated Wickmayer in a 6-0 shutout, not facing a single break point and winning every one of her first serve points.

“I’m feeling good and I’m excited to be back in another final,” Stephens said. “I’m playing well so I’m excited to get back on court tomorrow and compete.”

At this time last year, Stephens was facing a disappointing string of first and second round losses – including one in the first round here in Acapulco. Now in 2016, she’s already got a title under her belt and is into her second final of the year. What’s changed for the 22-year-old?

“I’m just in a different place,” Sloane said. “I’ve played a lot of matches this year already and got some of the confidence going, built up some momentum. I’m just trying to keep that going here in Acapulco.”

Stephens is set to play against 2014 Acapulco winner Dominika Cibulkova in tomorrow’s final. Their head to head is tied at 1-1, with Cibulkova coming away the winner of their most recent encounter at Toronto last year.

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News | WTA Tennis English

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

SYDNEY, Australia – Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova won an all-Russian battle with defending champion Svetlana Kuznetsova to advance into the quarterfinals of the Apia International Sydney.

“I’m really happy, not only because she’s defending champion, but also my fellow player,” she said after the match. “She’s Top 10 and has had a really incredible year last year. I knew it’d be a really tough match and I was just trying to play good tennis, and take this as prep for Melbourne.”

Pavlyuchenkova had lost five of her last six encounters with her veteran compatriot, and things seemed to be moving in similar fashion to start Tuesday’s match.

Kuznetsova twice moved ahead by a break of serve to start, and served for the opening set at 5-4, only to see Pavlyuchenkova reel off the last three games to nab just her third set from her fellow Russian.

“I think I did everything well! I wasn’t serving as well as I did yesterday; I was a little upset with that, but I’m so happy that even with a lower first-serve percentage, that I was able to win the match in two sets.”

The pair exchanged breaks early in the second, with last year’s Wimbledon quarterfinalist moving ahead 5-2 after a long service game, eventually clinching the win in one hour and 38 minutes.

“It’s just very different conditions here; last week was my first match of the year, plus it was cold, windy, with fast courts. I had Goerges there and she was just serving bombs so it was difficult for me to get into any rallies.

“I had zero expectations here; I was just trying to enjoy the tennis, but it’s working good so far.”

Up next for Pavlyuchenkova is either Eugenie Bouchard or No.3 seed Dominika Cibulkova.

“Cibulkova had an incredible year last year as well; she won the Masters and is in really good form. She’s a great fighter. I’ve never played Bouchard before. I don’t think we’ve even practiced together. I don’t know what to expect so I think I’ll watch some of their match today.”

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Insider Podcast: March Madness

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

After two months of unexpected results, what does it all mean as the tour prepares for the grueling high-stakes tournaments in tennis’ version of March Madness at the BNP Paribas Open and Miami Open?

On this episode, WTA Insider Senior Writer Courtney Nguyen and Web Editor David Kane reconvene to discuss the action at the Qatar Total Open in Doha, where Carla Suárez Navarro emerged from the beaten and battered draw to win the biggest title of her career. They also talk about the impressive week from 18-year-old Latvian Jelena Ostapenko, who tore through the Doha draw to make her second WTA final, and have mixed emotions surrounding Agnieszka Radwanska, Garbiñe Muguruza and Andrea Petkovic’s recent results.

Courtney and David also discuss the action at the Abierto Mexicano Telcel in Acapulco, where Sloane Stephens and Dominika Cibulkova played one of the best matches of the year in the final, which saw Sloane edge it out to become the first woman to two titles this year.

Kane on Suárez Navarro: “It’s very impressive but I still think there are a lot of questions about what this means for Suarez Navarro in terms of where she goes from here. She ended up having the best week of the top-ranked players but still, when she is in really high pressure situations against the biggest names in tennis, how will she stand up? I think mentally we’ve seen her answer a lot of those questions so far this year alone. Setting goals to be in the Top 10? Check. Top 5? Really close. Of all the players to make New Year’s Resolutions, I think you want to model your New Year’s Resolution game after Suárez Navarro. She’s one of the few big names getting things done in 2016.”

Nguyen on Radwanska: “I’m curious to see what she does in Indian Wells and Miami. Was this just a bad day at the office, a tough turnaround of 24-hours to play that match, or is it more of a sign? Obviously she’s great on hardcourts and is a former champion in Miami. If she can rebound there, then she’s all right. She’s still one of the best players at the start of the season. So maybe it was just a bad day. We’ll see.”

Nguyen on ‘Winning Ugly’: “On some level you wonder if this is a generational thing. If you are younger and you’ve grown up in this era of parity, in this era of everyone’s on upset alert at all times, everyone can pull up an upset at all times, and you’re just used to it, maybe you don’t panic as much because it’s the new normal. It is just what you are to expect in a tennis match.”

Kane on Stephens: “This is the best I’ve seen Sloane Stephens play a match from start to finish. For all the hype and all the prognosticating about the future and the potential of Sloane Stephens we really saw everything from her in this final. We saw the power, we saw the athleticism, most impressively we saw the defense, and more impressively, we saw she did not get down on herself.”

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