Doha: Anastasija Sevastova's Shot Of The Day
Anastasija Sevastova had Monday’s shot of the day at the Qatar Total Open.
Anastasija Sevastova had Monday’s shot of the day at the Qatar Total Open.
RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil – A day after missing out on the final, No.11 seed Petra Kvitova found redemption at the Olympic tennis event to claim the bronze medal with a 7-5, 2-6, 6-2 win over Madison Keys.
Follow all the action from the medals matches at the Olympics on WTA Insider’s Live Blog.
Despite a painful loss against Monica Puig in the semifinals yesterday, Kvitova in her country’s colors always finds another gear and her inspired performance brought home her first Olympic medal and the Czech Republic’s third medal overall in the 2016 Games.
“I’m still a bit emotional, so if I cry, sorry,” Kvitova said afterwards. “It means almost everything, definitely. Having a medal from the Olympics is one of the best things that’s happened in my career definitely, along with the two Wimbledon titles and winning Fed Cups and WTA.
“It’s definitely one of the best days today. I hope I’m going to celebrate it. I’m very proud that I could bring it to the Czech Republic.”
The match between the two big hitters was ultimately decided by a handful of points where Kvitova proved to play a tidier game than her younger counterpart. She struck 12 winners and 38 unforced errors to Keys’ 24 and 49.
Keys and Kvitova traded blows throughout the tightly drawn opening set. Where Keys was aggressive on the return to bring up a break point at 2-2 and painting a backhand down the line right onto the line just out of reach, Kvitova replied in kind with a gutsy mid-rally drop shot to see away the American’s chance.
An injection of pace from Keys brought up break points for a chance at the opening set at 5-4, but she let two slip by as Kvitova’s clutch serving bailed her out of trouble. Kvitova leveled it up, aided by a pair of backhand unforced errors from Keys, and rallied to take the first set.
Keys’ frustration visibly mounted with every missed opportunity – in her last match she was 0 for ten in break point chances against Angelique Kerber, and on Saturday the stretch continued another six opportunities went unanswered across the first and second sets.
The American got another chance as Kvitova’s first serve numbers had dipped considerably – from 73% in the first set to 54% in the second – and Keys pounced on the opportunity to finally get her first break and create a 4-2 lead. She quickly it carved up to take the second set 6-2.
But the tortuous match had another turn left as Kvitova’s rock-solid net work brought up an immediate break in the opening game of the deciding set. The Czech dodged break points of her own and got another lead for 4-0.
A nervy final game from Kvitova – which included a double fault at deuce after being up 40-0 – extended the American’s stay in the match, but Kvitova shut the door on her fourth try to claim the singles bronze medal for the Czech Republic.
Winning Feeling#Bronze ?? @Petra_Kvitova pic.twitter.com/ILHRyOArWm
— WTA (@WTA) August 13, 2016
More to come…
An interview with Karolina Pliskova before her opening round match at the Qatar Total Open.
RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – In a thrilling encounter between two tough American teams, Bethanie Mattek-Sands partnered Jack Sock to take out four-time gold medalist Venus Williams and Rajeev Ram, 6-7(3), 6-1, 10-7 and win gold in mixed doubles of the Olympic tennis event.
“I’m still pretty emotional,” Mattek-Sands said after the match. “I think, going into this final, we knew the American national anthem was going to be played either way, but I was actually kind of surprised I was so emotional. It’s my first Olympics, first time being up on the podium. It’s hard to describe it in words, but I’m so excited having this guy next to me, we played awesome. It was a lot of fun this whole week.”
After disappointing results in singles and doubles with sister and fellow four-time Olympic Gold medalist Serena Williams, Venus and Ram were late additions to the mixed doubles squad and played incredible tennis to reach the final. With Venus hoping to become the first tennis player to win gold medals in all three disciplines, they took the first set over Mattek-Sands and Sock, a team playing their first Olympic Games.
But Mattek-Sands and Sock are experienced doubles players in their own right, each a former Grand Slam champion in mixed doubles. Roaring through the second set, they recovered from a 3-6 deficit in the match tie-break to clinch the gold medal.
Big waves from Bethanie, Jack????
?Gold Mattek-Sands/Sock??
?Silver Venus/Ram??
?Bronze Hradecka/Stepanek??#Rio2016 pic.twitter.com/ogk1BEkyhv— Nick McCarvel (@NickMcCarvel) August 14, 2016
“I was feeling pretty down and out after singles, but I just wanted to enjoy the experience and get the most out of it,” said Sock, who fought off a bout of walking pneumonia to win medals in mixed and men’s doubles with Steve Johnson. “To come away with two medals, one being gold, I’m speechless. It’s a surreal moment for both of us.
“I had a blast with Bethanie all week; she definitely carried me through every match, but it was a ton of fun and it’s going to be something I have with Bethanie for the rest of our lives.”
Overcoming multiple injuries in the latter part of her career, Mattek-Sands was understandably emotional in her post-match interview.
“After a couple of hip surgeries and all of the months I’ve been out where you’re watching all of this happen on TV. Standing on the podium, I was just thinking of everything I’ve gone through to be here.”
Gracious in defeat, Venus nonetheless took home her fifth Olympic medal in her fifth Olympic appearance, and took great pride in being part of an all-American Gold medal match.
“It’s been an honor to play at so many Olympic Games. We’ve had a blast this whole tournament and it was awesome to see two US teams on the podim. We’re just on Cloud 9 today.”
Ram echoed his partner’s sentiment.
“It’s fantastic. To play the final against our teammates, it was a great match and they were just a little better than us. It was just an unbelievable experience to play with Venus at the Olympics and get a medal.”
#Gold for #USA in mixed doubles! @BMATTEK & @JackSock d. V Williams/Ram 67(3) 61 [10-7] at #Rio2016 #Olympics pic.twitter.com/0NcNxGRukD
— ITF Olympic Tennis (@OlympicsTennis) August 14, 2016
WTA World No.3 Karolina Pliskova is looking forward to getting her Qatar Total Open challenge underway against Caroline Garcia on Wednesday despite the ever constant threat of rain looming large over the tournament.
Persistent showers wiped out almost the entire day of first round action on Tuesday and the tournament now has a backlog of matches to make up with Pliskova scheduled last on centre court on Wednesday.
With her match being pushed back, Pliskova admits it will be to her advantage to have more rest and preparation time than her first round opponent, who now has to play twice in a day having beaten Madison Brengle.
“I just had my practices today, which was important for me,” said Pliskova on Tuesday. “I was trying to start early so I can hit on the court and get little bit used to it because we were playing indoors. It was a little bit different. I think even if they don’t finish today, they still have to play this match tomorrow. So that would definitely be an advantage for me if they play two matches in a day.
“Obviously the weather can change so fast. In Czech is minus 10, so with me this weather is fine. Just the rain is not good for tennis, so hopefully it can get better and we can finish all the matches on time.”
Pliskova’s second-round opponent has decided not to take part in the Fed Cup this year, a tournament the Czech is passionate about. But for Pliskova, the decision is not one that bothers her.
“It’s tough always to decide if to play or not. We played this time, we played home, which was much easier for me, you know, to play. So we didn’t have to travel anywhere far. But still I came here pretty late.
“I don’t think it’s a bad idea that she didn’t play. Sometimes it can help you, but sometimes, like I said, it’s difficult to put it in the schedule because there’s a lot of tournaments. It’s not always easy in the week of Fed Cup. You can have lot of matches, tough matches. I think both decisions are fine. There is always something positive about it. But I think this week, what I’ve played has been good. I had two wins. But maybe it’s also good to prepare for the tournament like she did.”
Qualifier Lauren Davis’s run at the Qatar Total Open continued as she beat sixth seed Elena Vesnina in straight sets to reach the quarterfinals.
Karolina Pliskova swatted aside Caroline Garcia 7-5, 6-4 to secure her place in the quarterfinals of the Qatar Total Open.
WTA Podcast Episode 15: Ker-Pow! Angelique Kerber wins the Australian Open
On this Episode 15, WTA Insider Senior Writer Courtney Nguyen recaps the stunning result Down Under, as New World No.2 Angelique Kerber became the first German woman to win a major since Steffi Graff in 1999, stunning No.1 Serena Williams 6-4, 3-6, 6-4 to win the Australian Open.
Joining Courtney to discuss Kerber’s mind-bending run to her first major title as as well as the two weeks that were here in Melbourne, is Reem Abuleil, tennis correspondent for Sport360, a daily sports newspaper based in Dubai.
Finally, in the Champion’s Corner you’ll hear from the Kerber herself. She spoke to Nguyen a day after winning the title about what inspired her chilly jump into the Yarra River and how her work ethic and perseverance made the victory all the sweeter.
Kerber: “I think I’m a person that needs a little bit of time. Of course, I believed in myself, but I had a lot of up and downs in my career where I was thinking, is this the right way? Could I reach my goals? But I had a great team around me always telling me that, ‘You’re a great player and you’re practicing and working so hard. One day you will deserve it.’ I was trusting my team more than myself.”
Subscribe to the podcast on iTunes or any podcast app of your choice. Reviews are always helpful so if you like what you’re hearing, leave us a review. You can also get new episode alerts by following us on Twitter @WTA_Insider.
DOHA, Qatar – Caroline Wozniacki won her second match of the day in emphatic style, overcoming Olympic Gold medalist Monica Puig, 6-1, 6-2, to reach the final of the Qatar Total Open.
“It sounds amazing, but also makes me feel a little old!” she said during her on-court interview, when reminded of her last appearance in the Doha final, back in 2011.
“It’s been a great week, really tough conditions with all the waiting, but I managed to keep focus and play some of my best tennis out there.”
Too good from @CaroWozniacki! ? #Qatar_Total_Open pic.twitter.com/WLxzClmCjN
— WTA (@WTA) February 17, 2017
The former World No.1 was the last of field to advance into the semifinals after finishing off Lauren Davis, 7-5, 6-1, while Puig kicked off play on Friday by defeating Daria Kasatkina in a one-set shootout.
Still rolling from her win over Davis, Wozniacki started the quicker of the two despite the late start, roaring out to a 5-1 lead in the first set and never looking back, hitting 12 winners to just four unforced errors and converting five of seven break point opportunities to advance after an hour and 10 minutes.
What a rally! ?
Defense to offense from @CaroWozniacki! ?? #Qatar_Total_Open pic.twitter.com/bzVehSiT0L
— WTA (@WTA) February 17, 2017
Up next for the two-time US Open finalist is Karolina Pliskova, the No.2 seed and last year’s runner-up in Flushing. Wozniacki’s never lost to the Czech powerhouse, but their last meeting came in 2014, before Pliskova became a Top 10 player.
“She’s playing really well, serving really well. It’s going to be a great final and I’m excited for it.”
.@CaroWozniacki bests Puig 6-1, 6-2!
Sets @QatarTennis Final vs @KaPliskova! pic.twitter.com/vyJIToTMoV
— WTA (@WTA) February 17, 2017
Standing between both of them would be the unpredictable forecast, which forced both of them into playing multiple matches on Friday. Wozniacki was cautiously optimistic of starting Saturday’s championship match on time.
“I don’t want to jinx anything, so let’s just hope there’ll be good weather. I’m just excited to be on the court, and if I have to wait a little bit, I’m used to it by now and I’m feeling good!”
When: This year’s Olympic tennis event begins on Saturday, August 6th, one week after the Rogers Cup in Montreal, Canada. The gold medal women’s doubles match will be played on Saturday, August 13th. The gold medal singles and mixed doubles matches will take place on Sunday, August 14th.
The Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati, Ohio begins a day later on Monday August 15th. The US Open begins on August 29th.
Where: Unlike the 2012 Olympics, where the tennis event was held at the All England Club, the tennis event in Rio takes place right in the heart of the Olympics. The event will take place on hardcourts at the Olympic Tennis Centre in Barra Olympic Park. The Centre Court seats 10,000, with nine secondary courts ranging in 250-5,000 in capacity.
Defending champions: 2012 London Olympics results.
Singles:
Gold: Serena Williams (USA), Silver: Maria Sharapova (RUS), Bronze: Victoria Azarenka (BLR).
Doubles
Gold: Serena Williams/Venus Williams (USA), Lucie Hradecka/Andrea Hlavackova (CZE), Bronze: Maria Kirilenko/Nadia Petrova (RUS).
Mixed Doubles:
Gold: Victoria Azarenka/Max Mirnyi (BLR), Silver: Laura Robson/Andy Murray (GBR), Bronze: Lisa Raymond/Mike Bryan (USA)
Format: The women’s singles event will be a 64-player draw. The women’s doubles event is a 32-team draw and the Mixed Doubles will be a 16-team draw. Players are entitled to enter all three events if they qualify. There are no wildcards at the Olympics.
Singles: Best of 3 tiebreak sets (Note: Men’s final will be best of 5 tiebreak sets)
Doubles: Best of 3 tiebreak sets.
Mixed Doubles: Best of 3 sets (tiebreak in first 2 sets, match tiebreak in the third set).
No WTA ranking points will be offered.
Player Eligibility:
To be eligible for the Olympics, a player must be part of the final Fed Cup team at the time of the draw and be present at the tie a minimum of three times in the four-year Olympic cycle. One of those ties must occur in either 2015 or 2016.
Alternatively, a player may be part of just two ties during the Olympic cycle, provided one of those ties occurred in 2015 or 2016, if she (a) reaches the milestone of 20 weeks in her Fed Cup career (Francesca Schiavone, Sam Stosur, and Daniela Hantuchova qualify for this exemption) or (b) if a nation plays a zone group round robin event for at least three of the four years in the current Olympic cycle, a player from that country only needs to be nominated twice. For example, Caroline Wozniacki has played just one tie for Denmark in the current Olympic cycle, which means she needs to play in Denmark’s upcoming zonal tie to be eligible.
All athletes must be in good standing with their national tennis federation and the ITF. The ITF may also take into consideration the following special circumstances when determining a player’s eligibility: (1) a player is injured or otherwise unable to compete in any authorized tennis tournament for a minimum of six months; (2) A player only reaches a ranking level sufficient for Fed Cup selection by her federation during the latter part of an Olympic cycle; or (3) A nation has a large number of highly-ranked players resulting in strict competition for selection, or its Fed Cup selection policy limits the opportunities for singles players.
Player Entry Rules:
Singles entry: The Top 56 eligible players will be entered as Direct Acceptances based on their WTA rankings on June 6th, 2016. This does not mean the main draw cut-off is at No.56. In the event a player ranked in the Top 56 is otherwise ineligible, the next highest-ranked player will earn main draw entry.
Six Qualification Entries will be allocated by the ITF according to the following priority (“Qualification System”): 1) host nation (if no Brazilian qualifies via direct acceptance, the top-ranked player will be entered), 2) Regional Representation (if one of the six ITF Regions has no representation, the highest-ranked player from that region will be entered if they are in the top 300), 3) Gold Medalist/Grand Slam Champion (a maximum of two singles gold medalists and Slam champions will be entered if they are ranked in the top 200), 4) Universality (if any places remain they will be allocated to the next best ranked player from a National Olympic Committee (NOC) that has no representation in that singles event).
The remaining two places will be allocated by the Tripartite Commission.
Doubles and Mixed Doubles entry: 24 doubles teams and 12 mixed doubles teams will qualify directly based on their combined rankings. To determine their combined ranking for the purposes of entry, each player may use the best of their singles or doubles ranking. An additional eight doubles teams and four mixed doubles teams will be given entry based on the ITF’s Qualification System.
Automatic Top 10 Rule: Doubles players ranked in the Top 10 will earn direct entry so long as their partner has a recognized ranking, they are entered by their respective NOC, and their nomination does not bring the number of athletes for that NOC to more than 6 men/women.
For example, if Sania Mirza is still ranked in the top 10 on June 6th, she could choose any player from India as her doubles partner so long as they have a tour ranking and satisfy all other eligibility requirements. That’s a powerful tool given India has no singles player ranked in the Top 300 and no doubles player ranked in the Top 250.
This rule does not apply to the mixed doubles competition. For mixed doubles, entry is determined solely by a team’s combined ranking.
On Site Rule: In addition, any player entered in singles is automatically eligible for the doubles and mixed doubles events, though direct entry is not guaranteed.
National Team Composition:
A national team may consist of a maximum of six women per country, of which a maximum of four women may compete in singles, and a maximum of two doubles teams may compete in doubles.
If a country has more than four players eligible for direct acceptance into the singles event it must select its four highest-ranked eligible players based on the WTA rankings.
This rule impacts the heavily represented countries in the Top 50, including the United States (7 in the Top 60), Germany (7 in the Top 60), Czech Republic (5 in the Top 60), and Russia (5 in the Top 60). And that’s with more players pushing up from behind. For these countries, the race to qualify doesn’t just mean being Top 56, but being one of the top four players from your country. This is the race we’ll be keeping an eye on over the next five months.
A maximum of two mixed doubles teams from any country may compete in the mixed doubles event.
Full Qualification and Entry Rules can be found here.
All photos courtesy of Getty Images.