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News | WTA Tennis English

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

MIAMI, FL, USA – The weather might not have been as glorious as expected, but there’s still plenty to do (and tweet about) in Miami.

Elina Svitolina popped along to the Wynwood Walls a few days ago – now Andrea Hlavackova and Cagla Buyukakcay have enjoyed a spot of art in their Miami downtime.

Meanwhile, one legend wished a happy birthday to another.

Sloane Stephens needed a rest.

And whether you’re a world-class tennis player or not, Ana Konjuh certainly has some wise words of advice for you.

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10 Things: Nottingham & 's-Hertogenbosch

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

1) Caroline Wozniacki is back in action.
A right ankle injury sidelined Wozniacki for all of the clay season, and the Dane is looking to make her comeback in Nottingham. She hasn’t played a WTA match since Miami and her ranking has plunged to No.34 – can she start her comeback on grass?

2) Can Cagla Buyukakcay keep making history?
The 26-year-old Turk is one to watch at the Aegon Open Nottingham: after making Turkish history in Istanbul and Paris, Buyukakcay starts her Wimbledon tune up at Nottingham, where she’s set to meet No.3 seed Caroline Wozniacki in the first round.

3) Defending champion Ana Konjuh faces a setback.
2015 Nottingham champion Ana Konjuh looked to be in good form after her run at the WTA Bol Open 125K before a lower back injury forced her to retire in the semifinals. Will she be recovered in time for Nottingham?

4) Don’t call it a comeback for Vicky Duval…
The American Vicky Duval is entering her second tournament of 2016 at Nottingham after undergoing knee surgery following the Australian Open. She’s up against the No.2 seed Johanna Konta in the first round.

5) …Or for Laura Robson.
With a clean bill of health and back on home soil again, former British No.1 Laura Robson is looking to make the best of her protected ranking at Nottingham. First up for the wildcard? Defending champion Ana Konjuh.

6) Belinda Bencic returns to Den Bosch going for one better…
No.1 seed Belinda Bencic is hoping to improve her run to the final in ‘s-Hertogenbosch last year.

7) …And she’s not the only one.
Besides Bencic, there are two other former ‘s-Hertogenbosch finalists in the draw: Kirsten Flipkens (2013) and Jelena Jankovic (2007) are both looking for their first title at the Ricoh Open. 2014 champion CoCo Vandeweghe is back as well.

8) It’s anyone’s game in Den Bosch.
With defending champion Camila Giorgi and Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova out due to injury, No.8 Belinda Bencic is the highest ranked player at the Ricoh Open. Can Bencic capitalize on the opportunity or will a new name make her mark?

9) Can Kiki Bertens keep up the momentum?
The on-fire Bertens has built up quite the winning streak: she’s won 12 of 13 matches by claiming her second WTA title at Nurnberg and reaching her first Grand Slam final at Roland Garros. But as the season turns to grass, can Bertens keep it up?

10) And see where you can watch action from Nottingham and ‘s-Hertogenbosch on TennisTV!

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News | WTA Tennis English

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

MIAMI, FL, USA – Johanna Konta became the first British woman to reach the Miami Open semifinals after coming back from a set down to oust No.3 seed Simona Halep.

Putting an injury-plagued start of the season behind her, Halep came into the matchup after winning consecutive matches for the first time all season here in Miami. And in the quarterfinals, the Romanian even saved match point in her late-night thriller against Sam Stosur.

But she couldn’t pull off the escape once again against Konta, falling 3-6, 7-6(7), 6-2 after a rollercoaster two hours and thirty minutes.

The Brit had to overcome a slow start against Halep, though, as the Romanian came out of the gates firing and would take an early break in the opening set. Loose unforced errors during the initial exchanges cost Konta, and Halep didn’t allow her to settle into a rhythm with her changes of pace.

Dropping the first set only galvanized Konta, as the Brit notched an emphatic break to love and a 3-0 lead. But that’s when things got complicated, and Halep dodged a pair of break points and leveled the match a few games later.

She served for the match at 5-4, and was two points away from victory when Konta denied her, keeping her serve under pressure and rewarded with loose errors.

Into a tiebreaker, Halep once again saw her lead erased as Konta came roaring back from 5-3 down and edged through 9-7.

With the wind in her sails Konta grabbed the lead once again but this time didn’t allow Halep back in. She broke Halep twice to reel off the final five games and complete the comeback.

“It was a really tough match, very high level,” Halep told WTA Insider after the match. “I was so close to winning, I was two points away in the tiebreak, but she played very strong and deserved to win today.

“I’m happy to be here after the break that I had. I’m just disappointed I lost a match I had in my hands. But my confidence is there, the game is there – I just need to play matches.”

Konta be rewarded with a clash against the winner between World No.1 Angelique Kerber and Venus Williams for a chance to go even further and win a spot into her second career Premier Mandatory final.

Should she reach the final, she’s projected to return to the Top 10 after the WTA rankings are released on Monday.

“Whoever I’m playing, I’ll have a battle on my hands that’s for sure,” Konta said. “I’ve played Venus and Angie a few times. They’re going to have a tough battle tonight, and I’m looking forward to playing either of them. Either of them will be a great opportunity for different reasons.”

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