Tennis News

PARIS, France – World No.2 Agnieszka Radwanska fought off Caroline Garcia and a voracious French crowd to advance into the third round of the French Open, 6-2, 6-4.

“I think I play really good two matches. Especially this one. I think this was really a tough one,” Radwanska said in her post-match press conference.

“I’m just very pleased that I could close that match in two sets, that’s for sure.”

All three of Radwanska’s previous encounters with Garcia had gone the distance, but the reigning BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global champion recovered from an early break to race out to a set and 4-1 lead before Garcia began sinking her teeth into the match.

Breaking serve twice to get within a game of leveling the set, Garcia threw in back-to-back double faults to throw a lifeline to Radwanska, who gladly took it to advance in 95 minutes.

“I’m very sorry,” a despondent Garcia said after the match. “I’m very sorry that I couldn’t really play the way I wish I would have played. I was able to play a few balls, but most of the match I just wasn’t there. Not enough. I wasn’t able to hit the ball. I wanted to hit it, and, well, just not the right game.

“I’m disappointed. I can play better. But it was a wonderful moment. It was very emotional. The public supporting me helped me coming back in the match when I thought it was over.

“I think they believed more in me than I believed in myself.”

Love watching Aga play even tho she says she doesn't like clay she sure can weave a web round her opponents still. Good fight back by Garcia

— Jo Durie (@Jodurie) May 25, 2016

Up next for the No.2 seed is No.30 seed Barbora Strycova. The Czech veteran is in the midst of a career year, having already reached the final of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships. Despite losing her last nine main draw matches at Roland Garros – dating back to 2004 – Strycova edged out clay court specialist Polona Hercog 6-4, 6-4 to reach the third round on the terre battue for the first time in her career.

Radwanska has yet to drop a set against Strycova, though all four of their matches were on hardcourts, and the last was a little under two years ago at the Rogers Cup.

“I think I’m not really thinking about expectations or second week,” Radwanska said when asked about looking ahead to her next match. “I think taking match by match, and I’m just very happy to be in the third round.

“Of course now it’s not going to be easier. She’s playing great tennis, especially on clay. For sure another tough match.

“I’m healthy, in one piece, and I’m just ready for the next one.”

Aga Radwanska éteint les espoirs de Caroline Garcia dans ce Roland Garros ?. Elle bat la française 6-2 6-4 #RG16 pic.twitter.com/5qINfW0Ua0

— Roland Garros (@rolandgarros) May 25, 2016

SYDNEY, Australia – British No.1 Johanna Konta put on a masterclass in the final of the Apia International Sydney to defeat Agnieszka Radwanska and capture her second career WTA title in straight sets.

Despite hitting a meager nine unforced errors, Radwanska had no answer against Konta’s aggressively controlled power tennis, falling 6-4, 6-2 after just over an hour and twenty minutes.

“She was just playing unbelievable tennis from the beginning till the end,” Radwanska said to press after the match. “And normally you’re thinking that she can’t play like this whole match and it’s gonna be even game or two that, you know, you can go forward because she’s gonna have some worse couple of games. But she didn’t.

“She was just playing [the] whole match so aggressive with pretty much everything in, and I couldn’t do much.”

Spurred on by a partisan crowd – “it’s a bit like playing Fed Cup,” Konta commented to her coach Wim Fissette at one on-court coaching break – the Sydney-born Brit stayed calm against the World No.3, who she had never defeated in their previous encounters.

.@JoKonta91 is on ?! #SydneyTennis pic.twitter.com/8Y2okuemYP

— WTA (@WTA) January 13, 2017

Keeping Radwanska under pressure with her relentless space and rhythm, Konta grabbed the lone break in the opening set but she had her opponent on the ropes throughout. Radwanska saved another break point that would have given the Brit a double-break lead, but couldn’t take back the deficit as Konta charged ahead.

Konta kept it rolling in the second set, quickly building up a double break to lead 4-0. Though Radwanska managed to grab a couple of games back, Konta imposed herself on every point and never allowed her opponent any time to get back into the match.

The Brit sealed the victory with an ace – her seventh of the match – to take home her second career WTA title.

.@JoKonta91 captures @SydneyTennis title!

Knocks out Radwanska 6-4, 6-2! pic.twitter.com/jVaZfiWMki

— WTA (@WTA) January 13, 2017

“I’m just overall happy with how I was able to progress throughout this tournament,” Konta told press after the win. “I felt each match that I was playing I was thinking a little more clearly and getting that much more match-tight, as the saying is.

“But overall, very happy with the match I played today. I really felt I definitely maintained a high level throughout and I made it very difficult for her to do much today. Going into any match against Aga – I played her twice before – I knew it had to be nothing short of what it was today if I was to have a chance of coming through.”

Guaranteed to move up to World No.9, Konta’s victory will give her plenty of confidence for the upcoming Australian Open, having not dropped a set all tournament long. She’s set to open against Kirsten Flipkens next week in Melbourne.

“Obviously how I have done here, I take it as a really positive thing, as a nice reward along the way for the hard work that myself and my team have put in every day,” Konta said.

“But it’s not a reflection of how next week will go, how the rest of the year will go. It’s back to everyday hard work, because that’s what dictates how I do.”