Miami: Venus Williams's Shot Of The Day
Check out Venus Williams’s shot of the day against Angelique Kerber at the Miami Open.
Check out Venus Williams’s shot of the day against Angelique Kerber at the Miami Open.
NEW YORK, NY, USA – Even before Martina Hingis and Sania Mirza’s headline-grabbing split, the doubles draw at this year’s US Open promised to be the most open in recent memory.
The surprise and sudden parting of Hingis and Mirza elevated rivals Caroline Garcia and Kristina Mladenovic to top seeds, although arguably not favorites. Fast forward a few weeks and hierarchy is no clearer on the eve of the opening round at Flushing Meadows.
Garcia and Mladenovic, who will start on Thursday, were handed what on paper appeared to be a relatively straightforward opening assignment against Kurumi Nara and Naomi Osaka – a rookie partnership not famed for their success in doubles. Nevertheless, with the French duo badly out of form – they have mustered together a total of just four wins since lifting the Roland Garros crown at the start of the summer – nothing is a formality.
Beyond that, the draw has been relatively kind; indeed, should they recover the joie de vivre that carried them through an all-conquering clay court season, a place in the last eight beckons.
There they are seeded to meet Mirza and her new partner, Barbora Strycova. In their first tournament, the two hit the ground running, collecting a title that would also give Mirza sole ownership of the No.1 ranking.
Hopes of more success were boosted by Strycova’s early singles exit, leaving the No.7 seeds’ opening week schedule clear to focus on avoiding a similar fate at their first major in unison.
Hingis is also in the top half, and also competing alongside a player smarting from a surprise loss flying solo: CoCo Vandeweghe. However, the draw has been less generous, placing them in a section containing several regular pairings, starting with Anna-Lena Groenefeld and Kveta Peschke.
Should they come through the early rounds unscathed, a potential quarterfinal showdown with 2013 winners and recent Olympic silver medalists Andrea Hlavackova and Lucie Hradecka awaits.
The title favorites are arguably to be found in a bottom half of the draw containing No.2 seeds Chan Hao-Ching and Chan Yung-Jan, Wimbledon finalists Timea Babos and Yaroslava Shvedova, and former champions Ekaterina Makarova and Elena Vesnina.
Seeded No.5 this time, Makarova and Vesnina find themselves in a relatively unthreatening section, the stiffest competition likely to come from Vania King and Monica Niculescu. The Chan sisters, who fell in the quarterfinals 12 months ago, appear equally well-placed to reach the second week.
Since coming so close to tasting Wimbledon glory, Babos and Shvedova have made a couple of solid if unspectacular showings on the North American hardcourt circuit, leaving them relatively fresh for New York. They will begin with a potentially tricky assignment against crowd favorite CiCi Bellis and Julia Boserup.
Also in their section are a number of experience pairings, including Kiki Bertens and Johanna Larsson, No.8 seeds Julia Goerges and Karolina Pliskova, and two-time major winners Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Lucie Safarova.
Britain’s Johanna Konta will play Caroline Wozniacki in the Miami Open final after overcoming former champion Venus Williams in a tight, straight sets battle.
NEW YORK, NY, USA – No.8 Madison Keys and No.14 seed Petra Kvitova notched straight set wins today on their way to the third round at the US Open.
After her record-setting 2 a.m. finish in the first round, Keys is certainly pleased that her straight sets victory over fellow American Kayla Day went much quicker. Keys needed just 49 minutes to complete the 6-1, 6-1 victory.
“It’s funny because this is still technically a late finish, but I’ll take this one over the 2:00 a.m. any day,” Keys joked in her post-match press conference. “I was really happy that I got on the court, kind of went out there and did what I wanted to do from the start, and was able to get off the court as a semi-decent hour.”
At 16 years old, Day was the youngest woman in the second round after she advanced past an ailing Madison Brengle. She was thoroughly outgunned and outplayed by Keys, who hit 25 winners to 14 unforced errors against Day’s six and 15. Keys was dominant on serve – winning 96 percent of points behind her first serve – as well as at the net, winning 92 percent of points at the net.
Earlier in the day, Kvitova faced a stern challenge from Turkish trailblazer Cagla Buyukakcay, 7-6(2), 6-3.
Buyukakcay continued her historic 2016 season at Flushing Meadows, where last round she became the first player from Turkey to feature in the US Open main draw. She entered the tournament at a career-high rank of No.66, but her meteoric rise was halted by two-time Wimbledon champion Kvitova.
The No.16-ranked Czech weathered a slow start against Buyukakcay, who broke her serve to start the match. Kvitova grabbed the break back, but neither player could hang on to a lead for very long, sending the opening set into a tiebreak.
The Czech rattled off seven points in a row to shut Buyukakcay out of the first set, then a pair of late breaks in the second secured her spot in the third round.
“I’m happy how I handled the first set, especially when I was up and I couldn’t really make it in on the first set,” Kvitova explained.
“And the second set I know that she can still play, and she did at the end of the first set. I was trying still to be focused.
“I think the serve was a little bit better in the second set, but still I think my forehand helped me a lot today. I was just waiting for the chance to break her then.”
Kvitova will face the No.22 seed Elina Svitolina for a spot in the fourth round.
MIAMI, FL, USA – After more than a week of compelling tennis, Johanna Konta and Caroline Wozniacki are the last two standing at the Miami Open, as both women look to raise the trophy for the first time at the WTA Premier Mandatory event.
Here are 10 things to know before Saturday’s championship showdown.
Johanna Konta (GBR #11) vs. Caroline Wozniacki (DEN #14)
Head-to-head: Konta leads, 1-0
1) Maiden (in) Miami.
Both players will break new ground in their careers when they set foot on court on Saturday, as each is competing in her first-ever final at the Miami Open. Playing in Miami for the 10th time, Wozniacki’s best result previously came in 2012, when she reached the semifinals. Konta is playing in Miami for just the second time in her career, and reached the quarterfinals in her 2016 debut.
2) Wozniacki Goes Four for Four.
Wozniacki has reached the final of all four Premier Mandatory events in her career with her success in Miami this week. The former World No.1 first was runner-up at the 2009 Mutua Madrid Open; won the BNP Paribas Open in 2011; and won the China Open in 2010. Konta will contest her second final at Premier Mandatory level out of her last three, finishing runner-up to Agnieszka Radwanska in Beijing last fall.
Caroline Wozniacki has now made the final of all 4 Premier Mandatories, 6 in all.
More: https://t.co/vkUOl0CPfY pic.twitter.com/LUgZPYo3Q8
— WTA Insider (@WTA_insider) March 30, 2017
3) Comebacks – and upsets (on paper).
Over the course of the week, both women have recorded wins over higher-ranked players en route to the final. Konta ousted No.3 seed Simona Halep in a marathon quarterfinal match, 3-6, 7-6(7), 6-2, after the Romanian served for the match in the second set, and was two points away from victory. Wozniacki also rallied from a set down to defeat No.2 seed Karolina Pliskova in Thursday’s semifinals.
.@JoKonta91 advances to @MiamiOpen Semifinals!
Battles past Halep 3-6, 7-6(7), 6-2! pic.twitter.com/nm3n99u6s8
— WTA (@WTA) March 29, 2017
4) Third Time’s the Charm?
While Miami marks both Wozniacki and Konta’s first Premier Mandatory final of the season, both players have already reached finals this year. Wozniacki will contest her third final of 2017 after Doha and Dubai, the most on tour this season. While the Dane is looking to win her first title of the year, Konta is appearing in her second final after winning the Apia International Sydney.
5) Lucky Number…45.
With this result, Wozniacki becomes just the fourth active player to reach 45 career finals on the WTA Tour; the 26-year-old has reached at least one final every year since the 2008 season.
#SAPStatOfTheDay: @CaroWozniacki reaches 45th career #WTA Final! #MiamiOpen pic.twitter.com/cLjFZidk2X
— WTA (@WTA) March 31, 2017
6) Recent History, Down Under.
The two have only met once before just two months ago at the Australian Open. In the third round match, Konta broke serve four times en route to a 6-3, 6-1 victory in one hour, 17 minutes.
7) Top 10 Implications.
Regardless of Saturday’s result, Konta is assured of returning to the WTA Top 10. With a victory, the Brit will rise to a new career-high of No.7, bettering her previous of No.9 from last fall. For Wozniacki, only a victory in the final will get her back inside the Top 10 for the first time since 2015, with a rise to No.8 in the rankings.
By advancing to @MiamiOpen final, @JoKonta91 will re-enter the Top 10 on Monday. Venus also moves into Top 10 UNLESS Woz wins the title.
— WTA Insider (@WTA_insider) March 31, 2017
8) The Road to the Final.
Combined, both players have dropped three sets this week. Konta had a battle on her hands in her first match of the week against qualifier Aliaksandra Sasnovich before her quarterfinal comeback against Halep. By contrast, Wozniacki rolled through her first four matches without losing a set until the semifinals.
9) A Bit of British History.
Konta is looking to become the first British woman to not only win the title in Miami, but also win a WTA Premier Mandatory event.
.@JoKonta91 is the first ?? to make a @MiamiOpen Final! pic.twitter.com/6hSG38HiaI
— WTA (@WTA) March 31, 2017
10) Singapore Shakeup.
A win for Wozniacki would see her rise to No.1 on the Road to Singapore leaderboard, ahead of Karolina Pliskova and Serena Williams, while Konta would sit in fifth. Should Konta win the title, she will sit behind Pliskova in second, while Wozniacki will rise to third.
Sara Errani was as shocked as anyone on Sunday, as she routed Barbora Strycova 6-0, 6-2 to win the biggest title of her career at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships. The title, the ninth of her career, capped off a surprising week in Dubai, which saw the 28-year-old Italian rebound from a poor start to the season and emerge from a decimated draw that saw upsets after upsets, day after day.
After finishing inside the Top 20 for the fourth consecutive year, Errani had struggled to string together wins before Dubai. Entering the tournament she had just two wins on the tour level – both in Sydney – and was coming off an 0-2 weekend in Fed Cup, where she lost to Caroline Garcia and Kristina Mladenovic. Errani said after that Fed Cup weekend, she considered withdrawing from Dubai.
“Yeah, [I thought about] maybe taking two or three weeks to just relax, try to recharge the energy and everything,” Errani told reporters. “But in the end with my coach we think it, and he say, Come on. Let’s go. You are ready to suffer. You are ready to fight.
“This is important. Doesn’t matter how it goes. If it goes Love and Love in the first round, doesn’t matter for me. I just want to go there and try to do the best that we can because there are many weeks that you don’t feel 100%. So you just have to be ready to whatever comes.”
Errani couldn’t have asked for a better draw in Dubai to get her confidence back in check. She opened with back-to-back wins over qualifiers Zhang Saisai and Yaroslava Shvedova, before rallying to beat Madison Brengle in three sets and then rolling past Elina Svitolina and Strycova. Errani will be back in the Top 20 on Monday.
“There is no explanation,” Errani said, when asked about her turnaround week. “Of course you work to be ready to the matches, but you never know which days you can play better or worse.
“The only thing I know is that I was ready to suffer, to stay on the court also in bad moments, or when I was not playing really good and just stay there. This is my mentally always. I know that doesn’t matter if you play good, bad, or whatever. Just the more important thing is just to stay there and try your best.”
But Errani may be selling herself short when she dismissed any explanation for her title run. After all, the theme of last week was resilience, and if you want to put a finer point on it, Italian resilience. Errani’s win kick-started a banner three days for the Italian veterans on tour, as 35-year-old Francesca Schiavone won her first title in nearly three years at the Rio Open, and 33-year-old Roberta Vinci became the oldest woman to make her top 10 debut. Who would have thought any of these results were in the cards 12 months ago.
“I can come here and lose first round, but if I try, everything is good for me,” Errani explained. “Doesn’t matter. You never know what can happen.
“Even in 2012, never thinking to do a final in Roland Garros and then it comes. So you cannot have objectives before because maybe can come something more or something worse.”
WTA Insider caught up with Errani after her triumph in Dubai for a quick chat before she was whisked away by the tournament director for more handshakes and congratulations. She was, undoubtedly, the woman of the hour.
WTA Insider: How does it feel to win such a big title in Dubai?
Errani: It’s amazing for me. It’s the biggest title that I won in my life so I’m really happy for sure.
WTA Insider: You actually considered not playing Dubai this week after a tough pair of losses at Fed Cup. What changed your mind?
Errani: Yeah. It was a tough moment and my coach and I were thinking to rest some weeks to recover the energy. Then we decided to come and it was really good for me.
WTA Insider: You came to Dubai with just two wins this season. I think it’s fair to say no one saw this result coming. How surprised are you?
Errani: I’m really surprised. Even in the first round I was down 5-1 in the first set to Zhang so there were tough moments throughout the week. But I’m really happy.
WTA Insider: What will a win like this do for your confidence going forward?
Errani: Of course, winning matches at a tournament like this is nice for my tennis. I hope to continue, to improve more, and make more results.
WTA Insider: You said you were experiencing some “tough moments” after Fed Cup that almost kept you out of this tournament. Can you explain what was going on?
Errani: Ah, that is something that will stay with me and my family and my team, so sorry, I will not speak about this.
WTA Insider: At the end of last season, when you spoke to your coach about the season, what was your assessment?
Errani: It was a good year for me. I finished in the Top 20, I won a tournament in Rio. It was not the best year for me but I had some good results so I was happy about that.
WTA Insider: So what was your mentality going into 2016?
Errani: Just to improve, to keep going, to improve every day. to put the good work in the pre-season and try to be ready for the next year.
NEW YORK, NY, USA – Anastasija Sevastova claimed the biggest shock thus far at the 2016 US Open, holding her nerve to defeat World No.3 Garbiñe Muguruza, 7-5, 6-4. The win came hours after Caroline Wozniacki had a renaissance of her own on Arthur Ashe Stadium, turning back the clock to take out No.9 seed and longtime rival Svetlana Kuznetsova in straight sets following a slow start.
In the latest Daily Dispatch from Flushing, hear more from Muguruza and Sevastova in their own words as the WTA Insider team analyze the upsets from Day 3, and make their picks for the most exciting matches on Thursday’s order of play:
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Unseeded and looming Gabriela Dabrowski and Xu Yifan knocked out four of the Top 8 seeds en route to their biggest career title at the Miami Open.
NEW YORK, NY, USA – Angelique Kerber continues her quest for No.1 as the bottom half of the draw contests its third-round matches in New York on Friday. Chris Oddo previews a busy schedule at wtaennis.com.
Friday, Third Round
[2] Angelique Kerber (GER #2) vs. [Q] CiCi Bellis (USA #158)
Head-to-head: First meeting
Key Stat: Kerber will ascend to the No.1 ranking if Serena Williams does not reach the semifinals in New York.
Angelique Kerber will bid for her 50th win of the season against a 17-year-old fan favorite that relishes the big stage. That 17-year-old would be Catherine Bellis, a diminutive Northern Californian with a surprisingly big game. Bellis came through in three sets on Wednesday, defeating Shelby Rogers to reach the third round at the Open for the first time. Bellis famously became the youngest player to win a match at the US Open since 1996 when she defeated Dominika Cibulkova as a 15-year-old two years ago. On Friday her challenge will be even greater. Bellis will face No.2-ranked Angelique Kerber, a player very much in form and in her prime, and the American knows she’s in for a tough test. Kerber is in the hunt for the No.1 ranking and will bid to reach the second week at the US Open for the fourth time, and first time since 2013. “She’s No.2 in the world obviously and an amazing player,” Bellis said of the German. “It will be a lot of fun for me.” Kerber, who leads the tour in wins, hardcourt wins and Top 10 wins this season, will do her best to ensure that the youngster doesn’t have too much fun.
Pick: Kerber in two
[14] Petra Kvitova (CZE #16) vs. [22] Elina Svitolina (UKR #19)
Head-to-head: Kvitova leads, 3-1
Key Stat: Kvitova reached her first US Open quarterfinal in 2015.
What has Petra Kvitova been up to on her off days at the US Open? Oh, just not practicing. It may sound strange, but it’s true. The Czech says she has been doing everything she can to avoid the stress of the big city, so she passes on the New York City commute on her off days and instead practices on the day of her matches only. “I didn’t practice yesterday,” Kvitova told WTA Insider Courtney Nguyen on Wednesday after her straight-sets win over Cagla Buyukakcay. “I had a day off, so I didn’t come on-site. So that’s a new tradition I think from last year.” Kvitova says she instead does fitness off-site and spends the time saved luxuriating with a coffee in Manhattan. The Czech will hope the new routine leaves her rested and ready for her second meeting in less than a month with Elina Svitolina. Kvitova pummeled the Ukrainian 6-2, 6-0 at the Rio Olympics. The No.22-seed has needed three sets in each of her first two matches in New York.
Pick: Kvitova in two
[8] Madison Keys (USA #9) vs. Naomi Osaka (JAP #81)
Head-to-head: First meeting
Key Stat: Keys owns a 13-4 record in three-setters in 2016.
After Garbiñe Muguruza’s sudden departure from the draw on Wednesday, 21-year-old Madison Keys is the highest-seeded player remaining in her quarter of the draw. Will she take advantage of the opportunity? To do so she’ll have to get by the young, powerful Naomi Osaka of Japan in a first-time meeting. Osaka has yet to fail to reach the third round in all three of her career Grand Slam appearances, but has yet to go beyond. To do so at the Open, she’ll have to upend a blossoming star on her home soil. Keys trounced 16-year-old Kayla Day, 6-1, 6-1 on Wednesday, but the American knows her next test could be a tricky one. “She’s an aggressive player,” Keys said of Osaka. “She’s been playing well. She’s steadily been moving up the rankings. She’s going to be a tough opponent.”
Pick: Keys in three
[13] Johanna Konta (GBR #14) vs. [24] Belinda Bencic (SUI #26)
Head-to-head: Bencic leads, 2-1
Key Stat: Bencic reached the US Open quarterfinals as a 17-year-old in 2014.
Johanna Konta barely survived a harrowing struggle on Day 3, but the top Brit lives to see another day in New York. Konta wilted in the heat and collapsed to the court during her second-round encounter with Tsvetana Pironkova, and was immediately treated by medical staff. Remarkably, the 25-year-old made a stunning return to form to complete her victory over the Bulgarian. It took courage and resilience for Konta to continue; now she’s hoping for a strong recovery before she meets Belinda Bencic on Friday “We push our bodies to the limits… I definitely hit, you know, one of my limits,” Konta said, before adding: “I feel very fortunate that I have one more chance to play here, to give my best again.” Bencic had a much simpler second-round match. She emphatically moved past Andrea Petkovic in straight sets to reach the third round in Queens for the third consecutive year.
Pick: Konta in three
By the Numbers…
3 – Players with a shot at the No.1 ranking at the end of the US Open (Serena Williams, Angelique Kerber and Agnieszka Radwanska).
20-13 – Roberta Vinci‘s US Open record. The Italian was 12-12 at New York through 2014.
1 – Number of players in Top 10 to have yet to play in a Grand Slam final (Madison Keys).
MIAMI, FL, USA – The British media celebrated Johanna Konta’s win at the Miami Open with plenty of print space and air time – and are hoping she’ll rise even further up the rankings than her current career high of No.7.
Konta said in her post-match press conference that she hoped her journey in the tournament would garner lots of attention for the sport.
“If the coverage has been good then it’s great for us,” said the British No.1. “It’s promoting tennis, and hopefully promoting more people to play.”
And so it has proved – starting with a front-page splash in the Sunday Times.
No stunts required – win as big as Konta is starting to, it gets attention. Front page of the Sunday Times. pic.twitter.com/VQKgSUsnt9
— DavidLaw (@DavidLawTennis) April 2, 2017
Comparisons are inevitably being drawn with Virginia Wade, Britain’s last female singles Slam winner – but Konta has played that down, although she admitted she would love to win Wimbledon.
The Daily Mail reported that she said: “It does sound quite monumental but winning Wimbledon is a dream and hopefully one day I will get an opportunity to play for such a title.”
An unforgettable two weeks for @JoKonta91 at the @MiamiOpen! ? pic.twitter.com/XuN5Snv16F
— WTA (@WTA) April 2, 2017
The Daily Telegraph’s tennis correspondent Simon Briggs assessed Konta’s chances of a Slam title thus: “How much further, then, can this late-blooming champion climb? Two years ago, Konta was ranked around the 150-mark, which did not even earn her a spot in the qualifying tournament here. Now she stands alongside Pliskova and world No 1 Angelique Kerber as one of the women most likely to worry Serena Williams.”
In the Guardian, Kevin Mitchell wrote: “Konta was clearly the better player in this match as well as the one in Melbourne. That was such a clear indicator of how far the British No1 has come in a relatively short time. There would not have been many takers backing Konta to beat Wozniacki even a couple of years ago. Now she has to set her sights higher.”
And of course Konta’s Fed Cup teammates were also thrilled for her – Naomi Broady and Heather Watson were straight on Twitter to publicly congratulate their friend.
She came, she saw, she 'kontad' ? best tweet I've seen today! Killing it JK ? @JoKonta91
— Naomi Broady (@NaomiBroady) April 2, 2017
Congrats @JoKonta91 ! ?????? #killinit
— Heather Watson (@HeatherWatson92) April 1, 2017