Tennis News

‘S-HERTOGENBOSCH, Netherlands – Last year’s finalist Belinda Bencic was made to work in her first match back from a two month injury layoff, but the No.1 seed edged into the second round of the Ricoh Open in a thriller over Alison Van Uytvanck, 6-2, 4-6, 7-6(3).

Watch live action from ‘s-Hertogenbosch this week on WTA Live powered by TennisTV!

Bencic, the 19-year-old World No.8, was playing in her first match since April in Charleston when a back injury kept her off the court for over two months. Her opponent, Van Uytvanck, knows that feeling all too well: the Belgian was also on the comeback trail and competing for the first time since she sustained a foot injury in Miami.

“I’m just very happy to be back on the court again, without pain,” Bencic said after the match. “I missed the competition and playing matches like this. I was very happy today: nothing hurt, and even if I lose this match, I’m just really happy to be back on the court and fight for every point.

“I think it was a very tough way to come back, but I just want to go like this match by match.”

Van Uytvanck didn’t give Bencic any favors in their ‘s-Hertogenbosch opener, despite Bencic’s clinical start to the match breaking twice to run away with the first set 6-2. The Belgian’s slice and topspin gave Bencic trouble throughout the second half of the match, building up a 5-1 lead in the second set. Van Uytvanck was serving for the set – she even held a set point – when Bencic broke to start mounting her comeback. She rattled off the next three games and was just two points away from leveling the score before the Belgian could finally close the set 6-4.

The pair stayed toe-to-toe in the deciding set, sending their long standoff into a tiebreaker. They were even at 2-2 before Van Uytvanck blinked and Bencic ran away to a 6-2 lead.

A timely ace from Bencic on her second match point ended their two hour and two minute battle.

“We always have tough battles,” Bencic said of her No.132-ranked opponent. “She plays very different. It’s hard for me to play her, and I think it’s hard for her to play me. Of course, she likes grass, her game suits grass and she played very good today as well.

“But the important thing is I am very healthy, and no pain on the court. Just happy to win first round.”

HOW much did i miss fights like this… ? ?#callmecrazybutineedstressfulmatches aaaand most important.. No pain?

— Belinda Bencic (@BelindaBencic) June 7, 2016

Joining Bencic in the second round is No.2 seed Jelena Jankovic, who overcame a slow start to put away Katerina Siniakova, 6-4, 6-2.

Jankovic found herself down a 0-3 deficit in the opening set before she was able to find her footing on the new surface, rattling off three straight games to get back on par and breaking Siniakova for the set.

“I’m very happy to be through in my first match on grass,” Jankovic said. “It’s my first tournament on this surface so I did not start very well.

“I tried to fight a little more and tried to stay low and hit every point as much as I could because it’s completely different. I’m happy that I was able to stay strong and win in straight sets.”

No.3 seed Kristina Mladenovic, half of the French Open doubles title-winning duo, had no problem transitioning from clay to grass against Yaroslava Shvedova, advancing 6-4, 6-3. No.4 seed Jelena Ostapenko similarly cruised into the second round, easing past Serbian qualifier Jovana Jaksic 6-1, 6-0.

Also through are Viktorija Golubic, who downed No.8 seed Anna-Lena Friedsam 6-3, 7-5; Japanese qualifier Risa Ozaki, who beat Kirsten Flipkens 6-4, 6-2; Aleksandra Krunic, who beat Mirjana Lucic-Baroni 7-6(0), 6-1; and Dutch wildcard Richel Hogenkamp, who defeated Japanese qualifier Eri Hozumi 6-2, 6-2.

MELBOURNE, Australia – Serena Williams won her 23rd Grand Slam title with a 6-4, 6-4 win over sister Venus Williams at the Australian Open, earning an Open Era record in tennis.

Click here to relive Serena’s 23rd Grand Slam title courtesy of the WTA Insider Live Blog.

“It’s such a great feeling to have 23,” she said after the match. “I’ve been chasing it for a really long time. When it got on my radar, I knew I had an opportunity to get there, and I’m here. I’m here.

“It’s a great feeling, and no better place to do it than Melbourne.”

Williams, 35, had equaled Stefanie Graf’s record with her 2016 Wimbledon triumph. The German’s original 22-slam mark had stood since the 1999 French Open.

Serena now has seven Australian Open titles, making it her joint-most successful Grand Slam alongside Wimbledon. She has also won six US Open titles and three at Roland Garros.

SHE’S DONE IT! No. 23@serenawilliams is your #AusOpen 2017 women’s singles champion. ? pic.twitter.com/LC6fpWi3Ik

— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 28, 2017

Venus and Serena mowed throught the draw playing vintage tennis to book their first meeting in Melbourne in 14 years, when Serena took a three-set thriller to capture the first of two Non-Calendar Year “Serena” Slams.

“My first Grand Slam started here, and getting to 23 here, but playing Venus, it’s stuff that legends are made of. I couldn’t have written a better story.

“I just feel like it was the right moment. Everything kind of happened. It hasn’t quite set in yet, but it’s really good.”

The sisters were facing off in the 28th match of their storied rivalry, and their ninth Grand Slam final, but the first since 2009.

“I don’t think I felt at all awkward,” Venus said in her post-match press conference. “I felt ready. I mean, I haven’t played in a final for a number of years, but I don’t think it’s something you forget. I mean, I played a good amount of ’em, so…

“Experience was right there for me.”

Saturday’s match was similarly tense, with both sisters aware of what was on the line; a win for Serena would not only break the Open Era record but also restore her atop the WTA rankings after dropping to No.2 last summer at the US Open.

There was plenty at stake for Serena in the #AusOpen 2017 final. pic.twitter.com/LRx7Fl48uP

— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 28, 2017

Venus and Serena exchanged breaks to start the match, with the No.2 seed settling in sooner to take the opening set behind seven aces and 16 winners.

The crowd did its best to lift Venus in the second set in the hopes of seeing a decider, and the Americans continued performing at a high level throughout the 81 minute match.

“I feel like I had opportunities, for sure,” Venus said. “Just missed some shots. But it’s not like I missed shots that I wasn’t going for. I went for those shots. It’s a matter of inches.

“Some errors here or there can mean the difference between a break of serve or a hold.”

But Serena, who came into the match with a 20-0 record after winning the first set in Grand Slam finals, proved too strong in the end, breaking serve just once in the seventh game to serve out the record-breaking victory, hitting a total of 27 winners to just 23 unforced.

Serena improved her overall head-to-head against Venus to 17-11, and an impressive 7-2 in Grand Slam finals – the only two losses to big sister coming at the 2001 US Open and 2008 Wimbledon Championships, which was, incidentally, the last time the Williams sisters and Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal all met in the same major final.

“Thank you Venus for inspiring me to be the best player that I can be.” Well done @serenawilliams on your 23rd Grand Slam title #AusOpen pic.twitter.com/LPtr9G52B0

— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 28, 2017

The win was Serena’s 316th at Grand Slam tournaments, improving on her already-record total, and returns her to No.1 in the world, usurping Angelique Kerber.

As for Venus, the result is still her best at a major tournament in seven years, and brings her back to within 200 points of returning to the Top 10.

In the meantime, she was more than happy to give kudos to her younger sister after her historic achievement.

“[23], it’s a great number,” Venus said. “I know she would like to have a little more. Who wouldn’t? It was a great moment. I’m very happy that she’s been able to, you know, get to No.23 because there’s 22 ahead of that that she also earned, and she earned it.

“It was great to have an opportunity to play for the title. That’s exactly where I want to be standing during these Grand Slams, is on finals day, having an opportunity. That’s the highlight of all this, is to be in that moment.”

TAIPEI CITY, Taiwan – No.6 seed Misaki Doi survived a rollercoaster encounter against her countrywoman Nao Hibino to record the first win of the tournament at the Taiwan Open, 6-2, 2-6, 6-4.

“It was a very tough match, she was playing really good and very aggressive,” Doi told press after the win. “After the second set, I just tried to believe in myself and that I could do it, and just focused my tennis.”

The No.41-ranked Japanese, who reached the final here last year, started out strong against Hibino, breaking twice to ease through the opening set. But Hibino, ranked No.102, hit back in the second – breaking twice and saving two break chances to restore parity.

“When he came to the court my coach told me to be more aggressive and add more spin, because [Hibino] likes to play with a flat ball,” Doi explained. “I tried to move her around a lot, too.”

In the third set, Doi saw her 2-0 lead erased as Hibino climbed back to level the match at 4-4. The pair wrestled for momentum until Doi finally broke for a third time to close out the two-hour battle and move into the second round.