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Kerber Runs Past Wozniacki At US Open

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

NEW YORK, NY, USA – The WTA’s new World No.1 Angelique Kerber christened her rise to the top of the rankings with a commanding straight sets win over Caroline Wozniacki to reach her first US Open final, her third major final of the year.

With Serena Williams stunned in the last round, Kerber stepped onto Arthur Ashe Stadium as the provisional WTA World No.1 – she’ll assume the top spot when the new rankings are released on Monday. But if Kerber was feeling any nerves, she didn’t show it in her 6-4, 6-3 defeat of two-time US Open finalist Wozniacki.

“It was not so easy to go then on court, because I knew it actually before that if Serena lost, of course, that I will be the No. 1,” Kerber explained in post-match press. “So it was not so easy mentally, but I was trying to not put too much pressure on myself.”

The German opened the match on a tear, breaking Wozniacki’s serve twice and going up 4-0 before Wozniacki had even won four points. Kerber stayed composed even when Wozniacki’ raised her aggression, finally finding her rhythm in the match to wrestle the break back.

Both players excel at outlasting their opponents in long rallies, but against Kerber Wozniacki was committing just too many unforced errors to keep up. She struck 26 unforced errors to Kerber’s 16 against 21 winners to Kerber’s 19. Kerber opened the second set with another double break lead, and powered through to her third Grand Slam final of the year after an hour and a half.

“I was always dreaming [about being No.1] when I was really young,” Kerber grinned after the match. “I remember the match also in Cincinnati where I have the chance to reach it with the win there.”

“But after that I was just telling myself, ‘Okay, I mean, I will get one more chance.’ Yeah, it feels just great.”

For Wozniacki, despite falling short of reaching a third US Open final the Dane qualifies it as a great fortnight, and a step in the right direction in putting an injury-plagued season behind her.

“Well, obviously right now I’m a little disappointed not to win today, but at the end of the day it’s been a good tournament, something I can be proud of,” Wozniacki reflected in her post-match press conference.

“I came into this tournament ranked 74 in the world and probably people ruled me out, but it’s nice to prove people wrong once again. It’s nice to have a good run. I did my best out there today. I fought all I could, and just came up a bit short.”

Standing between Kerber and the US Open crown is Karolina Pliskova, the player who foiled her previous attempt at reaching the World No.1 ranking. Pliskova is riding an 11-match winning streak, which includes today’s takedown of Williams.

“For sure she has a lot of confidence,” Kerber said. “Now especially against the win against Serena. She will go out there and try and win her first Grand Slam, but at the end I will try the same.”

I know it will be mentally for me also very tough because she knows that she won against me like few weeks ago. But at the end I know how I was playing in Cincinnati. I know what to change. I will talk with my coach about the game and I will try to take the challenge again against her.”

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Vote: February Breakthrough Of The Month

Vote: February Breakthrough Of The Month

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

February was defined by five breakthrough players who brought some impressive performances to the second month of 2016. Which one soared the highest?

Have a look at the nominees for February’s Breakthrough Performance of the Month and cast your vote before Thursday at 11:59pm ET! The winner will be announced Friday, March 4.

February 2016 WTA Breakthrough Performance of the Month Finalists:

Jelena Ostapenko: The 18-year-old Latvian came good in a big way at the Qatar Total Open, reaching her first Premier-level WTA final with back-to-back wins over Svetlana Kuznetsova and Petra Kvitova with the help of a big serve, booming forehand, and a competitive intensity that belies her youth and experience on such big stages. Playing Carla Suárez Navarro in the championship match, Ostapenko continued to impress despite a three-set defeat to the veteran Spaniard, winning the opening set 6-1. Her Doha run brings her up to a new career-high ranking of No.41, and makes her the third 18-year-old to crack the Top 50 of a generation that already includes Belinda Bencic and Daria Kasatkina – the largest cohort of 18-year-olds since April 2009 (Caroline Wozniacki, Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, Sorana Cirstea).

Zheng Saisai: A former Youth Olympic Silver medalist, Zheng became the fourth Chinese player in history to defeat a member of the World’s Top 2 when she ousted Angelique Kerber, who was playing in her first WTA match since winning the Australian Open, in straight sets. The 22-year-old backed up the biggest win of her career with another straight-sets victory over former No.5 Eugenie Bouchard. Falling to Ostapenko in the quarterfinals, Zheng edges closer to cracking the Top 60 and cementing a solid start to 2016.

Daria Kasatkina: Another one of the rising WTA teens, Kasatkina continued to bring her best tennis at home by reaching a second WTA Premier semifinal at the St. Petersburg Ladies Trophy – following a run to the final four of the Kremlin Cup last fall. Taking out Kirsten Flipkens and Dominika Cibulkova in three grueling sets, the young Russian met former junior rival Belinda Bencic for the first time on the WTA level. Despite losing to the Top 10 debutante, Kasatkina broke into the Top 50, earning a career-high ranking of No.45. Playing solid tennis at the Qatar Total Open, she nearly upset red-hot Roberta Vinci, ultimately bowing out in a final set tie-break. 

Caroline Garcia: The young Frenchwoman has long enjoyed impressive results in doubles – qualifying for the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global alongside Katarina Srebotnik last year – but finally broke through on a big stage at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships. Recovering from a set down to defeat the No.3 seeded Suárez Navarro, Garcia also took out former French Open semifinalist Andrea Petkovic en route to the semis, where she lost to Barbora Strycova in three tough sets. Garcia also reached the doubles final alongside countrywoman and fellow youngster, Kristina Mladenovic.

WTA February Breakthrough Player Of The Month

2016 Winners:

January: Zhang Shuai

How it works:

Finalists are selected by wtatennis.com
Winner is then determined by a fan vote on wtatennis.com

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Min Upsets Top Seed In Dalian

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

DALIAN, China – World No.145 Grace Min fought back from a set down to defeat top seed Wang Qiang in Friday’s quarterfinals at the Dalian Women’s Open.

Watch live streaming from Dalian all week right here.

The latest upset in a week full of surprises saw Min battle some early nerves before coming through, 5-7, 6-2, 6-3, in two hours and 22 minutes.

Min has spent much of the season piling up the win on the ITF Circuit, and looked a little out of her depth early on, dropping serve to love in the first game. This deficit did not last for long and while she was unable to rescue the set, she dominated the next two to secure a semifinal meeting against Misa Eguchi.

Unlike Min, Eguchi kept her time on court to a minimum, swatting aside last year’s runner-up, Julia Glushko, 6-2, 6-0.

In the bottom half of the draw, Kristyna Pliskova overpowered Aleksandra Krunic, 6-2, 6-4, in under an hour, while Han Xinyun recovered from a disastrous start to defeat Wang Yafan, 0-6, 7-5, 6-4.

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News | WTA Tennis English

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia – Ashleigh Barty cruised into the semifinals of the Alya Malaysian Open after defeating Zhang Kai-Lin in straight sets, winning 6-0, 7-6(2).

Barty, who defeated fellow qualifier Maya Kato in the previous round, flew through the opening set 6-0 but was pushed closer in the second before winning the breaker 7-2.

“It wasn’t a breeze at all,” said the Australian afterwards. “I think I started well and I served particularly well at the start. I was able to get that early jump and get some early momentum but it didn’t matter what the score was in the first set, Kai-Lin’s a quality player, she really is, and I knew that second set was going to be a battle no matter what.”

Zhang actually had the chance to serve for the second set before the match went to the breaker.

“I played a pretty poor game at 5-5,” added Barty. “But I was just happy to break straight back and move on and then play a quality tiebreak as well. Now I’m excited to be in my first semifinal and we just have to chip away throughout the year and hope the good results will come.”

Victory for Barty sets up a semifinal showdown with Han Xinyun, who came out on top of the battle of the Chinese, beating Wang Qiang 6-7(4), 6-2, 6-4.

With the match evenly balanced at a set apiece, Wang recovered from a break down in the decider, winning three games on the spin to level at 4-4 before Han took the final two games to secure victory.

“The first set was really hot and the sun almost killed me!” said Han afterwards. “Into the second set I tried to stay aggressive and positive and could feel that she tired and in the third set we both tried really hard but I really played my tennis in the last two games. I made a really good winner and put a lot of pressure on her. I was 0-40 in the last game but I never gave up.”

“I like her so much because she is so talented,” said Han of her semifinal opponent. “She’s played really good tennis this week and I’m so excited to play her tomorrow so I hope it’s going to be a good match.”

Han is yet to win a WTA title and, like Barty, this run for the world no.139 represents her best to date .

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LIVE: US Open Finals Day

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

WTA Insider | In the latest WTA Insider Live Blog, keep up with all the action as Angelique Kerber takes on Karolina Pliskova for the US Open title.

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WTA Player Of The Month: Suárez Navarro

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

Carla Suárez Navarro played some of the best tennis of her career at the Qatar Total Open to win her second career title and find herself one spot away from her season goal of reaching the Top 5.

The Spanish veteran dropped two games in the semifinals against reigning WTA Finals champion Agnieszka Radwanska, and recovered from a set down to dispatch 18-year-old Jelena Ostapenko, 1-6, 6-4, 6-4.

“I think in the final set I played really aggressive,” she told WTA Insider in the latest Champion’s Corner. “With my backhand I played more aggressive than with my forehand. I felt more confident today at the end of the match with my backhand. That helped me win the match.”

Suárez Navarro started the week ranked No.11,  but the title brought her ranking all the way up to a career-high of No.6.

“I feel really, really close. I know all the top players, I know if you want to be in the Top 5 you have to have good tournaments like this or like Melbourne to take points. Also, at the tournaments where there are all the top players, I know I’m close.

“But I know the year is very long. I want to take the experience of last year where I start really good but I lost confidence a little bit and I couldn’t end the year inside the Top 10. But I know the key and I know the things I have to do to be there. But I’m really excited about No.6 and I’m really close to No.5.”

 Starting the year well, Suárez Navarro reached the quarterfinals of the Australian Open for the first time since 2009 when she upset then-World No.6 Venus Williams in the second round.

“I started really good in Melbourne. I had good matches there. I lost to Aga. I want to take the experience of last year to play better in the Grand Slams. The Grand Slams are really important tournaments and when you are in the Top 20, you want to win good tournaments, big tournaments. You have to be there.

“I think the key is working and practicing really hard.”

With plenty of hard work and momentum from the Middle East Swing, Suárez Navarro appears poised for a breakout spring as February’s WTA Player Of The Month!

Final Results for February’s WTA Player Of The Month

1. Carla Suárez Navarro (44%)
2. Roberta Vinci (40%)
3. Sara Errani (16%)

 

2016 WTA Player of the Month Winners

January: Angelique Kerber

How it works:

Finalists are selected by wtatennis.com
Winner is then determined by a fan vote on wtatennis.com 

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News | WTA Tennis English

News | WTA Tennis English

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

Lesia Tsurenko came to the Abierto Mexicano Telcel on a mission after a tough loss at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships. The No.7 seed ended up rolling to her third career title in Acapulco, dismissing February favorite Kristina Mladenovic in straight sets to return to the Top 50 ahead of the BNP Paribas Open, one of her favorite tournaments.

WTA Insider caught up with the Ukrainian after her on-court fiesta to discuss the key to her confidence, her work with a new fitness coach, and how she hopes to hold onto that sombrero given to her during the trophy ceremony.

Lesia Tsurenko

WTA Insider: I have to start with this: was this your first time wearing a sombrero?
Tsurenko: It was, but that’s because it was my first time winning a title in Mexico! Wearing a sombrero will always be something special for me and I’m glad this was the first time.

WTA Insider: In such a tense second set, what was going through your mind at 4-5 when you were serving to stay in it after all those breaks?
Tsurenko: I think I played really well in the first set, and I felt very confident. In the second, she changed her game a little bit and she started to play more aggressively. I was also getting more nervous because I felt this title was getting closer to me. The most important game was definitely on my serve at 4-5, and I was really happy to hold on. I felt like I could finish that match there.

WTA Insider: Kiki’s had such a good couple of weeks, but you’d beaten her three times before; what is your mindset going in against that type of player?
Tsurenko: I’ve beaten her before, but I also lost to her in Dubai last year. I know how she plays pretty well; she’s got a good serve and forehand. I was trying to focus on the way that I play and on my shots. I think that works well for me because it’s just you on your side of the court, and it makes me more nervous to start thinking about the opponent. Just hit the ball and do your shots; that’s the key, and then just fight for every point.

Lesia Tsurenko, Angelique Kerber

WTA Insider: You’ve had some tough draws to start the season – playing Angelique Kerber at the Australian Open and Peng Shuai in Dubai. How were you feeling at the start of the week and is this title something of a surprise?
Tsurenko: I was quite disappointed with my disappointment in Dubai, so I was really concentrating here. I really wanted to play well here to show some good tennis after disappointing results in Dubai. That worked really well for me; I was concentrating on each point in every match and it worked well. I’m really happy to get the title.

WTA Insider: You’re a player whose struggled with injuries; when we last spoke, you were dragging around a big ice bag for your knee at the US Open. This week, it was some of your opponents who were having some injury and illness issues. How were you feeling to be on the other end, to be the fitter and healthier player?
Tsurenko: I’ve had quite a few injuries, but I try not to think about those. That’s just how it is and I’m getting fitter and fitter. I’ve been working on my body, and that’s been working well for me, just to feel balanced in every angle of tennis. The beginning of the year was strange for me; I had a virus in Brisbane, and still feeling unwell in Hobart. Everything’s in the past, and I hope to get a lot of confidence from this win.

Lesia Tsurenko

WTA Insider: You played Acapulco for the first time just a few years ago, and you’ve gone from qualies to being a seed, winning the title. What do you make of how fast some of your improvements have been, winning three titles in the last 18 months?
Tsurenko: I’ve improved my fitness, and I also feel more confident on court, especially with my serve and my groundstrokes. I’m not afraid to make winners and be aggressive. I also feel like I’ve improved my defense; I’m moving well around the court and that gives me some good results.

WTA Insider: Are you a player who feels like they need confidence to be aggressive on the court?
Tsurenko: Fitness is the most important thing for me, because then I feel like I can play without mistakes, and stay on court for a long time. I’m able to stay concentrated in final sets – when I have to play those. For me, fitness is the biggest difference, but I’ve also become more aggressive on my serve and return. These two things are essential in women’s tennis.

WTA Insider: Speaking of fitness, talk a bit about your team; what kind of changes have you made in terms of recovery?
Tsurenko: I’m still working with the same tennis coach for the last four years now. I’m very happy with the results we’ve had together. But I do have a new fitness coach, Denis Vaschuk, who is helping to make my body stronger and more balanced. I think that’s the big advantage for me now, having him on my team. We work when I’m in Ukraine, and I also get some exercises from him even when we’re not traveling together. We keep in touch and that makes me feel even more confident in my fitness and movement.

WTA Insider: Up next for you is the BNP Paribas Open, where you’ve played some pretty epic matches over the last couple years. What do you like about that tournament and what are you looking forward to most over the next two weeks?
Tsurenko: First of all, I like hardcourts in general, and I really enjoy the tournament in Indian Wells. I like the atmosphere there, and I think the surface suits me well; it’s not too fast, so I can show everything that I can do on the court. I like the conditions, and the improvements they make every year; they make the tournament so comfortable for players. I’m really excited to go there now because I know they’ve been making even more renovations. I hope to get there Sunday so I can see everything.

WTA Insider: What is the one big memory or big moment you’ll take away from this week?
Tsurenko: The sombrero! I don’t know if they’ll let me keep it, but for sure, I’m going to get some nice photos and some good memories.

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RTS Leaderboard: Pre-Indian Wells Update

RTS Leaderboard: Pre-Indian Wells Update

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

It is hard to recall a tennis season in recent memory that has thrown up quite so many surprises as the opening few months to 2016.

Showcasing the unprecedented strength and depth of the women’s game, 14 tournaments have witnessed 13 different players lifting silverware. The result has been a Road To Singapore leaderboard featuring a pleasing mix of youth and experience.

Angelique Kerber still leads the way in the fledgling leaderboard thanks to her magnificent January, when she reached the final in Brisbane before an unforgettable triumph at the Australian Open.

Hot on her heels is Carla Suárez Navarro, whose title in Doha, backed up by semi and quarterfinal runs in Brisbane and Melbourne, sees her occupy the No.2 spot.

Reigning WTA Finals champion Agnieszka Radwanska has been as consistent as ever, reaching the semifinals or better on all three outings thus far – a title in Shenzhen followed by deep runs at the Australian Open and Doha. Since the US Open last year, no player has won more matches than Radwanska, who has accumulated a 32-7 record.

Most Match Wins Since 2015 US Open
Agnieszka Radwanska 32-7
Angelique Kerber 27-10
Venus Williams 24-5
Roberta Vinci 22-11
Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 21-11

Current WTA world No.1 Serena Williams holds the No.4 spot on the leaderboard with her finals appearance at the Australian Open. Jostling for position below the early pacesetters are Victoria Azarenka, Roberta Vinci, Johanna Konta and Belinda Bencic, while Sara Errani and Jelena Ostapenko are among those just outside the qualification places.

In doubles, Martina Hingis and Sania Mirza cemented their place atop the leaderboard with titles at Brisbane, Sydney, Australian Open and St. Petersburg before their remarkable winning streak was finally snapped in Doha. Profiting from their slip-up were the Chan sisters, Chan Hao-Ching and Chan Yung-Jan, who left Doha with the title and the No.2 position on the leaderboard.

Click here to see the singles and doubles leaderboards heading into the BNP Paribas Open.

Road To Singapore leaderboard

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