Indian Wells: Bouchard vs. Ozaki
Eugenie Bouchard takes on Risa Ozaki in the first round of the BNP Paribas Open.
Eugenie Bouchard takes on Risa Ozaki in the first round of the BNP Paribas Open.
No.3 seed Ana Konjuh continued her blistering form into the Asia swing, cruising over Tatjana Maria at the Guangzhou International Women’s Open.
DUBAI, UAE –
Garbiñe Muguruza has taken quite a climb in the last 12 months, winning her maiden major title at the French Open. The Spaniard climbed even higher before kicking off her campaign at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships, scaling the world’s tallest building at the Burj Khalifa.“I’m very excited to see what’s upstairs!” said the No.5 seed before beginning her journey up into the heavens.
Muguruza enjoyed a leisurely ride up the world’s fastest elevator to take in the view from the observation deck on the 148th floor.
“I’ve been told when you’re up this high, you can see the earth starting to curve,” she mused.
Muguruza plays her opening round match on Tuesday against Kateryna Bondarenko; check out the rest of her trip to the Burj Khalifa right here on wtatennis.com!
An interview with Kurumi Nara after her win in the second round of the BNP Paribas Open.
After a rollercoaster week in Doha, World No.3 Karolina Pliskova took home the title, posting back to back wins over Dominika Cibulkova and Caroline Wozniacki along the way. Her efforts vault her into the No.2 spot on the Road To Singapore leaderboard, leapfrogging past Australian Open finalist Venus Williams.
She’s now the first player to win two WTA titles in 2017, and she’s also 15 of the 16 matches she’s played this year (including Fed Cup).
“I don’t feel like I lost just once! I feel like I lost more times but it didn’t happen and I got two trophies. Yeah, it’s an amazing start [to the season],” Pliskova told WTA Insider after her win in Doha.
“It’s always tough after the off-season to get in a good shape at the tournaments and get back on track. I think it’s the best that I’ve ever had and the longest streak of winning matches that I had.”
Another major RTS move this week belongs to reigning BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global champion Dominika Cibulkova, who reached the semifinals in Doha to storm into the Top 8.
Here are the biggest moves on the Road To Singapore this week:
Karolina Pliskova +2 (No.4 to No.2)
Venus Williams -1 (No.2 to No.3)
Johanna Konta -1 (No.3 to No.4)
Dominika Cibulkova +6 (No.14 to No.8)
Elina Svitolina -1 (No.8 to No.9)
Caroline Wozniacki +20 (No.29 to No.9)
Click here to check out the full Road to Singapore leaderboard, updated as of February 20th.
An interview with Belinda Bencic after her second round win at the BNP Paribas Open.
TOKYO, Japan – No.2 seed and defending champion Agnieszka Radwanska was one game from elimination against the always-dangerous Barbora Strycova, but the Pole turned things around to advance into the quarterfinals of the Toray Pan Pacific Open, 6-3, 3-6, 7-5.
Watch live action from Tokyo this week on WTA Live powered by TennisTV!
“The first match is always tricky, especially at a really strong tournament like here,” Radwanska said in her on-court interview. “You’re playing someone in the Top 20, Top 30, so it’s never easy. I’m just very happy with that match; it wasn’t easy, but I was just better in a couple of points.”
First set ? @ARadwanska!
Leads Strycova 6-3! #TorayPPO pic.twitter.com/fxiEB3MGyS
— WTA (@WTA) September 21, 2016
Radwanska last played Strycova at the French Open, where the former World No.2 survived a three-setter on the terre battue, and it quickly became clear it would be a similar struggle on Wednesday as the Czech veteran raced out to a 5-1 lead in the second set despite dropping the first.
“I’ve known her for a long time, so I know she’s a great player with great hands. She can do everything on court, with great touch and is very often at the net. She made some incredible shots, so I’m very glad the last point was mine!”
3rd Set!@BaraStrycova rallies to force a decider vs Radwanska 3-6, 6-3! #TorayPPO pic.twitter.com/86nj44xbIm
— WTA (@WTA) September 21, 2016
Strycova is in the midst of a career-best season after reaching the final of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships and came into Tokyo just two spots shy of her career-high ranking of No.19 – earned in late August. Thrice up a break in the decider, she served for the match at 5-4, but Radwanska gamely broke back and saved break points of her own in the next game to engineer victory in two hours and 16 minutes.
“I know it’s late but thank you for staying. Hopefully I will see even more of you the day after tomorrow!”
It is sure to be quite a quarterfinal match-up come Friday as the No.2 seed is set to take on Olympic tennis event champion Monica Puig; the Puerto Rican knocked out former Tokyo champion Petra Kvitova in three sets to earn her best result since becoming her country’s first-ever Olympic Gold medalist. Former World No.1 Caroline Wozniacki also looms as a possible semifinal opponent, making the fight for the Toray Pan Pacific Open trophy likely a photo finish.
.@ARadwanska with the drop shot and lob! #TorayPPO pic.twitter.com/PmjW1E7MD6
— WTA (@WTA) September 21, 2016
DUBAI, UAE – Day 2 of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships got underway in earnest as Monica Puig and Kristina Mladenovic scored solid wins while former World No.1 Caroline Wozniacki put on a decisive display against young Russian Daria Kasatkina.
Catch up on the top stories right here, courtesy of WTA Insider:
.@CaroWozniacki happy to be back at @DDFTennis! pic.twitter.com/YhEYAbveOt
— WTA (@WTA) February 20, 2017
Caroline Wozniacki welcomes Sascha Bajin to the team.
Less than 48 hours after playing the final at the Qatar Total Open, Caroline Wozniacki was back on court in Dubai, scoring a solid 6-2, 7-5 win over Daria Kasatkina in the first round. In her player’s box for the second week in the row was a familiar face, Sascha Bajin, former hitting partner to Serena Williams and coach to Victoria Azarenka. Wozniacki and Bajin are working together until Charleston, when they plan to re-evaluate the set-up, but so far so good. The Dane is now 5-1 since their partnership began last week.
With the experience he brings to the table, Bajin is more than just a traveling hitting partner for Wozniacki. He’s more of a “hitting partner plus”.
“He helps my dad,” Wozniacki said. “He looks at the matches, too. He scouts and they talk a lot what they feel I can improve on and things like that. He comes with inputs and practices. He’s definitely a hitter plus. Assistant coach, I guess.”
Good win today! On to the next one! @DDFTennis pic.twitter.com/FBUwYIlj7L
— Caroline Wozniacki (@CaroWozniacki) February 20, 2017
Before joining forces with Bajin, Wozniacki said she ran the arrangement past Serena to get her blessing.
“I definitely talked to Serena about it,” Wozniacki said. “Just wanted to hear. And also how she feels about me working with him. You just want to know that you don’t clash. She said he’s a very hard worker, and she has nothing bad to say about him. She likes him a lot.”
Riske moves to 8-2 on the season (includes Fed Cup). Not easy playing a compatriot, but as she says, Americans have to get used to it. pic.twitter.com/4AZlfM48do
— WTA Insider (@WTA_insider) February 20, 2017
The Americans run wild on Day 2.
Alison Riske got the better of her Fed Cup teammate CoCo Vandeweghe, putting in a focused effort to knock out the No.11 seed 6-4, 6-4. Christina McHale beat No.13 seed Kiki Bertens 6-7(5), 6-3, 6-4, while Catherine Bellis notched the most surprising result of the day, beating Yulia Putintseva 6-1 7-5.
The shortest straw had to go to Riske, who just over a week ago was playing alongside Vandeweghe in Hawaii for her Fed Cup debut. Riske admitted the match-up was awkward, but with the insurgence of Americans in the Top 100, it’s something they’re all going to have to get used to.
“It can be difficult, especially we just had the best week together at Fed Cup. So it was unfortunate that we played each other first round. But at the end of the day you have to focus on you, and there are so many Americans now in the top. We are all friends, or at least I feel like we are,” she said with a laugh.
“We’re going to be [playing] each other week in and week out, and it’s something that we’ve got to get used to. You just have to focus on you and not worry about the other person on the other side of net.”
Bellis on her comeback from 1-5 down in the second set. #DDFtennis pic.twitter.com/2wraveZ16M
— WTA Insider (@WTA_insider) February 20, 2017
CiCi Bellis starts her season with an upset.
Catherine Bellis’ start of the season was derailed by hamstring and glute injuries, forcing her to skip January. In her first main draw match of the year, the 17-year-old American conjured a stunning comeback, rallying from 1-5 down in the second set to beat St. Petersburg finalist Yulia Putintseva 6-1, 7-5.
“I got myself in a bit of trouble in the second set, but I’m glad I got out of it,” Bellis said. “I just thought to myself, stick to my game plan, just keep steady, I can come back.
“I can come back against anyone I set my mind to. I’m really glad I got through it.”
The youngest player ranked in the Top 100, Bellis said her two qualifying matches last week in Doha helped her find her match rhythm quickly. “I think it was a little bit nerve-wracking just in certain parts of it, because I’m still getting used to matches again and getting back into the season. But I think it went well. I didn’t feel too rusty.”
.@KikiMladenovic on what has clicked in her game over the last few weeks. #DDFtennis pic.twitter.com/NW3GQ6FcWz
— WTA Insider (@WTA_insider) February 20, 2017
Kristina Mladenovic readies for the Pliskova challenge.
The Frenchwoman is on a roll as of late, winning six of her last seven matches, including a strong 6-3, 6-3 win over Katerina Siniakova on Monday. Next up? The hottest player on tour: Karolina Pliskova.
“It’s a big challenge. First of all, we know each other very well. I mean, we are great friends. We always had tough matches, especially the last one.”
Last season, Mladenovic finished her singles season with a 6-3, 4-6, 16-14 loss to Pliskova in the Fed Cup final. It’s a match that still haunts her. “When I think about it, I still have the ‘I don’t want to see you that soon again’ [feeling],” Mladenovic said laughing. “That was a long one that I had in my mind for quite a long time because it was at the end of the season, and it was a tough one, a tough loss for our team.
“But she’s definitely up there, on fire, like full confidence, I have to say. She’s been improving like for the last two or three years like all the time and being now like a serious tough player, like she proved it with lots of titles already. And especially her game, it’s tough. It’s tough to play. You know, you have to be very, very consistent, try to read her serve, especially. That’s her biggest weapon. So I’m expecting a very difficult match.”
Ana Konjuh said she got her Wednesday after Fed Cup, had lots of time to adjust to conditions. It showed. Lost one game to Zhang. #DDFtennis
— WTA Insider (@WTA_insider) February 20, 2017
Ana Konjuh drops just one game to Zhang Shuai.
The 19-year-old rolled in her opening match, winning 6-0, 6-1 to score the first main draw win of her career in Dubai. Next she’ll get her first look at No.12 seed Sam Stosur. When asked if there are any specific players she’s looking forward to playing for the first time, the Croatian teenager’s eyes lit up.
“I haven’t played Serena,” she said with bit smile. “And I grew up watching her, and I think it will be a dream come true to share the court. I think, you know, she’s a legend. Hopefully that day is gonna come soon.”
Christina McHale takes on Garbiñe Muguruza in the second round of the BNP Paribas Open.
DUBAI, UAE – Ekaterina Makarova beat No.3 seed Dominika Cibulkova for the second time this year to reach the third round of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships.
“It was such a great match, very tough and she’s a tough opponent.” said the Russian winner. “We just played at the Australian Open and it’s the first time in nine years that I’ve won a match on the centre court, I’m so happy.”
Makarova had won the most recent meeting between the pair in the third round of the 2017 Australian Open and she again made the better start, breaking the Slovak to love in the third game – a further break helping to seal a comfortable 6-2 opening set.
Upset!@KateMakarova1 wins 6⃣ straight games to beat Cibulkova 6-2, 4-6, 6-2! #DDFTennis pic.twitter.com/eJTf1Ai5ak
— WTA (@WTA) February 21, 2017
Cibulkova came into the match with no shortage of confidence having made the semifinals of last week’s Qatar Total Open and her renowned fighting qualities were in evidence as she fought back to break early in the second set. Despite conceding the break back, she broke again at 5-4 and leveled the match as Makarova double faulted.
It was the fourth time in their last five meetings that a final set was required. The pair traded early breaks before Makarova broke again to wrestle the initiative, the 2015 Dubai quarterfinalist breaking twice more and winning the final six games.
“I started really well but I know that Domi is an unbelievable fighter and she’s fighting until the end,” added Makarova. “The second set was a little up and down and I tried to stay calm into the third set when I was losing 2-0 and it helped me this time, believing I could beat her. I was serving really well and, in the important moments, I hit good returns. When I’m staying close to the baseline, I play much more aggressive than when I’m staying back a little bit.”
Defeat for Cibulkova breaks a run of two consecutive WTA Tour semifinals. Makaraova will play either Lauren Davis or Krystina Pliskova in the third round.