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Serena Survives McHale In Miami

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

MIAMI, FL, USA – Top seed Serena Williams nearly saw her quest for a ninth Miami Open title end in her opening match against Christina McHale, who saved a match point to force a deciding set; Williams nonetheless prevailed with her 12th ace, 6-3, 5-7, 6-2.

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Looking to shake off a runner-up finish at the BNP Paribas Open by playing in one of her favorite tournaments, Williams looked well in control through most of the match, taking a set and a break lead, serving for the match at 5-4 in the second set. But McHale – who has enjoyed a solid start to 2016, including a doubles title in Hobart and a singles win at an ITF Challenger in Maui – ended up saving a match point to break back and win four games in a row to level the match.

“She definitely started to fight harder, and is clearly capable of playing great tennis,” Serena told Andrew Krasny during her on-court interview. “She showed it today.”

Despite not playing her best tennis, the 21-time Grand Slam champion still managed 33 winners on the day and two more breaks of serve to clinch her spot in the third round, where she will play Kazakhstan’s Zarina Diyas, who took out No.31 seed Daria Gavrilova earlier in the day.

Before the start of the tournament, Williams penned an op-ed in the New York Times about how much she loves the Miami Open, which may yet move from its present location in Crandon Park. The American reaffirmed her love of what she considers a second home in front of an adoring crowd.

“Miami is such a special place for me. I live so close to here; in fact I was just home yesterday,” she said with a laugh. 

“When I was younger, I used to watch so many people play here. I know a lot of the kids have that same experience. I grew up wandering the grounds like everyone here, and now I’m playing here and it’s always such a special moment.”

Williams’ good friend and former No.1 Caroline Wozniacki earned a much-needed win over a resurgent Vania King, 7-5, 6-2, setting up a third round encounter with No.12 seed Elina Svitolina. Svitolina recently added 2016 International Tennis Hall Of Fame Inductee Justine Henin to her coaching staff, and earned a solid win over Australian Open quarterfinalist Zhang Shuai, who beat Wozniacki last week in Indian Wells, 6-3, 6-0.

Abierto Monterrey Afirme champion and wildcard Heather Watson allowed just four points from American Sloane Stephens in their second round match, winning 11 straight games to improve their head-to-head to 5-2 with a 6-3, 6-0 victory. France’s Caroline Garcia survived a topsy-turvy afair against No.21 seed Andrea Petkovic, earning the upset, 7-6(5), 3-6, 7-6(2).

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Muguruza Digs Deep To Deny Cibulkova

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

MIAMI, FL, USA – Garbiñe Muguruza produced a thrilling final set comeback to defeat Dominika Cibulkova in an absorbing second-round encounter at the Miami Open on Friday.

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Two crushing returns helped Muguruza claim the decisive break in the penultimate game before she calmly wrapped up a 6-7(3), 6-3, 7-5 victory.

“The match today was so tough but I’m so happy I’ve been through this against Dominika,” Muguruza said. “She played very well and I think it was a tricky second round because she’s really tough. But I’m very happy that I fight all the match – even though I lost the first set hard – and I was able to come back.”

Earlier this month in Indian Wells, Cibulkova came within a point of upsetting World No.3 Agnieszka Radwanska. While she did not come quite so close to victory against Muguruza, she will be no less disappointed at her failure to get over the line once again.

After splitting two high-quality sets, Cibulkova looked to be heading for the third round when she surged 3-0 ahead in the decider. However, she was unable to hold onto the momentum, sending a backhand long to surrender her serve in the fifth game.

Considering her struggle for form this year, Muguruza showed tremendous poise with the match in the balance. Trailing 5-4, the Spaniard refused to wilt, a couple of pin-point serves fending off the danger. The same could not be said for Cibulkova in the next game, Muguruza jumping on a couple of short second serves to strike decisively.

Muguruza faces wildcard Nicole Gibbs in the third round. Gibbs reached the fourth round in Indian Wells and continued her superb spring by beating No.27 seed Kristina Mladenovic, 6-2, 6-4, earlier on Friday.

“I don’t know her that well. But she’s here because she’s playing great and feeling at home because she’s from the US. I’ll just do my stuff, prepare and fight until the last point,” Muguruza added.

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Makarova Topples Kvitova In Lefty Duel

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

MIAMI, FL, USA – Ekaterina Makarova dug deep to topple fellow lefty Petra Kvitova and grab the first spot in the fourth round at the Miami Open in straight sets, 6-4, 6-4.

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In tennis, as in many sports, left handers typically have a unique advantage over the right-handed population – but what about if the opponent is another lefty, and a two-time Wimbledon champion at that?

“Of course it’s always tough to play against a lefty… we’re not used to it!” Makarova said. “Petra’s such a great player, it was really tough to play against her. I’m just really happy I came through.”

The No.31-ranked Russian found herself in trouble early on, quickly going down 1-4 against Kvitova’s strong groundstrokes and tricky lefty serve. But Makarova put her problem solving skills to the test and adjusted her game, jamming Kvitova with body serves to cut off her deadly angles.

The tactic worked and Makarova rattled off five straight games to come back and win the opening set, Kvitova’s frustration mounting along with her unforced error count. Kvitova hit 26 winners to 24 unforced errors in the match in contrast to Makarova’s tidy 9 to 9.

With the pressure coming steadily from the other side of the net, Kvitova’s woes continued into the second set. Makarova grabbed a crucial break at 3-2, and kept her lead to take the match in an hour and a half.

“Today was actually really tough to play, especially against Petra and in these conditions,” Makarova commented in her post-match interview, referring to Miami’s heat and humidity.

“She started unbelievable – a lot of winners. I just kept going and going, wanting to hit longer points and just being on the court and enjoying it.”

Makarova now meets Elina Svitolina, the winner of a titanic struggle against Caroline Wozniacki in Saturday’s evening session.

In a match lasting 20 minutes shy of three hours, the result was in the balance until the very end. Wozniacki came within two points of victory, only to see Svitolina produce a final flourish to prevail, 5-7, 6-4, 7-6(1). 

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Konta Ends Home Hopes In Beijing, Closes In On Top 10

Konta Ends Home Hopes In Beijing, Closes In On Top 10

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

BEIJING, China – Johanna Konta recovered from a nightmare start to defeat Zhang Shuai and end home hopes at the China Open.

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After losing the first four games, Konta turned the match on its head to quieten the crowd and run out a 6-4, 6-0 winner. The result sets up a semifinal showdown with fellow BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global contender Madison Keys and also within touching distance of reaching the Top 10.

“Even though it was 12 games in a row, the scoreline was a lot closer,” Konta said. “Every single point was a really high level. I had to fight a lot at the end and I’m really happy to get through.”

In the previous round, Zhang upset Simona Halep for the loss of only three games. Against Konta she picked up from where she left off, delighting the crowd as a run of 13 straight points helped build an early lead.

Konta stopped the rot when Zhang sent a volley long to hand back one of the breaks. The following game she produced a couple of big serves to hold serve from 0-30, as the confidence began to course through her game.

In the ninth game she edged ahead, slapping a forehand winner after dragging Zhang ragged. Even a few interruptions from the crowd managed to derail the Briton, who served out to love before rattling through the second set. 

This summer, Konta was one win from reaching the Top 10 only to produce a subdued performance against Kristina Kucova. Judging by Keys’ showing against Kvitova earlier in the day, a repeat performance will end in further disappointment. 

The stakes are equally high for Keys – who will qualify for the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global by winning the title. Konta also remains in contention for a place in Singapore – victory over the American would edge her ahead of Dominika Cibulkova and into the eighth and final qualifying berth.

“I really do my best to not think far ahead and really not try to crave those sort of things,” Keys said when asked about a potential Top 10 debut. “I think if you live yourself into that, really bring your head out of your bubble, things become a bit more sticky, a bit more difficult to keep manage of.

“If it’s on the cards for me, great. If it’s not, it’s not. That’s okay, too. I’m really grateful for the journey that I’m having. However it pans out, it’s mine. Yeah, I’m just enjoying playing.”

WTA Finals: Get Your Tickets!

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Konta Set To Make Her WTA Top 10 Debut

Konta Set To Make Her WTA Top 10 Debut

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

BEIJING, China – With her victory in the semifinals of the China Open, Great Britain’s Johanna Konta is poised to make her Top 10 debut when the WTA Rankings are updated on Monday, October 10th.

“Yeah, it’s pretty cool. But, yeah — actually I don’t know. I don’t know,” Konta laughed in her post-match press conference, at a loss for words at her achievement.

“I think because I’m so immersed in this tournament still, it’s obviously something that’s really humbling and really nice to hear.”

The 25-year-old Brit started the year with her shock run to the Australian Open semifinals and has continued to chip away at her ranking in workmanlike fashion.

She won her first title at the Bank of the West Classic, and has made the quarterfinals or better at nine events this season, including the Australian Open, Olympic tennis event, and two WTA Premier Mandatory events.

As a result, Konta will become the fourth woman to make her Top 10 debut this year after Roberta Vinci, Belinda Bencic and Madison Keys joined the club earlier in the season, as well as become the 121st woman overall to do so since the WTA Rankings were introduced on November 3, 1975.

Konta’s rise to the WTA’s Top 10 also ends a 32-year drought for British tennis; the last British woman to grace the Top 10 was Jo Durie, who made her debut the week of August 20, 1984.

Konta also adds her name to an historic and elite group, becoming just the fourth British woman to break the Top 10; only Virginia Wade (career-high of No.2), Sue Barker (career-high of No.3) and Durie (career-high of No.5) have done so previously.

In addition to entering the Top 10, Konta will move into the Top 8 on the Road to Singapore Leaderboard and is one step closer to qualifying for the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global.

WTA Finals: Get Your Tickets!

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10 Things: Azarenka Vs Kuznetsova

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

MIAMI, FL, USA – The second Premier Mandatory final of the 2016 season has arrived, and there is plenty on the line for multiple major champions Victoria Azarenka and Svetlana Kuznetsova – so here are 10 Things To Know about the Miami Open final.

(13) Victoria Azarenka (BLR #8) vs (15) Svetlana Kuznetsova (RUS #19)
Head-To-Head: Series Tied, 4-4

1) An even rivalry revisited.
Azarenka and Kuznesova will lock horns for the first time since the 2013 Australian Open. Azarenka won on that occasion to level the rivalry at four wins apiece. She will start as most people’s favorite on Saturday, but the WTA’s form player is taking nothing for granted.

“She’s a very talented and diverse player,” Azarenka said when asked about Kuznetsova following her semifinal. “She is one of the players who knows how to handle big stages. I know she has her up and downs in her career, but she knows how to handle big stages. She is a two-time Grand Slam champion, so it speaks a lot.”

2) Azarenka is looking to join rarefied company by lifting the title for a third time.
Azarenka has won Miami twice before, in 2009 and 2011. Should she emerge triumphant against Kuznetsova she will become just the fourth player to lift the Miami title three or more times, after Graf (1987, 1988, 1994, 1995, 1996), Venus Williams (1998, 1999, 2001), and Serena Williams (2002, 2003, 2004, 2007, 2008, 2013, 2014, 2015).

3) The trophy will also gain her entry into an even more exclusive club.
Victory in the final will see Azarenka complete the Indian Wells-Miami double. Since the inaugural staging of Indian Wells in 1989, Graf (1994, 1996) and Kim Clijsters (2005) are the only players to achieve the feat.

4) Kuznetsova is going for her biggest title since 2009.
After winning just one title in nearly five years, Kuznetsova has been rather prolific of late. At the end of last season, she delighted her home fans by lifting the Kremlin Cup, then opened 2016 with victory in Sydney. However, she has not lifted a Premier Mandatory title since 2009, when she defeated Agnieszka Radwanska from the China Open.

5) Azarenka is upwardly mobile on the WTA Rankings and Road To Singapore.
By virtue of her run to the semifinals, on Monday Azarenka will return to the Top 5 (at No.5) for the first time since May, 2014, at the expense of Simona Halep. Should she head for Europe with the trophy in her luggage, then she will also leapfrog Angelique Kerber to the summit of the Road To Singapore leaderboard.

6) Kuznetsova will also make big moves on both lists.
By reaching the final, Kuznetsova ensured she will rise to No.13 in the rankings – her highest position since August 2011. Should she upset Azarenka then a return to the Top 10 for the first time in nearly six years awaits. She will also jump into the Top 5 on the Road To Singapore leaderboard – No.4 with a title, No.5 without.

7) Kuznetsova looking to end Russian finals day curse.
Crandon Park has not been the happiest of hunting ground for the WTA’s Russian contingent. Since Anna Kournikova let a one set lead slip against Venus Williams in the 1998 final, Russians have finished as runners-up on six occasions. Kuznetsova is the only one to buck the trend, but even that came at the expense of a fellow Russian, Maria Sharapova, in 2006.

8) Marathon woman enters home stretch.
Kuznetsova told WTA Insider after her semifinal victory that she needs a few matches under her belt at a tournament before she can bring out her best tennis. She is certainly has that in Miami, playing four three set matches at the same event for just the second time in her career and spending over 11 hours on court.

9) Azarenka on easy street.
By contrast, Azarenka has taken seven hours and 52 minutes to reach the final. She remains on course to be the first player since Agnieszka Radwanska in 2012 to capture the title without dropping a set.

10) Money, money money.
Kuznetsova’s semifinal victory guaranteed that she will pass $20million in career prize money. In-form Azarenka, meanwhile, will have amassed over $2million in the opening three months of the season alone. 

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Insider RTS Update: Concrete Start

Insider RTS Update: Concrete Start

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

Azarenka’s Near-Perfect Start: Former No.1 Victoria Azarenka continued her march back towards the top of the women’s game with a 20th career title at the Miami Open, becoming the third woman in WTA history to capture the Indian Wells-Miami “Sunshine” Double – joining Steffi Graf (1994, 1996) and Kim Clijsters (2005). With 22 of her 23 matches won thus far, Azarenka is in the midst of her best start to a season since her 23-match winning streak back in 2012. The Belarusian has won a tour-leading three titles and her only loss came in the quarterfinals of the Australian Open to eventual champion Angelique Kerber. Azarenka swiftly avenged the loss and didn’t drop a set en route to her third Miami title.

Just over a year ago, injuries and inconsistencies saw the two-time Australian Open champion fall as far as No.50, but her Sunshine Sweep not only takes her back into the Top 5 for the first time since 2014, but also helps her regain the top spot on the Road to Singapore leaderboard.

Kerber Rebounds For Strong Second: Though Australian Open champion Angelique Kerber struggled to regain the form that helped her defeat Azarenka and World No.1 Serena Williams to win her maiden Grand Slam title through the Middle East and Indian Wells – losing in her opening match in both the Qatar Total Open and the BNP Paribas Open to Zheng Saisai and Denisa Allertova, respectively – a solid fortnight in Miami brought her back to No.2 in the world and the Road to Singapore leaderboard. The German was down a set to Kiki Bertens in the third round and a break in the final set of her fourth round against Timea Babos, but was full of confidence in her quarterfinal against rival Madison Keys and came closest to pushing Azarenka to three sets in their semifinal.

Kerber next heads into what was her strongest part of last season, having won back-to-back titles in Charleston and Stuttgart. Top seed at the Volvo Car Open, she will have the opportunity to close what is only a 169 point gap between herself and Azarenka on the RTS leaderboard.

Serena Stays In Contention: World No.1 Serena Williams remains in search of a record-tying 22nd Grand Slam title and trails Azarenka and Kerber on the Road To Singapore leaderboard. Finishing runner-up at the Australian Open, the American appeared on course for her first BNP Paribas Open title since 2001, but the emotions of the moment undoubtedly played a factor in her straight-sets loss to the Belarusian in Indian Wells. Playing Indian Wells and Miami for only the second time in 15 years, Williams ran into an inspired Svetlana Kuznetsova in the fourth round of the Miami Open, a tournament she has won an astounding eight times in her glittering career. The defending French Open champion will look to make up for lost ground in the clay court season, having reached the semifinals of the Mutua Madrid Open before triumphing on the terre battue in 2015.

Radwanska’s Semifinal Streak: Agnieszka Radwanska may have lost before the semifinals for the first time in 2016 at the Miami Open, but one cannot ignore the Pole’s stunning stretch of results; in fact, no player has won more matches since last year’s US Open than the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global champion, who reached the final four in Australia and Indian Wells. Radwanska reached the semifinals or better at four of her five events so far this year, lifting the tropy on her season debut at the Shenzhen Open. Her run in Miami came to a premature end at the hands of 2015 French Open semifinalis Timea Bacsinszky, causing her to drop back down to No.3 on the WTA rankings – after briefly reclaiming No.2 following Indian Wells – and settle for No.4 on the Road to Singapore leaderboard. Radwanska may prefer to be heading to grass courts to better capitalize on her good form, but clay court success is far from impossible for the 2012 Wimbledon runner-up, who made the semifinals in Madrid and quarterfinals of the Internazionali BNL d’Italia back in 2014. 

Ones To Watch: An ankle injury interrupted Carla Suárez Navarro’s Sunshine Swing, but the Spaniard nonetheless had a first quarter to remember in 2016, reaching the quarterfinals of the Australian Open and her first career Premier 5 title at the Qatar Total Open. Aiming to reach the Top 5, Suárez Navarro got within one spot of her season goal – and a career-high ranking – following her win in Doha, peaking at No.6 on the WTA rankings and currently rounds out the Top 5 on the Road to Singapore leaderboard. One of the many hoping to qualify for Singapore last fall, she narrowly missed out on a qualification berth when she lost in the quarterfinals of the Kremlin Cup to Daria Kasatkina. 

RTS No.6 Svetlana Kuznetsova has stealthily enjoyed a career renaissance since capturing the title in Moscow last fall, winning the Apia International Sydney and following up her Miami upset over Williams with a run to the final, losing to Azarenka in straight sets. The two-time Grand Slam champion was very close to returning to the Top 10 for the first time since 2010, but still managed to vault into the Top 8 on the RTS leaderboard. Kuznetsova hasn’t qualified for the WTA Finals since 2009, and never progressed past the round robin stage in five appearances.

British No.1 Johanna Konta refuses to rest on her laurals, backing up her run to the semifinals of the Australian Open by posting solid results through the WTA’s very own March Madness. The first set of her quarterfinal against Azarenka was one of the best of the tournament, one that truly tested the mettle of both women, who had only competed one other time last fall.

Ranked No.8 on the Road to Singapore leaderboard is Italian veteran Roberta Vinci, who captured the St. Petersburg Ladies Trophy and became the oldest woman to debut in the Top 10 in WTA history. The 2015 US Open finalist was forced to pull out of the BNP Paribas Open with a right foot injury in the fourth round and won only one match in Miami before losing to Keys in straight sets.

On the bubble are Belinda Bencic and Barbora Strycova, ranked No.9 and No.10 respectively on the RTS leaderboard. Bencic made her own Top 10 debut after reaching the finals in St. Petersburg and boasted her best Australian Open finish with a run to the round of 16. Strycova has played some dangerous ball in 2016, herself, finishing runner-up at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships and upset Garbiñe Muguruza in Melbourne. 

Timea Bacsinszky is Bencic’s compatriot and the former World No.9 rocketed up the Road to Singapore leaderboard (no.64 to No.14) after she made the semifinals of the Miami Open with her first career Top 3 win over Agnieszka Radwanska, which she followed up by beating former No.2 Simona Halep in the quarterfinals. 

Looking Ahead: The clay court season begins in earnest at the Volvo Car Open, which will be headlined by Kerber and Bencic; how many points are up for grabs leading up to the second Grand Slam of the year?

• In 2015, Kerber was the only player to win two clay court titles at the Premier level or higher.

• Serena Williams owns 12 clay-court titles, the most among active players

RTS Leaderboard - Miami

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