Hobart: Elise Mertens vs Monica Niculescu
Elise Mertens takes on Monica Niculescu in the final at the Hobart International.
Elise Mertens takes on Monica Niculescu in the final at the Hobart International.
Timea Bacsinszky takes on Agnieszka Radwanska in the fourth round of the Miami Open.
Elena Vesnina poses at the famous graffiti laneway Hosier Lane in Melbourne on Day 1 of the 2017 Australian Open. (Credit: Fiona Hamilton, Tennis Australia)
Elena Vesnina poses at the famous graffiti laneway Hosier Lane in Melbourne on Day 1 of the 2017 Australian Open. (Credit: Fiona Hamilton, Tennis Australia)
Elena Vesnina poses at the famous graffiti laneway Hosier Lane in Melbourne on Day 1 of the 2017 Australian Open. (Credit: Fiona Hamilton, Tennis Australia)
Elena Vesnina poses at the famous graffiti laneway Hosier Lane in Melbourne on Day 1 of the 2017 Australian Open. (Credit: Fiona Hamilton, Tennis Australia)
Elena Vesnina poses at the famous graffiti laneway Hosier Lane in Melbourne on Day 1 of the 2017 Australian Open. (Credit: Fiona Hamilton, Tennis Australia)
Elena Vesnina poses at the famous graffiti laneway Hosier Lane in Melbourne on Day 1 of the 2017 Australian Open. (Credit: Fiona Hamilton, Tennis Australia)
Elena Vesnina poses at the famous graffiti laneway Hosier Lane in Melbourne on Day 1 of the 2017 Australian Open. (Credit: Fiona Hamilton, Tennis Australia)
Elena Vesnina poses at the famous graffiti laneway Hosier Lane in Melbourne on Day 1 of the 2017 Australian Open. (Credit: Fiona Hamilton, Tennis Australia)
Elena Vesnina poses at the famous graffiti laneway Hosier Lane in Melbourne on Day 1 of the 2017 Australian Open. (Credit: Fiona Hamilton, Tennis Australia)
An interview with Timea Bacsinszky after her win in the quarterfinals of the Miami Open.
MELBOURNE, Australia – No.7 seed Garbiñe Muguruza survived a scare in her opening match against Marina Erakovic to move into the second round at the Australian Open in straight sets, 7-5, 6-4.
“Marina and I played a couple of times and it’s always a tough match,” Muguruza said in her on-court interview. “I’m happy, even with my body, that I won. It was very tough.”
Earlier in the season in Brisbane, Muguruza was forced to retire from her semifinal against Alizé Cornet due to a right thigh injury, and it seemed like the pain still lingered in her Melbourne opener.
Despite taking a close opening set, Muguruza’s movement appeared to be hampered and she struggled with her timing, her usually powerful groundstrokes at times lacking their bite.
The Spaniard’s problems multiplied in the second set, as Erakovic took every opportunity Muguruza’s condition handed her and went up a 4-1 lead.
“It was very tough. You’re playing, then suddenly you start to feel pain in your body,” Muguruza explained. “Obviously I was nervous, so I just tried to be calm, to have a good attitude and keep fighting for the match.”
The New Zealander wasn’t able to hang on to that lead for very long, as Muguruza – with great effort – came roaring back. Erakovic seemed to lose her confidence as Muguruza climbed back up the scoreboard, finally rattling off five straight games to take the match.
Through to the second round in the Australian Open for the fifth straight time, Muguruza awaits the winner of the match between Samantha Crawford and ASB Classic champion Lauren Davis.
There’s a fresh face on the scene at this year’s Australian Open, as 17-year-old Jamiee Fourlis impressed home fans in a convincing first round win.
While Australia’s headlines focused on friend and rival Destanee Aiava, the Melbourne-born Fourlis had an agenda of her own, knocking out former World No. 50 Anna Tatishvili of the United States in straight sets.
“I tried to stay in the moment, tried to keep everything on court. There was nothing to lose today,” Fourlis told reporters post-match. “Winning your first match in a Grand Slam doesn’t come every day. At the moment I’m still trying to take it all in. But it’s an amazing feeling.”
Fourlis lost the 18/U Australian Championships to Aiava just weeks ago, and was able to play qualifying for the year’s opening Grand Slam thanks to a strong run at the annual Wildcard Playoff in late December.
After watching her compatriot Aiava bow out on Day 1, the 17-year-old kept a cool head to advance to the second round in her grand slam debut.
“She handled herself really well under the pressure of playing at home in her first Grand Slam,” childhood coach Kane Dewhurst told wtatennis.com. “She has a lot of support behind her, so it was no surprise to see her play consistently well throughout.”
Dewhurst first worked with the World No. 414 since the age of five, and was certainly impressed with what he saw in Melbourne on Monday.
“Jaimee has always been a clean ball striker. She has weapons on both sides, and it’s now just a matter of understanding when to use them. She has great variety in her game as well, and that’s why she has plenty of growth and development ahead of her.”
Fourlis fought back from an early break down in the second against Tatishvili to close out the match, 6-4 6-3, where she will meet the experienced No.8 seed and two-time Grand Slam champion Svetlana Kuznetsova.
Dewhurst, the owner of Vida Tennis, believes that while the obvious step up in class will be difficult, Fourlis has plenty of upside and could cause an upset.
“Kuznetsova will be a huge step up in class and a massive challenge, but if she can settle early, there is absolutely nothing to lose. The sky is the limit, so I’ll tell her to just get out there and go after it.
“I don’t think we should put any limits on anyone, and there is no reason she can’t cause an upset.”
She certainly has a tough assignment on her hands, but in the shadows of the MCG, home to her beloved football team, the Collingwood Magpies, Fourlis wants all the support she can get in the second round.
“Hopefully some Collingwood players can come and watch!”
Adriano Del Monte, wtatennis.com contributor.
BEIJING, China – Agnieszka Radwanska reclaimed the China Open with a straight-set win over Johanna Konta on Sunday.
A dominant week, in which she did not drop a set was rounded off in style as Radwanska closed out a 6-4, 6-2 victory in an hour and 36 minutes.
Radwanska advanced to the final without dropping a set and early on she looked primed for another routine outing. However, from 5-2 down Konta finally began to display the sort of tennis that upset Madison Keys in the previous round.
She reduced her arrears to 5-4 and even had an opportunity to draw level. This proved to be the turning point, as Konta missed a routine drive volley and a few points later saw the set finally slip away.
The No.3 seed rammed home her advantage at the start of the second, planting a backhand onto the baseline to break in the third game. Konta battled away to the last but was unable to find a way through Radwanska’s defenses. The Pole would finish with just eight unforced errors, wrapping up victory with an ace out wide.
Asia has been a happy hunting ground for Radwanska, winning nine of her 20 career titles there. However, her success in Beijing, where she also triumphed in 2011, is of particular significance: “It’s a very special moment; third final and second title here. It was a really special week for me and it couldn’t be any better.”
“Every title means a lot, but especially here when you play against the best players in the world, in one of the biggest tournaments. It’s top players from the first round and I’ve been playing my best tennis all week so of course I’m very happy to win this tournament again, and this trophy is going to stay in a very special place.”
Radwanska becomes one of four active players to collect three or more Premier Mandatory titles, joining Serena Williams, Maria Sharapova and Victoria Azarenka. Konta, meanwhile, was appearing in her very first final at this level and the disappointment will be tempered by the knowledge that on Monday she will become only the fourth British player to reach the Top 10.
“It’s pretty cool! I’m very pleased with my progress over the past few years and hopefully many more places to climb,” Konta said. “I’m just working hard towards playing matches like these, against players like Agnieszka.”
An even grander stage could await. Konta’s run to the final sees her edge ahead of Dominika Cibulkova and into the final qualifying berth for the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global.
Alison Riske takes on Zhang Shuai in the second round of the Australian Open.
ZHUHAI, China – With the year’s final Premier-Mandatory event at the China Open done and dusted, there were a few key changes to the Huajin Securities WTA Elite Trophy Zhuhai leaderboard.
By virtue of reaching the final in Beijing, Johanna Konta has moved out of the Zhuhai race and Dominika Cibulkova, a finalist at the Dongfeng Motor Wuhan Open, has stepped in.
Carla Suárez Navarro and Svetlana Kuznetsova have kept their spots near the top of the field, along with Wuhan winner Petra Kvitova and defending Zhuhai champion Venus Williams.
But while the top of the Huajin Securities WTA Elite Trophy Zhuhai leaderboard looks solid, the bottom spots could still be up for grabs after a busy three-tournament week.
Barbora Strycova, No.19 on the leaderboard, is 110 points clear of former No.1 Caroline Wozniacki, who has experienced a late-season renaissance. The Dane has carried her form into the Asian swing, and a run to the semifinals or better at the Prudential Hong Kong Tennis Open could put her firmly in contention for Zhuhai.
The year’s final tournament will take place in Zhuhai, China and will run from November 1 to 6. Like last year, the singles draw will feature 11 of the top ranked players and one wildcard, with the winner collecting 700 ranking points.
The Huajin Securities WTA Elite Trophy announced last week that Asian No.1 Zhang Shuai received the wildcard to round out the 12-player field in Zhuhai.
Here’s the latest leaderboard update for the Huajin Securities WTA Elite Trophy Zhuhai as of October 10, 2016:
