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News | WTA Tennis English

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia – Ashleigh Barty says the world is seeing her best performances on a tennis court so far as she celebrated a day of double delight at the Alya Malaysian Open.

First she secured a spot in the singles quarterfinals by beating fellow qualifier Miyu Kato, 6-0, 6-3 – and then she went one better in the doubles alongside Casey Dellacqua, progressing to the semifinals as they defeated Nao Hibino and Varatchaya Wongteanchai 6-4, 6-0.

“We have to say this is my best start, best career performances to date,” the 20-year-old told the press afterwards. “We’re happy to be playing well and enjoying our tennis.” 

The Australian returned to tennis a year ago following a break during which she turned her sporting skills to cricket, playing in the first-ever Women’s Big Bash League for Brisbane Heat. She thinks that the time off has served her well.

“My tennis game this time is a continuation from my last career – I’m a little bit older, a little bit more wise, more mature, so I think that’s helped my game immensely,” she revealed.

That isn’t to say that putting her racquet down was an easy thing to do.

“I certainly missed playing tennis,” she admitted. “It’s what I’ve done since I was five years old. It’s been a part of my life for so long. It’s what I am born to do.”

Barty is proving that with her recent form, and she has an extra incentive to win – her best friend and doubles partner Dellacqua.

“I really am loving being out here, getting to play singles and enjoy some success, and then of course to be on the court with my best friend for doubles is a bonus as well – it’s nice to be back out here with Case and to see her happy as well,” she added.

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Insider Draw Analysis: Rome

Insider Draw Analysis: Rome

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

The draw for the Internazionali BNL d’Italia is out and it’s highlighted by a loaded top half of the draw, led by Serena Williams, and what should be an unpredictable bottom half of the draw, led by No.2 Angelique Kerber.

Here are the storylines we’re watching as the last major tune up to the French Open is set to begin.

1. Serena makes her return.

The clay season officially begins for Serena Williams this week, as the American is in Rome and has already been spotted practicing. The World No.1 has not played since losing in the round of 16 at the Miami Open and has just three tournaments under her belt this season. She’s looking to break her title drought, which goes all the way back to the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati last summer.

Serena has a bye into the second round and will open against one of two Anna’s: Anna-Lena Friedsam or Anna Karolina Schmiedlova. Schmiedlova has lost her last 10 tour matches. It’s a draw that should give Serena a few good matches to play herself into form but the business end of the tournament could be tough. Victoria Azarenka, Simona Halep, and Svetlana Kuznetsova are all looming in her half of the draw. To win the title Serena could have to go through Ana Ivanovic, Halep or Kuznetsova in the quarterfinal, and Azarenka (if she’s healthy) in the semifinal.

Rome also offers an opportunity for Serena to pick up points. With her limited play since the US Open, her point lead has began to shrink. Last year she withdrew from the tournament after her opening round match, meaning any progress past that stage this year will help her repad her lead.

Victoria Azarenka

2. Azarenka health watch.

Azarenka takes her 26-1 record into Rome, but she arrives under a cloud of questions. Azarenka was forced to withdraw from the Mutua Madrid Open last week due to a back injury, which she says she picked up in her opening match. It’s always difficult to gauge how serious Azarenka’s injuries may be given her cautious nature, so it was good to see her still in the tournament when the draw was released on Friday.

The book on Azarenka is that she’s less of a threat on clay. While she’s committed to proving people wrong this year, a deep run in Rome would certainly put her on the short list of favorites at the French Open, where she has never made it past the semifinals.

Azarenka was a finalist in 2013 and played well last year before losing to eventual champion Maria Sharapova in the quarterfinals. She opens against either Magarita Gasparyan or Madrid quarterfinalist Irina-Camelia Begu, and could play either Daria Kasatkina or Karolina Pliskova in the third round. If healthy, this is a good draw for Azarenka until the semifinals, where she could face off against Serena for the second time this year.

3. Vinci returns home.

Roberta Vinci makes no qualms about it: she does not play well in Rome. The 33-year-old Palermo native has won just six matches in the last 11 years in Rome. The attention and the expectation has been debilitating in the past but she hopes this year is different.

This year the US Open finalist returns to the Foro Italico to much fanfare. It could be her final appearance at the tournament if she holds firm to her previously announced plan to hang up her racquet at the end of the year. She will open her tournament against either Johanna Konta or a qualifier. Vinci told WTA Insider this week that she’s asked tournament organizers to schedule her first match on the famed Court Pietrangeli. The sight of that court overflowing with her vocal Italian fans should be something to see.

Another thing to keep an eye for: If Vinci can get some wins in Rome, she could play Serena in the semifinals in what would be a rematch of their US Open semifinal.

Carla Suarez Navarro

4. Muguruza and Suárez Navarro lead the Spanish Quarter.

Both women were disappointed to bow out of Madrid early, none more so than Carla Suárez Navarro, who was playing well but caught an upper respiratory illness during the week that left her unable to battle through a three-set match against Samantha Stosur. As for Muguruza, she lost in the third round to Begu, and it seemed the pressure of being Spain’s No.1 followed her everywhere she went in Madrid.

Which means Rome should be a refreshing change of pace for both women, who should be factors at the French Open. Suárez Navarro was a finalist here a year ago and so long as she’s put her illness behind her, she should be one to watch this week. She could face Timea Bacsinszky in the third round and Muguruza in the quarterfinals. Muguruza opens against either Danka Kovinic or Ekaterina Makarova.

5. Kvitova’s tough draw.

She couldn’t defend her title in Madrid but Kvitova has been playing good ball on clay. She made the quarterfinals in Stuttgart, losing to eventual champion Angelique Kerber, and earned two good wins in Madrid before losing to Daria Gavrilova. She’s never made it past the quarterfinals in Rome.

Her draw doesn’t inspire much confidence but if she can get through the first few rounds Kvitova could settle down. Her path to the semifinal starts with either Andrea Petkovic or Madison Keys, then possibly Venus Williams, with Angelique Kerber potentially in the quarterfinal.

6. Andrea Petkovic and Madison Keys earn the first round popcorn.

Main draw play begins on Sunday. Here are the first round matches to watch:

– Andrea Petkovic vs. Madison Keys
– Daria Kasatkina vs. Karolina Pliskova
– Venus Williams vs. CoCo Vandeweghe
– Jelena Jankovic vs. Eugenie Bouchard
– Daria Gavrilova vs. Sabine Lisicki
– Kristina Mladenovic vs. Jelena Ostapenko

All photos courtesy of Getty Images.

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Halep Conquers Cibulkova For Madrid Crown

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

MADRID, Spain – No.6 seed Simona Halep capped off a dominating week in the Spanish capital, conquering Dominika Cibukova 6-2, 6-4 to claim the Mutua Madrid Open crown and her first title of 2016.

Hear from Madrid champion Halep on WTA Insider: Champions’ Corner.

Madrid holds a special place in the Romanian’s career: it was here in 2013 that she received a wildcard that kick started her ascent into the WTA’s elite. In 2014 Halep returned as a finalist, and this year she led a strong Romanian contingent that made tournament history before she captured her second career Premier Mandatory title.

“I saw always that it’s a special tournament because of Mr. [Ion] Tiriac, because of many Romanians that are coming here. I feel like home,” Halep said.

“You know, it’s a special feeling that many Romanians are coming to support me.I see many flags in the crowd. It means a lot.”

Despite coming into the tournament surrounded by questions about her health and fitness, Halep’s performance in Madrid was nothing short of dominating. She dropped just one set all tournament long, and in the last round she overpowered Sam Stosur 6-2, 6-0 to reach the final against Cibulkova.

Into her third final of the year, No.38-ranked Cibulkova is the lowest ranked player to reach a Premier Mandatory final since 2009, when the WTA Roadmap was introduced. In fact, even though she famously reached the Australian Open final in 2014, Madrid marks the Slovak’s first ever appearance at a Premier Mandatory final.

Halep kept Cibulkova’s fast-paced game contained throughout the match, breaking her in the very first game to start out with an early lead. Despite Cibulkova’s trademark dogged resistance, Halep broke once more at 4-1. Halep weathered three of the Slovak’s break opportunities and went on to close the set at 6-2.

The same pattern unfolded in the second set, with Halep again breaking in the first game. Though Cibulkova raised her level of aggression, she couldn’t keep up with Halep and the Romanian’s deadly forehand, which did the bulk of the damage: Halep hit 11 of her 20 total winners and conceded just two unforced errors out of 10 from that wing.

“I expected a tough match today,” Halep said. “I thought that I would struggle a little bit with her shots, but I was very strong on my legs and could block. I could make my game, I can say.”

With the win Halep will make her return to the WTA Top 5, at No.5, and both Cibulkova and Halep will enter the Road To Singapore Leaderboard’s Top 8.

Cibulkova’s appearance in the final bumps up her ranking to No.26, putting her in perfect position to receive a seed at the French Open.

“I just want to get some rest and prepare for Roland Garros,” Cibulkova reflected after the match. “Because my game on clay really came together. I know what to do.

“I would play bit more aggressive from the beginning. But she was playing really well, so wasn’t like I played bad feels and I have to feel bad.”

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News | WTA Tennis English

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

ACAPULCO, Mexico – No.7 seed Lesia Tsurenko will take on Kristina Mladenovic in the final of the Abierto Mexicano Telcel after top seed Mirjana Lucic-Baroni was forced to retire after trailing 0-5 in the first set.

“I was really shocked on court when she decided to retire,” Tsurenko said after the match. “I wish that she feels better. I’m pretty happy to be in the final, but shame that she’s not feeling well.”

Lucic-Baroni had been in imperious form this week in Acapulco – her first event since her dream run to the Australian Open semifinals – and she hadn’t dropped a set all tournament long. 

But on Friday night against Tsurenko, the Croat was noticeably subdued from the start, moving sluggishly and her usually booming strokes lacking bite. Tsurenko broke three times and, after a visit from the trainer and tournament doctor, Lucic-Baroni was forced to retire citing gastrointestinal illness.

“I was really unlucky; I picked up a virus, I vomited just before I went on the court,” Lucic-Baroni explained. “I tried. Because I’m not the type to retire, ever. I’ll just put on more tapes and play, and I can play through anything really.

“But I just felt extremely dizzy and like I was going to vomit all the time, and I just couldn’t continue. I’m really upset, because this is such a great tournament and I’m playing so well.

“It’s just a crappy way to end a really good tournament.”

For Tsurenko, this puts her through to her first final of the year; earlier in the season she made a run to the semifinals at the Hobart International. In fact, it’s her first final since September 2016 when she won the title at Guangzhou.

She’s set to take on Kristina Mladenovic, who came through in three sets against Christina McHale.

“I watched their match, it was really tough match for both of them,” Tsurenko acknowledged. “But this is not always a big advantage for me; sometimes when you play a long match you get stronger and feel the surface better.

“We’ll see tomorrow. I hope I’ll be fresher physically.”

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Notes & Netcords: May 9, 2016

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

THE WINNERS

No.6 seed Simona Halep capped off a dominating week in the Spanish capital, conquering Dominika Cibukova 6-2, 6-4 to claim the Mutua Madrid Open crown and her first title of 2016.

Madrid holds a special place in the Romanian’s career: it was here in 2013 that she received a wildcard that kick started her ascent into the WTA’s elite. In 2014 Halep returned as a finalist, and this year she led a strong Romanian contingent that made tournament history before she captured her second career Premier Mandatory title.

With the win Halep will make her return to the WTA Top 5, at No.5, and both Cibulkova and Halep will enter the Road To Singapore Leaderboard’s Top 8.

Read the full story and watch highlights here | WTA Insider: As It Happened

Meanwhile in doubles, the No.5 seeded team of Caroline Garcia and Kristina Mladenovic struck once again in their burgeoning rivalry with World No.1 team Sania Mirza and Martina Hingis. The Frenchwomen defeated Hingis and Mirza 6-4, 6-4 to claim the doubles title at the Mutua Madrid Open.

“It’s definitely great period for us,” Garcia said in the post-match press conference. “Three finals, three titles, and two times against No.1 in the world, Martina and Sania, and once against Bethanie and Lucie. So it’s only great matches every single time.

“Very, very happy with what we produced on the court today.”

Read the full story here.

GAME, SET, MATCH: WTA Insider

Game: Simona Halep gets back in the game.

After a season of stalls, Simona Halep is back in the conversation after rolling to her first title of the season at the Mutua Madrid Open. Halep lost just one set all week — a surprising bagel from her compatriot Irina Camelia Begu — posting dominant set scores all week and beating Dominika Cibulkova 6-2, 6-4 to win the title on Saturday. The win moves Halep back into the Top 5 and into the Top 8 on the Road to Singapore Leaderboard, and it was a win that felt incredibly necessary for Halep after all her 2016 setbacks, which include injury and illness to start the season and a frustrating loss in her first match in Stuttgart to start the clay season.

“No one cares about me now,” Halep said with a laugh after her second round win in Madrid. “I care about myself, so that’s ok.”

“Attention is less and it’s good for every player I think, when you get a little less attention. I always felt normal, but sometimes the people around you expect more results, better results and that’s why you get frustrated and you get nervous. Now I feel ok, I have no points to defend, so I am free.”

In Madrid, Halep played like a woman completely free of pressure and expectation, something we haven’t seen since the US Open Series last summer. Even after the seeds feel around her and she became the overwhelming favorite to win the title by the time the quarterfinals rolled around, Halep took it match-by-match and kept it simple. Her game flowed accordingly. She saved her best for her last two matches, reeling off 11 consecutive games to beat Sam Stosur in the semifinals and using her counterpunching prowess perfectly to thwart Cibulkova less than 24 hours later.

Last year Halep struggled to back up her tremendous 2014 clay and grass seasons, where she made the French Open final and Wimbledon semifinals. She took a surprising loss to Caroline Wozniacki in Stuttgart and lost early in Paris and London. This win in Madrid, her biggest title since Indian Wells last year, put her back on the radar in Europe. Now to see how she handles it.

WTA Insider: Champions’ Corner with Halep

Set: Kristina Mladenovic and Caroline Garcia get Lucky No.13.

The French pair continue their run on clay, moving their impressive win-streak to 13 matches by beating co-No.1s Sania Mirza and Martina Hingis in Madrid to win their third consecutive title. Perhaps even more impressive than the streak is their back-to-back wins over Mirza and Hingis in finals, a feat no team had yet to achieve. They also beat No.2s Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Lucie Safarova to win their first title in Charleston. Those are quality wins and their undefeated streak on clay has surprised event them.

“We didn’t expect to play better on clay than on hard,” Garcia said. “On hard we were already happy with what we did, two finals and one very close to get one more win. But maybe our game is even better on clay. I don’t know. But our kick serve and forehand with spin is a little bit more efficient on this surface.

“Also we needed time to [adjust to each other]. We are knowing each other better and better every week, so maybe it’s going to be better and better every week. We hope so, but sometimes it’s just on one point where you go to cover the other one, and at the beginning you didn’t do it. It’s one more point with no ad and tiebreak like this, and one point can change everything.”

Match: Sam Stosur and Dominika Cibulkova finding their clay form.

Both women should be threats in Paris in two weeks’ time. Since the tour turned to European clay, Stosur has made the final in Prague and the semifinals in Madrid, her biggest result on clay since making the 2010 French Open final. It took a fantastic effort form Halep early in their semifinal to fend off Stosur’s ruthless forehand and flip the match on its head.

As for Cibulkova, she continues to be one of the best players of 2016. She’s made the final or better at two of the last three tournaments she’s played, winning the title in Katowice. She’ll be seeded in Paris after her run to the final, a fact that will be the source of great relief for every other seeded player (just as Madrid’s top seed Agnieszka Radwanska).

RANKING MOVERS:
Notable singles ranking movers for the week of May 9, 2016.

Louisa Chirico (USA), +54 (No.130 to 76): The biggest ranking jump of the week goes to the 19-year-old American Chirico. She breaks into the Top 100 for the first time with her run from the qualifying rounds of the Mutua Madrid Open all the way to the semifinal.

Dominika Cibulkova (SVK), +12 (No.38 to 26): Cibulkova’s rivals can breathe a sigh of relief now that she’s back inside the Top 30: the dangerous Slovak is now going to be seeded at top events moving forward.

Daria Gavrilova (AUS), +7 (No.39 to 32): Australian youngster Gavrilova reaches a career high ranking of No.32 this week after her quarterfinal showing in Madrid, her biggest result of the year since the Australian Open.

Timea Bacsinszky (SUI), +5 (No.15 to 10): Bacsinszky is back into the Top 10 – after winning the International-level event in Rabat and reaching the round of 16 in Madrid, the Swiss equals her best ranking.

Simona Halep (ROU), +2 (No.7 to 5): She only jumped up two spaces, but it’s a big leap for Halep to put her back up to No.5 in the world after a dip this season.

UPCOMING TOURNAMENTS

Internazionali BNL d’Italia
Rome, Italy
Premier | $2,599,610 | Clay, Outdoor
Monday, May 9 – Sunday, May 15, 2016

Internationaux de Strasbourg
Strasbourg, France
International | $226,750 | Clay, Outdoor
Sunday, May 15 – Saturday, May 21

NÜRNBERGER VERSICHERUNGSCUP
Nurnberg, Germany
International | $226,750 | Clay, Outdoor
Sunday, May 15 – Saturday, May 21

Roland Garros
Paris, France
Grand Slam | – | Clay Outdoor
Sunday, May 22 – Sunday, June 5

TOP 20 PLAYER SCHEDULES
1. Serena Williams- Rome, Roland Garros
2. Angelique Kerber – Rome, Nurnberg, Roland Garros
3. Agnieszka Radwanska – Roland Garros
4. Garbiñe Muguruza – Rome, Roland Garros
5. Simona Halep – Rome, Roland Garros
6. Victoria Azarenka – Rome, Roland Garros
7. Roberta Vinci – Rome, Nurnberg, Roland Garros
8. Belinda Bencic – Roland Garros
9. Petra Kvitova – Rome, Roland Garros
10. Timea Bacsinszky – Rome, Roland Garros
11. Carla Suárez Navarro – Rome, Roland Garros
12. Maria Sharapova
13. Flavia Pennetta
14. Venus Williams – Rome, Roland Garros
15. Lucie Safarova – Rome, Roland Garros
16. Ana Ivanovic – Rome, Roland Garros
17. Elina Svitolina – Rome, Roland Garros
18. Sara Errani – Rome, Roland Garros
19. Karolina Pliskova – Rome, Roland Garros
20. Svetlana Kuznetsova – Rome, Roland Garros

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!
Best wishes to those celebrating birthdays this week:

 Timea Babos (HUN) – May 10, 1993
Katerina Siniakova (CZE) – May 10, 1993
Christina McHale (USA) – May 11, 1992
Anastasia Rodionova (AUS) – May 12, 1982
Kristina Mladenovic (FRA) – May 14, 1993

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News | WTA Tennis English

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia – It was twice as nice for Ashleigh Barty in Kuala Lumpur as she won the doubles title with Casey Dellacqua – adding that to the singles crown she had secured earlier in the day.

The Australian pair beat Nicole Melichar and Makoto Ninomiya 7-6(5), 6-3, coming back from 5-1 down in the first-set tiebreak to lift the trophy in straight sets.

“I feel great – very tired but great,” said Barty afterwards. “It’s been a monster week for me. I don’t think I could have physically have played any more matches. I’m very happy to come away with two titles today, but even if we didn’t it would have been a fantastic tournament anyway. Now it’s just an absolute bonus.”

Her partner Dellacqua admired the way that their opponents had played, giving them a tough time in the first set. 

“They were playing really good tennis, really good doubles,” she said. “We just had to play each point as best we could. That’s all we did, we just applied ourselves really well for each of those points in that tiebreak especially.

“In tennis, you’re never out of it, I think that was pretty crucial to get that first set, and then just to get a break in the second, to space that lead out a little bit. That tiebreak, we did really well after being 5-1 down.”

Dellacqua is enjoying her time on court with her good friend Barty, and was delighted that she won the singles title – even if she was not actually able to watch it.

“It’s pretty nice to play with someone that’s just come off and won the singles, that’s always good!” laughed the 32-year-old. “I’m just stoked that I’m back. I wouldn’t be out here and enjoying it as much if it wasn’t playing with Ash, so yes, I feel good, I feel very happy that I was here to witness her, even though I didn’t get to watch, win her first title. I know that there’ll be many more to come. For us to win the doubles is an extra bonus. It’s pretty exciting.”

The pair burst into laughter when they were asked post-match whether they intended to continue playing doubles together.

“No, I don’t want to play with her again!” grinned Dellacqua.

“We’re done!” added Barty.

Once the hilarity subsided, Dellacqua gave a more serious response.

“Yes, of course. Ash has got a big load, she’s playing singles, so we’ll play whenever we can. When we do play we always enjoy it, and we go out there to do our best.”

Winning a Grand Slam title, of course, remains their ultimate goal.

“It’s a big dream to win [a Slam doubles title],” agreed Dellacqua. “We’ve made three Grand Slam finals together and we’ve never won one, but we don’t talk about it too much any more!

“If that happens, it happens. It’s about each week, each journey, just trying to get the best out of ourselves this week, and if that comes along, we’ll certainly be trying our best to win.”

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RTS Update: Halep Heads Into Top 8

RTS Update: Halep Heads Into Top 8

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

Simona Halep captured her second career Premier Mandatory title at the Mutua Madrid Open; defeating Dominika Cibulkova in straight sets on Saturday, the win not only brought her back into the Top 5 on the WTA rankings, but also helped her rocket up 23 spots on the Road to Singapore leaderboard, entering th Top 8 for the first time in 2016 at No.6.

Runner-up at the 2014 BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global, Halep has qualified for the WTA Finals for the last two years, but a slow start to the season kept her out of the Top 8 despite reaching back-to-back quarterfinals in Indian Wells and Miami. The Romanian was ranked No.29 on the Road to Singapore heading into Madrid, but an impressive week in the Caja Magica reversed her fortunes in emphatic style – leaving her just 119 points behind Carla Suárez Navarro, who rounds out an unchanged Top 5 that also features Australian Open champion Angelique Kerber, Sunshine Double winner Victoria Azarenka, Agnieszka Radwanska, and World No.1 Serena Williams.

Cibulkova also took a big leap up the Road to Singapore leaderboard, finishing the week just behind Halep at No.7 from No.17. Moving up to No.26 on the WTA rankings, Cibulkova has all but guaranteed a seed at the upcoming French Open, where she is a former semifinalist, and aims to make her WTA Finals debut in 2016. Svetlana Kuznetsova completes the Top 8 despite an early round loss to Porsche Tennis Grand Prix finalist Laura Siegemund, who cracked the RTS Top 20 following another solid week in Spain.

Samantha Stosur made the biggest leap of the week following her run to the semifinals; the 2011 US Open champion made back-to-back semifinals at the WTA Finals in 2010 and 2011 and moved up 25 spots to No.13 on the Road to Singapore leaderboard, defeating Suárez Navarro en route.

RTS Ranking Movers

Louisa Chirico: No.110 to No.33 (+77)
Samantha Stosur: No.38 to No.13 (+25)
Simona Halep: No.29 to No.6 (+23)
Dominika Cibulkova: No.17 to No.7 (+10)

Martina Hingis and Sania Mirza held on to the top spot on the Road to Singapore doubles leaderboard, but the reigning WTA Finals champions find their status is under siege by a pair of streaking Frenchwomen in Caroline Garcia and Kristina Mladenovic. Garcia and Mladenovic each qualified for Singapore last fall – Garcia with Katarina Srebotnik, Mladenovic with Timea Babos – and won a third straight title and a 13th straight match in Madrid, backing up their Stuttgart win over Hingis and Mirza with a two-set win in Madrid.

Undefeated on clay in 2016, the French Connection surged up to No.2 on the Road to Singapore doubles leaderboard, putting a nearly 700-point gap between themselves and the No.3 team, Chan Hao-Ching and Chan Yung-Jan.

The Chan sisters suffered a quarterfinal loss to Vania King and Alla Kudryavtseva, who saved two match points to reach a second straight WTA semifinal. King and Kudryavtseva have qualified for the WTA Finals a combined three times – King in 2010 and 2011 with Yaroslava Shvedova, Kudryavtseva in 2014 with Anastasia Rodionova – and made the semifinals each time.

Bowing out to Hingis and Mirza in the final four in Madrid, the pair cracked the Top 8 on the Road to Singapore doubles leaderboard, bumping Miami Open champions Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Lucie Safarova.

Another Premier 5 tournament is already underway as the Internazionali BNL d’Italia began on Monday; with nearly all of the Top 8 in both singles and doubles in contention – except Agnieszka Radwanska and Chan Hao-Ching – there is bound to be more major shifts ahead of the second major tournament of the season in Paris.

Click here to see the full Road To Singapore leaderboard standings heading into Rome.

WTA Road to Singapore Leaderboard

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Garcia & Mladenovic Hold Nerve

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

ROME, Italy – Caroline Garcia and Kristina Mladenovic overcame a mid-match wobble to defeat Anabel Medina Garrigues and Arantxa Parra Santonja in the second round of the Internazionali BNL d’Italia on Thursday.

In their opening match, Garcia and Mladenovic came within two points of defeat, and they once again sailed close to the wind, eventually coming through, 7-6(4), 1-6, 10-7.

A chance for Olympic glory prompted the union between Garcia and Mladenovic, who had previously been in successful partnerships with Katarina Srebotnik and Timea Babos, respectively. And while the French duo took a handful of events to gel, the partnership has flourished on the clay.

Victory over Garrigues and Parra Santonja extends their unbeaten streak to 15 matches, a run taking in tournament victories in Charleston, Stuttgart and Madrid. No.4 seeds Andrea Hlavackova and Lucie Hradecka are the next team hoping to end the run, securing their quarterfinal place with a 6-4, 6-1 win over Sara Errani and Lara Arruabarrena.

Elsewhere, there were mixed fortunes for two of the other leading teams. Andreja Klepac and Katarina Srebotnik followed up their surprise win over the Williams sisters by knocking out No.2 seeds Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Lucie Safarova, 6-3, 6-4.

No.3 seeds Timea Babos and Yaroslava Shvedova had no such trouble, overcoming Italian wildcards Claudia Giovine and Angelica Moratelli, 6-3, 6-2.

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