Rome: Best Shots
The best shots from the Internazionali BNL d’Italia.
STRASBOURG, France – No.3 seed Samantha Stosur clinched a second set tie-break to sweep aside Hsieh Su-Wei, 6-3, 7-6(3), to join Alla Kudryavtseva in the quarterfinals of the Internationaux de Strasbourg.
Stosur recovered from an early break in the opening set, and the disappointment of missing the opportunity to end the match in the tenth game of the second.
“I served for it at 5-4 then lost serve,” she told wtatennis.com after the match. “You just need to knuckle down and keep focused, think about what had been working in the match and get back to those things.
“It would have been hard having been serving for the match then playing a third set, and I lost serve again at 6-5. Then it was all about a good start in the tie-break.”
Stosur had never dropped a set in her two previous matches against the former doubles No.1; the pattern held in the ensuing tie-break, which the 2011 US Open champion won to clinch the match in an hour and 37 minutes.
“I don’t remember the other encounters with Su-Wei. Just the scores. They were in different conditions. My coach had a look but two years is a pretty long time in tennis.
“It was another good match against a tricky opponent. It was closer than the score looked.”
Up next for the Aussie is No.10 seed Caroline Garcia, who eased past Jil Teichmann, 7-6(5), 6-3.
Kudryavtseva was the first into the final eight with a thrilling 4-6, 6-4, 7-6(4) win over Zarina Diyas. The Russian hadn’t reached a WTA quarterfinal since her run at last year’s Brisbane International as a lucky loser, and had to recover from a 5-3 final set deficit to defeat Diyas, and set up a match with either Alison Riske or No.4 seed Kristina Mladenovic, whose match was postponed due to darkness.
Elena Vesnina and Sloane Stephens were the last into the second round in Strasbourg on Tuesday; Vesnina was victorious in the fifth longest match of 2016, taking out Zheng Saisai, 7-5, 2-6, 7-6(5), while Stephens captured a one-set shoot-out with Donna Vekic, completing a 5-7, 6-2, 6-2 win.
Le soleil revient aux #IS2016 ! pic.twitter.com/SqFj1kB9Ig
— WTA Strasbourg (@WTA_Strasbourg) May 17, 2016
SINGAPORE – Before taking the court at the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global, we grabbed Sania Mirza, Martina Hingis, Kristina Mladenovic, Carolina Garcia and more doubles partners for a hilarious challenge.
They might be serious competitors on the court, but off of it, who can keep a straight face against their doubles partner in a staring contest?
Check out the video below to find out, and look out for Bethanie Mattek-Sands’ sure-fire strategy for making Lucie Safarova laugh!
Can Caroline Garcia pull off the upset of the tournament in front of her home crowd against World No.2 Agnieszka Radwanska? Check out the Day 4 preview at wtatennis.com.
An interview with Karolina Pliskova after her round-robin defeat at the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global.
SINGAPORE – Defending champion Agnieszka Radwanska returned to the semifinals of the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global by continuing her mastery of Karolina Pliskova.
Watch interviews and highlights from Singapore on the WTA Facebook page!
Following a slow start, Radwanska found her range to prevail, 7-5, 6-3, in a topsy-turvy encounter and set up a semifinal against World No.1 Angelique Kerber.
“She definitely served brutal today. All I could do was just wait for the break point,” Radwanska told on-court interviewer Andrew Krasny afterwards. “A very tight match and I’m just happy I could do my best at the important moments.
“You’re just waiting and praying that the first serve is not going to be in. She’s definitely one of the best or even the best server on tour and every break matters.”
Radwanska went into the contest having never lost a set to Pliskova in six previous meetings. However, it was the Czech that made the early running, surging into a 4-2 lead and holding a point for an insurance break, only to fire fractionally wide.
The next game, demons of past encounters came back to haunt her, an errant forehand presenting the Pole with the chance to draw level. She gratefully accepted, springing up to punch an inviting second serve down the line. Soon afterwards her comeback was complete, the No.2 seed producing another pin-point return to wrap up the set.
A glorious forehand return gives @ARadwanska set 1, 7-5 #WTAFinals pic.twitter.com/AUdcHpDSRx
— WTA (@WTA) October 28, 2016
These momentum shifts continued into the second, Pliskova pegging back an early Radwanska surge. At 3-3, she had the opportunity to consolidate her dominance only for the Pole to stave off the threat of a break with some cat-like reflexes at the net.
This proved to be Pliskova’s last stand, an errant smash the following game giving Radwanska the opportunity to serve for the match. It was a gift she gratefully accepted, setting up a Saturday showdown with Kerber.
“It’s the semis so I really have nothing to lose, especially as I’m going to play the best player of this season,” Radwanska added. “She’s been playing amazing tennis all year, on every surface. Hopefully I can play even better than today.”
An interview with Angelique Kerber after her semifinal win at the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global.
An interview with Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Lucie Safarova after their semifinal win at the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global.
World No.1 Angelique Kerber admitted she was disappointed to miss out on the WTA Finals title – but she is already looking ahead to more exciting opportunities next year.
“I am a little bit disappointed after the loss, but for sure I gave everything,” she said in her post-match press conference at the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global.
“It was a tough year with a lot of matches. When I’m looking back it was one of my best years. When I go home now I will think about the best moments and the positive emotions.”
Kerber admitted that she had not played her best tennis, and praised the aggression of Dominika Cibulkova, who beat her 6-3, 6-4.
She agreed that 2016 had been physically and mentally grueling, with a packed schedule, but, as she pointed out, she also had plenty of highlights.
“I had a lot of matches, a lot of tough matches – but also a lot of great finals, a lot of great memories [that] I received this year,” she said, before adding with a smile: “Of course, now I’m ready for the vacation.”
After a short break, she will be ready to begin her 2017 campaign – when she will be defending her top-ranking status against a returning Serena Williams.
“I am looking forward to next year, for sure,” she said. “I’m also looking forward to playing again against Serena – and against all the other tough opponents.”
Simona Halep takes on Naomi Osaka in the third round of Roland Garros.