Tennis News

MELBOURNE, Australia – When Angelique Kerber steps on court for her opening-round match at the Australian Open next week, she will be the first woman to attempt to successfully defend her maiden Slam since Victoria Azarenka did so here in 2013. Much like Kerber, Azarenka came into the Australian Open that year with the No.1 ranking under threat, but the Belarusian came through an emotionally fraught campaign to raise the Daphne Akhurst Memorial Trophy once again, beating Li Na in a three-set final.

One of the keys to Kerber’s breakout run in Melbourne last year was her ability to keep the distractions at bay and keep her fortnight simple. Along with coach Torben Beltz, Kerber went out of her way to downplay the significance of the tournament as a major. It was just another tournament, Kerber told herself. She eschewed the fancier boutique lodging options in Melbourne and stayed at the tournament hotel.

Instead of escaping the site as soon as she could after her matches or practices to get away from the noise and chaos, she chose to eat her meals on-site. She went with the flow. She didn’t fight it. It worked.

After all, in case you forgot the legend of Angie Kerber, she was a point away from being on a plane back to Germany in the first round last year. After escaping with a win over Misaki Doi, Kerber was playing with house money for her next six matches, completely unencumbered by pressure or fear. It all culminated in a gutsy performance that stunned everyone, as she took down Serena Williams in three sets in one of the most thrilling major finals of the last decade.

A year on and Kerber is now a two-time major champion and World No.1. While the No.1 ranking is theoretically at stake in Melbourne, World No.2 Serena would have to reach the final in order to have a chance at overtaking the German, and the path for Serena to that final is a tough one.

The biggest question facing Kerber as she prepares for her Melbourne campaign is simply her state of mind. The concept of “defending a title” is an illusory one. Kerber’s task is not to defend but to do what she does every week she takes the court: try to win the title. No one gets extra points for defending a title.

Whatever accolades they may receive for “defending” is no more than for simply winning yet another major, an incredible accomplishment that stands on its own. In other words, Kerber’s task for the fortnight is not complicated.

So…does she believe that?

Kerber has started her season on a 1-2 clip, taking losses to Elina Svitolina and Daria Kasatkina, neither of whom are bad losses. She looks as fit as ever, but her game has been a touch loose. She’s been prone to leaking untimely errors and double-faults, the types of errors that are more indicative of rust and nerves in tough moments. If she can get on a roll through the first week of the tournament, those nerves should subside and her physical, grinding game should click into place.

The good news for Kerber is that her draw through the first week almost looks designed to help her find her rhythm. She opens against Lesia Tsurenko, who withdrew from the semifinals at the Hobart International with a viral illness, then either countrywoman Carina Witthoeft or a qualifier, with her first seed potentially being Irina-Camelia Begu in the third round. Those are three opponents Kerber should be able to find some rhythm against and gain some confidence.

For her part, Kerber is not an intrinsically complicated personality. She craves simplicity, to just work, and play, go to sleep, and do it all again. This is a new experience for the 28-year-old and a big test of her ability to focus on the task at hand and not get distracted by the white noise that surrounds any World No.1 who is asked to prove themselves week-in and week-out. It is impossible to hide or fly under the radar.

There is no circus like one that surrounds a World No.1 at a Slam. The question for Kerber is whether or not she can tame it in her first go-round.

All photos courtesy of Getty Images.

WUHAN, China – Dominika Cibulkova completed her arduous journey to the Dongfeng Motor Wuhan Open final with a thrilling victory over Svetlana Kuznetsova

Watch live action from Wuhan on WTA Live powered by TennisTV!

After over two and half hours of thrilling tennis, Cibulkova added the finishing touch to a 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 victory by thumping a backhand onto the baseline. In the final she will face the winner of Friday’s evening session, Petra Kvitova.

“It feels great. I’m really tired right now, but the feeling to be in the final is unbelievable, and that’s why I love it,” Cibulkova said. “It’s just a great win for me today.”

Cibulkova’s path to the final has been far from straightforward. Rain earlier in the week forced the Slovak to play both her last 16 and quarterfinal matches on Thursday, making the level of play against Kuznetsova all the more remarkable.

“I would say that nothing has been easy here. I’ve had really tough matches from the first round so you don’t expect anything easy from this tournament. I’m really looking forward to another final and I want to keep going, keep playing like this,” Cibulkova added.

Didn't expect Cibulkova to have enough left in the tank for a performance like that. Love her attitude+it's another final @wuhanopentennis

— Anne Keothavong (@annekeothavong) 30 September 2016

Outthought and outfought in the first set, Cibulkova went back to the drawing board at the start of the second. Her change of tack reaped immediate dividends, bookending a trademark drive volley with a couple of perfectly executed drop shots to break in the opening game.

“I have my notes with me [on court] for a couple of years now and it’s helping me, so it’s nothing new for me but it’s something that keeps me focused and helps me remember things to do – it’s just a reminder for me. But it helped me today.”

While this advantage did not last for long, the tide was turning, Cibulkova taking four of the last five games to force a decider.

With the contest in the balance, Cibulkova somehow managed to summon her best tennis. Serving at 4-4, 15-30, she finished a series of energy sapping points with spectacular winners to edge ahead. This sequence seemed to drain the belief from Kuznetsova, who soon found herself staring at three match points. One was enough, Cibulkova pouncing on an inviting serve to reach her fifth final of the season.

The result not only guarantees a return to the Top 10 but also boosts her hopes of reaching the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global for the first time. She will now occupy one of the eight qualification spots on Monday, regardless of the result in the final. 

BEIJING, China – World No.3 Garbiñe Muguruza kicked off her Beijing title defense with a hard-fought win over Irina Camelia Begu, emerging victorious from the early test to move into the second round of the China Open.

Watch live action from Beijing on WTA Live powered by TennisTV!

Though a spate of unforced errors from the forehand wing left Muguruza vulnerable and allowed Begu to grab the first set, the Spaniard recovered and notched a 2-6, 6-2, 6-3 victory after an hour and fifty minutes.

“I think it’s very, very satisfying when you go to a tournament where you know you played well, you feel welcome,” Muguruza said after the match. “But honestly, this was last year. Nobody really is thinking about who won last year. It’s all about who is going to win this year, who is winning.

“I’m just going for my match, just concentrating the next one.”

Muguruza also kept her bid for Singapore on track as she eyes a return to the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global.

“Definitely Singapore was a great motivation to try to find my spot,” Muguruza admitted. “Well, Beijing is one of the biggest tournaments we have, so for sure I have a great opportunity to do it well and qualify.”

Also into the second round, Belinda Bencic advanced past Annicka Beck in straight sets. In a match that featured 10 breaks of serve, it was Bencic who edged through 6-3, 6-2 after an hour and 17 minutes.

Wildcard Sabine Lisicki had a more straightforward path, powering past Mirjana Lucic-Baroni 6-2, 6-2. Yulia Putintseva and Yanina Wickmayer are also through, with Putintseva weathering a stern challenge from 19-year-old wunderkind Jelena Ostapenko to advance 6-1, 3-6, 7-5. Meanwhile, Wickmayer added to Monica Puig’s post-Olympic woes, beating the Puerto Rican 6-2, 6-0 and handing her the worst defeat since the Olympic tennis event in Rio.

Welcome to WTA Finals month. Here are the updated scenarios after 24 hours to digest the Beijing draw for singles and doubles…

ROAD TO SINGAPORE UPDATE – Saturday, October 1st