Wuhan: Kvitova Interview
An interview with Petra Kvitova after her win in the final of the Dongfeng Motor Wuhan Open.
An interview with Petra Kvitova after her win in the final of the Dongfeng Motor Wuhan Open.
MIAMI, FL, USA – World No.1 Angelique Kerber steamrolled past Japanese qualifier Risa Ozaki in barely an hour to move into the Miami Open quarterfinals for the third time in her career.
Kerber broke the Ozaki serve six times and hit 17 winners to Ozaki’s seven on her way to the 6-2, 6-2 victory.
“I think that she’s played a good tournament,” Kerber praised her opponent in post-match press. “She came through the qualies, she beat good players. I was ready for it.
“I talked with my team and I know that she’s moving good and bringing a lot of balls back. I was trying to play my game and be aggressive.”
.@AngeliqueKerber wraps up the set 6-2! #MiamiOpen pic.twitter.com/UOBifNUCYj
— WTA (@WTA) 27 de marzo de 2017
After a tentative start, with both players feeling each other out in their first encounter, it all went the German’s way as her powerful game started to click together. She dictated with the forehand, breaking Ozaki twice for a 4-1 lead. The 22-year-old Japanese earned one of the breaks back, but it wasn’t enough to halt Kerber’s momentum as she steamrolled to the opening set.
The same pattern emerged in the final set; Kerber rolled ahead to a 5-0, triple break lead, but faltered for a moment against Ozaki’s slices and the Japanese grabbed one of the breaks back. Kerber stayed solid, though, and wrapped up the match moments later.
Despite the result, 22-year-old Ozaki will still have reason to celebrate. After reaching the main draw in her Miami Open debut, Ozaki is set to rise to a career-high ranking on Monday, projected to land inside the Top 75.
Moving on!@AngeliqueKerber books a spot in @MiamiOpen Quarterfinals! Cruises past Ozaki 6-2, 6-2! pic.twitter.com/bIMObErLu7
— WTA (@WTA) 27 de marzo de 2017
For Kerber, the challenge continues in the next round as she’ll face the winner between WTA veterans Venus Williams and Svetlana Kuznetsova for a spot in the semifinals.
“I think it doesn’t matter against who because they are both amazing players,” Kerber said. “Playing against Venus, I’m looking forward [to it] if it’s Venus. But as well if it’s Sveta, she’s played great tennis in the last few weeks. She reached the final in Indian Wells. She’s on fire, but also Venus, she played amazing this year so far.
“I’m looking forward to playing against them. We’ll see tonight.”
An interview with Madison Keys before her first round match at the China Open.
MIAMI, FL, USA – Former World No.1 Caroline Wozniacki kept up her searing 2017 form, surging past an unseeded but dangerous Lucie Safarova, 6-4, 6-3, to join Karolina Pliskova in the Miami Open semifinals.
“I love playing out there,” she said of the electric crowd environment in her press conference. “The first night match is unbelievable; I think it’s the best slot of the day. I love being out there, competing, and just playing good tennis.”
Safarova has been ranked as high as No.5, but the former French Open finalist struggled to recover from various illnesses and injuries in 2016, causing her to start this season ranked outside the Top 60.
Finding vintage form in spurts coming into Miami, Safarova caught fire in South Florida, upsetting No.4 seed Dominika Cibulkova in straights to reach her first Premier Mandatory quarterfinal since the Mutua Madrid Open in 2015.
.@CaroWozniacki chases down the drop shot! ??? #MiamiOpen pic.twitter.com/RQZPNslfP8
— WTA (@WTA) March 29, 2017
Wozniacki suffered similar setbacks last year, but has been on a roll since reaching the semifinals of the US Open, and ultimately dispatched Safarova in two sets after a slow start.
“She’s been playing really well, and came out firing. Her lefty serve is also tricky, but I just kept staying in there.
“I felt like I moved really well today, and thought we played some really great points out there.”
Safarova was close to a double break lead on the onset of the match, but Wozniacki held on, mixing up the pace and forcing the uber-aggressive Safarova into uncomfortable positions as she moved the ball about the court.
.@CaroWozniacki downs Safarova 6-4, 6-3!
Sets @MiamiOpen Semifinal vs @KaPliskova! pic.twitter.com/s65Ef0EWVf
— WTA (@WTA) March 29, 2017
Still, things stayed close until the end of each set, when the Doha and Dubai runner-up pulled ahead, breaking in the first and serving out the second.
Up next for Wozniacki is No.2 seed Karolina Pliskova. The pair last played in the finals of the Qatar Total Open, where the Czech powerhouse won in straight sets.
“She beat me last time we play, so she’s clearly in good shape. I’m looking forward to getting another try, to see if I can beat her this time.
“I know her game, what her strengths and weaknesses are. I’ll have my team take a look at our last match and let me know; I’ve played so many matches in a row that they won’t want me to overthink it.”
See ya in the @MiamiOpen Semifinals @CaroWozniacki ? pic.twitter.com/QM7r1jaXts
— WTA (@WTA) March 29, 2017
An interview with Garbiñe Muguruza before her first round match at the China Open.
MIAMI, FL, USA – One lucky tennis fan got their hands on one of Caroline Wozniacki’s Stella McCartney-designed Adidas tennis dresses after the Dane marched into the semifinals of the Miami Open on Tuesday.
Wozniacki had just defeated Lucie Safarova 6-4, 6-3 and was clearly in the mood to make someone’s day after her impressive display.
“Any girls that play tennis want this skirt?” offered Wozniacki, before handing one of her red dresses to a very grateful fan.
Nice one @CaroWozniacki. Offers up her @StellaMcCartney @adidastennis kit to a fan @miamiopen. pic.twitter.com/UOcAUa1QGg
— WTA Insider (@WTA_insider) March 29, 2017
Victory for Wozniacki means that she now faces Karolina Pliskova for a place in the final, having previously defeated Dominika Cibulkova in straight sets.
Wozniacki enjoys a 3-1 head-to-head against Pliskova, but it was the Czech who won the last encounter, having defeated her in the finals of the Qatar Total Open.
BEIJING, China – World No.3 Agnieszka Radwanska defeated the tricky Ekaterina Makarova in straight sets to advance to the third round of the China Open and put herself in pole position to qualify for the WTA Finals.
Watch live action from Beijing on WTA Live powered by TennisTV!
Makarova did well to avoid the first set shutout – she was down 5-0 when she finally got on the scoreboard and began to mount a comeback – but Radwanska powered through 6-3, 6-4 after just over an hour an thirty minutes on court.
Everything seemed to be going Radwanska’s way at the China National Tennis Center on Monday night. Despite facing fierce resistance from the Russian in the second set, Radwanska struck 20 winners and just eight unforced errors against Makarova’s 25 winners and 31 unforced errors. She also served at 52 percent and fired five aces.
.@ARadwanska with the drop shot to lob combo! ? https://t.co/mjfnrJ9FJ7
— WTA (@WTA) October 3, 2016
With the victory Radwanska edges even closer to qualifying for the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global. In fact, she’s one win away from a spot in the season-ending event, but she could still qualify without lifting a racquet if both Johanna Konta and Svetlana Kuznetsova lose in the second round.
“I just hope I can [qualify] here, that’s for sure,” Radwanska said after her win last round. “But, well, I had the situation last year when I had to win the Tianjin Open to qualify for Singapore, and I did it. Of course, it was last-minute qualifying.
“I will try everything to qualify a bit before that this year. Everything is open. This is a big event. Everybody can do a lot of points here.”
That doesn’t mean Radwanska’s in the clear just yet – standing between her and a ticket to Singapore is the winner between giant-killer Roberta Vinci and familiar rival Caroline Wozniacki. It would be the third meeting in as many weeks for Wozniacki and Radwanska, with the pair splitting their previous encounters and Tokyo and Wuhan.
A look at some of the best outfits on display this week at the Miami Open.
Wuhan champion Petra Kvitova opens her China Open account on Day 4, along with Simona Halep. Chris Oddo previews Tuesday’s key matchups in Beijing right here at wtatennis.com.
Tuesday
Second Round
[14] Petra Kvitova (CZE #11) vs. [Q] Wang Yafan (CHN # 143)
Head-to-head: First meeting
Key Stat: Kvitova has lost five times to players ranked outside of the Top 100 since July of 2013.
A few days after triumphantly bagging her second Wuhan title, No.14-seeded Petra Kvitova will look to keep the momentum rolling in Beijing in her second-round tilt with Chinese wild card Wang Yafan. Kvitova has won 20 of her last 25 matches, and she’s finally sustaining the type of consistency that can move her back into the Top 10. But the 26-year-old warns that it isn’t going to be easy for her to maintain the jaw-dropping level she hit in Wuhan. “I need this kind of consistency all year, which to be honest, I don’t think I can really do that,” Kvitova said after pummeling Dominika Cibulkova for her 18th career title on Saturday in Wuhan. “I’m probably the player who has up and downs. Of course, I am going to try to be better in the downs. But I don’t really think that I can be consistent all season. I’m just how I am probably, and I can’t really change it.” Kvitova may have to accept a certain amount of deviation in form due to her reliance on power and precision rather than margin, but she’s just happy to have turned her season around with some sparkling tennis over the last two months. “I’m happy that my ups, they are really high, which I love of course,” she said. “The downs are very low, but that’s how it is.” Will Kvitova stay high in Beijing and keep her hopes for a late run at a Singapore slot alive? Or will she fall prey to inconsistency against an unknown Chinese commodity? Wang, 22, has claimed seven ITF titles but has never broken into the Top 100 on tour. That said, she defeated Ana Konjuh to qualify for the main draw and knocked off World No.72 Madison Brengle in straight sets to reach the second round.
Pick: Kvitova in two
[4] Simona Halep (ROU #5) vs. Yanina Wickmayer (BEL #56)
Head-to-head: Wickmayer leads, 3-1
Key Stat: Wickmayer has lost her last 16 sets against the Top 10.
Yanina Wickmayer takes a 3-1 lifetime record into her second-round battle with Simona Halep, but the Belgian earned each of those three wins more than three years ago, and Halep has become a vastly improved, elite player since then. Halep demonstrated her superiority over Wickmayer when they last met in 2015 at the Australian Open’s round of 16, defeating her in straight sets. It’s been a mixed back for Wickmayer since she claimed the Citi Open title in late July. Since then she’s lost six of eight and only recently regained her form. On Saturday Wickmayer blasted past Monica Puig, 6-2, 6-0, and she should be confident on the heels of that strong result. But Halep is fresh off a semifinal appearance at Wuhan and she has won 24 of her last 28 matches dating back to the first week of Wimbledon. Halep was handed a lopsided defeat by Petra Kvitova in the Wuhan semis, but the Romanian’s confidence hasn’t suffered because of it. “I played semis, the best result here in China,” she said last week. “I played good matches, good tennis. Even today I’m not negative. I cannot be. I played tough matches in the last months, and all were very, very good. So I’m okay.”
Pick: Halep in two
[13] Roberta Vinci (ITA #16) vs. Caroline Wozniacki (DEN #22)
Head-to-head: Wozniacki leads, 3-2
Key Stat: Wozniacki has won the last three hardcourt meetings against Vinci.
2010 Beijing champion Caroline Wozniacki has turned her season around in the span of a red-hot month. On Tuesday she’ll look to keep the good vibes rolling when she faces No.13-seeded Italian Roberta Vinci for a spot in the sweet 16. Vinci owns 23 hardcourt wins this season and she’s always a tough out on the surface, but Wozniacki has defeated the 33-year-old in all three of their meetings on hardcourts. Can Vinci use her eclectic style to throw Wozniacki’s game off saddle, or is Wozniacki, winner of 13 of her last 15 matches and six of her last seven deciders, simply too strong at this phase of the season to be denied?
Pick: Wozniacki in two
[11] Johanna Konta (GBR #14) vs. Timea Babos (HUN #26)
Head-to-head: Konta leads, 1-0
Key Stat: Babos is bidding for her 5th Top 20 win of 2016 on Tuesday.
Two players in the midst of breakout seasons will vie for a spot in the round of 16 on Tuesday, as Johanna Konta and Timea Babos meet for the second time and the first time in more than four years. Konta, ranked No.14 this week, was outside of the Top 200 when she first met Babos, who was then No.59. Four years later both players are firmly inside the Top 30 with Konta now knocking on the door of the Top 10 and entertaining hopes of making a last-ditch run at WTA Finals qualification. But Konta will have to hurry if she wants to make it to Singapore. She’s nearly 400 points behind No.8 Madison Keys on the RTS leaderboard and Beijing could be her only chance to make up the difference. Konta started her Asian swing with a quarterfinal performance at Wuhan last week, and she actually played Petra Kvitova pretty tough despite falling to the scorching-hot Czech in straight sets. Konta has won 18 of 23 matches since Wimbledon and continues to impress with her consistent level and supreme focus. The British No.1 doesn’t ever lack intensity or purpose on the court, and that should serve her well when she meets Babos, who is still learning to compete at the elite level and can go off the rails at times.
Pick: Konta in two
By the Numbers:
23 – All but three of Wozniacki’s 26 wins have come on hardcourts this season.
133 – Zhang Shuai’s ranking at this year’s Australian Open. The 27-year-old is currently the Chinese No.1, ranked at 36. She faces Alison Riske in second-round action on Tuesday.
4 – Previous champions remaining in the draw (Wozniacki, Kuznetsova, Radwanska and defending champion Muguruza).
0 – Number of successful China Open title defenses that have occurred. Garbiñe Muguruza is bidding to become the first.
Highlights from the quarterfinal clash between Johanna Konta and Simona Halep.