Tennis News

ACAPULCO, Mexico – No.7 seed Lesia Tsurenko will take on Kristina Mladenovic in the final of the Abierto Mexicano Telcel after top seed Mirjana Lucic-Baroni was forced to retire after trailing 0-5 in the first set.

“I was really shocked on court when she decided to retire,” Tsurenko said after the match. “I wish that she feels better. I’m pretty happy to be in the final, but shame that she’s not feeling well.”

Lucic-Baroni had been in imperious form this week in Acapulco – her first event since her dream run to the Australian Open semifinals – and she hadn’t dropped a set all tournament long. 

But on Friday night against Tsurenko, the Croat was noticeably subdued from the start, moving sluggishly and her usually booming strokes lacking bite. Tsurenko broke three times and, after a visit from the trainer and tournament doctor, Lucic-Baroni was forced to retire citing gastrointestinal illness.

Mirjana Lucic-Baroni retires in the opening set.@LTsurenko advances to @AbiertoTelcel Final! #AMT2017 pic.twitter.com/R3w2AjPf8n

— WTA (@WTA) March 4, 2017

“I was really unlucky; I picked up a virus, I vomited just before I went on the court,” Lucic-Baroni explained. “I tried. Because I’m not the type to retire, ever. I’ll just put on more tapes and play, and I can play through anything really.

“But I just felt extremely dizzy and like I was going to vomit all the time, and I just couldn’t continue. I’m really upset, because this is such a great tournament and I’m playing so well.

“It’s just a crappy way to end a really good tournament.”

For Tsurenko, this puts her through to her first final of the year; earlier in the season she made a run to the semifinals at the Hobart International. In fact, it’s her first final since September 2016 when she won the title at Guangzhou.

She’s set to take on Kristina Mladenovic, who came through in three sets against Christina McHale.

“I watched their match, it was really tough match for both of them,” Tsurenko acknowledged. “But this is not always a big advantage for me; sometimes when you play a long match you get stronger and feel the surface better.

“We’ll see tomorrow. I hope I’ll be fresher physically.”

STANFORD, CA, USA – Venus Williams’ serve has brought her plenty of wins and plenty of accolades down the years.

At the 2007 US Open, it also brought her a record, as she hit the fastest serve of all time. Williams’ delivery, clocked at 129mph, set a record that stood for seven years until it was bumped off top spot by Sabine Lisicki’s 131mph howitzer at Stanford’s Bank of the West Classic.

Williams herself is in action in Stanford this week. And while recapturing the title she won in 2000 and 2002 will be top of the agenda, recent form suggests that Lisicki’s mark could come under threat.

At Wimbledon, Williams enjoyed a welcome return to winning ways, reaching her first major semifinal since 2010 and putting the All England Club’s speed gun through its paces along the way…

Wimbledon
1. Serena Williams – 124.0mph / 199.6kph
2. Sabine Lisicki – 122.0mph / 196.3kph
3. Venus Williams – 121.0mph / 194.7kph
4T. Yaroslava Shvedova – 119.0mph / 191.5kph
4T. CoCo Vandeweghe – 119.0mph / 191.5kph

2016
1. Serena Williams – 127.0mph / 204.4kph (Indian Wells)
2T. Lucie Hradecka – 123.0mph / 197.9kph (Indian Wells)
2T. Venus Williams – 123.0mph / 197.9kph (Miami)
4T. Timea Babos – 122.0mph / 196.3kph (Indian Wells)
4T. Sabine Lisicki – 122.0mph / 196.3kph (Wimbledon)
6. Naomi Osaka – 121.8mph / 196.2kph (Roland Garros)
7. CoCo Vandeweghe – 121.mph / 194.7kph (Indian Wells)
8T. Madison Keys – 119.9mph / 193.0kph (Australian Open)
8T. Océane Dodin – 119.9mph / 193.0kph (Roland Garros)
8T. Polona Hercog – 119.9mph / 193.0kph (Australian Open)

All-Time
1. Sabine Lisicki – 131.0mph / 210.8kph (2014 Stanford)
2. Venus Williams – 129.0mph / 207.6kph (2007 US Open)
3. Serena Williams – 128.6mph / 207.0kph (2013 Australian Open)
4. Julia Goerges – 126.1mph / 203.0kph (2012 French Open)
5. Brenda Schultz-McCarthy – 126.0mph / 202.7kph (2007 Indian Wells)
6. Nadiia Kichenok – 125.5mph / 202.0kph (2014 Australian Open)
7. Lucie Hradecka – 125.0mph / 201.2kph (2015 Wimbledon)
8. Anna-Lena Groenefeld – 125.0mph / 201.1kph (2009 Indian Wells)
9T. Ana Ivanovic – 124.9mph / 201.0kph (2007 French Open)
9T. Denisa Allertova – 124.9mph / 201.0kph (2015 Australian Open)

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia – It was twice as nice for Ashleigh Barty in Kuala Lumpur as she won the doubles title with Casey Dellacqua – adding that to the singles crown she had secured earlier in the day.

The Australian pair beat Nicole Melichar and Makoto Ninomiya 7-6(5), 6-3, coming back from 5-1 down in the first-set tiebreak to lift the trophy in straight sets.

“I feel great – very tired but great,” said Barty afterwards. “It’s been a monster week for me. I don’t think I could have physically have played any more matches. I’m very happy to come away with two titles today, but even if we didn’t it would have been a fantastic tournament anyway. Now it’s just an absolute bonus.”

Congrats @ashbar96 & @caseydellacqua #alyawtamalaysianopen #wta #alyakl #tpckl #mme #mymajorevents pic.twitter.com/XJWyHFEz2L

— AlyaWTAMalaysianOpen (@alyawtamo) March 5, 2017

Her partner Dellacqua admired the way that their opponents had played, giving them a tough time in the first set. 

“They were playing really good tennis, really good doubles,” she said. “We just had to play each point as best we could. That’s all we did, we just applied ourselves really well for each of those points in that tiebreak especially.

“In tennis, you’re never out of it, I think that was pretty crucial to get that first set, and then just to get a break in the second, to space that lead out a little bit. That tiebreak, we did really well after being 5-1 down.”

Dellacqua is enjoying her time on court with her good friend Barty, and was delighted that she won the singles title – even if she was not actually able to watch it.

“It’s pretty nice to play with someone that’s just come off and won the singles, that’s always good!” laughed the 32-year-old. “I’m just stoked that I’m back. I wouldn’t be out here and enjoying it as much if it wasn’t playing with Ash, so yes, I feel good, I feel very happy that I was here to witness her, even though I didn’t get to watch, win her first title. I know that there’ll be many more to come. For us to win the doubles is an extra bonus. It’s pretty exciting.”

The pair burst into laughter when they were asked post-match whether they intended to continue playing doubles together.

“No, I don’t want to play with her again!” grinned Dellacqua.

“We’re done!” added Barty.

Once the hilarity subsided, Dellacqua gave a more serious response.

“Yes, of course. Ash has got a big load, she’s playing singles, so we’ll play whenever we can. When we do play we always enjoy it, and we go out there to do our best.”

Winning a Grand Slam title, of course, remains their ultimate goal.

“It’s a big dream to win [a Slam doubles title],” agreed Dellacqua. “We’ve made three Grand Slam finals together and we’ve never won one, but we don’t talk about it too much any more!

“If that happens, it happens. It’s about each week, each journey, just trying to get the best out of ourselves this week, and if that comes along, we’ll certainly be trying our best to win.”

INDIAN WELLS, CA, USA — Ajla Tomljanovic is just happy to be back. The 23-year-old was speaking to reporters less than an hour after a 7-5, 6-2 loss to Julia Goerges in the first round of the BNP Paribas Open. Indian Wells was just her second tournament back after undergoing shoulder surgery in March of last year, with her first tournament coming last week in Acapulco, where she defeated Eugenie Bouchard in her first match.

Currently ranked No.664, Tomljanovic could finally breathe a sigh of relief knowing that after nearly a year away she could still hang with the best.

“A loss has never felt so good,” Tomljanovic said. “I’ve never been this upbeat after a loss, so that’s a good sign.

“I’d be so unfair to myself to be disappointed in myself at this point. Of course you’re disappointed at a loss. You’re a competitive athlete. But it lasted for 30 seconds.”

That was more than fun ??? pic.twitter.com/VL8JkoezcH

— Ajla Tomljanovic (@Ajlatom) March 2, 2017

With her return to the tour, Tomljanovic brings a new perspective and appreciation for life on tour. Prior to her surgery, the Croatian reached a career-high of No.47 in 2015, making her first final in Pattaya City that year and notching her first top-five scalp, beating Agnieszka Radwanska at the 2014 French Open to make the Round of 16.

“It just feels like I’ve been away for decades,” she said. “This time last year I was supposed to play here and I had surgery when it started. My surgeon told me, ‘You’ll be back next year at that tournament.’ I thought my level, is it ever going to be there again?

“Just to be here and be competitive with these girls, I’m not far off. It’s the little things now that are important. It’s just encouraging.”

This was the best thing that I've seen in a long long time https://t.co/PHRzvtkE9E

— Nicholas Kyrgios (@NickKyrgios) March 1, 2017

Tomljanovic admits her time away from the game was difficult. She was unable to play tennis for six months after her surgery but could not bring herself to use the time purposefully.

“I probably wasted a good four months being depressed,” she said. “Not depressed, but not doing anything with my life. Now I probably regret it a little bit. My dad was like, ‘Take classes, go do stuff’. But at the same time I’m constantly doing rehab. I couldn’t shut off completely that part of my life. I wasn’t mentally able to start something new. I had no motivation. My parents didn’t push me because I’m not a kid anymore. Now I kind of wish they did.”

But Tomljanovic slowly came to terms with life without tennis. Paradoxically, the realization that she did not need the sport allowed her to appreciate the opportunity to play again.

“Honestly, yeah, I could totally be super happy without playing.

“I know tennis is not your whole life, I know there are so many things in your life that are more important. But at the same time, it’s so precious. The 10 years in your life you can spend like this, look at how many people can do it. I probably appreciate it way more. I’ll never say I hate tennis ever again.”

Tomljanovic’s game is built around her booming serve, and that’s the shot that will take the longest time to get back online. Her consistency off the ground and her return game in particular have exceeded her expectations so far. “Even I was like, whoa,” Tomljanovic said, when asked about how well she returned against Bouchard in Acapulco.

The road ahead will not be an easy one. Tomljanovic earned a spot in the main draw of Acapulco via a special ranking of No.75, and entered Indian Wells similarly. She has also received a wildcard into the Miami Open. Unless she racks up immediate results, she’ll be back to battling it out on the ITF circuit to build her ranking back up.

“It’s gonna be a grind,” she said. “I’m going to have to play a lot, lose a lot, win a lot hopefully, in the end. But it’s going to be a long way back. Even though I had an okay match here, I won one match last week, there will be a lot of matches where nobody is watching. It’s okay. I’m happy to play anywhere.”

INDIAN WELLS, CA, USA – No.3 seed Karolina Pliskova roared back from a set down to dispatch Olympic Gold medalist Monica Puig, 1-6, 6-4, 6-4, to complete the top half’s third round line up at the BNP Paribas Open.

“I’m definitely happy I had my serve today; it was working with me, especially in the third set when I was 0-3 down,” she noted during her on-court interview. “I’m happy with the win. It wasn’t easy; she was playing really well, hitting the balls really fast and deep, making it tough for me to play my game. But I’m happy.

“It was far from what my plan was to play, and how my game should be,” she added to WTA Insider. “I don’t think I deserved to win tonight, but it happened.”

Beautiful backhand winner from @MonicaAce93! #BNPPO17 pic.twitter.com/IHsKnDmWm5

— WTA (@WTA) March 11, 2017

Puig had never taken a set from her Czech rival, but nonetheless began the night session in the sort of form that helped her win the Olympic tennis event in Rio de Janeiro, breaking Pliskova four times to sweep the opening set.

“The whole match was more about her; the one thing on my side was my serve, which is definitely better than hers. The baseline game was off for me and she was hitting so well. I couldn’t play aggressive, or play my game. When I put in a second serve she was being aggressive.

“I wasn’t feeling this bad in a long time!”

Excellent backhand return from @KaPliskova! #BNPPO17 pic.twitter.com/a8N0O8NLDi

— WTA (@WTA) March 11, 2017

Undaunted, the Brisbane International and Qatar Total Open champion dug in her heels from there, earning several service breaks of her own and serving out the second set to level the match.

“I was just waiting for my chances; I know she can miss some shots when things get closer, and that’s what she did. But then I started terrible in the third set; at least it was just one break there.”

The Puerto Rican No.1 took another quick lead to start the decider, racing out to 3-0 as the upset appeared inevitable. But Pliskova fought through a long sixth game to help turn the tide once and for all, winning six of the last seven games to book her spot in the third round.

“First rounds are always tough, especially for the seeds because of the pressure. She’d had a match already, so that helped her. I was also practicing during the day, so the conditions were definitely different. Hopefully I got something from this and I can learn and move on.

“It can’t get any worse than today!”

.@KaPliskova reels off FOUR straight games and takes a 4-3 lead over Puig in the deciding set! #BNPPO17 pic.twitter.com/JVsd9Ljz2e

— WTA (@WTA) March 11, 2017

In all, Pliskova hit 19 winners to 34 unforced errors and converted five of her seven break point opportunities. Puig proved the greater aggressor in the match, but 37 unforced errors canceled out her 32 impressive winners.

“All my practices were good, and nothing was close to this. I surprised myself with how I was playing. She was playing fast, plus the conditions, and I ended up framing so many shots.

“I’d beaten her three times before, but she can play really good tennis. She maybe gave me a few games and that’s why she lost, but otherwise she was playing great.”

Up next for the World No.3 is No.28 seed Irina-Camelia Begu, who defeated American Louisa Chirico, 6-1, 7-5.

“My sister played her in Australia. I know she can hit good shots; her backhand side is really good. I have to be more aggressive and bring more power; today was so bad!”

Comeback complete!@KaPliskova battles past Puig 1-6, 6-4, 6-4 for a spot in @BNPParibasOpen Third round! #BNPPO17 pic.twitter.com/SD6sVy10If

— WTA (@WTA) March 11, 2017

INDIAN WELLS, CA, USA – They say a change is as good as a rest and the proverb certainly seems to ring true for Julia Goerges. The 28-year-old is enjoying one of her most successful starts to a season and is continuing to thrive under her coaching team of Michael Geserer and Florian Zitzelsberger, who came on board in the last year.

“I said I wanted to have a change and really get the best out of me in my last years of my career,” she said. “Hopefully I will play for many more years and I just wanted to get a different input and a different voice to hear but also working in a different way with a lot of different philosophies. I’m very happy with the way they are helping me and the way we are working together.”

Goerges, who reached a career high ranking of No.15 in March 2012, suffered a loss of form in 2013 and 2014 and although her results started to improve in 2015 she decided a split with Sascha Nensel, her coach of eight years, was necessary.

“Changing coaches gave me a different view on my job as well, to see things a bit differently,” continued Goerges. “For me as a human being I changed a lot, I’m much more positive in my personal life and this helps me on court. You see it from a different perspective which makes a tough situation sometimes easier because you appreciate what you have in the moment. It’s about being healthy and happy, at the end of the day it’s just a tennis match.”

As well as reaching the third round at Indian Wells, Goerges has recorded semifinal finishes at both Auckland and Budapest in 2017. Her run to the final four in Auckland included a win over world No.19 Caroline Wozniacki in the quarterfinals.

“I always do well in Auckland, I love the place,” said Goerges, who was a finalist there in 2016. “I love the Australian and New Zealand swing in general, the people are so nice and I just feel at home there, even though it’s so far away. There are a lot of Germans and the culture is pretty similar to Germany.”

Later that month Goerges defeated Katerina Siniakova in the first round of the Australian Open before losing to Jelena Jankovic. She was forced to retire during her opening Fed Cup match against CoCo Vandeweghe in Hawaii following a fall where she injured her left knee and also retired in the second round at Acapulco with heat illness.

“I did quite a trip from Budapest to Acapulco and arrived for the first round match six hours before. I still won it but the next day I got hit by my body,” said Goerges.

Goerges has also made the decision to substantially reduce the amount of doubles she plays in 2017. The German enjoyed considerable success on the doubles circuit in 2016, reaching the semifinals of the Australian Open and Wimbledon and qualifying for the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global with Karolina Pliskova.

“Kaja [Karolina Pliskova] and me we decided to focus on singles,” explained Goerges. “We did very well last year but it was a lot of matches for both of us, she did even more in singles, so for me I said ‘ok I want to focus on singles as well’, so just playing a few [doubles] events, but a very few.”

Goerges seems happy and content and is evidently pleased with the way her tennis is progressing under Geserer and Zitzelsberger.

“It’s not about a win or a loss it’s about how you develop as a player and that is what I’m feeling is going well,” concluded Goerges. “Things are getting better and better and really coming together like a puzzle.”