Tennis News

DALIAN, China – No.7 seed Misa Eguchi outlasted Grace Min in a two-hour and twenty minute marathon match to reach the final at the Dalian Women’s Tennis Open, where she’ll face the unseeded Kristyna Pliskova for a shot at the title.

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After dropping the first set to the Japanese No.7 seed, Min – the author of yesterday’s big upset of top seed Qiang Wang – roared back in the second, edging past Eguchi in the tiebreaker to force a deciding set. After weathering a two-hour rain delay, the Japanese player righted the ship in the final set, powering past Min to book a spot in the final.

Her opponent in the Dalian Women’s Tennis Open final will be the 24-year-old Kristyna Pliskova. Pliskova, ranked No.122, will arrive into the match feeling quite rested as her opponent Han Xinyun was forced to retire just 36 minutes into the match, with Pliskova leading 4-1.

Eguchi leads the head to head against Pliskova, notching a straight sets win over the Czech in their only previous encounter back in 2014. But the pair haven’t played at the WTA-level since, and Eguchi will have to contend with Pliskova’s biggest weapon: her powerful, record-setting serve.

ブログ更新！
普通に書いたけど、よく考えたら1回戦プリちゃんだったんだよね。恐るべし

大連 シングルス準決勝 https://t.co/0JQ4VPqDVp

— Misa Eguchi / 江口実沙 (@misa_eguchi) September 10, 2016

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia – No.6 seed Eugenie Bouchard continued her serene progress at the BMW Malaysian Open with a straight set win over Cagla Buyukakcay in Friday’s quarterfinals.

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Even a visit from the trainer midway through the second set failed to derail Bouchard, who recovered from a break down to close out the contest, 6-1, 6-4.

“She was a tough opponent. I felt like I played very aggressive and solid at the same time,” Bouchard said. “I got a little dizzy at the beginning of the second set but I managed to fight through.”

The conditions in the Malaysian capital have proved a thorn in the side of several players this week and they tested Bouchard physically and mentally: “It’s pretty tough here – it’s very humid in Malaysia. Sometimes I was seeing four balls instead of one! But the physio helped me a little bit and I just kept fighting, took it one point at a time and luckily managed to win it in two sets.”

Next the Canadian will face Naomi Broady after she upset No.3 seed Sabine Lisicki, 7-6(4), 1-6, 7-5.

In a match dominated by serve, Broady’s held firm during a tense deciding set to send her through to the second WTA semifinal of her career.

“I’m really pleased that I won. It’s one of the best ranking wins of my career,” Broady said. “It was really a battle of the serves today; Sabine has one of the best serves on the tour and I hope that I will soon have one of the best, too.

“I just tried to keep my composure on my service games and fighting for every point.”

On the other side of the draw, No.2 seed Elina Svitolina faces surprise package Zhu Lin. Svitolina recovered from a nightmare start to defeat Kristina Kucova, 1-6, 6-1, 6-1, while qualifier Zhu won her all-Chinese encounter again Wang Qiang, 6-3, 6-4.

NEW YORK, NY, USA – Angelique Kerber marked her coronation as the WTA’s new No.1 by defusing Karolina Pliskova in an absorbing US Open final.

Showing all the qualities that have made her 2016’s standout performer, Kerber rallied from 3-1 down in the final set to collect her second Grand Slam trophy.

“I think it’s amazing what I did this year, and I’m really so happy and so proud about everything – my team, my game, the improvements to my game,” Kerber said afterwards. “Being here with my second [Grand Slam] trophy is the best feeling ever.”

Hear what else Kerber had to say on her latest triumph, as well as comment from gallant runner-up Pliskova in the latest Daily Dispatch:

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Since her memorable run to the semifinals of the Australian Open, Johanna Konta has been the talk of British sport – back-page domination, feature articles and talk show slots.

However, last week Heather Watson provided a timely reminder of just what she is capable of, outplaying a series of higher-ranked rivals to win the Abierto Monterrey Afirme.

A watertight defense and fit-as-a-fiddle physique were the hallmarks of Watson’s original rise to prominence on tour, bringing her a maiden WTA title and a Top 50 ranking before a debilitating bout of glandular fever intervened.

Since returning the British No.2 augmented her defensive qualities with a newfound aggression. And in Monterrey her positivity paid dividends, bossing former No.1 Caroline Wozniacki in their quarterfinal then blowing away the gifted Caroline Garcia in the semis.

She completed the week in dramatic fashion, seeing off an inspired Kirsten Flipkens in the final to lift the third singles title of her career. The result catapults Watson from No.84 to 53 – her highest ranking since last June.

Watson, though, is not the only upwardly mobile Briton.

Naomi Broady (+20, No.96 to No.76): Watson’s compatriot Naomi Broady is no shrinking violet. This week was another eventful one for Broady, whose 46 aces helped her to wins over Klara Koukalova and Sabine Lisicki, a second WTA semifinal and a career-best ranking.

Eugenie Bouchard (+10, No.52 to No.42): Broady’s conqueror, Eugenie Bouchard, narrowly missed out on a second career title, but produced enough signs to suggest that her recent revival is no flash in the plan. With few points to defend over the next few months, the Canadian’s climb up the rankings is unlikely to stall at No.42.

Elina Svitolina (+5 No.19 to No.14): Elina Svitolina does not turn 22 until September, but after her thrilling final victory over Bouchard means she already has four titles to her name. The 280 points picked up in the Malaysian capital also takes her to a career-high No.14 in the rankings.

Kirsten Flipkens (+14, No.73 to No.59): While Flipkens was unable to maintain her electric start to defeat Watson, victories over seeds Alison Van Uytvanck and Konta ensured the tournament remained a highly encouraging one. She is now back inside the Top 60 for the first time since last March.

Anett Kontaveit (+18, No.91 to No.73): Anett Kontaveit progress up the rankings has been steady rather than spectacular. In Monterrey, the Estonian took the latest step in the shape of a first WTA semifinal, a result that edged her 18 places closer to a Top 50 debut.

TOKYO, Japan – No.7 seed Christina McHale survived a late wobble to defeat Kateryna Kozlova and take her place in the second round of the Hashimoto Sogyo Japan Women’s Open Tennis.

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In her first match since a disappointing second-round defeat to Roberta Vinci at the US Open, McHale looked to have weathered to storm when she broke for a 5-3 in the deciding set. However, Kozlova had no intention of going quietly, promptly breaking back to ensure a tense finish.

McHale regrouped to force a tie-break and despite spurning two match points, closed out a 6-4, 3-6, 7-5 victory after almost three hours on court.

Elsewhere, there were mixed fortunes for the draws other seeds as Zhang Shuai came through her own rollercoaster, while Kateryna Bondarenko and Madison Brengle fell at the first hurdle.

Taking on wildcard Eri Hozumi and the home crowd, Zhang recovered from a slow start to both the first set, then a second set whitewash before ultimately prevailing, 7-6(4), 1-6, 6-3.

Bondarenko, the No.8 seed, was edged out by Louisa Chirico, 6-4, 7-5, while No.5 seed Brengle lost the final four games to slip to a 6-1, 6-4 defeat at the hands of Jana Cepelova.

The remaining seeds will all be in action on Tuesday, including last year’s winner, Yanina Wickmayer and home favorite Misaki Doi, who begins her bid to become the tournament’s first Japanese champion against Aliaksandra Sasnovich.