Sydney: Friday Highlights
Highlights from the finals action on Day 6 of the Apia International Sydney.
Highlights from the finals action on Day 6 of the Apia International Sydney.
The BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells and the Miami Open pride themselves on being as great as Grand Slams, providing excellent facilities and thrilling matches, but the tournaments also bring top tennis fashion to the table. Marija Zivlak of Women’s Tennis Blog will show us the WTA styles that rocked the prestigious US courts in March.
After ruling the Australian Open fashion scene in the yellow Nike Spring Premier Crop Top and Nike Spring Premier Victory Skirt, world number one Serena Williams again stole the show with the outfit, introducing its omega blue version at Indian Wells. Everything about this combo is stunning, while Serena’s powerful tennis and rocking body make it mind-blowing. The crop top and the flirtatiously-swaying pleated skirt flawlessly suit Serena, while the generous use of mesh is both highly functional and stylish. This look confidently paved the way for crop tops in women’s tennis fashion.
Soft yellow and lilac are dominating Stella McCartney’s summer collection. This month, Andrea Petkovic, Caroline Wozniacki and Garbiñe Muguruza debuted the adidas Summer Stella McCartney Tour Tank, featuring a subtle side floral print, and the adidas Summer Stella McCartney Tour Skirt, highlighted by popular laser-cut details, this time in the shape of hexagon. Stella always manages to make a harmonious marriage between classic athletic and feminine elements.
Fila’s aqua and light grey hues from the Net Set collection perfectly fitted Karolina Pliskova on her way to the semifinals of the BNP Paribas Open. The Fila Spring Net Set Racerback Tank is unique for its contrasting pin-tuck detailing down the back, while the pleated skirt stands out with its alternating colors.
Jelena Jankovic showcased the Fila Spring Net Set Dress, specific for its textural chevron pattern at front and back and central contrasting stripe.
Venus Williams’ EleVen is firmly holding on to the place among tennis fashion elite, constantly releasing new designs that successfully compete with sports apparel giants. In the sole match the American played at the 2016 Miami Open, we got to see the new Strike collection, which captivates with its clean and subtle pattern. The multidirectional groups of thin lines create an appealing print that is not loud or distracting, while contrast grey colorblocking at center and back nicely breaks up the pattern, enhancing a feminine silhouette.
The exact items the seven-time Grand Slam champion wore were the EleVen Strike Print Excel Tank and the EleVen Strike Print Jamming Skirt, while the collection also features a wonderful EleVen Strike Miami Dress, which had been promoted as Venus’ choice for the tournament.
New Balance’s young and fresh spring kit perfectly accompanied Nicole Gibbs’ rise to stardom at Indian Wells and Miami. The American recorded breakthrough results at both tournaments, looking stylish in the New Balance Spring Tournament Tank, whose eye-catching orange logo nicely matches Gibbs’ accessories and shoes, while the New Balance Spring Reversible Skirt is coordinated with the logo at the headband and wristbands. Let’s also mention that New Balance has recently added Sorana Cirstea to their family, but the former world No.21 Romanian lost in the Miami Open qualifying, so we didn’t have much chance to enjoy her new clothes.
Tell us now which WTA outfits you dig the most this March:
– Photos via Getty Images/Jimmie 48
BEIJING, China – Elina Svitolina continued her impressive end to the season by upsetting World No.1 Angelique Kerber in the third round of the China Open on Thursday.
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A mature display saw Svitolina hold her nerve at the end of both sets to close out a 6-3, 7-5 victory and book a quarterfinal meeting with Daria Gavrilova.
“I was just trying to be really focused on every ball, and of course try to win,” Svitolina said in her on-court interview.
Earlier this week, Kerber suggested that she was feeling the strain of a hectic schedule that has now seen her play 35 matches since the start of July. However, against Svitolina she battled away until the last saving a couple a couple of match points in the final game.
Svitolina, who also beat then-No.1 Serena Williams at this summer’s Olympics, continued to be the aggressor and was rewarded when Kerber sent a forehand sailing wide at the third time of asking.
“I was trying to think about my next step, what I should try to do,” Svitolina added. “I tried to make my first serve and concentrated on the next shot, but still I was a little bit shaky!”
Elsewhere, Johanna Konta continued her own impressive recent run of form with a tense victory over No.5 seed Karolina Pliskova.
Konta, who reached the fourth round of the US Open and the quarterfinals last week in Wuhan, is making a late bid to reach the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global. Depending on other results, a run to the final could elevate her to a qualification spot and she moved one step closer to that rarget by overcoming Pliskova, 6-1, 3-6, 7-6(2).
Elise Mertens has Friday’s shot of the day at the Hobart International.
MIAMI, FL, USA – Svetlana Kuznetsova emerged the victor after a late night, two-hour and forty-three minute battle against fellow Russian Ekaterina Makarova for a spot in the Miami Open semifinals, 6-7(3), 6-4, 6-3.
Watch live action from Miami this fortnight on WTA Live powered by TennisTV!
While on paper the indefatigable Kuznetsova came into the match with all the advantages – she leads the head-to-head 5-1, has won the Miami title before and last round she knocked out defending champion Serena Williams – she was facing a monumental task against Makarova.
Would her fitness hold up or would all the time spent on court take a toll?
All of Kuznetsova’s previous matches on her road to the quarterfinals had gone to three sets and lasted longer than two hours. Facing off against Makarova, her compatriot and Fed Cup teammate, Kuznetsova saw no reason to change the pattern while it’s working, though it did take some extra motivation to keep the 30-year-old going.
“I told myself just keep fighting and keep running,” Kuznetsova said afterwards. “I was feeling a little bit low on energy, so I was trying to keep myself going.”
Things looked more straightforward for the 30-year-old as she went up 5-2 in the first set against Makarova. But it started to slip away from her as the fatigue began to creep up leaving her unable to run down her compatriot’s shots. Makarova fought her way back to force a tiebreaker and win the first set.
“I lost a little bit of momentum in the first set when I had three set points and a 5-2 lead,” Kuznetsova reflected after the match. “Then Ekaterina got on top and she played really well.
“I was just trying to hang in there and trying to serve better. That’s it.”
What a point!!@SvetlanaK27 forces a decider over Makarova 6-7(3), 6-4! #WTA https://t.co/WHNyH1CwFa
— WTA (@WTA) March 30, 2016
Kuznetsova turned things around in the second set, coming up to the net more often and playing more aggressively to keep the rallies shorter. The change in tactic worked, and she took the second set 6-4. She had just enough in the tank to do it again in the final set, closing out the match after two hours and forty three minutes on court.
The Russians were very evenly matched during the whole encounter – Kuznetsova hit 66 percent of first serves in, Makarova hit 64 percent; Kuznetsova hit 32 winners, Makarova hit 35 – but their unforced errors count set them apart: Kuznetsova hit just 27 winners to Makarova’s 46.
The win sends Kuznetsova into the Miami Open semifinals for the first time since 2009 and sets up a clash against Timea Bacsinszky, but Kuznetsova can’t even think that far ahead to Thursday:
“I just want to sleep,” says @SvetlanaK27.
And with that, we’ll see you tomorrow @MiamiOpen.
— WTA Insider (@WTA_insider) March 30, 2016
BEIJING, China – No.5 seeds Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Lucie Safarova defeated wildcards Christina McHale and Peng Shuai on Friday to reach the China Open semifinals and extend their unbeaten run.
Titles at the US Open and Wuhan have established Mattek-Sands and Safarova as the form team on tour and despite falling an early break behind the always looked in control against McHale and Peng, closing out a 6-4, 6-2 victory after an hour and 10 minutes.
The next team charged with snapping their winning streak – which now stands at 14 matches – is Gabriela Dabrowski and María José Martínez Sánchez after they edged past recent BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global qualifiers Julia Goerges and Karolina Pliskova, 6-4, 6-4.
In the top half of the draw, top seeds Caroline Garcia and Kristina Mladenovic stayed on course for their first title since June thanks to a 6-4, 6-3 win over wildcards Timea Bacsinszky and Jelena Ostapenko. Meeting the French duo for a place in the final will be No.3 seeds Chan Hao-Ching and Chan Yung-Jan.
Demain, nous disputons notre 1/2f au @ChinaOpen ??????
Tomorrow 1/2f day at #ChinaOpen @WTA pic.twitter.com/q6pGCJP6CR— Kristina Mladenovic (@KikiMladenovic) October 7, 2016
MELBOURNE, Australia – The 2017 Australian Open begins on Monday in Melbourne, with World No.1 and defending champion Angelique Kerber headlining the first night session on Rod Laver Arena. What else do you need to know about your favorite WTA stars as the first Grand Slam tournament of the season gets underway?
Click here for a full analysis of the draw, courtesy of WTA Insider.
1. Kerber contends for first-ever major title defense.
Kerber came away with an impressive haul of Grand Slam titles in 2016, bookending the season with wins Down Under and the US Open – taking the No.1 ranking at the latter. 2017 is a new ballgame for the German, who will seek to defend a major title for the first time in her career. Her first opponent is Lesia Tsurenko, with the likes of Eugenie Bouchard and Roberta Vinci looming in her section of the draw.
2. Serena could reclaim No.1 in Australia.
In the other half of the draw stands 22-time Grand Slam champion Serena Williams, who is firmly in the hunt for her seventh Daphne Akhurst Memorial Trophy in Melbourne. The American would have to reach the final to have a chance at wresting the No.1 ranking from Kerber; click here to find out how it would all have to shake out.
3. Radwanska feeling in Grand Slam rhythm.
Armed with a new racquet, No.3 seed Agnieszka Radwanska is the high seed in Serena’s half of the draw, projecting a rematch of their 2016 semifinal encounter Down Under. Radwanska shrugged off a tough week in Shenzhen to reach the final at the Apia International Sydney, but has a potentially tricky opener against Tsvetana Pironkova. The Bulgarian beat Radwanska in their most recent meeting at last year’s French Open.
4. Halep in hot pursuit of first major title.
No.4 seed Simona Halep also started her year in Shenzhen, but arrived last week for some early preparation in Melbourne on the advice of coach Darren Cahill. The Romanian opens against American Shelby Rogers, and is aiming to build on her pair of quarterfinal appearances earned in 2014 and 2015.
5. Cibulkova seeking Singapore stepping stone.
No.5 seed Dominika Cibulkova ended 2016 on an all-time high, winning the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global and reaching a best-ever ranking of No.5. The Slovak’s biggest major success came in Melbourne, where she reached the final back in 2014.
6. Is this Pliskova’s breakthrough moment?
Karolina Pliskova fell before the second week in her first 17 Grand Slam appearances, but made up for lost time in style at the US Open, where she rolled past both Williams sisters en route to the final. The Czech looked just as tough in Brisbane to start 2017, winning the tournament alongside new coach David Kotyza and moving back up to a career-high of No.5.
7. Muguruza feeding off good Melbourne memories.
Garbiñe Muguruza enjoyed a strong start to the season before injury forced her to retire from the Brisbane International semifinals. Still, the the No.7 seed feels fit and fresh ahead of the Australian Open, starting off against New Zealand’s Marina Erakovic on Monday.
8. Kuznetsova rounds out Top 8.
Kuznetsova burned some serious rubber on the Road to Singapore last fall, narrowly qualifying to become the story of the tournament, reaching the semifinals. This year, Kuznetsova is feeling calm as she hopes to surpass the quarterfinals, her previous best finish in Australia.
9. Venus & Serena headline the doubles draw.
The Australian Open women’s doubles draw came out on Sunday, with Wimbledon winners Venus and Serena Williams coming in as the most dangerous floaters in the draw, seeded No.15. The pair could play No.2 seeds Lucie Safarova and new World No.1 Bethanie Mattek-Sands in the third round.
10. No.1 up for grabs in Australia.
The singles No.1 isn’t the only ranking under threat at the Australian Open. Mattek-Sands narrowly took the top spot from Sania Mirza in Brisbane, ending the Indian star’s 91-week reign. But Elena Vesnina and the French team of Caroline Garcia and Kristina Mladenovic all have a shot of taking No.1 during the fortnight. Click here to find out how.
MIAMI, FL, USA – No.3 seeds Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Lucie Safarova are moving on in the Miami Open after booking their spot in the doubles semifinals with a win over the No.5 seeded team of Andrea Hlavackova and Lucie Hradecka, 7-5, 6-3.
The Mattek-Sands and Safarova partnership had a very successful 2015, winning two WTA titles and two Grand Slams as well as qualifying for the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global. This year the pair took some time apart, though, as Safarova focused on her singles game and Mattek-Sands put together her bid for a spot on the US Olympic team with CoCo Vandeweghe.
They picked up right where they left off as they reunited for Miami, flying through all of their matches en route to the quarterfinals in straight sets. They faced more resistance in the form of the No.5 seeded Czech duo, longtime partners who earlier this year reached the final of the Australian Open.
Hlavackova and Hradecka – known to their fans as ‘The Silent Hs’ – broke Mattek-Sands and Safarova (‘Bucie’) early on to go up 4-2 in the first set. They had a chance to break again to extend their lead but the No.3 seeds halted their progress, winning three straight games to dig out of the hole and take back the lead at 5-4. The two teams stayed on pace until Mattek-Sands and Safarova struck again, breaking once more to take the first set.
Team Bucie was more clinical in the second set – they broke the Silent Hs twice right away to go up 5-1. They quelled any ideas of a late comeback from the Czechs to claim the match in just over an hour and fifteen minutes and advance to the Miami Open semifinals.
Teamwork makes the dream work.
Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Lucie Safarova are on to semis! (? via @tennis_shots) pic.twitter.com/pwQqdXeVey
— Miami Open (@MiamiOpen) March 30, 2016
Also into the semifinals are No.4 seeded Kazakh-Hungarian duo of Timea Babos and Yaroslava Shvedova, who knocked out the Ukrainian pairing Kateryna Bondarenko and Olga Savchuk 6-2, 6-4.
Babos and Shvedova were dominant from the start, going up a double break and getting off to a 4-1 lead. Though Bondarenko and Savchuk broke back to narrow the gap, but the No.4 seeds broke a third time to take the first set 6-2. They broke the Ukrainian’s serve one last time in the second set and stayed steady to close out the match.
MELBOURNE, Australia – An ageless Venus Williams played remarkable tennis in the high heat of the Australian Open, knocking out a game Kateryna Kozlova, 7-6(5), 7-5.
“Girl, I don’t know,” Venus joked when asked how she got the job done during her on-court interview. “I know how to play tennis, and I like to think I’m good at this. She hasn’t had the years I’ve had, the grey hair I’m dyeing, the wrinkles I’m hiding.”
V never goes out of style.#ausopen pic.twitter.com/jUf4wJ9eeN
— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 16, 2017
Seeded No.13, Venus was playing just her second match of 2017 after withdrawing from the ASB Classic due to right-arm pain, and was taking on a tricky opponent in Kozlova, who took her to three sets at the US Open last summer. In an ironic twist, the 22-year-old was born the same year Venus turned pro back in 1994.
“You’re trying to make me feel old!” joked Williams.
Kozlova served for the first set but the seven-time Grand Slam champion’s experience shone through when it mattered most, breaking the young Ukrainian to win the ensuing tie-break.
“Just from the warm-up it looked like she was just ready to go, hitting it solid,” she said in her post-match press conference. “I really have to give her a lot of credit for playing a match that was not a lot of errors and just relentless.
“I guess when I walk out there I have to expect that from my opponents and not an easy first round, but a great first round to get through, for sure.”
She twirls her way to 2R. Go #Venus #AusOpen pic.twitter.com/hzCSYDY3Jp
— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 16, 2017
Venus appeared to struggle with the heat at times, relying on ice towels to keep cool during the changeovers.
“I’m a Floridian, so I’m pretty good with heat,” she admitted. “But obviously, if it’s going to be hot, I think with players, you can train in the heat the week before. This last week it was kind of cool, actually, a lot of the time. So it’s definitely a wildcard, like, total wildcard.”
Despite losing some momentum in the second set, the American rebounded to take the last three games of the match and advance into the second round after just over two hours.
Up next for the former World No.1 is either Stefanie Voegele or Kurumi Nara.
A wonderful start for #Venus #AusOpen pic.twitter.com/QVhFuaUdDg
— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 16, 2017
Is it time to hit the panic button on Serena Williams?: No, of course not. But things just never seemed quite right with Serena throughout her week in Miami. She carried an air of exhaustion all week and looked sluggish against eventual semifinalist Svetlana Kuznetsova on Monday in a 6-7(3), 6-1, 6-2 loss in the round of 16. It was Serena’s earliest exit from the tournament since 2000, when she lost to Jennifer Capriati at the same stage. Going into the match Serena was a three-time defending champion of a tournament she’s won a record eight times; her loss snapped a 20-match win streak in what has been considered her backyard tournament.
Serena offered no excuses or explanation for her loss when she spoke the press in a brief interview after the match. “I can’t win every match,” Serena said. “The players come out and play me like they’ve never played before in their lives. You know, the best that I could do today. I have to be 300% every day.”
Serena now heads into clay without a title under her belt. The last time she played four tournaments without winning a trophy was in 2012. Her next scheduled tournament won’t come until the end of April at the Mutua Madrid Open.
Despite the numbers and the losses any rush to panic is premature. The theories for her inability to close are rampant. Is this a continued emotional hangover from her incredibly stressful 2015 season, which she shut down early after losing to Roberta Vinci in the US Open semifinals? After that near-historic season, is she struggling with her motivation when there is (marginally) less on the line? As she nears 35-years-old, are the bad days at the office coming more and more frequently? Or are these one-off losses that can explained by extreme emotional circumstances (US Open, Indian Wells), a quality opponent having a career day (Australian Open), or simple exhaustion (Miami)?
Serena keeps her cards close to her chest so a definitive answer won’t come anytime soon. But she has made it clear that her season revolves around the Slams, especially as she’s just one major title away from tying Steffi Graf’s Open Era record of 22 major titles. It’s easy to sit and scratch our heads after her surprising results in March, but it’s important to remember there are three more majors left in the season. I’m not inclined to worry until after Wimbledon.
Champions are human. Never forget that.
Here’s Svetlana Kuznetsova’s take on the “Serena Slump”: “I mean, you say drama when somebody, No.1, which is probably one of the greatest in the history of athletes didn’t win four slams,” Kuznetsova said. “This is drama. For me this would be miracle of the year. For us it’s drama that she didn’t win the fourth Grand Slam of the year.
“She struggled a little bit probably because she lost Australian Open, but, I mean, she is still No. 1 and she still plays great. I don’t see much to be depressed about.”
Timea Bacsinszky back on track: After a knee injury ended her breakout season, Bacsinszky started 2016 behind the 8-ball. With only an abbreviated preparation she knew she was undercooked when she made the decision to play in Australia. The cautious player might have skipped that swing to stay home and continue training. Bacsinszky chose to put herself out there, take the bad losses, and try and train and play herself into form.
It wasn’t easy and there were a few bumps in the road – she got horribly sick after Fed Cup – but with her semifinal run in Miami, beating two Top 5 players en route in Agnieszka Radwanska and Simona Halep, Bacsinszky is rounding into form just in time for her favorite part of the season.
“I think I physically got back more or less where I was I don’t know last year,” she said. “I’m slowly getting it back. It feels great to be able to win four matches in a row, especially that I played yesterday and it’s the first time I played two days in a row and I’m able to win against such a great player.
“So it shows me that I’m on a good way and that we’re working well. Gives me a lot of motivation also for my future.”
Simona Halep and Garbiñe Muguruza head to clay on the rise: It was an undoubtedly disappointing start to the season for both women, who were ranked No.2 and No.3 in the rankings respectively back in January. But Muguruza began to show signs of life at the Qatar Total Open in February and Halep’s level improved dramatically in Indian Wells and Miami, where she made back-to-back quarterfinals.
For Muguruza, the positives come from how she battled through three tough sets to beat Dominika Cibulkova in the second round in Miami, blitzed Nicole Gibbs in straight sets, and then played her part in the best match of the tournament so far in a 7-6(6), 7-6(4) loss to the hottest player on tour, Victoria Azarenka. The level is there. She just needs that extra nudge.
For Halep, there’s no shame in losing to Serena Williams, which she did in Indian Wells, but the loss to Bacsinszky will sting. That’s a match she needs to win but she ran into a physical wall early in the second set and never recovered. Hopefully she can use that disappointment as motivation on the practice court as she prepares for her best surface, clay.
Santina slumping?: The most dominant doubles team of the last 12 months is suddenly in a rut. Since their 41-match win-streak was snapped by Elena Vesnina and Daria Kasatkina in Doha, Sania Mirza and Martina Hingis have yet to win back-to-back matches. They lost to Vania King and Alla Kudryavtseva in Indian Wells 7-6(7), 6-4 and Margarita Gasparyan and Monica Niculescu in Miami 6-4, 6-2.
All photos courtesy of Getty Images.