Tennis News

DOHA, Qatar – No.3 seed Agnieszka Radwanska moved safely into the third round of the Qatar Total Open on Tuesday with a straight set win over qualifier Kateryna Bondarenko.

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On a blustery afternoon, Radwanska had to withstand a spirited display from the World No.75, before eventually coming through, 6-4, 6-4.

As one of the game’s elite, Radwanska has played much of her tennis down the years at the Khalifa Tennis and Squash Complex during the prime-time evening slot. It is an arrangement that has suited her well, the Pole reaching the semifinals on four occasions.

However, she began her latest title tilt in conditions not ideally suited to her eye-pleasing repertoire of strokes. “I think we all have to get used to different conditions. It was also windy. So it wasn’t the easiest time to play and maybe it wasn’t the prettiest match, but the most important thing is that I won and I’m very happy about that.”

It has been a fine start to 2016 for Radwanska, who has built on the momentum of her victory at the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global by winning in Shenzhen and then reaching the semifinals at the Australian Open.

“I had a great start to the year, obviously, and I had a good rest after Australia. But I’ve been working hard since so I can play the same tennis here and do as well as in other years.”

Despite her lack of recent competitive action – she sat out Poland’s Fed Cup tie and withdrew from Dubai because of a leg injury – Radwanska delivered a typically tidy display – decorated by the odd touch of brilliance – hitting 17 winners and the same number of unforced errors.

Radwanska will next face either Monica Niculescu or former World No.1 Jelena Jankovic.

“They’re both very good, very solid opponents and it’s going to be another great challenge for me,” Radwanska said. “I’m going to watch the match, have some rest and be ready for tomorrow.”

Also coming through a tough second round assignment was Petra Kvitova, who defeated in-form compatriot Barbora Strycova, 7-6(2), 6-4.

Last week in Dubai, Strycova made it all the way to the final and she delivered another reputation-enhancing showing. Kvitova was an early casualty in Dubai, and must have feared the worst when Strycova served for the opening set. But the No.5 seed dug deep – fending off a couple of set points – to pinch it on a tie-break.

Despite an improved showing in the second set, Kvitova’s 18 winners were still offset by 30 unforced errors, leaving her with room to improve in the next round. “It was pretty close in the first set – she had a couple of set points – but I was just trying to take it point by point,” Kvitova said.

The result extends Kvitova’s unbeaten run against fellow Czech’s to 18 matches, her last defeat coming against Lucie Hradecka in Madrid nearly four years ago.

“It was a really important win for me today. Not just for the tournament but also the season – I hope this match will help me.”

ZHUHAI, China – Top seeds Petra Kvitova and Johanna Konta are making their debuts at the Huajin Securities WTA Elite Trophy Zhuhai as group-stage action continues at the season-ending event. We preview all the singles action right here.

Wednesday

Camellia Group
[13/Alt] Timea Babos (HUN #25) vs [6] Timea Bacsinszky (SUI #18)
Head-to-head: Bacsinszky leads 2-0
Stat: Babos owns a 4-14 record against the Top 20.

After being stunned 6-1, 6-1 by Zhang Shuai in her first match at Zhuhai, Timea Bacsinszky is looking to get back on track against an unexpected opponent, singles alternate Timea Babos. Babos is set to make her debut appearance in Zhuhai after No.2 seed Carla Suárez Navarro saw herself forced to withdraw from the tournament and Bacsinszky will have to put their friendship aside – as well as their bond over a shared first name – in order to stay perfect against an opponent she’s never lost against.

“With Timea Babos, we do speak Hungarian together. Well, we’re friends, and we know each other quite well. It’s going to be a tough one definitely,” Bacsinszky explained in her post-match press conference. “We played twice against each other but it was only on clay. You know, here the surface is quite different. I mean, you have to be aggressive as well.So probably it’s going to be something totally different.”

Azalea Group
[1] Johanna Konta (GBR #10) vs [8] Samantha Stosur (AUS #20)
Head-to-head: First meeting
Stat: Konta has a 5-4 record against Aussies.

The Ashes is normally a fixture in cricket, but today it hits Zhuhai as Britain’s No.1 takes on Australia’s No.1 for the first time. Johanna Konta, the WTA’s Most Improved Player of the year, is making her Zhuhai debut as the No.1 seed and riding on the back of career-best accomplishments that she achieved during the Asian Swing. After reaching her first Premier Mandatory final at the China Open and shortly afterwards rising to her highest ranking of No.9, the Brit seems right at home in China.

“What can I say? I like China!” she joked with WTA Insider. “We get treated very well here; every hotel is always really beautiful, as is every venue. They really put a lot of effort into the immediate things that surround us as tennis players, the things we experience at every event. They definitely make us feel quite comfortable.”

It’s been quite the opposite story for her first opponent in Zhuhai, Sam Stosur. The Australian has looked decidedly uncomfortable in Asia, posting back-to-back first round exits at Wuhan, Beijing and Hong Kong. But with a new coach on board, Stosur feels the pieces are clicking together, and she’s not phased about drawing the tournament’s top seed. “Jo has been constantly playing and had a great year,” Stosur acknowledged. “[It’s] going to be a difficult first match, but I’m ready to go. It’s a good test to test yourself against I guess the highest-ranked player here.”

Peony Group
[3] Petra Kvitova (CZE #13) vs [5] Roberta Vinci (ITA #17)
Head-to-head: Tied at 3-3
Stat: Vinci holds a 3-5 record against the Top 20.

Petra Kvitova takes the court in her debut appearance at Zhuhai with all the wind behind her sails; she turned her season around during the Asian Swing, winning her first title of the year in Wuhan and going on to reach the quarterfinals of Beijing and the final at Luxembourg. Her first opponent at the WTA Elite Trophy will be the always-tricky Roberta Vinci, who is looking for a victory to keep her semifinal hopes alive after suffering a disappointing straight sets defeat against Barbora Strycova. She faces a familiar opponent in Kvitova, who she’ll be playing for a seventh time, and she already knows what the game plan entails.

“Just my game: play aggressive,” Vinci explained in her post-match press conference. “Petra is an unbelievable player; left-handed. Have to be aggressive. A lot of slice of course. I have to play a good game tomorrow to win against Petra.”

DOHA, Qatar – No.9 seed Roberta Vinci was in the midst of a tense opening set against Turkish wildcard Cagla Buyakakcay when a wild cat appeared.

On serve in the 12th game, the 2015 US Open finalist had just earned a set point, but play was interrupted by the sauntering feline, who had to be chased down by ballkids and on-court attendents before the beast was finally subdued.

In the end, the cat cameo may have helped the Italian over the finish line; Vinci only lost one more game to defeat Buyakakcay 7-5, 6-1 and reach the quarterfinals of the Qatar Total Open.

“I won the set, so it’s ok!”

Cat on the loose! ? ? pic.twitter.com/teFmr8CNJM

— WTA (@WTA) February 24, 2016

DOHA, Qatar – World No.3 Agnieszka Radwanska recovered from a double break down to see off Monica Niculescu, 7-5, 6-1.

“I think she has the best hands on tour, very tricky player and very uncomfortable to play against,” Radwanska said of her opponent during her on-court interview. “I knew it was going to be tough and a long one. What can I say? She really made me play my best tennis, so I’m very happy to win that match in two sets.”

Grabbing the opening set, Radwanska played impeccable tennis throughout, striking 31 winners to just 15 unforced; Niculescu wasn’t too far behind with 24 winners and 32 errors.

“I think when you play someone like Monica, you know there will be a lot of weird shots all around the court, and every shot is going to be different.

“She had a lot of highlights herself!”

In her six appearances at the Qatar Total Open, Radwanska has reached the quarterfinals or better five times, but is still looking for her first final in Doha.

Asked about the increasing parity that the WTA has seen in 2016, the reigning BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global champion theorized that the upsets are part of what makes her tour so fun to watch.

“I think this is women’s tennis; you never know what’s going to happen! Every day, we’re playing different, but it makes us interesting. We’re always fun to watch, a lot of different scores, a lot of surprises on the way to the final.

“That’s the way we play!”

Up next for Radwanska is the winner of the third round between No.9 seed Roberta Vinci and wildcard Cagla Buyakakcay, who upset defending champion Lucie Safarova in her opening match.

“Women's tennis is full of surprises. You never know what's going to happen!” ? -@ARadwanska #WTA https://t.co/7raBSZChE6

— WTA (@WTA) February 24, 2016

DOHA, Qatar – Second season syndrome is an ailment familiar to most sports fans. As the name suggests, it afflicts those sports men, women and teams that struggle to follow up a breakthrough season or notable triumph.

In the opening weeks of the season there were whispers in tennis circles that Garbiñe Muguruza could be the syndrome’s latest high-profile victim.

Last year, 41 wins (nine of them against Top 10 opponents), one title and a runner-up finish at Wimbledon saw Muguruza catapult herself from gifted prospect to one of the game’s elite.

But, having climbed to the very top of the game, how would she respond to the spotlight focused on its summit? How would her athletic game stand up to the rigors of another 60-match campaign? And how would she handle the prospect of defending all those ranking points accrued last time around?

The Spaniard made an inauspicious start, aggravated a long-standing foot injury during her first match, against Varvara Lepchenko at the Brisbane International. With that troublesome foot still bothering her, Muguruza managed to go a few rounds at the Australian Open, but looked a shadow of her magnificent best.

“I think it was an amazing year, an amazing end. I think the level was really high,” Muguruza said. “Obviously to keep that level all the time, every year, is going to be hard, especially when you did it once, and next year you’re like, ‘Hey, should I be doing the same? It’s hard to know what’s going to happen.”

At this week’s Qatar Total Open, however, the 22-year-old has finally began to find some form, blowing away Nao Hibino in her opening match, before defusing the big-serving Timea Babos on Wednesday evening.

And after seeing off Babos, she penned a message – ‘Muga’s back’ – to her WTA rivals on the lens of a nearby television camera. 

#MuguIsBack pic.twitter.com/2kBcFof5Dh

— WTA (@WTA) February 24, 2016

“I wrote this because I had a lot of physical problems at the beginning of the year and I’m trying to practice and work really hard to get my level back again,” Muguruza said. “And I think playing and competing here is helping me go through this process.”

The next stage of her rehabilitation will come against Andrea Petkovic, a player she has never beaten: “It’s true it’s a big challenge for me; I think I’m like 2-0 down. So I think I’m going to speak with my team and find a way and a tactic to beat her.”

Having appeared in one major final already, Muguruza is viewed by many astute observers as the leader of the WTA’s new vanguard. Despite the soaring expectation levels, the World No.5 is setting no timeframe on the next breakthough.

“I don’t think there’s an age to reach the top. I think it’s great when you’re like playing good. But being young and also having success, it can be very good and it can be very bad,” she said.

“We’ve seen some cases you’re young and you’re like, ‘I’m playing good, I’m doing a lot of things.’ But it’s also hard because you’re not as mature. Angelique Kerber said in Australia, she can maybe handle more at her age or she’s used to it more. It’s a very thin line there keeping that balance. Just with time, you can deal better with that.”