Tennis News

DOHA, Qatar – No.3 seed Agnieszka Radwanska survived an onslaught from Italy’s Roberta Vinci as the two put together a veritable highlight reel from start to finish in the quarterfinals of the Qatar Total Open. It was the reigning WTA Finals champion, however, who ultimately emerged victorious, beating the No.9 seed, 3-6, 6-2, 6-3.

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“She’s a very tricky player with great hands, so you always expect tricky points from her,” she said during her on-court interview. “I was just trying to be better this time, so I hope you guys enjoyed it and I think it was a great match.”

Coming off a win over another wily veteran in Monica Niculescu in the previous round, Radwanska outdid herself with some throwback tennis on Thursday; she and Vinci came to net a combined 101 times, while the Pole hit 40 winners to just 27 unforced errors. Vinci was not too far behind with 36 winners and 20 unforced.

With more than couple of candidates for Shot Of The Year in one match, Radwanska admitted she sometimes surprised herself against Vinci: “I’m like, ‘Oh my god, that was in?’ But that’s the way I play, and against Roberta, it’s a lot of rallies and tricky shots and different points. Our games are very entertaining.

“I’m just very happy to play those shots. Winning shot of the year makes me so happy. I always appreciate those votes; I’m also happy to hear that my tennis is very enjoyable and entertaining.”

Up next for Radwanska is No.8 seed Carla Suárez Navarro, who confirmed her return to the Top 10 with a straight-sets win over qualifier Elena Vesnina earlier in the day.

“Carla is a great player, very solid from the back. We just played a few weeks ago in Melbourne. I won that one, but it’s never easy against her. It’ll be a nice challenge for me against Carla, and I’ll try my best.”

Radwanska and Vinci certainly broke the internet with their stellar shot-making; check out some of the best points and what some of their fellow players had to say below:

Nice touch, @ARadwanska! ? #WTA https://t.co/8DHWurztuF

— WTA (@WTA) February 25, 2016

Loving this match between @roberta_vinci & @ARadwanska! So much variety tennis & both literally ending every single points at the net?#doha

— Kristina Mladenovic (@KikiMladenovic) February 25, 2016

Behind the back! ?

No big deal for @ARadwanska. #WTA https://t.co/IFwtkRDplA

— WTA (@WTA) February 25, 2016

Ok ladies this is sick tennis.

— Kristina Mladenovic (@KikiMladenovic) February 25, 2016

You've GOT to be kidding me @ARadwanska! ? #WTA https://t.co/StrJrLd5pE

— WTA (@WTA) February 25, 2016

Same. ? pic.twitter.com/I0UZuSE8wj

— WTA (@WTA) February 25, 2016

@WTA @ARadwanska Sick!!!???

— Elena Vesnina (@EVesnina001) February 25, 2016

@WTA @ARadwanska that's just ridiculous!!!?????

— Jarmila Wolfe (@tennis_jarkag) February 25, 2016

ACAPULCO, Mexico – Sloane Stephens needed just 54 minutes to cruise to her second WTA final of the year after an uncomplicated victory over No.8 seed Yanina Wickmayer at the Abierto Mexicano Telcel, 6-2, 6-0.

Watch live action from Doha & Acapulco this week on WTA Live powered by TennisTV!

The pair had faced off only once before, with Stephens coming out the victor of a straight forward 6-1, 6-3 match at the Miami Open. This encounter would prove to be no more difficult for the 22-year-old American.

“Obviously playing in the semifinals of any tournament is going to be tough,” Stephens said of her commanding victory. “Fortunately today I played some really solid tennis and played really well. It was a good day for me.”

Stephens set the pace early on, breaking and holding at love to give herself some breathing room at 4-1. The Belgian wasn’t displaying any of the form that saw her come back from two points away from defeat in the first round or upset Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in the quarterfinals. Wickmayer was spraying errors off both wings, finally shooting a forehand long to give Stephens set point, which she seal with a powerful forehand.

Stephens played a near perfect second set, overpowering the increasingly frustrated Wickmayer in a 6-0 shutout, not facing a single break point and winning every one of her first serve points.

“I’m feeling good and I’m excited to be back in another final,” Stephens said. “I’m playing well so I’m excited to get back on court tomorrow and compete.”

At this time last year, Stephens was facing a disappointing string of first and second round losses – including one in the first round here in Acapulco. Now in 2016, she’s already got a title under her belt and is into her second final of the year. What’s changed for the 22-year-old?

“I’m just in a different place,” Sloane said. “I’ve played a lot of matches this year already and got some of the confidence going, built up some momentum. I’m just trying to keep that going here in Acapulco.”

Stephens is set to play against 2014 Acapulco winner Dominika Cibulkova in tomorrow’s final. Their head to head is tied at 1-1, with Cibulkova coming away the winner of their most recent encounter at Toronto last year.

BIEL/BIENNE, Switzerland – Marketa Vondrousova’s fairytale week continued at the Ladies Open Biel Bienne; the qualifier roared back from a first set deficit to surprise countrywoman and top seed Barbora Strycova, 7-6(3), 6-2 and book her first WTA final appearance alongside Estonian youngster Anett Kontaveit. Kontaveit triumphed in a 6-4, 4-6, 7-5 thriller against Aliaksandra Sasnovich earlier in the day.

A week after teenagers Daria Kasatkina and Jelena Ostapenko fought for the Volvo Car Open title, the WTA field continued to serve youth in Biel/Bienne, with 23 as the average age of the semifinalists – and that’s including 31-year-old Strycova.

Defense to offense from Vondrousova!

Back on serve #WTABiel pic.twitter.com/Iq1uDQk3R7

— WTA (@WTA) April 15, 2017

Vondrousova, who reached two Slam semifinals and won two major doubles titles as a junior, was playing her first tour-level semifinal, and that experience showed early as the World No.18 raced out to a 5-2 lead, later holding a set point in the 12th game of the opener.

The teenager gamely saved it behind a booming lefty serve and saved her best tennis for the ensuing tie-break, striking a screaming winner to clinch it.

First set ? Marketa Vondrousova

Saves a set point to surprise Strycova 7-6(3)! #WTABiel pic.twitter.com/7wJHPy2X8i

— WTA (@WTA) April 15, 2017

Strycova struggled to counter her fellow Czech’s aggressive game on the indoor hardcourts as Vondrousova took a 5-2 lead of her own in the second, breaking serve for the fourth and final time to advance into the biggest final of her career.

17 year old qualifier Marketa Vondrousova reaches FIRST #WTA Final!

Stuns Strycova 7-6(3), 6-2 @WTABielBienne! pic.twitter.com/YKFgxhkRIC

— WTA (@WTA) April 15, 2017

In all, the qualifier played a clean match, striking 22 winners to 13 unforced errors; Strycova’s own 13 winners were undone by 20 unforced errors.

Anett Kontaveit and Aliaksandra Sasnovich open @WTABielBienne Semifinals! pic.twitter.com/PAfhqglB2r

— WTA (@WTA) April 15, 2017

Awaiting Vondrousova in the final is another former junior prodigy in Kontaveit, who reached the US Open girl’s singles final back in 2012 and outlasted Sasnovich to start Semifinal Saturday.

“I feel really good, and really happy to be in my first final,” she said after the match.

Back in the Top 100 after reaching the third round of the Miami Open, the unseeded Estonian battled through a high-quality encounter with Sasnovich, who was playing her first WTA semifinal since 2015.

Anett Kontaveit takes a close opening set vs Sasnovich 6-4! #WTABiel pic.twitter.com/KuezLGrvmB

— WTA (@WTA) April 15, 2017

“I was down a break twice in the third set, but I tried to stay in there even though she was playing really well. I was just trying to stay with her do what I always do: fight and not give up.

“Mentally, I toughed it out.”

Hitting 26 winners to the Belarusian’s 29, Kontaveit’s consistency won the day, hitting 17 unforced errors against Sasnovich’s 29, and won four more points (114 to 110) by match’s end, converting her WTA final on her fourth match point after two hours and 24 minutes on court.

Drop shot Anett Kontaveit! ? #WTABiel pic.twitter.com/XzM7w5UjLP

— WTA (@WTA) April 15, 2017

It will be Kontaveit’s first meeting with Vondrousova, and knows to expect another tough match if she hopes to hoist her first WTA trophy.

“She’s had really good wins, and it looks like she’s playing well this week.”

First #WTA Final!

Anett Kontaveit battles past Sasnovich 6-4, 4-6, 7-5 at @WTABielBienne! pic.twitter.com/WkGZC8LdNr

— WTA (@WTA) April 15, 2017

More to come…

After two months of unexpected results, what does it all mean as the tour prepares for the grueling high-stakes tournaments in tennis’ version of March Madness at the BNP Paribas Open and Miami Open?

On this episode, WTA Insider Senior Writer Courtney Nguyen and Web Editor David Kane reconvene to discuss the action at the Qatar Total Open in Doha, where Carla Suárez Navarro emerged from the beaten and battered draw to win the biggest title of her career. They also talk about the impressive week from 18-year-old Latvian Jelena Ostapenko, who tore through the Doha draw to make her second WTA final, and have mixed emotions surrounding Agnieszka Radwanska, Garbiñe Muguruza and Andrea Petkovic’s recent results.

Courtney and David also discuss the action at the Abierto Mexicano Telcel in Acapulco, where Sloane Stephens and Dominika Cibulkova played one of the best matches of the year in the final, which saw Sloane edge it out to become the first woman to two titles this year.

Kane on Suárez Navarro: “It’s very impressive but I still think there are a lot of questions about what this means for Suarez Navarro in terms of where she goes from here. She ended up having the best week of the top-ranked players but still, when she is in really high pressure situations against the biggest names in tennis, how will she stand up? I think mentally we’ve seen her answer a lot of those questions so far this year alone. Setting goals to be in the Top 10? Check. Top 5? Really close. Of all the players to make New Year’s Resolutions, I think you want to model your New Year’s Resolution game after Suárez Navarro. She’s one of the few big names getting things done in 2016.”

Nguyen on Radwanska: “I’m curious to see what she does in Indian Wells and Miami. Was this just a bad day at the office, a tough turnaround of 24-hours to play that match, or is it more of a sign? Obviously she’s great on hardcourts and is a former champion in Miami. If she can rebound there, then she’s all right. She’s still one of the best players at the start of the season. So maybe it was just a bad day. We’ll see.”

Nguyen on ‘Winning Ugly’: “On some level you wonder if this is a generational thing. If you are younger and you’ve grown up in this era of parity, in this era of everyone’s on upset alert at all times, everyone can pull up an upset at all times, and you’re just used to it, maybe you don’t panic as much because it’s the new normal. It is just what you are to expect in a tennis match.”

Kane on Stephens: “This is the best I’ve seen Sloane Stephens play a match from start to finish. For all the hype and all the prognosticating about the future and the potential of Sloane Stephens we really saw everything from her in this final. We saw the power, we saw the athleticism, most impressively we saw the defense, and more impressively, we saw she did not get down on herself.”