Pavlyuchenkova Battles Past Babos Into Monterrey Semifinals
Three-time champion Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova was made to work at the Abierto GNP Seguros, surviving Timea Babos in three sets to face Caroline Garcia for a spot in the final.
Three-time champion Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova was made to work at the Abierto GNP Seguros, surviving Timea Babos in three sets to face Caroline Garcia for a spot in the final.
Daria Kasatkina takes on Jelena Ostapenko in the final of the Volvo Car Open.
The clay season is underway in Bogota, where defending champion Irina Falconi will fight off a determined field led by Kiki Bertens. But for those still not ready to switch surfaces, the inaugural Ladies Open Biel Bienne – staged on indoor hardcourts – kicks off with a world-class field including Barbora Strycova and Carla Suárez Navarro.
Here’s what’s on tap for this week on the WTA:
CURRENT TOURNAMENTS:
Claro Open Colsanitas – Bogota
Tournament Level: International
Prize Money: $226,750
Draw Size: 32 main draw/24 qualifying
Surface: Clay, Outdoors
Qualifying Dates: Saturday, April 8 – Sunday, April 9
First Day of Main Draw: Monday, April 10
Singles Final: Saturday, April 15, NB 1:30 pm COT
Doubles Final: Saturday, April 15, 11:00 am COT
Top-ranked players: Kiki Bertens, Katerina Siniakova, Johanna Larsson, Lara Arruabarrena
Defending Champion: Irina Falconi
TALKING POINTS:
– Reigning Claro Open Colsanitas champion Irina Falconi is back after winning her first WTA singles title here in 2016. She’s joined by two other former Bogota champions: Lara Arruabarrena (2012) and Mariana Duque-Mariño (2010).
– Former Roland Garros champion Francesca Schiavone, playing her last season on tour, received one of the three main draw wildcards
– One to Watch: Sara Sorribes Tormo is the latest Spaniard to start making waves on tour, winning a handful of main draw matches – including over former Top 10 player Ekaterina Makarova at Indian Wells – and recently breaking into the Top 100 for the first time
Ladies Open Biel Bienne
Tournament Level: International
Prize Money: $226,750
Draw Size: 32 main draw/32 qualifying
Surface: Indoor Hard
Qualifying Dates: Saturday, April 8 – Monday, April 10
First Day of Main Draw: Monday, April 10
Singles Final: Sunday, April 16, NB 3:00 pm CEST
Doubles Final: Sunday, April 16, 12:00 pm CEST
Top-ranked players: Barbora Strycova, Carla Suárez Navarro, Timea Babos, Roberta Vinci, Laura Siegemund
Defending Champion: None, first staging
TALKING POINTS:
– This is the tournament’s inaugural staging, joining Switzerland’s other event, July’s Ladies Championship Gstaad, on the WTA calendar
– Eight players ranked in the Top 50 are competing at the 2017 Ladies Open Biel Bienne – No.18 Barbora Strycova, No. 25 Carla Suárez Navarro, No.30 Timea Babos, No.34 Roberta Vinci, No.37 Laura Siegemund, No.44 Alizé Cornet, No.46 Julia Goerges and No.47 Monica Niculescu
– Swiss No.1 Timea Bacsinszky is not competing in singles but will team up with compatriot and multiple Grand Slam winner Martina Hingis in doubles
-Former Top 10 player Belinda Bencic required a wildcard to play in Biel, having slipped to No.130 following an injury-affected 2016
UPCOMING TOURNAMENTS:
Porsche Tennis Grand Prix – Stuttgart
Premier | $710,900 | Indoor Clay
Monday, April 24 – Sunday, April 30
Top-ranked players: Angelique Kerber, Karolina Pliskova, Simona Halep, Dominika Cibulkova, Agnieszka Radwanska
Defending champion: Angelique Kerber
TEB BNP Paribas Istanbul Cup
International | $226,750 | Clay
Monday, April 24 – Sunday, April 30
Top-ranked players: Elina Svitolina, Timea Babos, Yulia Putintseva, Irina-Camelia Begu, Eugenie Bouchard
Defending champion: Cagla Buyukakcay
Grand Prix SAR La Princesse Lalla Meryem – Rabat
International | $226,750 | Clay
Monday, May 1 – Saturday, May 6
Top-ranked players: Timea Bacsinszky, Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, Caroline Garcia, Timea Babos, Daria Gavrilova
Defending champion: Timea Bacsinszky
J&T Banka Prague Open
International | $226,750 | Clay
Monday, May 1 – Saturday, May 6
Top-ranked players: Karolina Pliskova, Caroline Wozniacki, Samantha Stosur, Barbora Strycova
Defending champion: Lucie Safarova
TOP 20 PLAYERS’ SCHEDULES:
1. Angelique Kerber – Stuttgart
2. Serena Williams
3. Karolina Pliskova – Stuttgart, Prague
4. Dominika Cibulkova – Stuttgart
5. Simona Halep – Stuttgart
6. Garbiñe Muguruza – Stuttgart
7. Johanna Konta
8. Agnieszka Radwanska – Stuttgart
9. Svetlana Kuznetsova – Stuttgart
10. Madison Keys
11. Caroline Wozniacki – Prague
12. Venus Williams
13. Elina Svitolina – Istanbul
14. Petra Kvitova
15. Elena Vesnina – Stuttgart
16. Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova – Rabat
17. Samantha Stosur – Stuttgart, Prague
18. Barbora Strycova – Biel, Stuttgart, Prague
19. Kristina Mladenovic – Stuttgart
20. Kiki Bertens – Bogota, Stuttgart
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!
Best wishes to those celebrating birthdays this week:
Risa Ozaki (JPN) – April 10, 1994
Elizaveta Kulichkova (RUS) – April 12, 1996
Richel Hogenkamp (NED) – April 16, 1992
Taylor Townsend (USA) – April 16, 1996
Players are taking to social media to show just how much they’re enjoying their stay in Switzerland for the Ladies Open Biel/Bienne.
An interview with Garbiñe Muguruza before her first round match at the Mutua Madrid Open.
BOGOTA, Colombia — Lara Arruabarrena is back in the semifinals of the Claro Open Colsanitas, after surviving a marathon against Serbia’s Aleksandra Krunic, 7-5, 5-7, 6-2 in Thursday’s quarterfinals.
The 2012 champion has reached at least the quarterfinals in each of her five career appearances in the Colombian capital, and returns to the last four for the second straight season after falling to eventual champion Irina Falconi in 2016.
Playing for the first time, the two players traded early breaks in the opening set before it went with serve for nearly the duration, showing off some classic clay-court tennis in the forecourt and from the baseline.
OUTRAGEOUS way to save break point from @KrunicAlex! #ClaroOpenColombia pic.twitter.com/eXnaZjojyq
— WTA (@WTA) April 13, 2017
Superb touch from @LaraArrua on the backhand! ? #ClaroOpenColsanitas pic.twitter.com/xWZCOeaq7W
— WTA (@WTA) April 13, 2017
After saving two break points in the ninth game, Arruabarrena carved out her first chances on the Krunic serve since 3-3 in the final game, before the Serb double faulted to hand the No.4 seed a one set lead.
Though Krunic picked up an early break in the second, it was a series of four straight breaks of serve that proved to be the deciding margin in the second set. At 5-5, Krunic claimed a lengthy game on the Arruabarrena serve, winning it on her fourth opportunity, before serving out the set comfortably to send the match to a decider.
Incredible forehand on the slide from @KrunicAlex! #ClaroOpenColsanitas pic.twitter.com/AOzpUgktM4
— WTA (@WTA) April 13, 2017
After splitting the first two sets in two hours of play, it was Arruabarrena who was the fresher of the two in the decider as she claimed the first five games en route to the two hour, 37-minute victory.
2012 Champ @LaraArrua is back in the @CopaWTABogota Semifinals!
Edges Krunic 7-5, 5-7, 6-2! pic.twitter.com/49la2GAFLT
— WTA (@WTA) April 13, 2017
More to come…
An interview with Angelique Kerber before her first round match at the Mutua Madrid Open.
Anett Kontaveit takes on Elise Mertens in the quarterfinals of the Ladies Open Biel Bienne.
Carla Suárez Navarro had Sunday’s shot of the day at the Mutua Madrid Open.