Venus Battles Past Surging Kontaveit
No.9 seed Venus Williams edged past a surging Anett Kontaveit for a spot in the second round of Roland Garros.
No.9 seed Venus Williams edged past a surging Anett Kontaveit for a spot in the second round of Roland Garros.
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Madison Keys has confirmed she is once again working with former No.1 Lindsay Davenport as her coach.
Under Davenport’s tutelage, the 21-year-old American made her first major semifinal in 2015, beating Petra Kvitova and Venus Williams to make the Australian Open semifinals. Their partnership ended after that season due to scheduling problems, but Keys confirmed on Friday that Davenport will be her coach in 2017.
“I am very excited to be working with Lindsay again as she’s helped me reach great results in the past and we make an excellent team,” Keys wrote on Twitter.
Unfortunately the partnership won’t debut on court for at least another month. Keys also announced she would be unable to compete at the Australian Open next month as she is still recovering from off-season arthoscopic wrist surgery. When entry lists were released earlier this month, Keys’ name was notably absent from any Australian Open lead-up tournaments.
“While I’ve been training with Lindsay and at USTA in Orlando for a few weeks, I don’t want to rush back and need to take my time to be fully able to perform at my best on court,” Keys said.
pic.twitter.com/MoWzWDoq80
— Madison Keys (@Madison_Keys) December 23, 2016
Keys is coming off her most consistent season to date, finishing the season at No.8 after qualifying for her first BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global in October. After the season she announced a surprise split with veteran coach Thomas Hogstedt due to personality conflicts.
With Davenport she has reunited with a close friend and mentor who has keen insight into Keys’ familiar, powerful game.
Born on November 6, 1987, Ivanovic made her WTA debut in 2003, and played her first main draw in 2004. By the start of 2005, Ivanovic won her first of 15 career titles in Canberra, where, as a qualifier, she earned the rare distinction of beating the same player twice at the same event. She ousted Melinda Czink in the final round of qualifying, and later in the final.
A few months after winning her first title, Ivanovic burst out onto the global stage with a big win over Amélie Mauresmo en route to her first Grand Slam quarterfinal at Roland Garros.
Ana was quickly becoming a household name as she cultivated a legion of fans, who tuned in to watch her win her second career title in 2006, defeating Martina Hingis in straight sets at the Rogers Cup.
In just her third French Open appearance, Ivanovic roared into her first major final, dispatching Maria Sharapova in the semifinals with the loss of just three games.
Ana finished runner-up to Justine Henin, but it was clear a star had been born.
Proving to be a player for all surfaces, Ivanovic went on to the very next major – the 2007 Wimbledon Championships – and reached the semifinals, winning a classic encounter against Nicole Vaidisova along the way.
Ivanovic played her third major semifinal out of four at the 2008 Australian Open, where she staged an odds-defying comeback against Daniela Hantuchova to reach her second Grand Slam final.
Ana was proving more ready for primetime, losing a tense two-setter to Sharapova in Melbourne. Undaunted, Ivanovic went on to win the BNP Paribas Open, but the best was yet to come.
It all came together for Ivanovic that year in Paris, where she played her best tennis of her career to win her maiden major title.
Ana mounted another epic comeback against countrywoman Jelena Jankovic in the semifinals, which helped her become one of just 22 women in WTA history to ascend to World No.1. Ivanovic held onto the top spot for a total of 12 weeks.
Ivanovic was on top of the world, defeating Dinara Safina in straight sets to not only win her first match as No.1, but also the 2008 French Open title.
As champion, Ivanovic earned $1.55 million; throughout her career, she earned $15.5 million on the court, the 20th-highest total of all time.
Injuries and inconsistencies plagued her next two seasons, but the Serb still showed some thrilling tennis indoors, winning back-to-back titles at the WTA Tournament of Champions in Bali, along with two titles in three years in Linz.
Ana achieved the Career Last Eight Club honor at the 2012 US Open. Reaching her first quarterfinal in Flushing, Ivanovic fell to eventual champion Serena Williams.
Ivanovic avenged the loss less than two years later, where she took one of the biggest wins of her career at the 2014 Australian Open, outlasting the then-World No.1 in three sets.
Ivanovic qualified for the WTA Finals three times in her career; her stellar 2014 season helped her return to Singapore for the first time since 2008.
After winning a career-best four titles and 58 matches in 2014, Ivanovic kicked off 2015 by playing one of the best finals of the year, narrowly losing the Brisbane International final to Sharapova in a three-set thriller.
The rest of 2015 saw her struggle with more injuries, but the Serb saved some magic for the French Open, reaching her first Grand Slam semifinal since 2008 at the tournament where it all began for Ivanovic.
Ivanovic qualified for three Olympic Games, playing two in 2012 and 2016. Her last Olympic appearance came in Rio de Janeiro.
Ivanovic played her final career match at the US Open, and announced her retirement on Wednesday, December 28, 2016.
Agnieszka Radwanska survived a scare against Barbora Strycova to reach the fourth round of Roland Garros in three sets.
WTA Insider Courtney Nguyen | Garbiñe Muguruza spoke to reporters ahead of the Brisbane International and made it clear she’s put her rollercoaster 2016 season behind her.
Time to switch gears in Paris. Week two beckons, and the draw has been whittled down to sweet sixteen! We preview the bottom-half matchups at WTATennis.com
Sunday, Round of 16
[2] Agnieszka Radwanska (POL #2) vs. Tsvetana Pironkova (BUL #102)
Head-to-head: Radwanska leads, 9-2
Key Stat: Radwanska has won all three of the pair’s meetings on clay.
Two players not known as clay gurus will vie for a spot in the quarterfinals as they contest their 12th career meeting in Paris on Day 8. A hundred ranking spots separate Agnieszka Radwanska and Tsvetana Pironkova, but that rankings chasm might be misleading because both are executing some of their best clay-court tennis on the terre battue this week. Pironkova has taken out two Top 20 seeds in week one, and was in scintillating form on Friday as she thumped No.19-seeded Sloane Stephens, 6-2, 6-1, to reach the Round of 16 at Roland Garros for the first time. But it is Radwanska who has held the edge in the pair’s head-to-head, winning all three of their encounters on clay, and nine of eleven overall. “Well, we played so many times, but I think the last one was also quite some time ago,” Radwanska said of the Bulgarian. “Against her it’s always a good challenge. She’s really tricky opponent. You know, I expect a tough one as well.”
Pick: Radwanska in three
[4] Garbiñe Muguruza (ESP #4) vs. [13] Svetlana Kuznetsova (RUS #15)
Head-to-head: Kuznetsova leads, 1-0
Key Stat: Kuznetsova (49-12) will bid for her 50th Roland Garros win on Sunday.
One of the more heavily anticipated fourth-round clashes in Paris pits 2009 champion Svetlana Kuznetsova against No.4-seeded Garbiñe Muguruza. Both are rounding into form on the red clay, and both are loose ahead of this high-stakes contest. “I just want to go out there and just try to play my game,” Kuznetsova said after defeating Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in round three. “Since I got a bit better ranking and everything I start to be tense again, and I don’t want it to happen.” Muguruza is taking a similar approach as she prepares to meet Kuznetsova for the second time. “I have a new mindset,” she said. “I’m not thinking of what I did last year, because every time I come to a tournament, no one remembers. People remember who plays good last year, but no one cares. Let’s see who is going to win this year, let’s see who is playing well.”
Pick: Muguruza in three
[6] Simona Halep (ROU #6) vs. [21] Sam Stosur (AUS #24)
Head-to-head: Halep leads, 4-3
Key Stat: Stosur owns a 2-0 edge over Halep at Roland Garros
An injured left wrist has done nothing to slow former runner-up Sam Stosur down in Paris. Will Simona Halep, another former Roland Garros runner-up and the player who absolutely thumped Stosur in Madrid a few weeks back, be able to do it? Maybe yes, maybe no. Either way, the Aussie is not going to carry the baggage from that shellacking into her eighth career meeting with the Romanian. “I’m not going to lose too much sleep over that match going into this next one in a couple days’ time,” Stosur said confidently after squeaking past Lucie Safarova on Day 6. That said, the Aussie knows she’s up against a daunting foe in Halep. When asked what makes Halep such a tough competitor, Stosur was quick with her answer. “I think her ability to continually put you in positions that you don’t necessarily want to be in,” she said. “She’s very consistent. She moves very well. She doesn’t have a big serve but she places it well. So she’s a player that you have to beat. She doesn’t really give too much away.”
Pick: Stosur in three
[25] Irina-Camelia Begu (ROU #28) vs. Shelby Rogers (USA #108)
Head-to-head: First Meeting
Key Stat: This is the first time that two Romanians (Halep, Begu) have reached the Round of 16 at Roland Garros since 1997.
The dream became the reality for 23-year-old American Shelby Rogers on Friday as she stunned No.10-seeded Petra Kvitova to reach the Round of 16 at a major for the first time. “There was a lot of noise and a lot of applause, and a lot of emotions taking over,” Rogers said of the experience. “I immediately started crying, and it was a very incredible moment.” Sunday’s challenge? Rebooting emotionally so that she may handle the task of facing rising Romanian Irina-Camelia Begu. The Bucharest-born 25-year-old is knocking on the door of the Top 20 and has been in great form on the clay, reaching the semifinals in Rome and earning wins over Victoria Azarenka (Rome) and Garbiñe Muguruza (Madrid) this spring. Will Rogers’ wild ride continue, or is it time for Begu to make her mark?
Pick: Begu in two
By the Numbers:
8 – Number of players to have reached the Roland Garros quarterfinals while ranked outside the Top 100 since 1983. Shelby Rogers and Tsvetana Pironkova will bid to become the ninth and tenth today.
4 – Number of former Grand Slam champions to reach the Round of 16 at Roland Garros this year (Kuznetsova, Stosur, Serena Williams and Venus Williams).
4-4 – Stosur’s record against the Top 10 at Roland Garros, which includes a victory over No.1 Serena Williams in 2010.
1 – Agnieszka Radwanska could attain the No.1 ranking at week’s end if she wins the title and Serena Williams does not reach the final.
– Chris Oddo, wtatennis.com contributor
Daria Gavrilova, Kristina Mladenovic, and Andrea Petkovic had New Year’s “rockin” Eve in Perth with ATP legend Roger Federer at the Hopman Cup player party.
BRISBANE, Australia – Garbiñe Muguruza withstood a spirited comeback from Samantha Stosur to triumph in a thrilling opening-round encounter at the Brisbane International on Monday.
To the disappointment of a partisan crowd, Brisbane native Stosur was unable to prevent Muguruza winning, 7-5, 6-7(2), 7-5, in just under three hours.
Historically Stosur has struggled to produce her best tennis in Brisbane, winning only four matches in her six appearances. And under the roof of the Pat Rafter Arena she was in trouble early on, falling behind 0-30 and facing a break point at 2-2 only to bail herself out with a couple of heavy-duty deliveries.
.@GarbiMuguruza wins a brilliant point against @BamBamSam30 at @BrisbaneTennis – but the first set is still on serve. pic.twitter.com/NGM8C4s2O1
— WTA (@WTA) January 2, 2017
They stayed locked on serve until very last game of the set, when Stosur took advantage of a lapse from Muguruza to bring up three set points. But the Spaniard refused to crack under pressure, crushing a deep backhand deep to reach the safety of deuce. A flurry of errors from Stosur in the next give Muguruza the opening she needed to take the set.
Targeting the Stosur backhand, Muguruza twice broke at the start of the second. Each time the hometown favorite hit right back, going on to level in a one-sided tie-break. She carried this momentum into the decider, yet despite forging 4-2 ahead, the ghosts of past appearances came back to haunt her as the No.4 seed produced the more authoritative – and assured – tennis to take a place in the second round.
.@SvetlanaK27 starts 2017 with a big milestone! pic.twitter.com/Fvzzcg8xD8
— WTA (@WTA) January 2, 2017
There she will face Daria Kasatkina. Should she come through that test, another russian, No.5 seed Svetlana Kuznetsova, is her likely quarterfinal foe. Kuznetsova enjoyed a more straightforward start to 2017, registering her 600th career win by easing past Louisa Chirico, 6-2, 6-4.
Also advancing was No.8 seed Roberta Vinci, after she dig deep to see off lucky loser Kateryna Bondarenko, 7-6(4), 6-7(4), 7-6(5).
Go inside the Auckland Player Party with Venus Williams, Caroline Wozniacki, Lucie Safarova and more WTA stars at the ASB Classic.