Kerber Beats The Heat In Sydney
Angelique Kerber, who’s back at No.7 in the world after a brilliant week in Brisbane, battled through scorching conditions to make a winning start in Sydney on Monday.
Angelique Kerber, who’s back at No.7 in the world after a brilliant week in Brisbane, battled through scorching conditions to make a winning start in Sydney on Monday.
The 2017 Aces For Humanity campaign was launched by USANA and the WTA at the BNP Paribas Open, where every ace hit by a WTA player at Premier-level events translates into a donation to the USANA True Health Foundation, whose mission is to provide the most critical human necessities to those who are suffering or in need around the world.
For every ace hit by any player the WTA donates $5, and for every ace hit by a USANA Brand Ambassador, it’s $10.
USANA Brand Ambassadors Caroline Wozniacki, Eugenie Bouchard, Monica Puig and Zheng Saisai hit 12 of the 476 aces in Indian Wells – raising a grand total of $2,560 throughout the fortnight. Wozniacki hit the most with seven aces.
Read more about the campaign here and see below to find out who’s hit the most aces so far!
#AcesForHumanity Fan Giveaway
It’s simple: before each WTA Premier tournament guess how many total aces will be hit.
Next up is the Miami Open in Miami. Last year there was a total of 539 aces hit. It’s now your turn, take your best guess of how many will be hit this year.
How To Enter:
• Follow @WTA and @USANAFoundation on Twitter and before each WTA Premier tournament tweet the number of aces you predict will be hit during the whole tournament (Singles, Main Draw)
• Include the hashtag #AcesForHumanity
• Beijing deadline is March 21 at 11:59pm ET
• The winner will be announced April 3rd
Aces For Humanity is a joint WTA and USANA initiative that benefits the USANA True Health Foundation, which provides critical human necessities to those in suffering or in need around the globe.
For full rules on how to enter, click here.
An interview with Simona Halep after her win in the second round of the Apia International Sydney.
MIAMI, FL, USA – It was a bad day in the opening round of qualifying for two of Britain’s hopes in the Miami Open as Katie Swan and Naomi Broady fell at the first hurdle.
British No.3 Broady lost 7-5, 6-4 to New Zealand’s Marina Erakovic in what was expected to be a close match with only 15 places between the pair in the WTA rankings.
It was a similarly tight affair in the match between Swan and Risa Ozaki, the Japanese winning 6-3, 6-3, although the discrepancy in the rankings of over 250 places meant that this was somewhat of a more expected result.
Not the result I was hoping for…had a lot of chances but still loved being out there!! Let's keep it going ??? #MiamiOpen pic.twitter.com/QlTC5BdUSq
— Katie Swan (@Katieswan99) March 20, 2017
Elsewhere, WTA Insider reported a popular victory for 15-year-old Anastasia Potapova over rising Greek star Maria Sakkari and in-form second seed Magda Linette survived a second set blip to overcome Asia Muhammad in three tight sets.
There were also notable wins for Donna Vekic (d. Kayla Day 4-6, 6-2, 6-4), Varvara Lepchenko (d. Silvia Soler-Espinosa 7-5, 6-1), Madison Brengle (d. Sachia Vickery 6-1, 6-2) , Mona Barthel (d. Jaqueline Cristian 6-1, 6-1) and Francesca Schiavone (d. Kateryna Kozlova 6-3, 6-0).
An interview with Svetlana Kuznetsova after her win in the quarterfinals at the Apia International Sydney.
MIAMI, FL, USA – The top 8 seeds at the Miami Open answered fans’ questions via Twitter – was yours one of them?
“How much do you love your fans?”
.@orangegreatness #AskMiamiTop8 pic.twitter.com/VUKBar2R89
— WTA (@WTA) March 21, 2017
“If you could have one superpower, what would it be?”
.@popalorena #AskMiamiTop8 pic.twitter.com/bzRut5rMck
— WTA (@WTA) March 21, 2017
“What’s your favorite emoji?”
.@Halepenthusiast #AskMiamiTop8 pic.twitter.com/42FDJNP8tl
— WTA (@WTA) March 21, 2017
“What keeps you motivated to play tennis?”
.@carnesy56 #AskMiamiTop8 pic.twitter.com/NXBiNpNJUw
— WTA (@WTA) March 21, 2017
“Happy birthday, Karolina! How are you celebrating?”
.@AllThingsGenie #AskMiamiTop8 pic.twitter.com/0apTlCySBQ
— WTA (@WTA) March 21, 2017
“What’s your main goal this year?”
.@FaabiHola #AskMiamiTop8 pic.twitter.com/FcV7frPEPn
— WTA (@WTA) March 21, 2017
“Do you get to hear more Latin music in the Miami clubs?”
.@Erin_clp #AskMiamiTop8 pic.twitter.com/SACVDRv0fg
— WTA (@WTA) March 21, 2017
“What’s your favorite thing about Miami?”
.@ballbasher_ #AskMiamiTop8 pic.twitter.com/2B78SYlQ0W
— WTA (@WTA) March 21, 2017
“Do you like your fan pages on Instagram?”
.@SilkyPhilippe #AskMiamiTop8 pic.twitter.com/Bk0Bzi4hVg
— WTA (@WTA) March 21, 2017
“How do you stay mentally positive?”
.@k9lvCSGO #AskMiamiTop8 pic.twitter.com/hKdFLpbWqc
— WTA (@WTA) March 21, 2017
“How long do you see yourself playing for?”
.@tennisaddictdon #AskMiamiTop8 pic.twitter.com/IESP1cHrAm
— WTA (@WTA) March 21, 2017
“What is your favorite holiday destination?”
.@tulasipavan #AskMiamiTop8 pic.twitter.com/WFGmERbExA
— WTA (@WTA) March 21, 2017
Highlights from the quarterfinal round action at the Apia International Sydney.
The seeds on the lower half of the draw will begin their campaigns at the Miami Open on Thursday. We preview the must-see matchups right here at WTATennis.com.
Thursday, Second round
[2] Karolina Pliskova (CZE #3) vs. [Q] Madison Brengle (USA #86)
Head-to-head: Pliskova leads, 1-0
Key Stat: Pliskova leads the WTA with 167 aces in 20 matches this year.
In 2015, Karolina Pliskova proved that her game is a good match for the hardcourts of the Crandon Park Tennis Center in Miami when she powered to the quarterfinals for the first time. Last year, after a breakout performance at Indian Wells where she reached the semis, Pliskova arrived in Miami wearing some fatigue and was bounced in the opening round by Timea Babos. Pliskova is eager to prove that she’s up for the challenge of putting up good results in both legs of the Sunshine Double, having made a second straight semifinal in California.
“I did semis last year and then I lost in first round here,” she said on Tuesday. “So I just want to change this. I know I struggle after I do a good result in one tournament and then coming to a different tournament after. I think I’m in good shape this year, so hopefully I can change it in this tournament.”
Pliskova will face a tricky opponent in World No.86 Madison Brengle. The Delaware native reached the third round here last year and already has two qualifying matches under her belt in addition to her first-round win over Jelena Ostapenko on Tuesday.
Pick: Pliskova in two
[6]Garbiñe Muguruza (ESP #6) vs. Christina McHale (USA #46)
Head-to-head: Tied, 1-1
Key Stat: Muguruza reached the quarterfinals as a wildcard in Miami in 2012.
Miami will always hold a special place in Garbiñe Muguruza’s heart. As an 18-year-old she parlayed a Wild Card into her first tour-level victory at Miami, then rolled all the way to the round of 16. “This is such a great tournament for me because this was like my breakthrough,” Muguruza said at All-Access Hour. “I got a wildcard and I beat two Top 10s and went to fourth round, which was quite amazing. Plus I love the environment, I love the Latin American people, so I feel very at home here.”
Muguruza has been back to the round of 16 twice since that breakthrough, but this year she’ll look to take it a step or two further. That quest begins on Thursday with a battle against a tough competitor who has defeated her before. American Christina McHale knocked off Muguruza at Indian Wells last year and she improved to 5-0 in first-round matches at Miami with a three-set win over Germany’s Annika Beck on Wednesday.
Will McHale be able to recover from her three-hour battle with the German in time to challenge Muguruza? Or will the Spaniard get her revenge and begin another memorable run in Miami?
Pick: Muguruza in two
[23] Daria Gavrilova (AUS #26) vs. Lucie Safarova (CZE #36)
Head-to-head: Tied, 2-2
Key Stat: Safarova entered the week ninth on tour in first-serve points won (72 percent).
Australia’s Daria Gavrilova has her own Miami wildcard success story. Two years ago she burst on to the scene by upsetting then-World No.2 Maria Sharapova en route to a round of 16 appearance. “I have been dreaming about beating Maria since I was probably 12 when I saw her win Wimbledon, when she beat Serena,” an elated Gavrilova said at the time. That victory helped Gavrilova forge her identity on tour and also catapulted her higher in the rankings. She was barely inside the Top 100 at the time and now the Aussie resides inside the Top 30. But to go higher Gavrilova will have to win more consistently. She’s 6-6 this season but has only managed one win out of six contests against the Top 20.
On Thursday she’ll face a former Top 10 player who looks ready to make a big rise up the rankings herself in Lucie Safarova. The Czech battled injuries throughout 2016 but is healthy – and winning – again. After winning only 15 tour-level matches in 2016, Safarova has already claimed 13 victories in less than three months in 2017. Will she keep it rolling on Thursday or will Gavrilova use some more of that Miami magic to advance?
Pick: Safarova in three
[27] Yulia Putintseva (KAZ #32) vs. Carina Witthoeft (GER #71)
Head-to-head: Witthoeft leads, 2-0
Key Stat: Both previous encounters between Witthoeft and Putintseva have gone three sets.
Yulia Putintseva may outrank Germany’s Carina Witthoeft significantly but the German has swept both previous meetings with the Kazakh, defeating Putintseva twice last year in three sets. So, will the feisty Putintseva take her revenge on Thursday? It should be another tricky encounter. The 22-year-old Putintseva already has a final and two Top 10 wins to her name this season but she has only gone 3-3 against players ranked outside the Top 50 and has never won a main draw match at Miami. Witthoeft advanced to the second round for the second consecutive year with a 6-3, 6-3 win over Nicole Gibbs on Tuesday.
Pick: Putintseva in three
[4] Dominika Cibulkova (SVK #4) vs. [Q] Veronica Cepede Royg (PAR #131)
Head-to-head: First meeting
Key Stat: Cibulkova is making her tenth career appearance at Miami.
Playing at a career-high ranking of No.4 in the world, Slovakia’s Dominika Cibulkova is excited to return to the tournament that she has always adored. Cibulkova made her first appearance here in 2007 and the rest is history. “From the first time I played here… it was my favorite tournament,” she told WTA Insider at all-access hour on Tuesday. “And it still is, because I have so many great memories here at this tournament.” The 2014 semifinalist owns a 14-9 lifetime record at Miami, but missed 2015 due to injury and was unseeded last year and ended up falling to Garbiñe Muguruza in the second round. With only 35 rankings points to defend she will open accounts against Paraguay’s Veronica Cepede Royg in a first-time meeting on Thursday. Cibulkova has reached the third round in seven of her nine Miami appearances while Cepede Royg made her Miami Open main draw debut on Wednesday, defeating Misaki Doi in straight sets.
Pick: Cibulkova in two
Around the Grounds:
No.5-seeded and 2012 Miami Open champion Agnieszka Radwanska will face China’s Wang Qiang for the fourth time. The Pole has won all three decisions in straight sets against Wang and Radwanska owns a 28-9 lifetime record at Miami.
By the Numbers:
5-1 – Safarova improved to 5-1 in tiebreak sets on Wednesday when she defeated Yanina Wickmayer, 7-6(2) 6-4.
5 – Muguruza is tied for second on tour with five three-set wins this season (Svitolina has six).
19 – Pliskova’s 19 wins are tied for second on tour this season, behind only Svitolina’s 20.
Alizé Cornet captured her first title since 2014, dropping just three games in the final of the Hobart International to beat comeback kid Eugenie Bouchard.
WTA Insider David Kane | Catch up with former World No.5 and one half of the hottest doubles team around, Lucie Safarova after a comprehensive win at the Miami Open.