WTA Insider David Kane | Fresh off her first win in Zhuhai, Caroline Garcia laughed through a harrowing experience that kept her grounded at the Doha airport for 14 hours earlier this year.
MADRID Spain – With a manic Sunday of first rounds in the books, which players will step into the spotlight as the Mutua Madrid Open’s second round gets underway?
Monday, Second Round
[4] Victoria Azarenka (BLR #5) vs. Alizé Cornet (FRA #49)
Head-to-head: Azarenka leads 4-0
Key Stat: Azarenka’s last three matches against Cornet have gone three sets.
Azarenka’s undefeated head-to-head against the enigmatic Alizé Cornet is decidedly deceptive, given that the Frenchwoman has had her chances in each of their last three encounters – none bigger than when they faced off on clay at the 2013 French Open.
“I dropped one or two games,” Cornet said after the match, adding, “but that’s enough for your head to go under the water.”
Ordinarily, the former World No.11 would be expected to tread water just fine against the two-time Australian Open champion, but while the Belarusian is playing some of her best tennis – winning her 15th straight match (including Fed Cup) in her first round on Sunday – Cornet is still trying to find her rhythm after a back injury threatened to derail her whole season. The veteran was struggling to put away 2015 French Open junior champion Paula Badosa Gibert when the young Spaniard was forced to retire due to cramps.
Azarenka is eager to prove her prowess on what has been one of her weaker surfaces – she has only reached the French Open semifinals once in her career, compared to two at each of the other three major tournaments. But Cornet loves a big stage – never forget her stunning win over Serena Williams at the 2014 Wimbledon Championships – and is among the few women to have had a day off on Sunday, having played her first round on Saturday.
[Q] Elena Vesnina (RUS #54) vs. [5] Petra Kvitova (CZE #6)
Head-to-head: First meeting
Key Stat: Vesnina is 4-1 against Top 20 opponents in 2016
Speaking of deceptive, the Q next to Elena Vesnina’s name belies her ability to take on (and take out) big name opposition this season. With the first three months already in the books, the Russian has nabbed wins over Simona Halep, Caroline Wozniacki, Venus Williams, and Sara Errani at the Qatar Total Open, Miami Open, and Volvo Car Open, respectively. Her biggest success, however, came in Charleston where, again as a qualifier, the veteran reached the final for the second time in her career, dropping two games against No.2 seed Belinda Bencic and winning seven matches in a row before fading against Sloane Stephens in the championship match.
Somehow, Vesnina and Kvitova have managed to avoid one another thus far in their careers, but if early clay court form is any indication, this should be quite the spectacle on Court Manolo Santana. The two-time Wimbledon winner came into this year’s clay swing with renewed determination, which not only helped her reach the semifinals of the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix two weeks ago, but also easily dismiss Spanish clay courter Lara Arruabarrena on Sunday. Vesnina, too, had few issues in her opening round main draw match, dropping a second set bagel on teenager Jelena Ostapenko to win in under 90 minutes.
Vesnina’s most memorable clay court successes have come on the North American har-tru, but is a former French Open champion in doubles with Ekaterina Makarova, and the red clay at altitude should also serve her well on Monday.
Around the grounds: No.3 seed Garbiñe Muguruza will look to follow up her solid first round win with a second round victory over Irina-Camelia Begu, who narrowly edged past Eugenie Bouchard in three sets. No.13 seed Karolina Pliskova will open play on court Arantxa Sanchez against American Christina McHale, while Louisa Chirico will try to continue her unexpected run in Madrid against No.14 seed Ana Ivanovic. Barbora Strycova attempts to back up her upset over No.2 seed Angelique Kerber on Estadio 3 against Madison Keys, while No.16 seed Sloane Stephens takes on Patricia Maria Tig and No.12 seed Elina Svitolina faces off against former doubles partner Daria Gavrilova on Pista 4.
Elina Svitolina takes on Johanna Konta in the semifinals at the Huajin Securities WTA Elite Trophy Zhuhai.
MADRID, Spain – No.4 seed Victoria Azarenka won her 16th straight match in the second round of the Mutua Madrid Open, taking out rival Alizé Cornet, 6-3, 6-2.
Watch live action from Madrid this week on WTA Live powered by TennisTV!
“I had two completely different type of players this week, and I’m adjusting pretty well,” Azarenka said after the match. “It’s just day by day progress, trying to get the game together.”
Though the Belarusian had never lost to Cornet in four previous encounters, three of those meetings went the distance, and with the two hitting 19 and 17 winners respectively, it was clear both women came to play. Azarenka raced ahead by a double break to start the match, and though Cornet would claw one back, she ultimately bowed to the pressure of the former No.1’s powerful returns, converting on her fourth set point.
“I feel that this year is going to be all about making progress and trying to improve, making errors but still improving.”
The second set came down to more missed opportunities for the Frenchwoman, who won but one of her eight break point chances in the match, while Azarenka took five or nine to advance into the third round in one hour and 23 minutes.
“She’s a good player; she’s always going to be a tricky opponent because she’s a great fighter and has a lot of variety. But I was trying to focus more on myself and that’s what helped me to get through today.”
Up next for the two-time Australian Open champion is qualifier Louisa Chirico, who is making the most of her main draw debut in Madrid with a stunning 5-7, 6-1, 6-3 win over 2008 French Open champion Ana Ivanovic.
Earlier in the day, Christina McHale continued her solid spring swing with a 7-6(3), 6-4 upset over No.13 seed Karolina Pliskova; McHale was part of the American Fed Cup team that upset Australia, defeating former French Open finalist Samantha Stosur in a crucial singles rubber.
Petra Kvitova powered her way to the final of the Huajin Securities WTA Elite Trophy Zhuhai with the help of her dominating first serve – SAP Coaches View shows how she got it done.
MADRID, Spain – With a renewed perspective on her career, Sorana Cirstea is ready to get back to work. The 26-year-old reached a career-high No.21 in 2013 thanks to her run to the final of the Rogers Cup that year, but a debilitating shoulder injury a year later sent her results into a downward spiral.
Ranked as low as No.248 in 2015, Cirstea has slowly built her ranking back up by grinding away on the ITF Circuit. In January she reached back-to-back Challenger finals in Brazil, winning a 25K in Bertioga, and made her first WTA semifinal in three years at the Rio Open.
She’s up to No.127 this week and made good on a wildcard into the Mutua Madrid Open, where she beat Jelena Jankovic 6-4, 6-3 in the first round.
WTA Insider sat down with Cirstea after that win to talk about her tough journey back from injury and why she’s relishing the challenge of getting herself back on the regular tour.
WTA Insider: Congratulations. You must be feeling pretty good.
Cirstea: I’m very happy to be back at this type of tournament, and I’m happy to start with a win. I see this as a new career for me coming after the shoulder injury. Every match is important.
WTA Insider: How is the shoulder, in general? Are you 100% back?
Cirstea: My problem is always going to be there, so now it’s a matter of being able to manage it and to do my daily exercises and keep the shoulder [strong] and doing the rehab well.
I need to be careful because my problem is going to be there for the rest of my career. Now I’ve gotten used to it, but it’s very important how I do the things. Now I think I know how to manage it; I’ve changed my serve, and that puts less pressure on my shoulder, and so far things are well. I started the year playing ITF 25Ks in Brazil, and now I do think I’m on the right track.
WTA Insider: Could you give more details on the shoulder injury?
Cirstea: My shoulder is too flexible; it was luxating. That’s the main issue, but then I have some impingement and problems with the biceps and deltoids. Compensation injuries. A whole world of problems there, but as I said, I found a good way to do my daily exercises and I do a good rehab every day. Of course, it takes a lot of time. But I’m happy because it’s working, and for me to be able to be back on the court and actually enjoy playing pain-free. It’s amazing.
WTA Insider: What have you changed in your service motion to take some of the stress away?
Cirstea: I used to have a normal, full extension, and now I just do the abbreviated. For me, the pain was when I was going all the way up. We tried that and it was actually quite good from the beginning, but of course, you need repetition, rhythm and coordination.
So far, it’s going ok and I studied a lot of abbreviated serves. I was looking at Andy Roddick’s, and he had a really good serve! But it was interesting because I started to be more careful, to watch a little bit more and understand tennis from a different perspective. I think all of this has helped me.
WTA Insider: Do you think you’re a different player now, than before?
Cirstea: Definitely. I actually told my coach the other day, ‘If I’d had this head two or three years ago, I’d be in a different place right now,’ but I think it’s about growing up and maturing, and having this team I have right now, I’m very happy. We communicate very well.
The most important thing for me is how I see tennis right now: I’m lucky to be here, and I appreciate it. I’m not taking anything for granted anymore, because I remember when I was staying at home on my couch watching the matches. It’s nice, so I want to enjoy every single day because it goes very quickly.
WTA Insider: Can you enjoy it when you’re grinding on the ITF Circuit?
Cirstea: I think my coach was key in my comeback because I actually started with him in the summer. My shoulder was still not very good so we couldn’t do a lot, but since November it’s been steady and we did a good off-season.
We went to Brazil, and he told me, ‘You know what, Sorana? I appreciate you, because you are trying to come back and fighting through this. You could have put the racquet away and started whatever you wanted. But the fact that you are here, struggling, playing girls who are 17, 18 years old. For me it’s hat’s off. You should see it this way, as a challenge.’
How far can I go? Now it’s a challenge with myself, if I can get back up there again and how far I can go. I’m seeing it from a different perspective.
WTA Insider: So many players who’ve come back have a different perspective on things, and with maturity, a lot of older players will say, ‘When I was younger, I took things for granted.’ When you look back on your first career, what does taking it for granted look like?
Cirstea: I think for me, I started very young. At 17, I was already in the Top 100, so I got in very quickly into this. I don’t think I was mature enough, and maybe I needed my parents a little bit more. They were busy, so they couldn’t travel that much, and I needed support in that time because you’re basically all alone in the world with your coach or team. I think I didn’t really know how to communicate.
For example, after a loss, I wasn’t able to handle it. Those were very tough; I would lose and two-three days later, I was still sad about that match and suddenly the next tournament was coming and I wasn’t ready. It was different, but it’s about maturing and that’s a tough side that people don’t see. When you come to the tour so young, you really need stability from your family and to have the right people around you, that can guide you on the right path and keep you there.
Of course at 17, 18, I was 30 in the world and wondering, ‘Why aren’t I Top 10?’ I think this is taking things for granted instead of saying, ‘I’m 18, I’m No.30 in the world, let’s work to get better.’ I think that’s life; unfortunately you can’t have it all.
WTA Insider: Why is it so hard to have that perspective when you’re young?
Cirstea: People don’t teach you how to handle losses. As a junior, I was always winning, but you get to the point where you’re playing professionals, and this is the top, this is the end. In juniors, I was really good at 14, I go to 16. I was really good at 16, you go to 18, so it’s always another level. Now you’re here and the first year is really good because you’re young and have adrenaline. But then people start to learn your game, and then it’s very important to actually have your feet on the ground.
It’s hard because I think, ‘Why did I stress so much?’ But when you’re there in the point, losing a match seems like the end of the world and you put so much pressure on yourself. It’s a tough sport, mentally, so that’s why I do believe it’s important to have that mental support at a young age.
WTA Insider: When you sit down with your team, what are you goals for the year?
Cirstea: Now I’m not so focused on the ranking, because I think ranking is a consequence of the things you do. I’m not so desperate as I was before; if I would practice well, I wanted the result to come straight away. Now I know that if I’m doing things right, the results will come sooner or later.
I think I have a good schedule with training, physical, rehabbing, strengthening. I think I found a right way to do things that for me, it’s good because it keeps my mind busy and I’m working all day. I put my head down, I stay there, and for me it works. It’s a good way, and like I said, the main thing is training and doing the right things. Before, it didn’t matter if I lost a match, no matter how I played. Now, if I can take something positive out of the match, it’s a step forward, even if I lost.
All photos courtesy of Getty Images.
ZHUHAI, China – Huanjin Securities WTA Elite Trophy Zhuhai Ambassador and 22-time Grand Slam champion Stefanie Graf had a front row seat to the rise of World No.1 Angelique Kerber.
“She would take little breaks in the year and come to Las Vegas to train and prepare herself,” she told WTA Insider during a media Q&A on Sunday. “I had a chance to watch and help a little but, but she’s the one doing the hard work. She’s the one showing that determination and commitment.
“I felt she always had the talent and the strengths; she’s been working hard. She just needed that one win to get her mindset changed to where she could start believing in herself. She was really able to do that in the last year or two, where she started realizing that she can beat top players. That belief really changed her game around; she’s been playing with a lot more confidence, and you can see that she’s a different player on the court. With each victory, it seemed like she got stronger and more comfortable with herself on the court.”
With Kerber leading a strong German contingent – one that already includes Julia Goerges, Andrea Petkovic, Sabine Lisicki, and Laura Siegemund – Graf is hopeful for a surge in national interest in the sport she once dominated.
“I think we’ve had such strong talent in Germany over the past few years; we had a lot of great players pushing each other. For her to push through has been really important for German tennis because where we’ve seen a lot of growth here, we’ve seen fewer tournaments in Germany where we used to be really strong.
“For her to have that success, and a lot of the other players being strong behind her, that should hopefully strengthen tennis in Germany and Europe again.”
Graf wouldn’t count out former No.1 Serena Williams, who matched her Grand Slam total this year at Wimbledon, as Kerber’s biggest challenge in 2017.
“With Serena, she’s definitely had a little bit of a harder year; she wasn’t able to play as many tournaments as she might have wished to be ready for the Grand Slams. But she’s too incredible of a player to be underestimated in the coming year.
“Consistency is what we’re all striving for on the court; it’s difficult with different surfaces, different time zones and different climates. It’s a long year in tennis.”
Serving as WTA Elite Trophy Ambassador at the end of the season proved to be an easy decision for Graf; the German had never before traveled to China and has thoroughly enjoyed taking in the sights throughout the region. She arrived late Friday night and was greeted by a throng of fans at her hotel, and has since participated in several clinics with junior players, a trip to the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge with Caroline Garcia, and the coin toss for the final between Petra Kvitova and Elina Svitolina.
“The desire has always been there to come visit China. I can say I’ve traveled the world, but there’s a few places I haven’t been but have the wish to go. I love to travel and experience different cultures. Tennis is such a great and growing sport in China; to be part of it, and hopefully help just a little bit bring the sport to our young talents, it’s a great opportunity.
“I do enjoy a coastline, and even having the possibility to drive around and get the chance yesterday to be playing a little bit of tennis on the longest bridge in the world. That was an incredible sight. The city has a lot of beautiful parts I’ve seen just by driving along, but also looking at little mountains and hills. We’ve enjoyed taking walks in the morning, jogging along the water and seeing people on early strolls of their own.
“You have so many possibilities here, so it seems like a vibrant city everyone can enjoy.”
Check out more quick hits from Graf on what she makes of the tournament, how tennis can continue growing in China, and even what she makes of new ATP World No.1 Andy Murray.
What an honor to meet & play with the Legend, Steffi Graff! And why not do it on the longest cross sea bridge in the World! #WTAEliteTrophy pic.twitter.com/LzFOGlqGtN
— Caroline Garcia (@CaroGarcia) November 6, 2016
On the Zhuhai venue…
I’m looking at an incredible facility right now. The center court couldn’t be nicer; I got a chance to play a little bit on the outside courts yesterday, and they play beautifully. In terms of the environment – from locker rooms, to physiotherapy to massages – I thought the organization has been exceptional. I feel there’s a strong passion for tennis here, and you can feel a high level excitement from everyone on the grounds. Everyone has been so accommodating and able to help whenever you have questions. There’s a really cute conversation card in the tournament transportation vehicle, where if a driver doesn’t completely understand you, there’s a list of different questions you could have in different languages. It’s all extremely well thought through. I’m sure all the other players will agree that the organization has been top notch.
On the city’s plan to further integrate tennis into the Zhuhai landscape…
I just learned quite a bit last night and this afternoon, sitting down with some of the CTA members, as well as the mayor and vice-mayor. Just from those discussions, it seems that there’s a lot of vision already in hand, where they’re already in the second and third stages of development. They’re talking about developing a tennis academy as well as increasing the amount of tennis played in schools. It seems that there’s a lot of planning going on. With the interest and passion that I’ve seen around this tournament, I believe that there’s going to be fast growth.
It seems that everyone is very enthusiastic about it. I think from what I hear, it’s still a very new sport, because for long periods, China couldn’t watch a lot of tennis on TV. The enthusiasm is there, and just seeing the growing tournaments over the last few years has been great. During my career, we didn’t have a big women’s tournament here, so the growth in this sector is clearly immense. So the industry and fans are here; I believe that from what has already been done that we all need to be on the lookout for even more growth.
On Andy Murray ascending to World No.1…
I didn’t even know until you told me just now! It happened last night, so I hadn’t caught the news. It’s the result of some incredible tennis that he’s been playing over the last few years, and so it’s well deserved. When you look at men’s tennis, the level has been so phenomenal for such a long time; it’s still a tight race with Djokovic, players like Federer and Nadal. It’s fascinating to watch men’s tennis with how close it is. How long will he be able to hold on? I don’t know, but I’ll be looking forward to seeing what next year will bring.
On the importance of consistency throughout a long season…
Consistency is what you strive for. It’s pretty difficult to achieve in the world of tennis. There are very few sports played all year long. In my career, it was an 11-11.5 month long season; now it’s gotten a little short, more like 10 months. But it’s really difficult to hold the highest level throughout the year. Ideally, you try to pace yourself through it, meaning you pick and choose your tournaments, and take time in between. With Angie, she did a fantastic job peaking at the big tournaments this year, with strong showings at the Grand Slam tournaments.
On the next generation of players…
I think it’s important for everyone to find their individual way, their presence, and their style. I think in terms of my style of play, it’s not around so much anymore with one-handed backhand slice, and keeping the ball low. That’s a very unusual thing; I think tennis has changed quite a bit through the last few generations. But the good thing is that everyone finds their own way to become who they are.
.@WTAEliteTrophy Ambassador Stefanie Graf was on hand for a fan activity and Media Q&A in Zhuhai pic.twitter.com/ndblZTBc5y
— WTA Insider (@WTA_insider) November 6, 2016
All photos courtesy of WTA Elite Trophy.
Martina Hingis and Sania Mirza made a confident start to their Mutua Madrid Open challenge, seeing off Chuang Chia-Jung and Daria Jurak in under an hour.
It’s time to vote for October’s WTA Player of the Month!
Have a look at the nominees and cast your vote before Thursday at 11:59pm ET! The winner will be announced Friday, November 11.
October 2016 WTA Player Of The Month Finalists
Dominika Cibulkova: Cibulkova needed to win the Generali Ladies Linz to qualify for her debut appearance at the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global. The Slovak did just that, defeating Viktorija Golubic in straight sets in the final and clinching what became a winning berth in Singapore. From 0-2 down in round robin play, Cibulkova stunned 2014 finalist Simona Halep and outgutted Svetlana Kuznetsova in the semifinals before putting on a masterclass against World No.1 Angelique Kerber to win the biggest title of her career.
Angelique Kerber: Kerber didn’t walk away with the title in Singapore, but nonetheless impressed as she clinched the Year-End No.1 ranking. Undefeated in round robin play, she brushed aside defending champion Agnieszka Radwanska before falling to Cibulkova in a high-quality final.
Agnieszka Radwanska: The Pole ended another solid season with a Premier Mandatory title at the China Open, where she defeated Johanna Konta in the final. Playing to defend her Singapore crown, Radwanska put down a pair of quality wins in round robin play, ultimately bowing out to World No.1 Kerber in the semifinals.
2016 Winners
January: Angelique Kerber
February: Carla Suárez Navarro
March: Victoria Azarenka
April: Angelique Kerber
May: Garbiñe Muguruza
June: Serena Williams
July: Simona Halep
August: Monica Puig
September: Petra Kvitova
How it works:
Finalists are selected by wtatennis.com
Winner is then determined by a fan vote on wtatennis.com
MADRID, Spain – No.8 seed Carla Suárez Navarro was down an early break to the always dangerous Sabine Lisicki, but the Spaniard hit back against the former Wimbledon finalist, winning five of the next six games to run away with the match, 6-3, 6-2, and reach the third round of the Mutua Madrid Open.
Watch highlights, interviews and more video from Madrid right here on wtatennis.com!
“I wasn’t expecting a match in two sets given how I was feeling today,” she told press after the match. “I tried to be out there on the court. I tried to focus and go point by point, game by game.”
With countrywoman Garbiñe Muguruza bowing out late last night, the pressure for hometown glory was firmly on Suárez Navarro as the day session headed into its second match on Court Manolo Santana. Capable of pulling off an upset on any given day, Lisicki looked game for the challenge early on, breaking serve to start and holding to earn a 2-0 lead.
Though dealing with the effects of an upper respiratory illness – one that would later force her and Muguruza to pull out of their second round doubles match against Alla Kudryavtseva and Vania King – Suárez Navarro remained steady, and while Lisicki’s full power game was on display throughout – hitting ten more winners than her higher-ranked opponent – she was ultimately undone by her number of errors (37 to 16).
“Today I have really bad cold so I tried to be on court. I tried to play my game. You know, I was one hour or court.
“I feel good. I win. It’s the most important for me right now.”
For her part, the crowd favorite broke the German’s serve five times, and wrapped up the match in just over an hour, winning the final three games of the match and serving out the win to love.
Up next for Suárez Navarro is former French Open finalist Samantha Stosur, who advanced earlier today when Lucie Safarova was forced to withdraw due to a gastrointestinal illness.
“I’m really sorry to have to withdraw from the Mutua Madrid Open,” the J&T Banka Prague Open champion said in a statement. “I’m unfortunately too unwell to compete. The tournament is so well run and Madrid is an amazing city. I’m really sad to not be able to play. I’ve always been well supported here in Madrid and the fans here are amazing, and i look forward to returning next year.”
Suárez Navarro has split her six encounters with the Aussie, but won their most recent match earlier this year in Brisbane, and their only previous clay court encounter – also in Madrid, back in 2013.
“She is a very dangerous player because she serves well and good forehands and experience in the tour,” Suárez said of her next opponent. “She knows what it is to compete at the maximum level and how to compete here in Madrid. She knows me, so I think that it’s going to be a match where I have to give my 100%.
“I will have to rest good. Let’s see if I can recover and feel better. Let’s see if I’m prepared to play tomorrow.”
Speedy @CarlaSuarezNava ?? https://t.co/cBKI3dSzNQ
— WTA (@WTA) May 3, 2016