Tennis News

MIAMI, FL, USA – In one of the most intriguing first round matches at the Miami Open, former French Open finalist Sara Errani survived a tough battle with Former World No.7 Belinda Bencic, 6-3, 4-6, 6-3, to book a second-round clash with No.30 seed Zhang Shuai.

There was more at stake for the pair than just a spot in the second round, though. Bencic came into the matchup with the Italian with a 2-0 lead in the pair’s head-to-head record, but trying to halt a downward trend that has seen her win just one WTA match all year, and just two since the 2016 US Open.

And her opponent Errani was also trying to jumpstart her season after toppling out of the Top 100 earlier in the season due to injury woes, including an adductor injury that kept her out of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships, where she was the defending champion.

What a comeback!@BelindaBencic takes the second 6-4 to force a decider! #MiamiOpen pic.twitter.com/FDBm0P8Vu4

— WTA (@WTA) March 21, 2017

“There was a period that I couldn’t play many tournaments,” Errani, who was out for a month after the Australian Open, recalled. “Of course, when you’re home and there’s good tournaments and you can’t play it’s really tough. It’s worse having an injury than losing matches.”

“I’m just happy to be here and training and improving my fitness and my game, and just having the opportunity to play again.”

Bencic got off to a roaring start under the sun in Miami, pouncing on the Errani serve to break early and build up a 2-0 lead. But once the Italian gained a foothold in the match she came storming back, peppering her tricky game with dropshots to kick the Swiss off guard. After getting the break back, Errani reeled off seven of the next eight games to take the set and open the second with a double break lead.

A strong break to love from the Swiss halted Errani’s momentum and galvanized Bencic into action. The 20-year-old turned the tables on Errani, erasing another break to level the set at 3-3. They wrestled for momentum until Bencic notched another break to love to send the match into a decider.

.@SaraErrani books a spot in @MiamiOpen Second round!

Downs Bencic 6-3, 4-6, 6-3! pic.twitter.com/uxVgk302a2

— WTA (@WTA) March 21, 2017

But despite the strong resistance, Errani got right back on track – Bencic struggled with her serve as Errani broke her four more times, surging to a 5-1 lead. It proved too much to overcome despite Bencic’s attempts at a late comeback, and the Italian fired off a dropshot – backed up by a laser accurate passing shot – to take the match after just over two hours.

“I just tried to play every point and be a bit more aggressive with my serve,” Errani explained to WTA Insider after the match. “And even on the baseline, try to move her. This was my strategy.

“She has good timing on the ball so she took away time for me to play how I want. But I was physically quite good and I’m happy that I moved good today.”

Up next, Errani will take on Zhang for a spot in the third round in Miami.

“She’s a really solid girl, she has improved her game a lot in the past years, so it will be another tough match. But I’m just happy to be able to play it.”

MIAMI, FL, USA – Ashleigh Barty picked up her first singles victory at the Miami Open in style, downing Eugenie Bouchard in three sets to set up a second-round clash with her countrywoman Samantha Stosur.

“It was a little bit scratchy today, but I’m happy to come through in the end and get a chance to play a second round here,” Barty told the crowd after the match.

“I love Miami and it’s the first time I’ve ever played singles here. So it’s certainly nice to play on a beautiful center court like this.”

The young Australian needed just over two hours to complete the 6-4, 5-7, 6-3 victory over Bouchard and extend the Canadian’s Miami losing streak to five matches in a row.

What a return!@GenieBouchard takes the second 7-5 to force a decider! #MiamiOpen pic.twitter.com/ArCYLbBvs6

— WTA (@WTA) March 22, 2017

Barty employed the aggressive, solid tennis that led her to capture her maiden WTA title at the Alya WTA Malaysian Open three weeks ago, pouncing on a shaky Bouchard service game to break the Canadian six times during the encounter.

After narrowly dropping the opening set, Bouchard reigned in the unforced errors to rally back in the second. But the strong Barty second serve bailed the Aussie out of trouble time and again, keeping Bouchard out of the rallies. Bouchard posted 26 winners to 55 unforced errors against Barty’s 21 and 40.

“I think I was able to be very aggressive on the returns and use my forehand,” Barty explained. “I made a few errors as well but I knew I needed to be aggressive to give myself a chance, and I think I did that today.”

.@AshBar96 picks up FIRST @MiamiOpen win!

Outlasts Bouchard 6-4, 5-7, 6-3 to set all-?? Second round vs @bambamsam30! pic.twitter.com/kNB1nBEiP3

— WTA (@WTA) March 22, 2017

Awaiting in the second round will be No.14 seed Samantha Stosur, a fellow Aussie and one whose game Barty knows quite well.

“It’ll be nice to take on Sam, we’ve practice together a lot in the past even though we’ve never played against each other. I think I’ll have to be very aggressive off the return and try to take the serve away from her.

“I think it’ll be a little bit of a ‘battle of the forehands’ from us, but we’ll see how we go.”

.@AjlaTom beats Linette 6-2, 1-6, 6-2!

Meets Indian Wells champ @EVesnina001 in @MiamiOpen Second round! pic.twitter.com/e23WVRMdT3

— WTA (@WTA) March 22, 2017

Also in action on Day 2, a number of qualifiers recorded strong performances to make their way into the second round. Qualifiers Risa Ozaki (def. Louisa Chirico 3-6, 7-5, 6-1), Patricia Maria Tig (def. Heather Watson 7-6(4), 6-1), Taylor Townsend (def. Amanda Anisimova 2-6, 6-2, 6-3), Anett Kontaveit (def. Kurumi Nara 6-2, 6-1), Aliaksandra Sasnovich (def. Alizé Cornet 6-4, 1-6, 6-4), Varvara Lepchenko (6-3, 6-3), Veronica Cepede Royg (def. 6-2, 6-4), Jana Cepelova (def. Andrea Petkovic 6-2, 6-4) and Madison Brengle (def. Jelena Ostapenko 6-3, 3-6, 6-2) all advanced.

Also through to the second round is wildcard Bethanie Mattek-Sands, who recorded her first win of 2017 to advance past Katerina Siniakova 6-3, 4-6, 6-4. Qiang Wang came back from a first-set shutout to knock out qualifier Donna Vekic 0-6, 6-4, 6-2. Lucie Safarova defeated Yanina Wickmayer 7-6(2), 6-4, while France’s Pauline Parmentier knocked out her countrywoman Oceane Dodin 6-2, 6-1 and Shelby Rogers edged past qualifier Marina Erakovic 4-6, 6-3, 7-6(4). Wildcard Ajla Tomljanovic survived a rollercoaster against lucky loser Magda Linette to advance 6-2, 1-6, 6-2.

MADRID, Spain – Barbora Strycova had never won a set in her first five meetings against reigning Australian Open champion Angelique Kerber, but the Czech veteran turned the tables in a major way on Sunday, dispatching the World No.3, 6-4, 6-2, in the first round of the Mutua Madrid Open.

Watch live action from Madrid this week on WTA Live powered by TennisTV!

Kerber last played Strycova in the second round of the Miami Open – a match she won, 6-1, 6-1 – but the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix champion had far more trouble on Estadio 3, dropping serve four times against Strycova, who maintained an impressive 80% on points won behind her first serve.

“Oh my god, it’s been so difficult,” Strycova said of her rivalry with the German. “I’d win four games in the matches we played before. I went into this match thinking I had nothing to lose. I mean, it can’t be worse than Miami!”

Strycova has had a solid year of her own, reaching the fourth round of the Australian Open and the final of the Dubai Duty Free Championships; her win over Kerber was her second over a Top 3 player this season – having already upset Garbiñe Muguruza in Melbourne. Showing off her all-court game to its full effect, Strycova won nine of 12 points at net, and finished the one hour and nine minute match with 16 winners to 15 unforced errors; Kerber, by contrast, could only muster 13 winners to 22 unforced.

“I’m happy about my performance today. I stuck with the game my coach told me, and I was kind of in the zone and stable, which I’m happy about the most.

“We have similar games,” Strycova added when asked about the issues she’s had playing Kerber in the past. “She’s a very patient player with good defense. It’s tough to win a point against her because she puts every ball back. It’s difficult for me because I’m a smaller player and I have a similar game to her, so it’s difficult for me to be patient, because I’m not a patient person. That’s why it’s difficult for me to be patient on the court.

“But I tried to be patient today and it worked; that’s the way I have to be on court, and I’m practicing that.”

First set goes to @BaraStrycova!

Grabs the opening set off Kerber 6-4! #MMOpen https://t.co/0Y1d8XrZgW

— WTA (@WTA) May 1, 2016

Awaiting Strycova in the second round is Madison Keys, who recovered from a disastrous start against qualifier Alison Riske to emerge victorious, 1-6. 6-3, 6-4.

Over on Court Manolo Santana, No.8 Carla Suárez Navarro delighted home fans with a 3-6, 6-2, 6-3 win over the fast-rising Timea Babos, who had just reached the semifinals of the GP SAR La Princesse Lalla Meryem in Rabat last week. No.7 seed Roberta Vinci wasn’t able to pull off a similar comeback against Istanbul runner-up Danka Kovinic, losing, 6-4, 6-2. No.13 seed Karolina Pliskova had a far more straightforward result compared to her fellow seeds, taking out local wildcard Lourdes Domínguez Lino, 6-2, 6-1, while last year’s Rome semifinalist Daria Gavrilova bounded into the secound round with a 7-5, 6-4 win over lucky loser Heather Watson.

MADRID, Spain – Defending champion Petra Kvitova had little trouble advancing to the third round of the Mutua Madrid Open with a straightforward win over Charleston finalist Elena Vesnina 6-3, 6-3.

Watch live action from Madrid this week on WTA Live powered by TennisTV!

Earlier in the year, Vesnina put a tough 2015 season behind her at the green clay courts of Charleston – last year she recorded 13 first-round losses (across all levels), but in 2016 she has come up from the qualifying rounds to score consistent main draw wins.

Despite reaching the final at the Volvo Car Open, Vesnina played through the qualifying rounds to book her second round meeting with the two-time Madrid champion Kvitova on Court Manolo Santana.

“It was nice to be on center court again definitely,” Kvitova said. “It’s a beautiful court, and even I have it to warm up this morning. Felt very special, very great that I could play again on and win it.”

The No.5 seeded Czech had little trouble adjusting to the conditions in Madrid – the high altitude gives many players trouble – and she swept past local Lara Arruabarrena in the first round, and continued the romp against Vesnina.

Vesnina kept pace with the two-time Grand Slam champion early in the set, but couldn’t take the only break point that came her way at 2-1. Kvitova relied on her heavy lefty forehand to dictate pace and bail her out of trouble. Vesnina made the majority of her nine unforced errors in the final few games of the opening set, allowing Kvitova to accelerate past her and grab the lead in just over half an hour.

The pattern repeated in the final set: Vesnina and Kvitova stayed toe to toe for the first few games, and Kvitova dashed away a Vesnina break opportunity. The Czech rattled off four consecutive games to take the match and book her spot in the round of 16.

“Definitely the start it’s always kind of difficult and tricky, and I’m glad that I had two matches with only two sets,” Kvitova said. “I didn’t really lost my serve so far, which is unbelievable.”

Awaiting Kvitova in the next round is the big hitting Australian Daria Gavrilova. The 22-year-old dealt No.12 seed Elina Svitolina a straight-sets upset, sending her packing 6-2, 7-6(4). Though their head to head is tied at 1-1, the last time Kvitova and Gavrilova faced each other was at this year’s Australian Open, where the unseeded Gavrilova upset Kvitova in the second round.

Three up, three down. No.12 seed Elina Svitolina is the third seed to lose today, out to Daria Gavrilova 62 76. Best win for Dasha since AO.

— WTA Insider (@WTA_insider) May 2, 2016

Top-seeded Angelique Kerber and third-seeded Simona Halep hope to hit the ground running at the Miami Open on Friday. We preview the must-see matchups.

Friday

Second round

[1] Angelique Kerber (GER #1) vs. Duan Ying-Ying (CHN #66)
Head-to-head: First meeting
Key Stat: Duan owns a 0-6 lifetime record against the Top 10.

Another week, another chance for Angelique Kerber to return to the form that saw her rocket to the top of the rankings in 2016. The German has struggled mightily in 2016, dropping all six of her matches against Top 35 opponents while failing to reach a final. Will Kerber find her missing mojo in Miami? Every week is a new chance to shine, she says. “I’m not looking back on the tournaments. You know, it’s a completely new year, new tournament, and every tournament starts from zero,” Kerber said after falling to Elena Vesnina in straight sets at Indian Wells. “For me, I think I got used to the pressure and everything. So I start every tournament from zero. I am going out there to play my matches, trying to win it.”

Kerber, a semifinalist here in Miami last year, will begin her week with a first-time matchup against China’s Duan Ying-Ying. The 27-year-old notched an impressive win over Germany’s Laura Siegemund on Wednesday and will be gunning for glory in her first ever match against a Top 2 opponent.

Pick: Kerber in three

[3] Simona Halep (ROU #3) vs. Naomi Osaka (JPN #49)
Head-to-head: Halep leads, 1-0
Key Stat: Halep owns a 12-5 lifetime record at Miami.

Like Kerber, Simona Halep has had a challenging year in 2017. She has gone 3-3 and had to miss five weeks due to a knee injury. At Indian Wells, Halep shook off some rust in a second-round win over Donna Vekic but she was defeated easily by Kristina Mladenovic in the third round. In Miami, Halep will look to continue to build some positive momentum, but it won’t be easy against Japan’s Naomi Osaka. The 19-year-old pushed Halep to the brink at Roland Garros last year and will be bidding for her biggest career win against Halep. Though she is 0-5 against the Top 10 for her career, Osaka has lost three of those matches in deciding sets, and two of them in deciding set tiebreakers. Will Osaka get over the hump against Halep today, or will the Romanian hit the ground running in Miami?

Pick: Halep in two

[8] Madison Keys (USA #9) vs. Viktorija Golubic (SUI #53)
Head-to-head: First meeting
Key Stat: Keys reached the quarterfinals at Miami last season.

Madison Keys made a successful return to the tour at Indian Wells after missing the first two months of the season while rehabbing her surgically repaired left wrist. Now she wants to take it a step further. “I feel like I’ve gotten some of the rust out,” Keys told reporters on Wednesday. “I also think the expectation that I have from myself is now a little bit higher. So I’m definitely trying to manage the excitement levels and also just what I’m expecting from myself.”

Keys will battle a talented 24-year-old from Switzerland who has not found her best tennis yet this season. After her most successful season on tour, Viktorija Golubic has struggled to win in 2017, but she did pick up her second win of the season on Wednesday, defeating Tsvetana Pironkova in three sets.

Pick: Keys in two

[11] Venus Williams (USA #12) vs. Beatriz Haddad Maia (BRA #166)
Head-to-head: First meeting
Key Stat: Williams won the title at Miami in 2001.

Venus Williams has more Top 20 wins at the Miami Open (11) than most players have matches and the 36-year-old is eager to tack on a few more wins in 2017. The 2001 Miami Open champion will open accounts with a second-round matchup with Brazil’s Beatriz Haddad Maia. The 20-year-old Brazilian Wild Card got her first tour-level win since 2015 when Lesia Tsurenko retired early in the first set of their first-round match. She’ll hope to play the match of her life against Williams on Friday while Williams will look to stretch her winning streak against players outside of the Top 100 to six, and notch her 44^th career Miami Open win.

Pick: Williams in three

Around the Grounds:

No.7-seeded Svetlana Kuznetsova upset Serena Williams en route to a runner-up finish at Miami last year. She’ll open accounts with a second-round tussle with Luxembourg’s Mandy Minella. No.14-seeded Samantha Stosur, a two-time quarterfinalist at Miami, will face 20-year-old Ashleigh Barty in an all-Aussie Derby. It will be the first meeting between the two compatriots. No.10-seeded Johanna Konta, a quarterfinalist last year, will square off with qualifier Aliaksandra Sasnovich, while No.31-seeded Daria Kasatkina will tangle with American Shelby Rogers for the right to face the Kerber-Ying-Ying winner.