Tennis News

ROME, Italy – Daria Gavrilova continues to save her best tennis for the Internazionali BNL d’Italia; looking to back up her run to last year’s semifinals, the Aussie outlasted Mutua Madrid Open winner Simona Halep, 6-3, 4-6, 6-3, to reach the third round.

Watch highlights, interviews and more video from Madrid right here on wtatennis.com!

“I played pretty well the whole match,” Gavrilova said after her win. “It was always going to be a tough battle because we’re pretty similar players.

“A few years back, I was watching her play thinking, ‘I could play like her,’ and beating her today was an unreal feeling. I was super happy. After the rain delay, I could reset and come out there playing very good!”

Halep needed three sets to defeat Gavrilova in their only previous encounter at the 2015 BNP Paribas Open, and the match was headed to another photo finish when a rain delay halted proceedings at one set apiece.

“Maybe if it wouldn’t rain, maybe I would have played better,” Halep said in her post-match press conference. “But that’s it. I cannot change anything. If it’s raining, it’s raining. If I lose, you lose. I won a lot of matches last week, so I don’t give up now that I lost one match.”

Play has been suspended due to rain ☔️ #ibi16 https://t.co/HBmfgHoqMu

— WTA (@WTA) May 11, 2016

Working her way through an even contest, the 2009 French Open junior finalist looked to be fading, but quickly caught fire after saving a break point in the fourth game.

Showing off the sort of boundless energy that has become her signature, the unseeded Aussie promptly broke serve in the next game and all but ran away with the match from there. Surviving a brief hiccup when serving for it, she broke once more at love to clinch the match in just under two hours, hitting 30 winners to 31 unforced errors.

The win was Gavrilova’s first over a Top 5 player this season, and second of her career – having previously defeated then-World No.2 Maria Sharapova in the second round of last year’s Miami Open ahead of her Roman run.

Though Halep didn’t display the form that took her to a second career Premier Mandatory title in Madrid, the Romanian nonetheless hit 29 winners of her own, but wasn’t able to make up for her 33 unforced errors hit over the course of three sets.

“It’s not a big drama that I lost today,” Halep said. “But it still was a loss and it’s not easy.

“I take just a positive from last week. Today was tough for me to adapt, but still I could play better, but that’s it. I’m still confident, but I have to keep working to go to French Open.”

Up next for Gavrilova is No.9 seed Svetlana Kuznetsova on Pietrangeli Court; the Russian eased past Madrid semifinalist Samantha Stosur, 6-4, 6-4, just before the rain delay. Growing uo in Russia, the 2009 French Open champion is a player she knows well.

“When I was little, my first coach was telling us about her childhood. She was our hero, as well as Maria. I have so much respect for her. It’s exciting, and I’m pretty sure she likes clay!”

.@Daria_Gav with the incredible volley passing shot! #ibi16 https://t.co/jk2NRBozGx

— WTA (@WTA) May 11, 2016

ROME, Italy – Trailing by an early break, top seed Serena Williams saved a set point to outlast countrywoman Christina McHale and ease into the quarterfinals of the Internazionali BNL d”Italia, 7-6(7), 6-1.

Watch highlights, interviews and more video from Rome right here on wtatennis.com!

“I feel good, because I feel like she hits a lot of balls back,” she said in her post-match press conference. “I wanted to get a match in like that where she gets a lot of balls back and see how I was able to do against that and see how I was physically after that, too.

“I think physically, you know, every day is a new day for me, and I just try to see when I wake up. I just go from there.”

A three-time champion in Rome, Williams was looking to reach her first clay court final of the season, but first had to rise to the challenge of solving McHale, who had pushed her to three sets at the Miami Open and outlasted former No.1 Ana Ivanovic in the previous round.

McHale served for the set in the ninth game – having converted her eighth break point opportunity at 2-2 – but Williams stepped up at that crucial moment, racing out to a 0-40 lead and eventually leveling the set three points later.

“Anyone can win on any day, and everyone’s going and gunning. No one is coming out and saying, Oh, I play a seed so I’m going to lose. They are saying, Oh, I play a seed so I’m going to win this match. And I think that’s what we need in tennis.”

Still, the young American wasn’t done fighting, saving two set points and holding one of her own in the ensuing tie-break before the 21-time Grand Slam champion shut the door.

Playing far more consistent tennis in the second set, Williams broke three times to end the contest on her second match point, hitting 21 winners to 35 unforced errors throughout the 101 minute encounter. For her part, McHale stayed within reach on the stats sheet, making seven fewer mistakes but also three fewer winners, but was held back by her break point conversion rate – 1/10 against the big-serving Serena.

Up next for the World No.1 is Svetlana Kuznetsova, the last woman to beat her back in the round of 16 in Miami; the Russian survived an up-and-down affair with 2015 Rome semifinalist Daria Gavrilova, 6-2, 2-6, 6-3.

“I think right now she’s probably one of the best clay-court players. I couldn’t ask for a better match going into Roland Garros, so this is a perfect opportunity for me, win or lose, to see where I am and get ready for what I’m ready for, which is the main event.

“In my mind I’m always No. 1, and I think I have always thought that since I have turned pro. And in everyone else’s mind, even when I was injured they are like, You’re No. 1. I’m like, Yeah, sure. So everyone else thinks it.”

? and ? from World No.1 @SerenaWilliams. #ibi16 pic.twitter.com/Rn2bBtkQ6D

— WTA (@WTA) May 12, 2016

ROME, Italy – Garbiñe Muguruza advanced to her first semifinal of the season with a straight set win over Timea Bacsinszky at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia.

Watch highlights, interviews and more video from Rome right here on wtatennis.com!

Last year, Muguruza locked horns with Bacsinszky three times, coming out on top on all three occasions. But for well over an hour at the Foro Italico, she struggled to subdue her Swiss rival and stamp her authority on the contest.

Ultimately, Muguruza’s aggression paid off, as she broke decisively in the final game of the opening stanza courtesy of a thumping cross-court backhand. The Spaniard continued to go for her shots in the second, reeling off the last four games to triumph, 7-5, 6-2, and set up a meeting with Madison Keys.

“I am satisfied. The matches I played with Timea before were very tough matches and very hard,” Muguruza said. “Obviously she’s Top 10. She’s there for a reason. So it’s a great victory for me on clay, also, because she beat Carla yesterday so that’s a sign she’s playing well.”

Muguruza arrived in the Italian capital on the back of an indifferent start to the year, winning consecutive matches at just three of her eight tournament outings. Despite her difficulties, the World No.4’s self-belief never wavered: “Obviously I didn’t have the results I had last year, but I’m doing exactly the same: practicing hard, getting ready and fit to get those good results, and that’s why this week is happening.

“I don’t think it’s magical. I have been doing everything I can since I started the year, but sometimes you don’t find the results you want. But for sure is a great tournament, this one.”

Over on Grandstand, Irina-Camelia Begu withstood a second set wobble to defeat Misaki Doi and reach the first Premier 5 semifinal of her career. After breezing through the first set, Begu came from 3-1 down in the second to eventually prevail, 6-2, 7-6(3).

By virtue of the result, Begu, who also reached the quarterfinals in Madrid, will return to the Top 30 in time to be seeded for the French Open, which begins a week on Sunday.

#WTA Ranking Watch: By reaching SF at @InteBNLdItalia @irina_begu will move to Top 30 with 34% of her ranking pts coming from last 2 weeks

— Kevin Fischer (@Kfish_WTA) May 13, 2016

ROME, Italy – Co-No.1s Martina Hingis and Sania Mirza find themselves in pole position to complete the Santina Slam at the French Open with a 6-1, 6-7(5), 10-3 win over Ekaterina Makarova and Elena Vesnina to capture the Internazionali BNL d’Italia title – their first title since February and their first ever on red clay.

Watch highlights, interviews and more video from Rome right here on wtatennis.com!

Hingis and Mirza were in their third straight final since the start of the clay court swing, falling both times to the streaking Caroline Garcia and Kristina Mladenovic in both the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix and Mutua Madrid Open. Across the net on Sunday were familiar foes in Makarova and Vesnina, who were playing just their second tournament together since last summer, having briefly split as the former healed a leg injury.

Winners of the last three major titles – and the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global – Santina exploited that ostensible rust early on, roaring through the opening set and carving out a 5-3 lead in the second.

Say Hi to the new womens' double Champions of #ibi16!! What an amazing match @mhingis @MirzaSania made it! ?? pic.twitter.com/5A2zqkb8mf

— Internazionali Bnl (@InteBNLdItalia) May 15, 2016

But the Russians had nearly won their most recent encounter at last year’s Wimbledon final, and wouldn’t accept defeat so easily, quickly leveling the set and later the match in a tie-break.

Hingis and Mirza shook off the hiccup to beat back their opponents and a gloomy forecast to capture their 14th title as a pair, and their fifth of 2016.

Heading into the French Open on a four-match winning streak, Santina next look to complete a box set of Grand Slam titles – a Santina Slam – that began at Wimbledon over Makarova and Vesnina, and took them through victories at the US Open and Australian Open in January.

Another title for @MirzaSania and @mhingis! #ibi16 https://t.co/kRsZ9udpkC pic.twitter.com/ZMCd8YjgH5

— TennisTV (@TennisTV) May 15, 2016

The WTA has signed an exclusive five-year, multi-territory deal with television broadcaster beIN MEDIA GROUP.

The agreement gives beIN broadcast rights for all WTA tournaments, including the 21 Premier events and the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global, in over 30 territories worldwide including Spain, the USA, Australia and pan-regionally throughout the Middle East and North Africa.

“We are pleased to continue to provide our subscribers with the best international tennis tournaments. Since its creation, beIN SPORTS has broadcast the greatest sports competitions and the addition of the WTA Tour events further strengthens our promise to deliver the best content to our audiences,” said beIN’s deputy Chief Executive Yousef Al-Obaidly.

In addition to tennis, beIN, which is available on all major pay-TV platforms, holds the rights to the UEFA Champions League and RBS 6 Nations rugby. Starting in 2017 and running until 2021, beIN will hold the media rights for all WTA events in the agreed regions, covering all live matches, replays, highlights and the weekly WTA magazine shows.

“We are delighted to announce our partnership with beIN MEDIA GROUP across multiple regions. This will allow the WTA to take advantage of beIN SPORTS’ dominance in certain territories and their ambitious growth plan in others,” WTA CEO Steve Simon said.

The agreement ties in with the start of the WTA’s new partnership with leading digital sports content and media group, Perform, creating WTA Media, the tour’s dedicated media arm. The live media rights and production deal is worth $525m over 10 years (from 2017 to 2026), the largest in the history of women’s sports.

“Partnering with an aggressive multi-sport network, specifically beIN, allows us to introduce our product to a new fan base,” added WTA Media’s John Learing. “Their stable of internationally attractive sports properties, specifically in soccer and rugby will give us a chance to introduce ourselves to a wider base of different sports fans. The bottom line for our viewers is that beIN Sport is generally available in the basic tier and not just the sports package, this will not only mean drawing a larger audience but will also make it easier for fans to find us.”

PARIS, France – Madison Keys has long been seen as a threat to the game’s established order on the faster surfaces. However, in light of her performances last week in Rome, she is now emerging as a dark horse for the game’s major honors on clay, too.

This viewpoint gained further credibility following Monday’s new WTA rankings – Keys returning to the Top 20 at No.17. The rise is of particular significance given the imminent announcement of the seedings for Roland Garros; with World No.10 Flavia Pennetta retired and Belinda Bencic out injured, Keys will now be among the Top 16 seeds in Paris, thereby avoiding the big names until at least the fourth round. Quatar Total Open finalist Jelena Ostapenko moved up into the Top 32 when former No.1 Caroline Wozniacki announced her withdrawal due to a right ankle injury.

Here are the other projected seeds for the French Open:

(1) Serena Williams (USA #1)
(2) Agnieszka Radwanska (POL #2)
(3) Angelique Kerber (GER #3)
(4) Garbiñe Muguruza (ESP #4)
(5) Victoria Azarenka (BLR #5)
(6) Simona Halep (ROU #6)
(7) Roberta Vinci (ITA #7)
(8) Timea Bacsinszky (SUI #9)
(9) Venus Williams (USA #11)
(10) Petra Kvitova (CZE #12)
(11) Lucie Safarova (CZE #13)
(12) Carla Suárez Navarro (ESP #14)
(13) Svetlana Kuznetsova (RUS #15)
(14) Ana Ivanovic (SRB #16)
(15) Madison Keys (USA #17)
(16) Sara Errani (ITA #18)

(17) Karolina Pliskova (CZE #19)
(18) Elina Svitolina (UKR #20)
(19) Sloane Stephens (USA #21)
(20) Johanna Konta (GBR #22)
(21) Samantha Stosur (AUS #23)
(22) Dominika Cibulkova (SVK #25)
(23) Jelena Jankovic (SRB #26)
(24) Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (RUS #27)
(25) Irina-Camelia Begu (ROU #28)
(26) Kristina Mladenovic (FRA #29)
(27) Ekaterina Makarova (RUS #30)
(28) Andrea Petkovic (GER #31)
(29) Daria Kasatkina (RUS #32)
(30) Barbora Strycova (CZE #33)
(31) Monica Niculescu (ROU #35)
(32) Jelena Ostapenko (LAT #36)