Brisbane: Kerber vs Giorgi
Angelique Kerber takes on Camila Giorgi in the first round of the Brisbane International.
Angelique Kerber takes on Camila Giorgi in the first round of the Brisbane International.
STANFORD, CA, USA – We Konta believe it!
Johanna Konta joined the winner’s circle, winning her first WTA title at the Bank of the West Classic. And she did in impressive fashion. To win the title, Konta knocked off the top two seeds in Dominika Cibulkova and Venus Williams and she’ll move to No.14 on Monday.
Hear Jo talk about her meteoric rise over the last 12 months — she was ranked No.126(!) this time last year — and her mouth-watering plans to celebrate her career milestone.
(Spoiler alert: It will be animal style.)
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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.”
– The Carnage Continues: Playing her first match of the 2016 season, Garbiñe Muguruza was forced to retire from a tight second round encounter with American Varvara Lepchenko. Lepchenko had taken the opening set in a thrilling tiebreaker when the World No.3 took a medical timeout to address her left foot, which was later confirmed to be a recurrence of plantar fascia:
.@GarbiMuguruza on her left foot injury @BrisbaneTennis. pic.twitter.com/8F5PGNuvt3
— WTA Insider (@WTA_insider) January 6, 2016
– Epic Win: Naomi Broady aspires to be the WTA’s Ivo Karlovic, but mixed raw power with unfiltered drama at the ASB Classic against 18-year-old wildcard Jelena Ostapenko. Down 1-5 in the final set, the Brit won a match that must be seen to be believed.
– Upset Stomach: Over at the Shenzhen Open, Petra Kvitova had her own woes in the form of an unexpected GI illness that kept her from finishing her first round match against Zheng Saisai. While physically fit, the virus did keep the two-time Wimbledon champion off the practice court.
More on Kvitova’s retirement in Shenzhen: She was unable to hit for the last four days. Stayed in bed trying to recover.
— WTA Insider (@WTA_insider) January 6, 2016
– Ailing Aussies: Ajla Tomljanovic and Samantha Stosur are both dealing with physical issues early in the season; the former pulled out of the doubles tournament in Brisbane with an abdominal injury, while the 2011 US Open champion underwent an MRI that revealed tendon sheath damage to her right wrist. Both hope to be ready for their home major tournament in two weeks.
– Down, But Not Out: Simona Halep’s tournament may have ended before it began, but the World No.2 is still eager to serve up something major to start the season:
No tennis for 2 days but working hard to be ready for Sydney and/or Melbourne. Fingers crossed ? pic.twitter.com/Edv6VMKEem
— Simona Halep (@Simona_Halep) January 6, 2016
– Making a Racket: One former No.1 enjoying a clean bill of health is Victoria Azarenka; the two-time Australian Open champion eased past lucky loser Ysaline Bonaventure, who acquitted herself well in her second marquee match (The Tennis Island spoke with the Belgian last summer). Meanwhile, Azarenka remained coy about a possible equipment change in press:
Asked Azarenka whether she’s playing with the same racket as last year or if she’s changed it up. Her answer: “We’ll see.”
— WTA Insider (@WTA_insider) January 6, 2016
– Young Gun: Samantha Crawford’s star looked set to rise in 2012 when she qualified for the US Open main draw and went on to win the girl’s singles title – beating Anett Kontaveit in the final. Injuries have curtailed her progress, but the American is hitting her stride in Brisbane, upsetting Belinda Bencic to reach her first Premier quarterfinal. Learn more about the big-hitting Crawford here.
– Comeback Kid: Tamira Paszek came up in the same cadre of current WTA stars as Azarenka and Caroline Wozniacki, but an adductor injury nearly took her off the tour for good. Now fit, healthy, and back with former coach Andrei Pavel, Paszek has been making waves once again at the ASB Classic, overcoming reknowned battlers Francesca Schiavone and Svetlana Kuznetsova to reach her first WTA quarterfinal since 2012 (Seoul). WTA Insider spoke with the Austrian last fall.
– Dance Off: From the All-Blacks’ stint as ballboys for Caroline Wozniacki, Venus Williams and Bethanie Mattek-Sands. Williams whipped and nae-nae’d her way to a perfect practice with a little help from Julian Savea.
– Out From Under: Andrea Petkovic wasn’t sure if she would even be in Australia last fall, but a detour through the streets of Manhattan brought her back to Brisbane in stunning style; the German is into the quarterfinals after defeating Ekaterina Makarova in straight sets, and put on an even bigger show in the press conference:
When @andreapetkovic finds out 2 journos don't know who The White Stripes frontman Jack White is… #BrisbaneTennis https://t.co/PX76FQv0xM
— Brisbane Intl (@BrisbaneTennis) January 6, 2016
ZHUHAI, China – Sunday marked 100 days until the WTA Elite Trophy Zhuhai, and the tournament rang in the start of an exciting countdown with the help of former World No.1 and Tournament Ambassador, Stefani Graf.
Graf took the role back in May, and couldn’t be more ready to help the WTA stars “Shine in Zhuhai” in what will be the final event of the 2016 season.
Check out the best photos from the event, which feature Tournament Director Peter Johnson unveiling Graf’s video announcement:
Photos courtesy of the WTA.
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
BRISBANE, Australia – No.2 seed Garbiñe Muguruza became the latest casualty at the Brisbane International when she was forced to retire from her second round meeting with Varvara Lepchenko on Wednesday evening.
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Following on from the last-minute withdrawals of Maria Sharapova and Simona Halep, the path to the title lay wide open, but Muguruza saw her chance of silverware scuppered when she aggravated a long-standing foot injury.
“I started to feel it at 3-3, something like that,” Muguruza said in her post-match press conference. “But it’s just a pain that sometimes you have in the foot, especially when you’re starting to compete and to run a lot.”
Visibly struggling for the remainder of the set, in which she coughed up 27 unforced errors, Muguruza played through the pain barrier, fending off four set points before finally succumbing in a tense tie-break. Despite lengthy treatment during the changeover, it was quickly apparent that her resistance would not last much longer, admitting defeat after Lepchenko held serve the following game.
The Spaniard remains optimistic that the injury, which she carried over from the previous campaign, will not jeopardize her chances at the upcoming Australian Open.
“Last year I felt it almost during the whole season. I felt it also in the pre-season a little bit, but especially here over the last few days, playing points, running more, more, more,” she said.
“I thought in the match I was going to be able to play with the pain, but it just got to a point where I’m like, ‘Hey it’s getting worse, so just stop and let’s treat it and hopefully it’s gone in couple of days.'”
Meeting Lepchenko, who had been leading 7-6(9), 1-0, for a place in the semifinals will be Muguruza’s doubles partner and fellow Spaniard, Carla Suárez Navarro.
“Carla’s a very tough opponent and she’s playing well so I’m expecting the best from her and I’ll have to fight for every ball,” Lepchenko said.
MONTRÉAL, Canada – No.12 seed Petra Kvitova weathered a rainy day at the Rogers Cup to rain down on Madga Linette, 6-1, 6-2, in just over an hour on Court Central.
Watch live action from Montréal this week on WTA Live powered by TennisTV!
Kvitova’s first North American hardcourt title came in Montréal back in 2012, and he rode those good memories to an emphatic win over Linette on Monday night.
“I think the rain is following women’s tennis right now – wherever we are it’s a rainy day! – so I’m just happy I was able to play. It was the night session, but I just had to wait a little bit longer and I’m glad that I played, I won and I’m through,” Kvitova said after the match.
Linette pushed former No.1 Venus Williams to three sets last week at the Bank of the West Classic, but was overwhelmed by the two-time Wimbledon winner, who won nine of 12 points on second serve return points and didn’t face a break point in any of her own seven service games.
Thanks to the best ball kids! Haha and to the crowd for staying out after the rain, had fun out there tonight ?✌ pic.twitter.com/5p5QakiAhQ
— Petra Kvitova (@Petra_Kvitova) 26 July 2016
Kvitova’s next obstacle as she looks to rouse a slumbering season is either Alizé Cornet or Andrea Petkovic. “My first half of the season wasn’t as great as I would have wished, but I’m always believing that I can come back and play well. This is a chance for me and I’ll do everything I can to go far.”
Another seed making progress in the bottom half was 2011 finalist Samantha Stosur, who finished strongly to get past Heather Watson, 7-5, 6-3. “To get through in straight sets, I’m pretty happy,” Stosur said. “Overall I thought I served pretty well. There weren’t a lot of points off my serve where she could dictate off the first shot.”
Around the grounds, qualifier Camila Giorgi squeaked past Sloane Stephens, 7-6(2), 7-6(4). No.17 seed Elina Svitolina knocked out American qualifier Jennifer Brady, 6-2, 6-4, while Naomi Broady fought back to defeat Monica Puig, 3-6, 6-4, 6-2.
INDIAN WELLS, CA, USA – Kristyna Pliskova is ready to make her mark. As her twin sister No.3 Karolina Pliskova enjoyed a breakout season in 2016, Kristyna quietly carved her own path, grinding away on the ITF Circuit to break into the Top 100, capping off her season with her first title at the Tashkent Open.
Kristyna has continued to build on the momentum gained during her 2016 finish, having notched quality wins over the first three months of the season. She took Johanna Konta to three sets at the Shenzhen Open in January, beat Roberta Vinci in at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships, and steamrolled Daria Kasatkina in the second round of the BNP Paribas Open, winning 6-0, 6-3.
Asked whether she was surprised by how easily she dispatched the No.33 seed, Kristyna spoke with the same candor and self-awareness as her sister.
“Not really because I know how I can play and this wasn’t even my best,” she said. “So I’m not that surprised. Of course, I’m happy because it was easy, by the score at least.”
“When I play fast (with power) it’s very difficult [for my opponents] to put everything in. Especially with [my] serve.”
Happy birthday to us??Love you❤️ pic.twitter.com/1ROwToOfRg
— Kristyna Pliskova (@KrisPliskova) March 21, 2016
Kristyna’s power game in built around that lefty serve. She holds the record for most aces fired in a match, hitting 31 against Monica Puig at the 2016 Australian Open. It’s an obvious difference from Karolina’s right-handed game, but it’s also the most significant, one that compels both sisters to insist that their games are different.
There’s just something about Czech lefties. Growing up together, Kristyna was the more highly-touted of the twins, and she made good on the hype when she won the 2010 Wimbledon junior title; Karolina won the Australian Open junior title that same year. En route, Kristyna beat the likes of Sloane Stephens and Yulia Putintseva, and later became the first of the sisters to crack the Top 100 on the WTA rankings.
But the pro game brought different challenges, and it took Kristyna longer to find a level of consistency to build her ranking.
She finally got traction after the US Open. “I changed coaches because I spent a couple of months alone and it wasn’t working,” Kristyna told WTA Insider earlier this season. “I had no one to travel with. I went once with my father, once with my fitness coach, and it was a mess.
“During the US Open I found one coach, Martin Fassate. He was with Klara Koukalova and Petra Cetkovska, but Petra is injured. He has a lot of experience. He is really, really, really positive. That’s good for me. So we agreed to try in China. We won two tournaments out of three. Not bad.”
“I think I’m improving [my] standard level,” she told reporters in Indian Wells. “So I’m not going one tournament good and then three tournaments, first round, which is perfect for me. I’m happy, but I need more matches with the Top 10 players so I can get used to them a bit too. I think out of the Top 20 and Top 30, I think I’m fine. Not every time, but I feel confident with them. But I think Top 10 is different so we will see on Sunday.”
On Sunday she takes on World No.5 Dominika Cibulkova, who survived a tough test against Jelena Ostapenko in the second round, winning in three sets. It will be her sixth career match against a Top 10 player and she’ll be looking for her first complete match win (she beat Belinda Bencic by retirement last year in Miami).
“I’ve never played her,” Kristyna said. “I will ask Karolina, maybe she will say something. But she has a bad [head-to-head] against her too. So maybe I’ll just stick to my plan. I think last time she won, but, like, five times she lost. Maybe I won’t even ask,” she said, laughing.
Asked whether she thinks playing a Top 10 player is a big jump up, Kristyna said it was more about the mental game. “I played Angelique Kerber in Melbourne and when you go there and play No.1, I just had that in my mind. So she had the first set for free because I had this in my mind.
“I don’t think they play any different level, especially with the girls it can change the ranking a lot,” she said. If you play Serena it’s different. But all the other players I think everybody can beat everybody.”
“My goal is to reach Top 20, but it’s not going to be easy I know, because I have a lot of points to defend in October. But that’s my goal for now.”
❤ pic.twitter.com/bdIy7KnhOm
— Karolina Pliskova (@KaPliskova) February 4, 2017
Kristyna may be champing at the bit to pit her game against the the game’s best, but there’s definitely one player she’s perfectly happy to avoid.
“Not my sister!”
The two have yet to play a tour-level match and were actually slated to potentially face off in the third round at Indian Wells, before Serena Williams withdrew and Karolina was shifted to a different quarter. It was a change that drew a sigh of relief from both sisters, who dreaded the thought of a showdown. That match may not happen here in Indian Wells, but with Kristyna’s continuing rise it will surely come sooner rather than later.
Asked point blank whether she thought she was as good as Karolina, Kristyna did not flinch. “Yes, I do. Maybe better.”
Quick hits with Kristyna Pliskova:
WTA Insider: When did you first know you were good at tennis?
Kristyna: Well, I knew it since I was very little [laughs]. You just know. You just feel it, you can see it how you play. You never know when you’re 10 if you’re going to be really good. A lot of things can change. But when you play, you can feel it.
WTA Insider: When did you believe you could play tennis for a living?
Kristyna: With Karolina we were always traveling with mom since we were really small. We played a 10Ks in Croatia, where there were 128 in qualies. We had to win four rounds, I think? We always fought and we always knew were going to play, even if we made it when we were 18 or 19. I think we always believed.
WTA Insider: What was it like to transition from juniors to pros?
Kristyna: For us, I think it was better because we didn’t play that many junior tournaments. We played, since we were 16, 10ks, 25k ITF tournaments. So it really wasn’t that big of a change. The one year we played Grand Slams was just fun for us.
WTA Insider: What’s your favorite tournament?
Kristyna: Australian Open. It’s big. I like space. And the weather is nice and the staff is so nice.
WTA Insider: What tournament do you look forward to playing that you haven’t played?
Kristyna: I hope I can play Fed Cup one day. I think it can be soon.
WTA Insider: What do you like least about being a pro tennis player?
Kristyna: What I don’t like? I don’t like changing the food when we go from different countries. I’m just used to eating what my mom cooks, or what I cook, or what my boyfriend cooks.
WTA Insider: Do you have any hobbies?
Kristyna: I like shopping.
WTA Insider: Who’s worse, you or Karolina?
Kristyna: I think she’s winning now so she she just buys, and buys, and buys. We went shopping the other day and she had like six bags and I had like four bags. I’m thinking more about the money [laughs]. But we are both bad.
WTA Insider: Do you have any favorite TV shows?
Kristyna: I’m watching The Bridge right now. When I can I like to read something or drawing. It’s more like coloring. It’s good for my mind. I’m not really into sightseeing. If I do something I go shopping, but not going places. But at home I like to go to my parents. They live outside the city and they have some animals. My father has some chickens and rabbits. I help to take care of them. I like nature.
WTA Insider: What app on your phone do you use the most?
Kristyna: WhatsApp. Definitely.
WTA Insider: Who do you text the most?
Kristyna: My boyfriend. And then Karolina. During tournaments we don’t text much. We try to talk a lot but we have different schedules. When we are home, kind of a lot. But with boyfriends, it’s different because they get mad [laughs].
All photos courtesy of Getty Images.
Victoria Azarenka takes on Ysaline Bonaventure in the second round of the Brisbane International.