My Performance: Simona Halep
Simona Halep reflects on her performance at the Miami Open.
Simona Halep reflects on her performance at the Miami Open.
MIAMI, FL, USA – World No.1 Angelique Kerber steamrolled past Japanese qualifier Risa Ozaki in barely an hour to move into the Miami Open quarterfinals for the third time in her career.
Kerber broke the Ozaki serve six times and hit 17 winners to Ozaki’s seven on her way to the 6-2, 6-2 victory.
“I think that she’s played a good tournament,” Kerber praised her opponent in post-match press. “She came through the qualies, she beat good players. I was ready for it.
“I talked with my team and I know that she’s moving good and bringing a lot of balls back. I was trying to play my game and be aggressive.”
.@AngeliqueKerber wraps up the set 6-2! #MiamiOpen pic.twitter.com/UOBifNUCYj
— WTA (@WTA) 27 de marzo de 2017
After a tentative start, with both players feeling each other out in their first encounter, it all went the German’s way as her powerful game started to click together. She dictated with the forehand, breaking Ozaki twice for a 4-1 lead. The 22-year-old Japanese earned one of the breaks back, but it wasn’t enough to halt Kerber’s momentum as she steamrolled to the opening set.
The same pattern emerged in the final set; Kerber rolled ahead to a 5-0, triple break lead, but faltered for a moment against Ozaki’s slices and the Japanese grabbed one of the breaks back. Kerber stayed solid, though, and wrapped up the match moments later.
Despite the result, 22-year-old Ozaki will still have reason to celebrate. After reaching the main draw in her Miami Open debut, Ozaki is set to rise to a career-high ranking on Monday, projected to land inside the Top 75.
Moving on!@AngeliqueKerber books a spot in @MiamiOpen Quarterfinals! Cruises past Ozaki 6-2, 6-2! pic.twitter.com/bIMObErLu7
— WTA (@WTA) 27 de marzo de 2017
For Kerber, the challenge continues in the next round as she’ll face the winner between WTA veterans Venus Williams and Svetlana Kuznetsova for a spot in the semifinals.
“I think it doesn’t matter against who because they are both amazing players,” Kerber said. “Playing against Venus, I’m looking forward [to it] if it’s Venus. But as well if it’s Sveta, she’s played great tennis in the last few weeks. She reached the final in Indian Wells. She’s on fire, but also Venus, she played amazing this year so far.
“I’m looking forward to playing against them. We’ll see tonight.”
At this year’s Wimbledon, some of the most famous names in women’s tennis are once again lending their support to the StarCards charity auction, raising money for Great Ormond Street Children’s Hospital in London.
The WTA has been helping the charity since 2002, raising thousands of pounds. Among the lots at this year’s auction are items from Serena Williams, Agnieszka Radwanska, Caroline Wozniacki and StarCards’ official celebrity supporter Ana Ivanovic, who has signed and donated her 2016 French Open player accreditation.
“With the tremendous support of the WTA we have raised over £100,000 for the charity, tennis fans around the world each year contact us in advance of to make sure they don’t miss out on the new collection. We are extremely grateful to the WTA and our official supporter Ana Ivanovic who help us every year to raise funds for Great Ormond Street Hospital Children’s Charity,” StarCards founder Paul Bretta said
The auction, held on the StarCards website, started on June 30 and will finish on July 10.
@serenawilliams thanks for supporting #wta #Wimbledon charity auction for @GreatOrmondSt at https://t.co/9day5Ddgf4 pic.twitter.com/XumMa8kAlE
— StarCards (@STARCARDS4GOSH) 27 June 2016
MIAMI, FL, USA – Former World No.1 Caroline Wozniacki kept up her searing 2017 form, surging past an unseeded but dangerous Lucie Safarova, 6-4, 6-3, to join Karolina Pliskova in the Miami Open semifinals.
“I love playing out there,” she said of the electric crowd environment in her press conference. “The first night match is unbelievable; I think it’s the best slot of the day. I love being out there, competing, and just playing good tennis.”
Safarova has been ranked as high as No.5, but the former French Open finalist struggled to recover from various illnesses and injuries in 2016, causing her to start this season ranked outside the Top 60.
Finding vintage form in spurts coming into Miami, Safarova caught fire in South Florida, upsetting No.4 seed Dominika Cibulkova in straights to reach her first Premier Mandatory quarterfinal since the Mutua Madrid Open in 2015.
.@CaroWozniacki chases down the drop shot! ??? #MiamiOpen pic.twitter.com/RQZPNslfP8
— WTA (@WTA) March 29, 2017
Wozniacki suffered similar setbacks last year, but has been on a roll since reaching the semifinals of the US Open, and ultimately dispatched Safarova in two sets after a slow start.
“She’s been playing really well, and came out firing. Her lefty serve is also tricky, but I just kept staying in there.
“I felt like I moved really well today, and thought we played some really great points out there.”
Safarova was close to a double break lead on the onset of the match, but Wozniacki held on, mixing up the pace and forcing the uber-aggressive Safarova into uncomfortable positions as she moved the ball about the court.
.@CaroWozniacki downs Safarova 6-4, 6-3!
Sets @MiamiOpen Semifinal vs @KaPliskova! pic.twitter.com/s65Ef0EWVf
— WTA (@WTA) March 29, 2017
Still, things stayed close until the end of each set, when the Doha and Dubai runner-up pulled ahead, breaking in the first and serving out the second.
Up next for Wozniacki is No.2 seed Karolina Pliskova. The pair last played in the finals of the Qatar Total Open, where the Czech powerhouse won in straight sets.
“She beat me last time we play, so she’s clearly in good shape. I’m looking forward to getting another try, to see if I can beat her this time.
“I know her game, what her strengths and weaknesses are. I’ll have my team take a look at our last match and let me know; I’ve played so many matches in a row that they won’t want me to overthink it.”
See ya in the @MiamiOpen Semifinals @CaroWozniacki ? pic.twitter.com/QM7r1jaXts
— WTA (@WTA) March 29, 2017
MIAMI, FL, USA – One lucky tennis fan got their hands on one of Caroline Wozniacki’s Stella McCartney-designed Adidas tennis dresses after the Dane marched into the semifinals of the Miami Open on Tuesday.
Wozniacki had just defeated Lucie Safarova 6-4, 6-3 and was clearly in the mood to make someone’s day after her impressive display.
“Any girls that play tennis want this skirt?” offered Wozniacki, before handing one of her red dresses to a very grateful fan.
Nice one @CaroWozniacki. Offers up her @StellaMcCartney @adidastennis kit to a fan @miamiopen. pic.twitter.com/UOcAUa1QGg
— WTA Insider (@WTA_insider) March 29, 2017
Victory for Wozniacki means that she now faces Karolina Pliskova for a place in the final, having previously defeated Dominika Cibulkova in straight sets.
Wozniacki enjoys a 3-1 head-to-head against Pliskova, but it was the Czech who won the last encounter, having defeated her in the finals of the Qatar Total Open.
LONDON, Great Britain – No.3 seed Agnieszka Radwanska dug deep from her bag of tricks to see off Katerina Siniakova in a straight sets tour de force, needing just 63 minutes to advance to the fourth round 6-3, 6-1.
Radwanska put on a clinic on the No.3 Court against Siniakova, who at 20 years old was the youngest woman left in the draw. Against the big hitting Czech, Radwanska employed her famous ability of drawing out her opponent’s errors with her signature mix variety and anticipation, running Siniakova ragged all along the court.
The first set unfolded as a tightly-contested affair with Radwanska bringing up and converting the only break point for a lead at 4-2. She struck early on in the second set, frustrating Siniakova with a drop shot after pushing her out far behind the baseline.
Radwanska grabbed the second break of the second set at 4-1 when she fetched a wide-angled return with a vicious forehand loaded with sidespin, then calmly put away the next shot at the net. Siniakova was forced to hit one more ball as her would-be winners were returned time and time again.
Siniakova clawed to her first break point of the match at 5-1, but it was calmly brushed aside as the Pole looked locked in, breaking Siniakova once more and crushing a swinging crosscourt forehand pass to move on to the second week of Wimbledon for the eighth time in her career.
Cibulkova awaits Radwanska in the fourth round after the Slovak put away former finalist Eugenie Bouchard in straight sets earlier in the day.
Agnieszka Radwanska produces some wonderful tennis to see off Katerina Siniakova 6-3, 6-1. The Pole is into the 4R. pic.twitter.com/QTDjatxfeE
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 2, 2016
A look at some of the best outfits on display this week at the Miami Open.
Highlights from the quarterfinal clash between Johanna Konta and Simona Halep.
LONDON, Great Britain – Elena Vesnina bested her good friend and doubles partner Ekaterina Makarova in a 5-7, 6-1, 9-7 thriller to make her way to the quarterfinals of a Grand Slam for the first time.
The pair of unseeded Russians battled it out on Court No.3, weathering a mid-match rain delay during their two-hour-and-forty-seven-minute contest. Vesnina kept her margins cleaner, firing 52 winners to 30 unforced errors against Makarova’s 31 winners and 24 unforced errors. Vesnina was also ruthless at the net, winning 85 percent of her 26 net points.
With the victory, Vesnina also notched her first ever WTA-level win over Makarova, having lost in straight sets in each of their previous six encounters.
Next up for the Russian is Dominika Cibulkova, who edged past No.3 seed Agnieszka Radwanska in an epic three sets earlier in the day.
Pavlyuchenkova Dashes Vandeweghe Hopes
Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova knocked out last year’s quarterfinalist CoCo Vandeweghe in a commanding 6-3, 6-3 win. Pavlyuchenkova kept the American’s powerful serve in check throughout the match, allowing her just three aces and 49 percent of first serve points. She struck 13 winners to seven unforced errors against Vandeweghe’s 18 and 22.
The Russian, who’d previously never made it past the third round at the All-England Club, is now into the quarterfinals of Wimbledon for the first time.
Her reward? A matchup against defending champion and top seed Serena Williams.
“I just find out from my coach that I’m going to play the winner of Serena or Svetlana,” Pavlyuchenkova said afterward. “I have no clue actually what part of the draw I’m in and stuff like that.
“I’m still sort of like happy with the match I just won. It’s tough to talk about Serena or anyone.”
Shvedova Books Venus Showdown
Yaroslava Shvedova, No.96 in the world, dealt a round of 16 upset to the No.28 seed Lucie Safarova, dispatching the Czech in a comfortable straight sets, 6-2, 6-4. With the win she moves into the quarterfinals of Wimbledon for the first time.
The Kazakh’s strong serving proved to be the difference; she fired off seven aces and won 81 percent of points behind her first serve. Shvedova also didn’t face a single break point all match long and converted on three of the thirteen chances she brought up against Safarova.
Up next, she’ll face the five-time Wimbledon champion Venus Williams for the first time.
All photos courtesy of Getty Images.
Former World No.1 Caroline Wozniacki completed a three-set comeback over No.2 seed Karolina Pliskova to advance to the final of the Miami Open.