Doha: Ostapenko Interview
An interview with Jelena Ostapenko after her win in the semifinals of the Qatar Total Open.
An interview with Jelena Ostapenko after her win in the semifinals of the Qatar Total Open.
And then there were four! Serena Williams will lead a strong quartet of semifinalists into action on Day 11 in New York. Chris Oddo previews the action for wtatennis.com.
Venus Williams won a battle of WTA veterans against Svetlana Kuznetsova, wrapping up the Monday night session and snatching the final Miami Open quarterfinal spot.
NEW YORK, NY, USA – The WTA’s new World No.1 Angelique Kerber christened her rise to the top of the rankings with a commanding straight sets win over Caroline Wozniacki to reach her first US Open final, her third major final of the year.
With Serena Williams stunned in the last round, Kerber stepped onto Arthur Ashe Stadium as the provisional WTA World No.1 – she’ll assume the top spot when the new rankings are released on Monday. But if Kerber was feeling any nerves, she didn’t show it in her 6-4, 6-3 defeat of two-time US Open finalist Wozniacki.
“It was not so easy to go then on court, because I knew it actually before that if Serena lost, of course, that I will be the No. 1,” Kerber explained in post-match press. “So it was not so easy mentally, but I was trying to not put too much pressure on myself.”
The German opened the match on a tear, breaking Wozniacki’s serve twice and going up 4-0 before Wozniacki had even won four points. Kerber stayed composed even when Wozniacki’ raised her aggression, finally finding her rhythm in the match to wrestle the break back.
After a back and forth first set, @AngeliqueKerber outlasts #Wozniacki to take an early lead. #usopen @MBUSA https://t.co/7k0JGvyXwy
— US Open Tennis (@usopen) September 9, 2016
Both players excel at outlasting their opponents in long rallies, but against Kerber Wozniacki was committing just too many unforced errors to keep up. She struck 26 unforced errors to Kerber’s 16 against 21 winners to Kerber’s 19. Kerber opened the second set with another double break lead, and powered through to her third Grand Slam final of the year after an hour and a half.
“I was always dreaming [about being No.1] when I was really young,” Kerber grinned after the match. “I remember the match also in Cincinnati where I have the chance to reach it with the win there.”
“But after that I was just telling myself, ‘Okay, I mean, I will get one more chance.’ Yeah, it feels just great.”
For Wozniacki, despite falling short of reaching a third US Open final the Dane qualifies it as a great fortnight, and a step in the right direction in putting an injury-plagued season behind her.
“Well, obviously right now I’m a little disappointed not to win today, but at the end of the day it’s been a good tournament, something I can be proud of,” Wozniacki reflected in her post-match press conference.
“I came into this tournament ranked 74 in the world and probably people ruled me out, but it’s nice to prove people wrong once again. It’s nice to have a good run. I did my best out there today. I fought all I could, and just came up a bit short.”
New No.1 @AngeliqueKerber defeats #Wozniacki in straight-sets, 6-4, 6-3 to get to her first #usopen final. @MBUSA https://t.co/PqEKcFgzqX
— US Open Tennis (@usopen) September 9, 2016
Standing between Kerber and the US Open crown is Karolina Pliskova, the player who foiled her previous attempt at reaching the World No.1 ranking. Pliskova is riding an 11-match winning streak, which includes today’s takedown of Williams.
“For sure she has a lot of confidence,” Kerber said. “Now especially against the win against Serena. She will go out there and try and win her first Grand Slam, but at the end I will try the same.”
I know it will be mentally for me also very tough because she knows that she won against me like few weeks ago. But at the end I know how I was playing in Cincinnati. I know what to change. I will talk with my coach about the game and I will try to take the challenge again against her.”
Welcome to World No.1 @AngeliqueKerber! ☝️ pic.twitter.com/dIlhflgh5g
— WTA (@WTA) September 9, 2016
Tuesday
Quarterfinals
[2] Karolina Pliskova (CZE #3) vs. [26] Mirjana Lucic-Baroni (CRO #29)
Head-to-head: Tied, 3-3
Key Stat: Pliskova and Lucic-Baroni have played three-setters in each of their last three meetings.
Mirjana Lucic-Baroni has already matched her total of Top 10 wins from the previous four seasons by notching three in 2017 and, on Sunday, the 35-year-old will try to make it four when she meets No.2 seed Karolina Pliskova in her first Miami Open quarterfinal.
Pliskova, who is in the Miami quarterfinals for the second time, knows it will be a challenge. She was knocked off by Lucic-Baroni in January, falling 6-4, 3-6, 6-4 to the Croatian in the quarterfinals at the Australian Open, and their last three battles have all gone the distance.
“She’s always tough,” Pliskova told WTA Insider on Monday after easing past Barbora Strycova in straight sets. “She has a big game and it was close in Australia.”
The head-to-head points to a toss-up but Pliskova comes in as the favorite based on her ranking and the expectations she has set by becoming one of the most lethal players in the last 52 weeks. Now the No.1 Czech, Pliskova is expected to come through these types of matches and she certainly has the game to do it. But how can she keep her veteran opponent off balance so that her blistering groundstrokes don’t take over the match? It’s a task that has proved difficult for many this season and it will be interesting to see how Pliskova approaches playing Lucic-Baroni from a tactical perspective.
Lucic-Baroni, meanwhile, will approach the challenge of facing Pliskova’s game with no fear. She’s playing some of the best tennis of her life – why shouldn’t the fairytale continue?
“It’s always nice when you beat a top player and then beat them again not too long after, so it’s not a ‘fluke,'” Lucic-Baroni said last week in Miami after defeating No.5-seeded Agnieszka Radwanska for the second time this season. “I know people like to say stupid things sometimes. But I don’t pay attention to that. I know I can play some great tennis and that’s really all I care about doing.”
Pick: Pliskova in three
First #WTA Premier Mandatory Quarterfinal!
Mirjana Lucic-Baroni downs Mattek-Sands at @MiamiOpen! pic.twitter.com/h4SjEMPJj3
— WTA (@WTA) March 27, 2017
[12] Caroline Wozniacki (DEN #14) vs. Lucie Safarova (CZE #36)
Head-to-head: Wozniacki leads, 4-3
Key Stat: Wozniacki’s 21 victories in 2017 place her second on tour.
Caroline Wozniacki is back in the last eight of the Miami Open for the fifth time overall and the first time since 2014, and the Dane faces a former Top 10 player on the rise in Lucie Safarova. The Czech secured her first Top 10 win since 2015 when she defeated World No.4 Dominika Cibulkova on Monday in straight sets. If that doesn’t give you an idea of what type of form the 30-year-old Czech is in, consider this: Safarova’s 16 wins in the first three months of the season are already more than she had in all of 2016. She has yet to drop a set this week and has reached the Miami Open quarterfinals for the first time on her 12th career appearance.
Can the southpaw take it a step further and shut down Wozniacki on Tuesday? It will be a difficult task. Wozniacki has won three of her last four against Safarova and is running hot as she prepares to play her sixth quarterfinal of the season. The match will likely hinge on how well Wozniacki can implement her return tactics against Safarova’s serve. The Czech entered the tournament ranked fourth in percentage of service games won this season, while Wozniacki ranked No.6 in percentage of return games won.
Pick: Wozniacki in three
By the Numbers
4 – Number of wins that Lucic-Baroni notched at Miami from 1998 to 2016. She will try to win her fourth match of the 2017 tournament against Pliskova.
22 – Pliskova took over the WTA lead in wins for 2017 with her 22nd win on Monday.
9 – Number of times that Caroline Wozniacki has reached at least the quarterfinal in her last ten tournaments.
16 – Lucie Safarova’s 16 wins (16-6) in 2017 have already surpassed her win total for all of 2016 (15-18).
February was defined by five breakthrough players who brought some impressive performances to the second month of 2016. Which one soared the highest?
Have a look at the nominees for February’s Breakthrough Performance of the Month and cast your vote before Thursday at 11:59pm ET! The winner will be announced Friday, March 4.
February 2016 WTA Breakthrough Performance of the Month Finalists:
Jelena Ostapenko: The 18-year-old Latvian came good in a big way at the Qatar Total Open, reaching her first Premier-level WTA final with back-to-back wins over Svetlana Kuznetsova and Petra Kvitova with the help of a big serve, booming forehand, and a competitive intensity that belies her youth and experience on such big stages. Playing Carla Suárez Navarro in the championship match, Ostapenko continued to impress despite a three-set defeat to the veteran Spaniard, winning the opening set 6-1. Her Doha run brings her up to a new career-high ranking of No.41, and makes her the third 18-year-old to crack the Top 50 of a generation that already includes Belinda Bencic and Daria Kasatkina – the largest cohort of 18-year-olds since April 2009 (Caroline Wozniacki, Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, Sorana Cirstea).
Zheng Saisai: A former Youth Olympic Silver medalist, Zheng became the fourth Chinese player in history to defeat a member of the World’s Top 2 when she ousted Angelique Kerber, who was playing in her first WTA match since winning the Australian Open, in straight sets. The 22-year-old backed up the biggest win of her career with another straight-sets victory over former No.5 Eugenie Bouchard. Falling to Ostapenko in the quarterfinals, Zheng edges closer to cracking the Top 60 and cementing a solid start to 2016.
Daria Kasatkina: Another one of the rising WTA teens, Kasatkina continued to bring her best tennis at home by reaching a second WTA Premier semifinal at the St. Petersburg Ladies Trophy – following a run to the final four of the Kremlin Cup last fall. Taking out Kirsten Flipkens and Dominika Cibulkova in three grueling sets, the young Russian met former junior rival Belinda Bencic for the first time on the WTA level. Despite losing to the Top 10 debutante, Kasatkina broke into the Top 50, earning a career-high ranking of No.45. Playing solid tennis at the Qatar Total Open, she nearly upset red-hot Roberta Vinci, ultimately bowing out in a final set tie-break.
Caroline Garcia: The young Frenchwoman has long enjoyed impressive results in doubles – qualifying for the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global alongside Katarina Srebotnik last year – but finally broke through on a big stage at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships. Recovering from a set down to defeat the No.3 seeded Suárez Navarro, Garcia also took out former French Open semifinalist Andrea Petkovic en route to the semis, where she lost to Barbora Strycova in three tough sets. Garcia also reached the doubles final alongside countrywoman and fellow youngster, Kristina Mladenovic.
2016 Winners:
January: Zhang Shuai
How it works:
Finalists are selected by wtatennis.com
Winner is then determined by a fan vote on wtatennis.com
DALIAN, China – World No.145 Grace Min fought back from a set down to defeat top seed Wang Qiang in Friday’s quarterfinals at the Dalian Women’s Open.
Watch live streaming from Dalian all week right here.
The latest upset in a week full of surprises saw Min battle some early nerves before coming through, 5-7, 6-2, 6-3, in two hours and 22 minutes.
Min has spent much of the season piling up the win on the ITF Circuit, and looked a little out of her depth early on, dropping serve to love in the first game. This deficit did not last for long and while she was unable to rescue the set, she dominated the next two to secure a semifinal meeting against Misa Eguchi.
Unlike Min, Eguchi kept her time on court to a minimum, swatting aside last year’s runner-up, Julia Glushko, 6-2, 6-0.
In the bottom half of the draw, Kristyna Pliskova overpowered Aleksandra Krunic, 6-2, 6-4, in under an hour, while Han Xinyun recovered from a disastrous start to defeat Wang Yafan, 0-6, 7-5, 6-4.
MADRID, Spain – All of the world’s best players have been confirmed to attend the 16th Mutua Madrid Open, which starts on May 6.
With the exception of the injured Petra Kvitova, the field is as strong as it possibly could be according to the WTA rankings – with the returning Maria Sharapova also granted a wildcard along with four other players, to be announced.
To complete the 64-player main draw for the Mutua Madrid Open, eight players will come through the qualifying stages.
Fifth seeded Simona Halep is the reigning champion in a recent roll of honour that has seen Serena Williams triumph twice (2012, 2013) and Sharapova in 2014. The tournament will mark Williams’ return to action, the former champion having struggled with a knee injury since winning the Australian Open.
The @WTA Stars ⭐️ are coming back to Madrid! ☺️. Complete list of players: https://t.co/npBfnToFP5 ?? pic.twitter.com/mYiZUTRz4x
— Mutua Madrid Open (@MutuaMadridOpen) March 28, 2017
Kvitova is also a two-time winner of the event and tournament director Manolo Santana used the announcement as an opportunity to dedicate a few words to the absent champion.
“I would like to send my best wishes and affection to Petra Kvitova, who is unable to play this year for reasons I am sure you are all aware of,” he said. “I have special admiration for Petra’s capacity to overcome adversity and I would love to see her back here fighting for her third title next year.”
The players registered for the Mutua Madrid Open are:
1. Angelique Kerber
2. Serena Williams
3. Karolina Pliskova
4. Dominika Cibulkova
5. Simona Halep
6. Garbiñe Muguruza
7. Svetlana Kuznetsova
8. Agnieszka Radwanska
9. Madison Keys
10. Elina Svitolina
11. Johanna Konta
12. Venus Williams
13. Elena Vesnina
14. Caroline Wozniacki
15. Timea Bacsinszky
16. Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova
17. Kristina Mladenovic
18. Samantha Stosur
19. Barbora Strycova
20. Kiki Bertens
21. Coco Vandeweghe
22. Caroline Garcia
23. Carla Suárez Navarro
24. Anastasija Sevastova
25. Daria Gavrilova
26. Timea Babos
27. Irina-Camelia Begu
28. Mirjana Lucic-Baroni
29. Roberta Vinci
30. Ana Konjuh
31. Yulia Putintseva
32. Zhang Shuai
33. Lauren Davis
34. Ekaterina Makarova
35. Lucie Safarova
36. Katerina Siniakova
37. Alison Riske
38. Laura Siegemund
39. Monica Puig
40. Lesia Tsurenko
41. Daria Kasatkina
42. Peng Shuai
43. Alizé Cornet
44. Monica Niculescu
45. Christina McHale
46. Julia Goerges
47. Naomi Osaka
48. Yaroslava Shvedova
49. Misaki Doi
50. Kristyna Pliskova
51. Viktorija Golubic
WTA Insider | In the latest WTA Insider Live Blog, keep up with all the action as Angelique Kerber takes on Karolina Pliskova for the US Open title.
As we reach the business end of the Miami Open, there’s plenty going on – on court and on social media. Lucie Safarova, Sorana Cirstea and more have been posting their pics!