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Posted: Jan 01, 1970

MELBOURNE, Australia – When Angelique Kerber steps on court for her opening-round match at the Australian Open next week, she will be the first woman to attempt to successfully defend her maiden Slam since Victoria Azarenka did so here in 2013. Much like Kerber, Azarenka came into the Australian Open that year with the No.1 ranking under threat, but the Belarusian came through an emotionally fraught campaign to raise the Daphne Akhurst Memorial Trophy once again, beating Li Na in a three-set final.

One of the keys to Kerber’s breakout run in Melbourne last year was her ability to keep the distractions at bay and keep her fortnight simple. Along with coach Torben Beltz, Kerber went out of her way to downplay the significance of the tournament as a major. It was just another tournament, Kerber told herself. She eschewed the fancier boutique lodging options in Melbourne and stayed at the tournament hotel.

Instead of escaping the site as soon as she could after her matches or practices to get away from the noise and chaos, she chose to eat her meals on-site. She went with the flow. She didn’t fight it. It worked.

After all, in case you forgot the legend of Angie Kerber, she was a point away from being on a plane back to Germany in the first round last year. After escaping with a win over Misaki Doi, Kerber was playing with house money for her next six matches, completely unencumbered by pressure or fear. It all culminated in a gutsy performance that stunned everyone, as she took down Serena Williams in three sets in one of the most thrilling major finals of the last decade.

A year on and Kerber is now a two-time major champion and World No.1. While the No.1 ranking is theoretically at stake in Melbourne, World No.2 Serena would have to reach the final in order to have a chance at overtaking the German, and the path for Serena to that final is a tough one.

The biggest question facing Kerber as she prepares for her Melbourne campaign is simply her state of mind. The concept of “defending a title” is an illusory one. Kerber’s task is not to defend but to do what she does every week she takes the court: try to win the title. No one gets extra points for defending a title.

Whatever accolades they may receive for “defending” is no more than for simply winning yet another major, an incredible accomplishment that stands on its own. In other words, Kerber’s task for the fortnight is not complicated.

So…does she believe that?

Kerber has started her season on a 1-2 clip, taking losses to Elina Svitolina and Daria Kasatkina, neither of whom are bad losses. She looks as fit as ever, but her game has been a touch loose. She’s been prone to leaking untimely errors and double-faults, the types of errors that are more indicative of rust and nerves in tough moments. If she can get on a roll through the first week of the tournament, those nerves should subside and her physical, grinding game should click into place.

The good news for Kerber is that her draw through the first week almost looks designed to help her find her rhythm. She opens against Lesia Tsurenko, who withdrew from the semifinals at the Hobart International with a viral illness, then either countrywoman Carina Witthoeft or a qualifier, with her first seed potentially being Irina-Camelia Begu in the third round. Those are three opponents Kerber should be able to find some rhythm against and gain some confidence.

For her part, Kerber is not an intrinsically complicated personality. She craves simplicity, to just work, and play, go to sleep, and do it all again. This is a new experience for the 28-year-old and a big test of her ability to focus on the task at hand and not get distracted by the white noise that surrounds any World No.1 who is asked to prove themselves week-in and week-out. It is impossible to hide or fly under the radar.

There is no circus like one that surrounds a World No.1 at a Slam. The question for Kerber is whether or not she can tame it in her first go-round.

All photos courtesy of Getty Images.

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Notes & Netcords: April 18, 2016

Posted: Jan 01, 1970

WINNERS

Irina Falconi captured her first WTA title in historic fashion, becoming the first American woman to win the Claro Open Colsanitas as she recovered from a break down in the final set to defeat Sílvia Soler-Espinosa, 6-2, 2-6, 6-4.

Starting the week at No.92, Falconi is tentatively set to return to the Top 70, close to her career-high ranking of No.64. The Ecuadorian-American also dedicated her win to her birthplace, which had just suffered an earthquake on Sunday.

Read the full story here.

Meanwhile, Fed Cup World Group semifinals came to their thrilling conclusion on Sunday, as the Czech Republic and France each swept the decisive doubles rubber to advance to the 2016 Fed Cup final in November.

Read the full story here.

GAME, SET, MATCH: WTA Insider

Game: Irina Falconi dedicates her win to Ecuador.

The Ecuadorian-born American captured her first title in grinding, clay court fashion, beating Sílvia Soler-Espinosa from a break down in the final set to win the Claro Open Colsanitas 6-2, 2-6, 6-4. It was a particularly impressive run for the 25-year-old given she had previously never made it past the third round of any tour-level clay court event. In addition to beating Soler-Espinosa in the final, she also took out an in-form Lara Arruabarrena in the semifinals 6-3, 4-6, 6-2.

A Georgia Tech standout who made her big splash at the 2011 US Open when she defeated No.14 seed Dominika Cibulkova in the second round, Falconi dedicated her win to the victims and survivors of the 7.8 magnitude earthquake that struck Ecuador on Saturday.

“My father is there right now, actually,” Falconi said. “He wanted to come here and watch me play, but obviously with the earthquake travel became complicated. First of all, thank god all my family is fine. But I know it’s a very difficult situation for so many people over there.

“The last 24 hours we’ve just been praying constantly for all the families and the children – I knew there’s a lot of people who’ve been killed already. We’re sending over a lot of prayers.”

Set: Doubles on display at Fed Cup.

Given the Fed Cup format, which sees the doubles played as the final rubber it’s easy to focus solely on the singles rubbers as being the decisive matches. But both France and the defending champion Czech Republic booked their spots in November’s final via the decisive doubles.

The Czechs overcame a heroic performance by 23-year-old Viktorija Golubic, who stepped in for an injured Belinda Bencic to earn two singles wins over Karolina Pliskova and Barbora Strycova, by stunning Martina Hingis and Golubic. Pliskova and Lucie Hradecka teamed up for a surprising 6-2, 6-2 rout of the Swiss team give the Czechs a 3-2 win and put them into their fifth final in six years.

For Amelie Mauresmo’s French squad, it was Charleston champions Kristina Mladenovic and Caroline Garcia who secured the win in the final rubber. They too had to overcome a strong singular performance. In this case it was No.94 Kiki Bertens stunning them both in singles. But Mladenovic and Garcia showed their doubles form, beating Bertens and Rachel Hogenkamp 4-6, 6-3, 6-3 to take France into their first Fed Cup final in 11 years.

Match: Simona Halep, Belinda Bencic, and Caroline Wozniacki fighting injuries.

All three were set to be key cogs in their respective Fed Cup machines but as the European clay season kicks off they’re all battling injury. Halep was finally fit and healthy over the US hardcourt spring but she rolled her ankle in her first singles match for Romania on Saturday against Andrea Petkovic. She was able to come out the next day for a three-set battle with Angelique Kerber but is now racing the clock to find her fitness for what should be a strong part of the season for the 2014 French Open finalist.

Bencic and Wozniacki’s injury woes are far more serious. Bencic is out for at least four weeks due to a back injury, while Wozniacki turned her ankle during practice. Last year the Dane made the final in Stuttgart and the quarterfinals in Madrid. With over 500 points to defend over the next few weeks, Wozniacki could see herself unseeded at the French Open if she can’t get back on the court soon.

RANKING MOVERS:
Notable singles ranking movers for the week of April 18, 2016.

Irina Falconi (USA), +25 (No.92 to 67): Falconi earned the biggest ranking jump of the week when she became the first American to win the title at the Claro Open Colsanitas in Bogota.

Lara Arruabarrena (ESP), +10 (No.86 to 76): Arruabarrena had a dominating run in Bogota – the Spaniard only lost five games in three matches leading up to the semifinals – an as a result she jumps up to No.76, inching closer and closer to her career-high ranking of No.70.

Wang Qiang (CHN), +9 (No.88 to 79): One of three Chinese players ranked inside the Top 100, Qiang Wang rises to a career-high ranking of No.79 after winning back-to-back ITF-level titles.

Timea Bacsinszky (SUI), +1 (No.17 to 16): Bacsinszky rises one spot to No.16, trading places with Elina Svitolina who suffered a surprise first-round loss at the Claro Open Colsanitas.

UPCOMING TOURNAMENTS

Porsche Tennis Grand Prix
Stuttgart, Germany
Premier | $693,900 | Clay, Indoor
Monday, April 18 – Sunday, April 24, 2016

TEB BNP Paribas Istanbul Cup
Istanbul, Turkey
International | $226,750 | Clay, Outdoor
Monday, April 18 – Sunday, April 24, 2016

GP SAR La Princesse Lalla Meryem
Rabat, Morocco
International | $226,750 | Clay, Outdoor
Monday, April 25 – Saturday, April 30, 2016

J&T Banka Prague Open
Prague, Czech Republic
International | $226,750 | Clay, Outdoor
Monday, April 25 – Saturday, April 30, 2016

TOP 20 PLAYER SCHEDULES
1. Serena Williams
2. Agnieszka Radwanska – Stuttgart
3. Angelique Kerber – Stuttgart
4. Garbiñe Muguruza – Stuttgart
5. Victoria Azarenka
6. Simona Halep – Stuttgart
7. Petra Kvitova – Stuttgart
8. Roberta Vinci – Stuttgart, Prague
9. Maria Sharapova
10. Belinda Bencic – Stuttgart
11. Carla Suárez Navarro – Stuttgart
12. Flavia Pennetta
13. Svetlana Kuznetsova – Stuttgart, Prague
14. Venus Williams
15. Lucie Safarova – Stuttgart, Prague
16. Timea Bacsinszky – Rabat
17. Elina Svitolina –
18. Karolina Pliskova – Stuttgart, Prague
19. Ana Ivanovic – Stuttgart
20. Sara Errani – Stuttgart