Tennis News

DUBAI, UAE – 2011 champion Caroline Wozniacki put an end to CiCi Bellis’ dream run at the quarterfinals of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships, notching commanding 6-3, 6-2 win over the 17-year-old American.

Bellis announced herself to the Dubai draw in a big way with her stunning upset over World No.6 Agnieszka Radwanska in the last round to reach her first Premier 5 quarterfinals, but she had no answers against her childhood idol Wozniacki.

“I have been there myself, so I know what it’s like,” Wozniacki said of her young opponent. “I just try to put myself in her shoes.

“For me, it was just very important to stay strong and not show any negative emotions but just stay positive all the time, show that I have the presence on court and really make her play those extra balls and points.

“She would really have to play on a really high level to beat me, because I was going to give that extra ball back. I wasn’t going to just give it to her.”

.@cicibellis99 is ?! #DDFTennis pic.twitter.com/SrQdj4TNOl

— WTA (@WTA) February 23, 2017

The American’s tricky disguised groundstrokes – which troubled Radwanska time and again in the third round – kept Wozniacki second-guessing as the teenager dictated the early rallies. She calmly took the break at 3-1, but it would be the only lead of the match for Bellis as the former World No.1 came roaring back.

Wozniacki kept to her game plan, tracking down every shot and making Bellis play an extra ball to draw out unforced errors. The American’s game plan crumbled, rewarding Wozniacki with the break back to level the match 3-3.

The Dane took full command from there, reeling off nine straight games to grab the opening set and take a daunting 4-0 lead in the second, and she went on to serve out a spot in her sixth straight Dubai semifinals.

The unforced errors count marked the difference between Wozniacki and Bellis: while they were almost evenly matched in winners (12 for Wozniacki to 14), Bellis struck more than twice as many unforced errors with 33 against Wozniacki’s 15.

.@CaroWozniacki advances to @DDFTennis Semifinals!

Cruises past Bellis 6-3, 6-2! pic.twitter.com/GRnNkCy797

— WTA (@WTA) February 23, 2017

“She’s just really solid, really solid off the ground and serving well,” Bellis explained after the match. “[She was] more consistent than me today. Moved me a lot. I think all that combined.

“She’s such a great player. It was really fun for me to see what the highest level is.”

Up next the 2011 champion will take on Anastasija Sevastova for a spot in the final. The pair last met in the quarterfinals of the 2016 US Open, with Wozniacki emerging victorious in a comfortable straight sets.

“She’s a player that mixes the pace up quite a bit,” Wozniacki said. “She’s definitely going to try and get me out of my own rhythm. I’m just excited to play and be in the semifinals once again.”

RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil – With just two days to go until the start of the Olympic tennis event in Rio de Janeiro this weekend, Serena Williams met with the press along with the rest of Team USA at the group’s press conference on Wednesday afternoon.

Serena is the top seed in both women’s singles and doubles (along with older sister Venus Williams) as well as being the reigning gold medalist in both events. All eyes are on the WTA No.1 as she readies for her quest to add another Olympic gold medal to her already impressive haul.

Here are the highlights from Serena’s Team USA press conference.

Serena holds 22 Grand Slam singles titles and has four Olympic gold medals (one in singles, three in doubles). Here’s how she described the unique feeling of winning in both competitions:

“All our lives, us tennis players dream of playing in Grand Slams, winning Grand Slams, having the opportunity to hold that trophy.

“And then there’s the Olympics. Playing the Olympics, it’s totally different. You’re really playing for your country. When I held my first gold medal, it was a feeling that I never expected. I had the opportunity to truly enjoy and appreciate my gold medal probably more than my other trophies.”

And this is what keeps her motivated to keep winning even after earning so many gold medals and Grand Slams titles:

“I love what I do, I do it every day and I enjoy being out on the court. I enjoy competing and right now I just don’t see a time where I say, ‘I don’t want to do it anymore.’

“As long as I’m doing anything – whether I’m playing tennis or doing something else – I always give my maximum effort. That’s just what I bring to the court every day.”

On teaming up again with her older sister Venus for doubles, where they’re vying for a fourth doubles gold medal together:

“We have the opportunity to have someone on tour who completely understands what you’re going through. There are some brothers and sisters on tour. It’s a great experience, it’s a lot of fun. We enjoy it – I don’t think there’s anything out there like it.”

On being back in Brazil for just the second time ever:

“I had so much fun in Sao Paolo a few years ago [for an exhibition match]. It was a great time, and that was my first time here in Brazil.

“I’ve never been to Rio, though. The team actually all just got here today, so we haven’t had too much time to experience it but everything looks really nice and we look forward to spending a long time here, having a long tournament and having wonderful experiences.”

Here’s what she thinks of the much discussed health and safety concerns in Rio:

“I weighed it very heavily. I think everyone here [on Team USA] did as well and we were able to educate ourselves on what to do and how to prepare and how to deal with everything here. If you educate yourself and have preparation, then you can really be ready for anything. And then I think we all had the confidence that we could do it. We’re all prepared. We’re ready.”

She also reflected – kind of – on her historic Wimbledon win a few weeks ago:

“I don’t reflect so much, actually. I usually just move on and focus on the next big event. Especially with Rio being so close, that was my main goal, to make sure I’m ready and prepared to play in the Olympics. The way I see my season hasn’t changed. My season has been, for me, it’s been ok.”

Sania Mirza, India’s most successful female tennis player, has revealed that she is in discussions over a Bollywood movie based on her life following the publication of her autobiography, Aces Against Odds, last year.

“There are some talks going on, but there’s nothing concrete right now,” the 30-year-old told Al Jazeera in an interview. “I’m a private person, so it is a difficult ask of me to open up completely.”

The 41-time WTA doubles champion also said she was aiming to return to the top of the WTA doubles rankings, a position she last held in at the start of 2017.

“We’re trying to win every tournament, whether it’s a Grand Slam or a regular tournament,” she said. “It would be great to get back to number one in the world, but I was there for almost two years. I feel like I just want to keep working hard and playing as long as I enjoy the pressure of competing.”

Mirza, who won the Brisbane International this year with WTA World No.1 Bethanie Mattek-Sands, also has six Grand Slam doubles titles to her name. She won the Australian Open last year to go with her 2015 victories at Wimbledon and the US Open, while in mixed doubles she won the Australian Open in 2009, the French Open in 2012 and the US Open in 2014.

Mirza, whose husband is Pakistan international cricketer Shoaib Malik, also spoke about the impact Bollywood can have in giving other sports exposure in a country obsessed with her husband’s game.

“We try to act like we are a sporting nation two months before the Olympics, Asian Games or Commonwealth Games. Until then, nobody really cares. We need to remember that we have champions outside of cricket, as well.

“Most sports don’t get the kind of support, help or viewership that is given to cricket. But because of movies, the whole country realises who these people are. Bollywood is probably the biggest industry that we have. It’s one way to reach out to the masses and, actually, celebrate.”