Stuttgart: Mladenovic and Garcia's Parking Challenge
Kristina Mladenovic and Caroline Garcia take the Parking Challenge at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix.
Kristina Mladenovic and Caroline Garcia take the Parking Challenge at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix.
MADRID, Spain – If Agnieszka Radwanska thought the absence of Serena Williams would make her task any easier at the Mutua Madrid Open, Friday’s draw provided an immediate reality check.
Williams’ withdrawal elevated Radwanska to top seed, but her reward is a meeting with one of the draw’s most dangerous of floaters: Dominika Cibulkova.
Last month in Indian Wells, Cibulkova came within a point of victory against Radwanska only to fall agonizingly short in a thrilling second-round clash. The Slovak followed this up with a title in Katowice and the former French Open semifinalist will present a real challenge on Radwanska’s least favorite surface.
And should she pass this opening test, things will not get any easier for the Pole. Awaiting her in the second round will be either Caroline Garcia or Johanna Konta, before a likely third-round date with one of the WTA’s finest clay courters, Sara Errani.
Defending champion Petra Kvitova is also in Radwanska’s half of the draw but has been handed a less formidable opening opponent in the shape of Lara Arruabarrena, while No.4 seed Victoria Azarenka begins against Laura Robson. Azarenka and Kvitova are projected to meet in the last eight.
Like Radwanska, No.2 seed Angelique Kerber has been placed in a tricky section. She starts against the mercurial Barbora Strycova, and also finds Sloane Stephens, Daria Kasatkina and Carla Suárez Navarro in her quarter.
Home hopes will rest chiefly on the shoulders of Suárez Navarro and Garbiñe Muguruza. Suárez Navarro opens up against big-serving Timea Babos, while No.3 seed Muguruza meets Anna Karolina Schmiedlova. Keeping Muguruza company in arguably the most open section of the draw are Simona Halep, Timea Bacsinszky and Karolina Pliskova.
Click here to see the draw in full.
Top half @MutuaMadridOpen. pic.twitter.com/cDLkYnuxPo
— WTA Insider (@WTA_insider) 29 April 2016
Elina Svitolina posted back-to-back wins over Angelique Kerber and Caroline Wozniacki to claim the title at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships – and leap up to the No.2 spot on the Road To Singapore leaderboard.
The Ukrainian – who also broke the Top 10 with her win in the final – is in the middle of a 12-match winning streak and shows no signs of slowing down.
“When I go on court, and everything I just leave behind,” Svitolina told WTA Insider after the win. “For me it’s very important to be mentally there – don’t think, don’t let bad thoughts do bad things with my game.
“If I had lost somewhere, I would feel it. Like, ‘Come on, you did something good!’ Now I’m winning and winning and I want more and more.”
Another player to record a big RTS move is World No.2 Angelique Kerber. Her run to the Dubai semifinal puts her back on track for a return to the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global, and she sits right on the Top 8 bubble at No.9. Meanwhile, Caroline Wozniacki’s back-to-back finals at Doha and Dubai put her inside the Top 8 at No.5.
Here are the biggest moves on the Road To Singapore leaderboard this week:
Elina Svitolina +7 (No.9 to No.2)
Caroline Wozniacki +4 (No.9 to No.5)
Angelique Kerber +15 (No.24 to No.9)
Garbiñe Muguruza -3 (No.7 to No.10)
Dominika Cibulkova -3 (No.11 to No.8)
Click here to check out the full Road to Singapore leaderboard, updated as of February 27th.
Watch Mirjana Lucic-Baroni and Shelby Rogers get expert lessons on how to make authentic guacamole at the Abierto Mexicano Telcel in Acapulco!
The WTA World No.5, Dominika Cibulkova, has spoken in depth about the positive and negative effects of pressure on her game.
The Slovak finished last season on a high after winning the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global. However, after being knocked out in the third round at the Australian Open in January – the 25-year-old lost to Russian Ekaterina Makarova – she now feels heightened pressure.
“I didn’t feel good on the court. It was a little hard with all the pressure and all the media attention. I think that was why there were negative thoughts in my head. I wasn’t really enjoying my time on the court,” she wrote in a Straits Times column this week.
For the past two years, Cibulkova has been working closely with a mental coach in order to overcome match-day nerves – and the move is paying off.
Reflecting on the first two months of 2017, she said that she has been concentrating on turning negative thoughts into positive ones and enjoying the game.
“Dealing with pressure and nerves has always been a challenge for me throughout my career. Sometimes I want something so badly and the nerves come, especially in the tight moments.”
But it is a fine balance to strike and she is still working on balancing the increased expectations that accompany success.
“People think you just have to learn how to deal with pressure and expectations on court but that’s wrong. I make the goals smaller and then they become more manageable.”
In the lead-up to the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global, the eight singles players from last year’s edition will pen columns exclusively for The Straits Times. The monthly series begins with reigning champion Dominika Cibulkova – click here to read it in full.
February was defined by four breakthrough players who brought some impressive performances on and off the court. Which one soared the highest?
Have a look at the nominees for February’s Breakthrough of the Month and cast your vote before Thursday at 11:59pm ET! The winner will be announced Friday, March 10.
February 2017 WTA Breakthrough of the Month Finalists:
Elina Svitolina: Svitolina surged up the rankings and into the upper echelons of the women’s game in February, debuting in the Top 10 and winning the biggest title of her career at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships. Along the way, she also won the Taiwan Open and amassed a 13-match winning streak, one that’s yet to be broken heading into the BNP Paribas Open.
Kristina Mladenovic: The Frenchwoman took home her first career title on one of the game’s biggest stages, surviving Yulia Putintseva to win a Premier title at the St. Petersburg Ladies Trophy. Mladenovic capped off the month with a win over Karolina Pliskova and another run to a WTA final at the Abierto Mexicano Telcel.
CiCi Bellis: The young American made waves in Dubai, stunning former World No.2 Agnieszka Radwanska to become the youngest quarterfinalist at the Premier 5 event since Lina Krasnoroutskaya in 2001.
Ashleigh Barty: Barty continued her impressive comeback by winning the singles and doubles titles at the Ayla WTA Malaysian Open; the former was her first career singles title and helped her make her Top 100 debut on Monday’s rankings.
2017 Winners:
January: CoCo Vandeweghe
How it works:
Finalists are selected by wtatennis.com
Winner is then determined by a fan vote on wtatennis.com
INDIAN WELLS, CA, USA – As one might expect, there are plenty of players working hard on the practice court as Indian Wells gets under way – and they’re certainly enjoying the views.
Nice view from the office @BNPPARIBASOPEN ???Тренировка с видом??? #indianwells pic.twitter.com/TMq0WiI6R5
— Elena Vesnina (@EVesnina001) March 8, 2017
Lara Arruabarrena is soaking in the sights as well.
Not many places better than this one to play some tennis. Hello from the desert?? pic.twitter.com/ifBYwwcPHH
— Lara Arruabarrena (@laraarrua) March 8, 2017
Simona Halep is toiling away under the sun and watchful eye of coach Darren Cahill – and taking on the tough task of two opponents at once.
Double trouble for @Simona_Halep. That @darren_cahill forehand still has some stick. #BNPPO17 pic.twitter.com/INxQXpSs9b
— WTA Insider (@WTA_insider) March 7, 2017
There was still time for a bit of fun, though. For starters, WTA Insider Courtney Nguyen was out and about with players in a most unorthodox way – riding around on a golf cart.
Elina Svitolina shared her excitement for the week ahead.
Golf carting with 13-match win-streaker @ElinaSvitolina @BNPPARIBASOPEN. pic.twitter.com/u0B9nLY0xN
— WTA Insider (@WTA_insider) March 7, 2017
Timea Bacsinszky confessed her “blonde moment”.
Golf carting with @TimeaOfficial, who explains why she had a bit of a “blonde moment” this morning. #creds #BNPPO17 pic.twitter.com/mXKbrpvyJA
— WTA Insider (@WTA_insider) March 7, 2017
And Barbora Strycova talked about suffering from jetlag.
Last golf cart of the day with @BaraStrycova talking about life, love, and home improvement. Get some sleep, Bara! pic.twitter.com/JELl5rRrrR
— WTA Insider (@WTA_insider) March 8, 2017
Lauren Davis took some time out to try out a relaxing yoga session.
And Zhang Shuai smiled for the cameras in a photo shoot for the Tennis Channel.
And there’s no better way than to end the day having dinner with your best girls in Indian Wells – and Kristina Mladenovic got her posse of famous friends to synchronize their footwork.
Dinner with the girls in Indian Wells!? @DKasatkina @PutintsevaYulia @Daria_gav @BelindaBencic @anakonjuh pic.twitter.com/0y0ENFwEnZ
— Kristina Mladenovic (@KikiMladenovic) March 8, 2017
The boldest decision Karolina Pliskova ever made came at a very young age.
She was 12 – and she made the choice to focus on tennis rather than education.
“I decided to start with tennis and quit with school,” she said in an exclusive WTA interview. “I didn’t study at all, I just put everything into the tennis and it worked.”
It proved a wise decision for the 24-year-old, who turned pro just five years later, in 2009. After reaching her maiden Grand Slam final at the US Open in 2016, she has taken her game to a new level this year and has two 2017 titles to her name already, at the Brisbane International in January and the Qatar Total Open in Doha last month. Her success in Brisbane saw her reach a career-high No.3 in the WTA rankings on January 30.
Pliskova’s comments mark 2017 International Women’s Day, the theme of which is ‘Be Bold For Change’.
International Women’s Day falls on March 8 every year, and celebrates women’s achievements in culture, the economy, politics and society.
An interview with Eugenie Bouchard after her win in the second round of the Internazionali BNL d’Italia.
WTA Insider | The Insider team addresses the withdrawal of top seed Serena Williams, the re-ascent of Angelique Kerber to No.1, and the similarly different BNP Paribas Open draw.