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News | WTA Tennis English

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

DUBAI, UAE – Just days after throwing down the WTA Shot Of The Month gauntlet to trick shots queen Agnieszka Radwanska, World No.2 Angelique Kerber produced yet another highlight-worthy piece of brilliance at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships – and this time she even went right handed for it!

Watch Kerber switch hands for a right-handed reflex volley in her WTA Shot Of The Day from her quarterfinal against Ana Konjuh:

 “I don’t think [I’ve ever hit a right-handed volley before],” Kerber laughed in her post-match press conference. “I think this point — yeah, I have no idea. I just react, so it was just maybe a little bit luck, as well.”

She added, “I’m naturally right handed. Maybe that helps me in this point.”

On Tuesday, Kerber’s 26-shot rally against Mona Barthel prompted the German to muse out loud about displacing perennial hot-shot winner Radwanska, who not only took home January’s WTA Shot Of The Month but also owns the WTA Shot Of The Year Award for the last four years.

Radwanska was game and readily accepted the challenge on Twitter:

But will it be enough for Kerber to dethrone Radwanska and claim February WTA Shot Of The Month? Stay tuned…

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News | WTA Tennis English

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

DUBAI, UAE – No.7 seed Elina Svitolina conquered top seed Angelique Kerber for a third straight time – the second time in 2017 – to advance into the biggest final of her young career with a 6-3, 7-6(3) victory at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships.

Svitolina kicked off the season by knocking out Kerber, then No.1, at the Brisbane International, but pulled off a hat trick of wins over the two-time Grand Slam champion on Friday, overcoming a rain delay and a late surge from an experienced – if slightly hampered – opponent to advance after one hour and 39 minutes of play.

“It was really tough,” she said during her on-court interview. “[Kerber] obviously had a medical timeout, so it was in and out all the time. The rain made it even tougher to stay focused, so it was a very tricky match. Hopefully Angelique has nothing serious with her knee and gets better soon.”

“It was a tough match,” Kerber said in press. “I don’t know what’s with my knee now, but I feel pain a little bit.

“I tried my best. This is how I am, and I’m always trying my best until the end.”

In control late in the second set, Svitolina saw her lead slip as Kerber won three straight games to serve for a decider. Digging in her heels, the Ukrainian youngster was riding a big wave of confidence – and an 11-match winning streak after taking home her fifth career title at the Taiwan Open – and broke back to roar though the ensuing tie-break.

“I was just trying to hit the ball, move my legs, think positively, and fight for every ball.”

Kerber was fighting to reclaim the No.1 ranking, needing to win the title to wrest the ranking from Serena Williams.

“I’m not thinking about this,” Kerber said. “I mean, everybody is writing or asking, but for me, I know how it feels to be No.1. I reach it once, and for sure I will try to get back there.

“But for me it’s really important to be healthy, and at the end, if I play consistent the next weeks or months, then we will see what’s happen then. Bfor the moment, I mean, I’m not looking about the number before my name, actually.”

Standing between Svitolina and the biggest title of her career is former World No.1 Caroline Wozniacki, who reached her first final in Dubai since 2011 earlier in the day; Svitolina won their only previous meeting in three grueling sets.

“We played at the Miami Open last year; it was a very late match, and hopefully this next one will be good as well. I’ll give my best and we’ll see how it goes.”

A win in Saturday’s final would also guarantee her long-awaited ascension into the Top 10. 

“It was up and down for me, but towards the end of 2016 I had really consistent results, and I was really consistent with my game,” she said in her post-match press conference. “So I’m really happy that I’m more mature now with my game, and hopefully I will try to stay focused.

“Of course the first thing is it’s important to stay healthy, is the most important for an athlete. Hopefully it will be good, and I will stay – of course, there will be up-and-down, but the only thing matters is how you come back from the downs.”

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Kerber Prevails In Kvitova Classic

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

STUTTGART, Germany – No.2 seed Angelique Kerber outlasted rival and former World No.2 Petra Kvitova to advance to a second straight final at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix, ousting the two-time Wimbledon winner, 6-4, 4-6, 6-2.

Watch live action from Stuttgart & Istanbul this week on WTA Live powered by TennisTV!

The reigning Australian Open champion trailed in her overall head-to-head with Kvitova 3-4 before their semifinal, but won their most recent encounter at the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global. Kerber looked on course for a similarly efficient victory as she raced out to a 4-1 double break advantage – behind some stirring play and surprising double faults from her opponent.

“It’s a little bit different,” Kerber told press when asked about playing a fellow lefty. “The serve is a little bit different when it comes from a left-hander. I was warming up today with a lefty so that was maybe good for me. But still it’s always tricky to play against a lefty as well. I mean today after like the first few games I got used to it. But it’s always not so easy and a little bit different.”

Kvitova, who opted out of the Czech Republic’s Fed Cup semifinal as no to interrupt her clay court preparation, showed off her signature shotmaking to reduce the deficit, and while Kerber served the opening set out to love, it was still anyone’s game in the second set.

Things stayed level until the tenth game, when Kvitova broke through and converted her third break point of the set (she would have 13 overall). Kerber needed a lifeline that came in the form of German pop singer Helene Fischer’s “Atemlos,” which played over the loudspeaker much as it did one year earlier in the final against Caroline Wozniacki.

“The crowd really gave me a lot of energy today. They really pushed me to my limits, because I was a little bit down after the second set and then I was just trying to focus again and pushing myself. The crowd gives me so much energy to do that, and with the song and with the support of all of them, they gave me the chance like to start very well in the third set.”

Undaunted, Kerber immediately reclaimed the advantage with a break of her own, ultimately racing out to a 5-2 lead in the final set; saving three break points when serving for the match, she only needed one match point to defeat the No.5 seed in just over two hours.

“I knew how she’s playing; she’s playing really hard and aggressive and also the serve is always good. So, I was trying to move good and mentally be ready to have a great battle against her and taking this challenge. I think I was mentally ready for the match.”

A high quality match throughout, Kvitova maintained an impressive differential in winners to unforced errors (47 to 33), but hit nine double faults by match’s end – nearly doubling her total from her first three matches combined. Kerber, by contrast, kept things far more even with 17 winners to 14 unforced errors, and convered five of her 10 break point chances.

Looking to defend her title in front of a home crowd, Kerber will have to defeat either top seed Agnieszka Radwanska – who took back the No.2 ranking from Kerber last week in Charleston – or countrywoman Laura Siegemund, who is in the midst of a career-defining week after emerging through the qualifying to defeat Simona Halep and Roberta Vinci en route to the semifinals.

“I think it will be a good semi; Laura has nothing to lose. So, she will for sure go out there and try to beat Aga. But Aga will try to get into the final here as well. So, I think it will be a good match from both of them and I will be watching the match on the TV.”

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