Miami: Makarova Interview
An interview with Ekaterina Makarova after her win in the third round of the Miami Open.
An interview with Ekaterina Makarova after her win in the third round of the Miami Open.
BEIJING, China – The resurgent Caroline Wozniacki needed just an hour and fifteen minutes to upset No.13 seed Roberta Vinci in straight sets for a spot in the round of 16 at the China Open.
Watch live action from Beijing on WTA Live powered by TennisTV!
Continuing on from the recent success that has seen Wozniacki rise from No.74 to No.22 in the world, the Dane took to the court against Vinci on the back of a late season resurgence, having won 13 of her last 15 matches.
She drew first blood against the Italian in the fourth game, targeting Italian’s backhand and taking advantage of the short balls to draw a spate of errors before a volley into the net gave her the break. An untimely double fault in the next game handed Vinci the break right back, but Wozniacki wrestled the decisive break in reply for a 4-2 lead. She needed three set points but served out the opening set, 6-3.
Wozniacki was more straightforward in the second, bracketing the set with a break in the first and penultimate games, saving three set points in the fifth game to close out the match.
The 2010 champion Wozniacki was firmly in control throughout, dropping serve just once in the 6-3, 6-2 victory against Vinci. Up next she’ll meet a familiar foe, facing Agnieszka Radwanska for the third time in as many weeks.
As SAP Behind The Numbers revealed earlier in the season, historically both Radwanska and Wozniacki flourish in Asia post-US Open. They lead the tour in most Asian Swing match wins since 2011 and they’ve proved it in their growing 2016 rivalry, having just booked their third clash in as many weeks.
They first crossed paths this year in Tokyo at the Toray Pan Pacific Open, where Wozniacki defeated Radwanska in the semifinals en route to the title, but the Pole got her revenge a week later in Wuhan.
MIAMI, FL, USA – Down match point in the decider, Yaroslava Shvedova produced some of her best tennis to defeat 2008 runner-up Jelena Jankovic in the first round of the Miami Open on Wednesday, 4-6, 6-4, 7-6(3).
“It was an amazing match, a battle there on-court,” Shvedova told WTA Insider after the match. “Jelena is a great opponent, a tough opponent, and I’m happy I could manage to play well, relax and enjoy it, which I was missing a little bit for the beginning of the year.”
Snapping a seven-match skid that dated back to the quarterfinals of the China Open in Beijing last fall, Shvedova scored a victory in the matchup for the second time, and now both of her career victories against Jankovic have come in final set tiebreaks; the lone win for Shvedova in the pair’s previous five matches came 6-3, 6-7(4), 7-6(6) in the second round of the 2009 US Open.
Great return! @Jelena_Jankovic sneaks the first set 6-4! #MiamiOpen pic.twitter.com/FQDmN1Bimq
— WTA (@WTA) March 22, 2017
In addition, the Kazakh handed the Serb her fourth straight defeat in the first round after Jankovic reached the semifinals in 2013. While the two hadn’t played since 2012 prior to Wednesday’s match, a tough battle was to be expected — the match was the fifth three-set affair between the two players as well.
“She’s a fighter and it’s always been tough to play against her,” Shvedova said. “I was talking with my coach after the match and he reminded me [of their three-setters]. Somehow, our games match-up and it’s not easy to finish quickly!”
In an opening set that went with serve for the first nine games, each player only carved out one break point opportunity and proved particularly successful behind their first deliveries — both won over 70 percent of the points played behind them in the set. However, Jankovic’s second break point chance in the set proved to be vital, as she rifled a backhand return winner down the line to seal the opener in 43 minutes.
The second set was nearly identical in both score and minutes played, but the path to pocketing the set proved different for the Kazakh. Shvedova hit back well in the second, winning over 40 percent of points on return and break twice to wrap up the middle set by an identical 6-4 score and send proceedings to a decider.
.@SlavaSays saves a match point to edge Jankovic 4-6, 6-4, 7-6(3)!
Advances to @MiamiOpen Second round! pic.twitter.com/Bx87UD9el7
— WTA (@WTA) March 22, 2017
With Jankovic ahead 3-2 in the final set, the pair rattled off four straight breaks of serve, the last coming as Shvedova broke the Jankovic delivery to 15 as she served for the match. Facing match point at 30-40, Shvedova reeled off the next three and rifled a forehand winner past Jankovic to knot the set at 5-5.
Trailing by a mini-break in the tiebreak, Shvedova rallied to knot the action at 3-3 before winning the next four points to score the come-from-behind win.
Looking to build on her first win of the year in March, Shvedova advances to face No. 17 seed Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in the second round, against whom she is 2-3 overall.
“My preparation was not good because I got injured in the off-season and I couldn’t practice that well,” Shvedova said about her start to 2017. “I couldn’t get my feeling, my game, my confidence, everything — and I was just going to tournaments trying to get it. It was not easy sometimes, unlucky — now I’ve had some time to rest and relax and clear my mind, [and] I can start to go up from the bottom.”
An interview with Garbiñe Muguruza after her third round win at the Miami Open.
BEIJING, China – Unseeded and looming at the China Open, BNP Paribas Open finalists and Wimbledon semifinalists Karolina Pliskova and Julia Goerges recovered from a second set hiccup to score their first win over No.7 seeds Martina Hingis and CoCo Vandeweghe, 6-3, 4-6, 10-8. The win assured Pliskova of her qualification at the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global in both singles and doubles.
Watch live action from Beijing on WTA Live powered by TennisTV!
“I’d beaten Hingis just once, and we lost to them in Cincinnati. We’re really happy with the win; the super tie-break was tough,” Pliskova said after the match.
“It’s amazing; I’m already there for singles, so it’ll be great to be there in doubles as well.”
Pliskova and Goerges enjoyed a strong start before the former doubles No.1 rebounded with her new partner and fellow US Open semifinalist.
“I think overall, it was a good match with some good parts from both of us,” Goerges explained. “There were some sloppy games where they really gained confidence. We lost some tight points, but luckily won the first set on a deciding point; it was really a key to staying in the match because we’d really lost momentum.
“The second set, we were down 3-0 right away; we somehow came back but couldn’t manage to break CoCo’s serve again because she was serving pretty big. The match tie-break was up and down; we were 2-5 down, then 8-5 up.
“We served pretty big with two aces, which help in a match tie-break. We’re pretty happy to get through.”
For Goerges, it will also be her first appearance at the WTA Finals, a welcome surprise for a team comprised of two singles specialists.
“It’s very exciting; I must say! We didn’t plan it, because it was our first year playing together. We said we’d only play around 10 tournaments, and to qualify with eight pretty decent results is pretty special for us.
“Kaja will be going there for singles as well, but for me, it’s amazing to go to Singapore. It’s always been a dream, either in singles or doubles – hopefully one day I’ll get to go for singles too – but it’s exciting and a nice way to end the season.”
Goerges and Pliskova rounds out a stacked field full of talented teams; click here to learn more about the elite eight!
MIAMI, FL, USA – What did the top seeds have to say before the Miami Open? From Dominika Cibulkova and Garbiñe Muguruza’s memories of Miami breakthroughs to Simona Halep’s “weird passions,” WTA stars told all at the pre-tournament Media Day…
Dominika Cibulkova:
On coming back to Miami, which was the springboard to her career…
“From the first time I played here as a tournament, it was my favorite tournament. And it still is, because I have so many great memories here at this tournament.
“I can’t forget some of the matches I’ve played here. The first time I was 18 years old, and I played here a third round against Elena Dementieva. That was the first big match for me, and I lost in three sets. Actually this match was a turning point, when I realized I could really play with the best of the best. Since that I beat Agnieszka Radwanska here to reach Top 10 for the first time. So, I really have great memories.”
Surprisingly strong Slovakian support in South Florida…
“I like hockey, and I remember because there were a lot of Slovakian hockey players playing in [the Panthers]. I remember they used to come and cheer me on here in Miami. But I think now there are not any. But these are the little details that make your stay much better.”
Garbiñe Muguruza:
On receiving a Miami wildcard as a teenager…
“This is such a great tournament for me because this was like my breakthrough. I got a wildcard and I beat two Top 10s and went to fourth round, which was quite amazing. Plus I love the environment, I love the Latin American people, so I feel very at home here.
“I came here just for the wildcard in the tournament, I didn’t come to Miami at all before that. And I remember seeing all these tennis stars at that time, because I was playing other kinds of tournaments, and it was amazing for me. I will never forget it.”
Simona Halep:
On her newly-minted partnership with Mercedes in Romania…
“I have weird passions. I love watches and cars. Maybe that’s a little bit weird, but I love cars, and I’m really happy with this partnership.”
Putting her injury woes behind her…
“It’s not easy. Last year I also had problems with my nose and ears. This time was an injury and it was really tough to accept because I’d never been in this situation, where I had to take five weeks off completely. It wasn’t easy, but I had to accept that everyone struggles with injuries sometimes. I’m just trying to get back soon, but slowly.”
Angelique Kerber:
Accepting the ups and downs…
“I think you cannot play one year at the top level. You always have up and downs. I had it last year as well but I was not making a big deal of it. I’m still feeling good on court of course, and you just have to go out and play your best tennis. The others they would have nothing to lose against you, and this is a completely new situation for me.”
On feeling no pressure at World No.1…
“No, I think the pressure is not there anymore, I think it’s more like motivation for going out there and playing again my tennis. I know the situation already and it’s more going out, playing tough again and having my feeling back.
“Of course, nobody has nothing to lose against me. But, it’s actually a good challenge for me. It’s a completely new challenge, but I think that I’m ready for that.”
Svetlana Kuznetsova:
On learning to love – and study – the game…
“Up until 14 years old I didn’t really like tennis, but when I moved to Spain that’s when I really liked it. I didn’t Spanish TV because I didn’t understand much of it. I haven’t been living back in Moscow. So I haven’t been watching much of tennis in my life. But just now I really enjoy it.
“I love about United States, it’s that people and commentators are really positive. I love how they commentate and I always listen, because the great players are commentators and it’s amazing to hear it. It’s always something interesting even for people who know a lot about tennis. I’m always curious.
“Lindsay Davenport was commentating last week, and I was curious to listen to her view of tennis and the game. Because we came to play against each other but I never know how the people think and what they think about the game, and everybody has a different view about the game. The same when I listened to Kim Clijsters when she was commentating the Australian Open a couple of years ago. I said, ‘Kim, I like whatever you say.’ It’s very interesting for me, I always like to learn more about the game.”
Karolina Pliskova:
On backing up her Indian Wells results…
“I had this last year as well – I did semis last year and then I lost in first round here. So I just want to change this. I know I struggle after I do a good result in one tournament and then coming to a different tournament after.
“Obviously there is not much time as I would like to have to practice, but still I have three days. I’m starting on Thursday so I’m just trying to get ready. I think I’m in good shape this year, so hopefully I can change it in this tournament, to not lose in the first round.”
– Photos courtesy of Getty Images
Garbiñe Muguruza takes on Nicole Gibbs in the third round of the Miami Open.
An interview with Elina Svitolina after her win in the round of 16 of the China Open.
No.4 seed Dominika Cibulkova fought past a spirited challenge from Paraguayan qualifier Veronica Cepede Royg to book a spot into the Miami Open third round.
Angelique Kerber had Saturday’s shot of the day at the Miami Open.