Rome: Shot Of The Day (Wednesday)
Eugenie Bouchard had Wednesday’s shot of the day at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia.
Eugenie Bouchard had Wednesday’s shot of the day at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia.
INDIAN WELLS, CA, USA – No.21 seed Caroline Garcia recovered from a set down to survive No.11 seed Johanna Konta, 3-6, 6-3, 7-6(1), to reach the fourth round of the BNP Paribas Open for the second time in three years.
“Maybe it’s the haircut!” she joked with WTA Insider. “Sometimes small things make a big difference on the court. I tried to forget what happened outside of tennis and just focus on myself, what I could improve. I feel more energized and better on the court; it’s great to have this mentality again.”
.@CaroGarcia with the forehand winner! #BNPPO17 pic.twitter.com/C5SjqAFhmO
— WTA (@WTA) March 12, 2017
Konta enjoyed a bright start to the season with a second WTA title at the Apia International Sydney and a run to the Australian Open quarterfinals, but a nerve issue in her left foot forced her to sit out the Middle East Swing following a successful week at Fed Cup.
“I don’t believe I played a great match today,” Konta said after the match. “She did what she had to do to get through that, and she did a better job of finding a way than I did. I would have liked to have played better, but it just didn’t happen today.
“There were a number of shots that let me down today; quite honestly, I don’t know why, but I’m keen on improving and doing better next time.”
Playing her first WTA event since Melbourne, Konta took the opening set in decisive style against Garcia, who hadn’t won back-to-back matches since January, but the tide began to turn in the middle of the second.
.@CaroGarcia finds an amazing angle at the net! #BNPPO17 pic.twitter.com/FP7qUbCAmt
— WTA (@WTA) March 12, 2017
“The last time I played against her in China, she played unbelievably; it was just unreal,” Garcia said. “I knew I had to play a good match, and that if I got any opportunities, I would have to be ready to take them. That’s what I managed to do in the second set when I broke her; in the tie-break, I was more aggressive and more consistent.”
.@CaroGarcia's ace takes us into a final set tiebreaker! #BNPPO17 pic.twitter.com/nGjtW1yMGO
— WTA (@WTA) March 12, 2017
Garcia earned the only break of that set to level the match, and served out some sticky situations by match’s end to force a tie-break, which she took with ease after a two hour and 11 minute tussle.
“I didn’t do enough with the opportunities that I did get,” Konta said. “Some of the break points, she served well, and others, I wasn’t brave enough. I don’t think I did enough to really take them. I was a little too passive in parts.”
In a high quality match, both players hit just 15 unforced errors each, with Garcia leading the winner count 28 to 23 – despite 12 aces from the big-serving Brit.
“This win means a lot because the beginning of the year hasn’t been easy,” she said. “Konta is a difficult player, and she’s been pretty solid most of the year. This match was a bit weird, some ups and downs and not too many rallies. I’m happy with the way I kept my focus to the end; even if I played a bad return, I stayed positive and finished with a great tie-break.
“I think it was more of a mental match because physically, I wasn’t even tired – there were no rallies! I was just working on moving from one point to another. Mentally, it wasn’t easy to keep the intensity. In the end, I brought what I did well in the match, and I returned better. I just had to win that tie-break, and I’ll keep the last point.”
.@CaroGarcia is first through to @BNPPARIBASOPEN Round of 16!
Turns tables on Konta 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 (1)! pic.twitter.com/vFWJkabYN2
— WTA (@WTA) March 12, 2017
Not too far from a career-high ranking of No.23, Garcia next plays No.8 seed Svetlana Kuznetsova, who dug out a three set win over No.26 seed Roberta Vinci, 6-2, 2-6, 6-1.
“I expect longer rallies than today, for sure!” Garcia said. “She’s a great player with a lot of experience. She’ll enjoy these conditions with the bouncy court. I’ll have to put as much pressure as I can, not let her dictate with the forehand.
“You can learn a lot from a match like this because she has a very tactical game. I’ll try to be more aggressive.”
INDIAN WELLS, CA, USA – Venus Williams’ second trip to the BNP Paribas Open since 2001 is quickly bearing fruit as the Australian Open runner-up rolled past former World No.5 Lucie Safarova, 6-4, 6-2.
“I really, really, really, really want to do well here!” she exclaimed during her on-court interview. “I’m from California, and I love the hardcourts. This is an opportunity for me to shine at home, so I’m going for it.”
“I felt really pretty good off the ground,” she added in her post-match press conference. “This court is tricky as the ball stops, so a lot of the times you’re not hitting the ball where you think you’re going to hit it. So it definitely takes adjustments.
“I don’t know if there’s enough time to adjust, anyway. You just kind of like deal with it. So it’s an interesting court. You know, I felt like I was being able to string points together, which of course puts pressure on my opponents if I’m not making as many errors.”
.@VenusesWilliams makes no mistake at the net! #BNPPO17 pic.twitter.com/90Ok2Ukjh1
— WTA (@WTA) March 13, 2017
The American was on the brink of defeat in her opening round match against fellow former No.1 Jelena Jankovic, having had to recover from match point down to defeat the Serb in three sets.
“I can hit the ball, and I can hit it well. If anything, I feel like I’m getting better. So as long as I’m improving, I want to be here. On the day that I’m not improving and this is a realization, then that’s when you know you have to walk away. So not there yet.”
But there were far fewer problems against Safarova, who’d knocked out Australian Open semifinalist CoCo Vandeweghe in her previous match.
.@VenusesWilliams makes the pass and is serving for the first set! #BNPPO17 pic.twitter.com/aSq96qkr4w
— WTA (@WTA) March 13, 2017
What was working for Venus today?
“Forehand, backhand, serve, return,” she joked. “I respect my opponent so much; it’s never easy to play a lefty because you feel the ball coming from all different directions. You feel unbalanced, but my focus was so laser that it felt good to compete in these conditions.”
In all, Venus struck 15 winners to just nine unforced errors, while Safarova hit 20 winners of her own and 27 unforced errors. More aggessive off the return, the five-time Wimbledon winner broke serve four times and one all eight points at net.
.@VenusesWilliams bossing the rally! ? #BNPPO17 pic.twitter.com/YMbeFdZcOD
— WTA (@WTA) March 13, 2017
“It won’t be easy. It won’t be easy,” she repeated when asked about whether she could win the tournament. “But I would like to try. What else can I do except try? And it hasn’t really been the easiest draw, either. I’ve played some opponents who know how to play tennis. And just because your ranking says this, doesn’t mean that you do not know how to win a match.
“And I’ve had history against these opponents, so not the easiest draw so it was good to come through that.”
Up next will be resurgent qualifier Peng Shuai, who stunned No.6 seed Agnieszka Radwanska, 6-4, 6-4.
“Every day is a grind. I’m just out there trying to make a difference on the court and in my life and others’ lives where I can.”
.@VenusesWilliams cruises past Safarova 6-4, 6-2!
Slides into @BNPParibasOpen Round of 16! pic.twitter.com/V8z3oRXedn
— WTA (@WTA) March 13, 2017
Timea Babos had Thursday’s shot of the day at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia.
After a short lull in the post-Australian Open period, tennis fashion is again a hot topic as WTA players are freshly geared up for the BNP Paribas Open, the most attended tennis event in the world outside of the four Grand Slams. Marija Zivlak of Women’s Tennis Blog will present us the Top 5 new outfits that grace the courts at the state-of-the-art Indian Wells Tennis Garden in the Coachella Valley.
Garbiñe Muguruza has already launched the black-and-white designs prepared for the French Open and they’re nothing short of spectacular. While the Spaniard is set to work on her Paris title defense in the adidas Summer Stella McCartney Dress 2, this fortnight in Indian Wells she introduced the adidas Summer Stella McCartney Sleeveless Polo, unique for its updated pique fabric and prominent front slits, and the lightweight adidas Summer Stella McCartney Pleated Skirt, featuring integrated compression shorts.
The skirt’s contrast hem nicely matches the thin lining at the polo’s collar, while the pops of color at zipper and heat transfer logo are coordinated with Muguruza’s red Stella Barricade 2017 shoes.
There’s nothing more wonderful than an updated take on a retro look. Combining the historic trio of red, white and navy, with a refreshing touch of Fila’s archival green hue, the new Heritage collection shows the beauty of simplicity with its timeless silhouettes that have a contemporary aesthetic. The collection’s masterpiece is the Fila Spring Heritage II Racer Dress, looking gorgeous on the 2010 Indian Wells champion Jelena Jankovic. Since the tournament venue is known for its 354 days of sunshine a year, the dress’ UV 30 protection is more than welcome.
Once the most prominent representative of Yonex, Belinda Bencic made a fresh start at the 2017 BNP Paribas Open, exposing her new apparel sponsor Nike, winning her first match of the season, and showing her new blonder hairstyle. The Swiss rocked the Maria Sharapova line, in particular the color-block Nike Spring Premier Maria Tank and a simple white skirt, perfectly accessorizing the look with black-and-white wristbands, white nails, and green fluorescent visor that matches the tank’s contrast V-neck.
Always vibrant and youthful, New Balance opened this year’s Indian Wells tournament in style, as their representatives Heather Watson and Nicole Gibbs faced each other in the match kicking off main-draw play. A ballerina-style pleated New Balance Spring Heath Skirt, featuring orange compression shorts that can be seen through stretch tulle mesh, is nicely paired with a classic athletic look of the New Balance Spring Richmond Tank.
The 996v3 shoes ensured Watson’ and Gibbs’ stability by keeping their feet in optimal position even during sharp lateral movements.
At the Australian Open, Nike launched one of their most powerful separates ever and after the black-and-white combo we’re enjoying the lively green version of the look. Madison Keys and many other players are making a fashion statement in this curved-hem Spring Premier Slam Tank and Spring Print Power Spin Skirt whose innovative graphic exudes the sporting dominance we associate with Nike. The Zoom Vapor 9.5 Tour footwear give Keys ultimate comfort and support her quickness.
HONORABLE MENTIONS
Venus Williams is progressing through the Indian Wells draw in her EleVen Intrepid collection, which she describes as bold and smart and expects it to resonate strongly with the tennis and fitness community. The collection is centered around a graphic print in black and white, while colorful outfits can be created by combining pieces in limelight and berry.
After periods of flashy dresses, Lotto is again consistently catering to customers who appreciate utmost simplicity and sporty elegance. Agnieszka Radwanska‘s orange Lotto Spring Shela III Dress features textured mesh fabric and rounded skirt hem that brings a bit of softness to the cut.
Vote for your Indian Wells fashion favorites in the poll below!
No.3 seed Garbiñe Muguruza produced a rousing finale to defeat Jelena Ostapenko and become the first player into the last eight of the Internazionali BNL d’Italia.
INDIAN WELLS, CA, USA – Former doubles No.1 Martina Hingis seems to be hitting her stride with new partner Chan Yung-Jan; together the No.6 seeds ousted Hingis’ former partner Sania Mirza and fellow No.4 seed Barbora Strycova, 6-4, 6-4, to reach the semifinals at the BNP Paribas Open.
“It’s great,” Hingis said after the match. “It’s only our third tournament together, and I feel like we’re getting better with each match. The confidence and trust between us is growing, and I think that’s the most important thing to win matches today and in the future.
“We’re going in the right direction.”
Hingis paired up with Chan at the start of the Middle East Swing, reaching the semifinals of the Qatar Total Open and the quarterfinals of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships. Taking on Mirza and Strycova for the first time since switching partners, Hingis overcame tough opposition with the Taiwanese star by her side, ousting their higher-seeded opponents in just over an hour and 20 minutes.
“Definitely today’s match wasn’t easy,” Chan added. “Those two players are great, and they’re top players. We kept staying strong and staying together. Even though we’re a new team, we were able to make everything work. I think it’s been pretty good so far. We’re looking forward to our upcoming matches.”
Semis???? @BNPPARIBASOPEN @wta @mhingis pic.twitter.com/zdF3OzUwK3
— 詹詠然～YungJan Chan (@YungJan_Chan) March 15, 2017
Chan formerly served as stiff competition to both Hingis and Mirza when she played with sister Chan Hao-Ching, winning the last match against the team formerly known as Santina before they went on a 41-match winning streak from the end of 2015 to the beginning of 2016, playing quite a few tough matches against the pair in between.
“We know each other from playing against each other, like every single week!” she joked. “We’ve been practicing and spending a lot of time together, on court and off, using WhatsApp. I think it’s working.”
Up next for the No.6 seeds will be the winner of an interesting quarterfinal between top seeds and reigning Australian Open champions Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Lucie Safarova and the unseeded and looming pair of Kristina Mladenovic and Svetlana Kuznetsova. Mladenovic is playing her first event with her new partner since splitting with co-French Open champion Caroline Garcia after Dubai.
Mattek-Sands and Safarova could wrest the top spot on the Road to Singapore leaderboard from current No.1s Andrea Hlavackova and Peng Shuai by beating Mladenovic and Kuznetsova. If they don’t reach the final, No.2 seed and Olympic Gold medalists Ekaterina Makarova and Elena Vesnina could get to No.1 if they win the title.
most people relax after a match, we practice some more ??? @YungJan_Chan pic.twitter.com/42LNPLPuBc
— Martina Hingis (@mhingis) March 12, 2017
Madison Keys fought her way past Barbora Strycova and into the semifinals of the Internazionali BNL d’Italia. There she will meet Garbiñe Muguruza.
INDIAN WELLS, CA, USA – Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova will bring up an all-Russian quarterfinal battle against Svetlana Kuznetsova after downing Dominika Cibulkova in straight sets at the BNP Paribas Open.
She needed just over two hours to tamp down a Cibulkova comeback bid and win 6-4, 3-6, 6-2, making her way into the Indian Wells quarterfinals for the first time since 2009.
“I always like to get revenges. Feels amazing, especially we just recently played in Doha and also three-set match,” Pavlyuchenkova explained in her post-match press conference. “I was [also] really disappointed, though, even though it was really good level from the first till the last point.
“I thought I just didn’t convert my chances, and so really happy with the way I finished.”
Unbelievable pass from @Cibulkova! #BNPPO17 pic.twitter.com/eYfgB0F8df
— WTA (@WTA) March 14, 2017
Pavlyuchenkova finished with 35 winners to 23 unforced errors, keeping Cibulkova’s normally aggressive game stifled at just 15 and 14, respectively. She had Cibulkova’s serve under pressure throughout, pouncing on the vulnerable second serve and causing her problems on the return.
The Russian edged ahead in the opening set after trading breaks to start. Cibulkova was playing her high-octane aggressive game but leaking too many unforced errors that left her unable to capitalize on a break opportunity. Instead Pavlyuchenkova soared ahead, beating her with pace and narrowly taking the opening set.
Cibulkova didn’t stay down too long, though, and regrouped in the second to mount another of her famous comebacks. She raised her level and started to dictate the points, flipping the momentum against an increasingly frustrated Pavlyuchenkova. The Slovak earned a decisive break late in the set to level the score and force a decider.
Pavlyuchenkova did well to put her disappointment behind her in the final set; she broke straightaway and built up a 3-0 lead. Despite Cibulkova keeping herself fighting for every point, Pavlyuchenkova was just too solid, and the Russian tamped down a late upset bid to take the match after two hours and seven minutes.
.@NastiaPav downs Cibulkova 6-4, 3-6, 6-2!
Sets All-?? @BNPParibasOpen Quarterfinal vs @SvetlanaK27! pic.twitter.com/KzIzF83x1r
— WTA (@WTA) March 14, 2017
“The key was to, of course, be aggressive, which is my game, but at the same time, find the balance between being aggressive and not giving her a lot of easy shots,” Pavlyuchenkova said. “Because she’s great fighter, and she’s always there.
“I know when she’s down in the score, she’s going for the shots.”
With the victory Pavlyuchenkova brings up a quarterfinal matchup with her countrywoman Kuznetsova. She’ll head into the match trailing 3-5 in the pair’s head-to-head record, but bolstered by the fact that she’s won both of their most recent encounters at Sydney and Melbourne earlier this year.
“Yeah, I know her pretty well, and I think these conditions suit her well,” she said. “She’s playing kind of this mix up a little bit of Spanish tennis, which I think is pretty good on these courts.
“I kind of feel very good, as well.Yeah, let’s see.”
It’s been a rainy day here in Rome as we wait for the Internazionali BNL d’Italia semifinals to get underway. So I’m emptying the notebook while the notebook is still dry. One semifinal note: the first semifinal between Madison Keys and Garbiñe Muguruza has been moved to Court Pietrangeli, and will start as soon as the rain stops and the courts are prepared.
– Madison Keys surprising herself: After her tough 6-4, 4-6, 6-3 win over Barbora Strycova in the quarterfinals of the Internazionali BNL d’Italia on Friday, the 21-year-old American was asked whether she knew she could play so well on clay.
“No,” she said with a smile.
With her run to the semifinals in Rome, Keys has notched her best result on European clay. Her success in Rome may be surprising to some – she’s lost just one set all week – but it shouldn’t be. Her powerful game should translate well on clay. She proved that in 2015 when she made her biggest tour final in Charleston, pushing Angelique Kerber deep into a third set.
But Keys had needed time to convince herself she can get results on clay, as opposed to falling into the trap of seeing it as a stop-off before her beloved grass.
“I’m still very excited for grass,” Keys said. “Let’s put that out there right now.”
“I think over the years I have just eventually accepted that we’re not going to not have a clay court season, so going into it being positive about it is the only way to deal with it,” Keys said. “I think this year it’s just been, Okay, let’s do a little bit better than last year, and not really getting ahead of myself and really just focusing each match just trying to do what I’m here for.”
On Saturday she faces Garbiñe Muguruza for a spot in the final. Muguruza looks to be rounding into form before the French Open, playing a focused, resilient match to beat Timea Bacsinszky, 7-5, 6-2. It’s the first meeting between the two in a WTA-level main draw match. Keys beat Muguruza in three sets in qualifying for Cincinnati back in 2012.
“I’m excited,” Keys said. “I did not think coming into this whole kind of stretch that things would go well. I mean, even in Madrid I felt like I was playing pretty well on the clay and really just hopefully I can keep things going and, you know, keep it going tomorrow and hopefully at the end of the week be really happy.”
– Timea Bacsinszky’s perfect French Open lead-up: Bacsinszky will go into the French Open having won 14 of her last 17 matches. Despite a frustrating loss to Muguruza, which sees her drop to 0-4 against the Spaniard, Bacsinszky still found a silver lining.
“Well, without saying any bad words, it s-u-c-k-s,” Bacsinszky said after the loss. “Third time I’m losing almost with the same score against her.
“Yeah, it’s a big challenge to play against her, because there is always some possibilities to get through the first set or maybe in the second one, but then she leveled up her game. So I think, for sure, playing so many matches in the last couple of weeks got me probably a little tired, as well. But I still had a lot of energy and I was like super enthusiastic to do even better.
“Sometimes it happens that the opponent is making better choices than you are in crucial moments, so I have to give her a lot of credit for that.
“Basically I think I’m really happy about my clay court season so far, and the good news is that I can go home and celebrate tonight for the win that I had in Morocco. This is the good news of the day. I’m taking the positive side of it.”
– Madison Keys, M.D.: Who says you can’t learn anything from television?
Q. You were rubbing your arm quite a bit in the second and third set. Is it bothering you more? The conditions are heavier today than they have been in the past.
MADISON KEYS: It was a little cold. Balls were a little bit heavier. It was a little bit tight. But I’d like to think of myself as a doctor since I watched a lot of Grey’s Anatomy, so I feel like I figured it out (laughter).
– Bacsinszky goes home again: The Swiss star was asked whether she has ever returned to the hotel near Lausanne where she interned as a hospitality manager before returning to tennis. She ended up giving the best tourism ad for Switzerland.
“Yeah. Well, I did. I love this ski resort over there, Villars-sur-Ollon. It’s close from Lausanne. You take the car and you can be there in 45 minutes. So for sure Zermatt or Verbier or whatever, so many others. Vanghen, St. Moritz are more fancy, but I’m not that type of girl which likes those big things and showing off and stuff. I prefer to stay in a small mountain village. And, well, the hotel is great.
“When I worked at it, it was already great. Maybe better with me. No. (Laughter.) No, no, I was really – no, my colleagues were way better than I was. I was just learning, so it’s normal.
“The hotel is really great. It’s one of, still, my favorite hotel worldwide. I’m going to play the tournament of Gstaad this year in Switzerland – finally a woman’s tournament in Switzerland! – so I’m really proud of it. The ATP communications officer told my boyfriend yesterday, Oh, I heard you guys are going to Gstaad. And over there the palace is unbelievable.
So, yeah, it’s almost a 6-star over there, probably. But we’ll see if it challenges my old hotel where I worked, because, I have great memories over there.
I went after my semifinal of Miami for a couple of days, and, well, it’s great to go back there and to see where the colleagues are, because some of them are like traveling worldwide and they come only for half a season, so only for six months, and then they go back somewhere else.
But it’s fun to see how everyone is everywhere. And actually they joke a lot around me. They’re like, No, come on, we never — if we would knew that you were playing tennis — because they didn’t know. Actually, they didn’t know. They were making fun of me. Oh, like, you’re so old to do an internship. 24 years old? Internship at that time? Oh, your feet must hurt.
And then they found out that I play tennis, and like two years later I’m like top 10. They’re like, Okay.”
– Daria Kasatkina powering through: It hasn’t been the clay court swing the young Russian wanted. On her favorite surface she won just two matches on European clay, though she did make the quarterfinals in Charleston as well.
“I was waiting for this time [of the season] but looks like after a good start I have a little bit down,” Kasatkina told WTA Insider. “It’s ok. It happens. I will work and try to come back on my level.”
Kasatkina may be paying the price for her early season success. “This year we go tournament by tournaments. It was the plan because at the start of the season we didn’t know how I will play and if I will not reach a lot of points at the start.
“Start was good. I played a lot of matches. Reach a lot of points. Now we can maybe a little bit slow down. We will see, actually, how I feel.”
– Daria Gavrilova jumpstarts her season: After her star-making run to the fourth round of the Australian Open to start to the year, Gavrilova struggled mightily to get back on track. She won just one tour-level match after that before the tour turned to clay in Charleston.
“I was pretty flat going to the Middle East,” Gavrilova told WTA Insider. “I wasn’t ready. My mind was still at home. I was like, oh my god, really? I had tough losses in America, put myself in a good position in both matches but couldn’t close it out. But it happens.
“I was pretty frustrated after I lost to Zarina Diyas in Miami. And then I thought it’s a good time to make a difference, it’s not just me struggling. I can separate myself from other girls who are not winning so many matches. I was like ‘clay is my favorite surface’. I was keen to start playing on clay and just get over with hard court. Had a few good wins in Charleston and did get revenge over Zarina and that felt really good.”
Since the clay season began, Gavrilova scored wins over Petra Kvitova, Elina Svitolina, Simona Halep, and Sabine Lisicki. She’ll be seeded in Paris.
– Congratulations Li Na: No.2 is on the way.
Happy news for Li Na and Jiang Shan who are expecting their 2nd baby. Daughter Alisa will turn 1 June 3. #LiNaBaby pic.twitter.com/rTd6xRJL2i
— IMG Tennis (@IMGTennis) May 13, 2016
– Serena previews her documentary: Set your DVRs for June 22nd.
Here’s a sneak peek of my new documentary premiering on @EpixHD 6/22! Take a look inside my world! #Serenahttps://t.co/oj2wydQutf
— Serena Williams (@serenawilliams) May 12, 2016