Tennis News

1. Can Serena get back to her winning ways in Miami?

It has been an odd start to Serena Williams’ season. On one hand, she is clearly playing at a superior, more consistent level of tennis than her near-historic 2015 season. On the other han,d she has yet to win a title, losing back-to-back finals for the first time since the summer of 2004 – getting nipped at the finish line by Angelique Kerber at the Australian Open and Victoria Azarenka last week at the BNP Paribas Open.

There are legitimate explanations for both losses. Kerber played the match of her life in Melbourne, while the emotions from playing an Indian Wells final for the first time 15 years clearly led to her nervy, tense play against Azarenka. In other words, they weren’t “bad” losses. But they were losses nonetheless, and for a perfectionist like Serena, they were tough to swallow.

Click here to check out the Miami Open draw.

Now she returns to the tournament she has dominated like no other. An eight-time champion at the Miami Open, the familiar surrounds of Crandon Park may just be what Serena needs to get her hands on her first trophy since the Western & Southern Open. She leads the top half of the draw with Petra Kvitova as a potential quarterfinal opponent and Agnieszka Radwanska and Simona Halep – both of whom she beat in Indian Wells – looming as potential semifinal opponents. She opens against either Misaki Doi or Christina McHale.

2. Can Vika go coast-to-coast?

Not since Kim Clijsters in 2005 has a player completed the Indian Wells-Miami double. With her sterling 16-1 record in 2016 – and riding a high after winning Indian Wells – Azarenka has a chance to cap off her resurgent spring hardcourt season if she can win her third Miami title. Drawn into the Spanish Quarter anchored by No.4 Garbiñe Muguruza and last year’s finalist Carla Suárez Navarro, she’ll play either Catherine Bellis or Monica Puig in the second round.

3. Can Simona Halep build on her Indian Wells form?

After a season start marred by injury and illness, Halep looked well on her way to regaining her form in Indian Wells, where she rolled into the quarterfinals without losing a set before bowing out to Serena. The No.5 seed is once again in Serena’s half but landed in Radwanska’s quarter. She could open her tournament against the surging Daria Kasatkina – who is making her Miami Open debut – and could face Sam Stosur and Sloane Stephens before the second week.

If Halep and Radwanska can take care of business in the first week, their projected quarterfinal would be a must-watch clash. Radwanska, the new World No.2, has made the semifinals or better at every tournament she’s played this year.

4. Can Garbiñe Muguruza navigate her tough draw?

The top players will breathe a sigh of relief once Dominika Cibulkova gets her ranking up and is no longer unseeded and looming. The Abierto Mexicano Telcel finalist narrowly lost out to Radwanska in three sets in the second round in Indian Wells and could be Muguruza’s opening round opponent in Miami (Cibulkova opens against Johanna Larsson). From there, the Spaniard’s draw could see her face one of either Kristina Mladenovic, Nicole Gibbs, or Yulia Putintseva, before a potential fourth round match against Victoria Azarenka. That’s a very tricky first week for Garbi.

5. Can Angelique Kerber hit the ground running?

Ranked No.3 but seeded No.2 this week – the draw was conducted before the new rankings came out on Monday – Kerber is about to embark on a stretch of tournaments in April in which she has a load of points to defend on clay. Miami offers her an opportunity to pick up some points to ease that pressure (she lost in the third round last year). The problem for her is she’s on a three-match losing streak, having won just one match at Fed Cup since her Australian Open win.

Kerber could open her tournament against the highest-ranked unseeded woman in the draw in World No.32 Barbora Strycova, who has had a fine start to the season. The Czech veteran beat Muguruza in Australia, made the biggest final of her career at the Dubai Duty Free Championships, and beat Andrea Petkovic en route to the fourth round in Indian Wells, where she retired due to illness. Kerber could also face Indian Wells semifinalist Karolina Pliskova – the pair had two thrilling three-set encounters last year, which Kerber won – with No.7 seed Belinda Bencic a possible Round of 16 opponent.

6. Can the teenagers do more damage?

In addition to main draw entries by Bencic and Kasatkina, the Miami Open awarded wildcards to five teenagers – Naomi Osaka, Sofia Zhuk, Paula Badosa Gibert, Beatriz Haddad Maia, and CiCi Bellis – all of whom are worth keeping an eye on this week.

Bencic is trying to get back on a roll since cracking the Top 10 in February. She’s been drawn into Kerber’s quarter and will play either a qualifier or 18-year-old wildcard Paula Badosa Gibert, the reigning French Open junior champion. Meanwhile, Kasatkina could face Halep in the second round, a fun potential match between two strong clay courters. Also notable: Jelena Ostapenko is the No.1 seed in qualifying. If she makes it through, watch for her placement in the draw.

Japan’s Osaka, 18, faces a qualifier in the first round. Get past that and she would face No.14 seed Sara Errani. At No.104 a win could put her into the Top 100 for the first time.

In addition to Badosa Gibert, another reigning junior champion is in the mix in 16-year-old Zhuk. The feisty Russian won junior Wimbledon last year and will face Zhang Shuai in the first round. Keeping Zhuk company in the 16-and-under category, Bellis will try her luck against Monica Puig in the first round.

Lastly, in the “What are the odds?” match-up of the first round, it’s an all-Brazilian battle between 19-year-old Haddad Maia and the veteran Teliana Pereira.

7. Can Caroline Wozniacki snap out of her slump?

Down to No.25 in the rankings – her lowest since July 2008 – the Dane has yet to get her season into gear. She has beaten just one Top 50 player this season and has taken losses to No.30 Sloane Stephens, No.76 Yulia Putintseva, No.66 Dominika Cibulkova, No.118 Elena Vesnina, No.84 Heather Watson, and No.69 Zhang Shuai.

Drawn into Serena’s quarter, she’ll open against either Vania King or a qualifier, and is projected to face Elina Svitolina and Petra Kvitova before a potential meeting with Serena.

All photos courtesy of Getty Images.

Santina In The Sun: Co-No.1s Martina Hingis and Sania Mirza come into the Miami Open at their most vulnerable since their partnership began, having won just won match since their winning streak of 41 straight came to an end at the Qatar Total Open. Santina took their first straight-sets defeat since last summer at the BNP Paribas Open, falling in the second round to doubles threats Vania King and Alla Kudryavtseva.

King and Kudryavtseva once again find themselves in Santina’s quarter of the draw, but the good friends will have to first get past nemeses Julia Goerges and Karolina Pliskova. Runners-up in Indian Wells, Goerges and Pliskova have ended both of King and Kudryavtseva’s quarterfinal runs at the Australian Open and again last week in the California desert. With both potential quarterfinal opponents for Hingis and Mirza, the reigning Wimbledon, US Open, and Australian Open champions will have their work cut out for them as they attempt to regain their stunning ascendency ahead of the clay court season and win their fifth title of 2016.

Team Bucie Reunites: Bethanie Mattek-Sands just won her first title since last summer’s Rogers Cup with CoCo Vandeweghe in Indian Wells – taking out No.2 seeds and sisters Chan Hao-Ching and Chan Yung-Jan along the way – but while her countrywoman rejoins regular partner Anna-Lena Groenefeld, Mattek-Sands will be joined by former partner Lucie Safarova in Miami. Mattek-Sands and Safarova were the stories of the start of 2016, getting halfway to the Calendar Year Grand Slam with wins in Australia and Paris.

Safarova’s injuries and illnesses – most recently a battle with reactive arthritis – have kept the team apart, but No.3 seeds have a chance to reassert their presence in the hyper-competitive doubles field with a first round encounter with American wildcards Madison Keys and Sloane Stephens. Likely looming in the second round would be Daria Kasatkina and Elena Vesnina, the very team who ended Santina’s streak in Doha. Drawn into the same quarter as Australian Open finalists Andrea Hlavackova and Lucie Hradecka, a lot will depend on the state of Safarova, who only returned to tennis a few weeks ago.

Second Chances: Timea Babos was already starting fresh in 2016 when regular partner Kristina Mladenovic opted for an all-French pairing with Caroline Garcia, but the Hungarian youngster was left adrift when she ended what was meant to be a season-long partnership with Katarina Srebotnik after the Australian Open. In search of a full-time partner, Babos had success with Julia Goerges through the Middle East Swing, and kept up her winning ways when the German reunited with Pliskova by partnering Yaroslava Shvedova, who finds herself available as partner Casey Dellacqua continues her comeback from a late-season concussion.

Reaching the semifinals in Indian Wells, Babos and Shvedova narrowly lost to eventual champs Mattek-Sands and Vandeweghe in a match tie-break; seeded No.4 in Miami, they are projected to face No.6 seeds Garcia and Mladenovic in the quarterfinals, but could play Dellacqua and new partner Samantha Stosur in the second round. A back injury to Garcia took the French Connection out of the California desert before the doubles event began; how will the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships runners-up bounce back in Florida?

Wildcard Watch: Stephens and Keys are not the only singles players to give Miami a go. Simona Halep, who enjoyed a mixed doubles run at last year’s US Open with Horia Tecau, has entered the fray with fellow former BNP Paribas Open champion Daniela Hantuchova. They will play a hotly contested first round match with Doha finalists and Dubai semifinalists Sara Errani and Carla Suárez Navarro.

Russians Svetlana Kuznetsova and Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova – who narrowly missed out on qualifying for last year’s BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore present by SC Global and started the season with Vesnina – also earned a wildcard into the doubles draw, playing Chinese No.8 seeds Xu Yi-Fan and Zheng Saisai. Finally, youngsters Monica Puig and Heather Watson are ones to watch as potential second round opponents against Santina, should they get past Margarita Gasparyan and Monica Niculescu.

SINGAPORE – There’s squad goals, and then there’s the WTA Legends, who were out in full force on Thursday morning to take in the incredible view from the top of the Marina Bay Sands before Day 5 action began at the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global.

WTA Finals Ambassadors Martina Navratilova, Chris Evert, Monica Seles Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario, Iva Majoli, and Mary Pierce took to the highest peak of the world-famous hotel to pose for a series of photos at the Marina Bay Sands’ SkyPark, offering sprawling views of the city; they later enjoyed some Singapore delicacies at Spago, hosted by Chef Joshua Brown.

“We have a clear day today, so I’ve never seen this far away,” noted Navratilova to WTA Insider. “It’s an amazing, bustling city. I drove around yesterday, went shopping at the Mustafa Centre that’s open 365 days a year, 24 hours a day; it was amazing. There’s so much energy here.”

#WTA Legends were introduced to Singaporean delicacy chicken rice by Chef Joshua Brown @marinabaysands when they're in town for #WTAFinals pic.twitter.com/4nP2mPkcPr

— WTA Finals Singapore (@WTAFinalsSG) October 27, 2016

Navratilova has been on hand for much of the week, looking forward to the start of the doubles event, where eight teams will compete for a trophy named in her honor.

“It’ll be interesting because Kristina Mladenovic and Caroline Garcia had the best year, but mostly because Sania Mirza and Martina Hingis stopped playing together. They had a bit of a falling-out, but they’re playing here. That dynamic between Sania and Martina, how they get along, will be crucial.

“If they can put whatever happened between them behind and play good tennis – because doubles is a team sport, and you really need to play together – I’m looking forward to that more than anything.

“At their best, Hingis and Mirza are the favorites because they have the biggest weapons and know-how, how to play the points. But Mladenovic and Garcia would be a close second favorite.”

The WTA Legends convene for a Skypark photoshoot: pic.twitter.com/PwmqfQcqSv

— WTA Insider (@WTA_insider) October 27, 2016

Evert arrived on Wednesday night, but is in familiar territory, having visited Singapore three times before.

“Oh my god, it’s beautiful!” she enthused. “The tough thing is getting here; it’s a long way from Florida – 21 hours – but once you get here, it’s breathtakingly beautiful, especially the Marina Bay Sands.”

A longtime commentator for ESPN, the 18-time Grand Slam champion tagged Angelique Kerber as her Player of the Year, and the one most likely to lift the Billie Jean King Trophy at week’s end:

“Angelique Kerber’s impressed me, winning two Grand Slams. No one’s done that in so many years besides Serena Williams, really.

“She’s been playing some really great tennis, more aggressively. She’s really stepped it up with her game. Mentally, she’s gotten tougher, and she’s looking tough here too.”

.@28dolfan #AskWTALegends pic.twitter.com/PXToIho17v

— WTA (@WTA) October 27, 2016

Navratilova echoed her old rival’s sentiments on Kerber, but gave an honorable mention to No.8 seed Svetlana Kuznetsova, the first of Singapore’s semifinalists following her three-set win over Karolina Pliskova.

“It’s great to see because a couple of years ago, we all thought she was probably done, that she was going to fade away and retire. She kept coming back and, lo and behold, played some of her best tennis this year.

“It’s really good to see her out there, still fighting, still enjoying it and competing so well, emotionally, mentally, and most of all, physically.”

.@greensolo9 #AskWTALegends pic.twitter.com/eSFMcxjh1V

— WTA (@WTA) October 27, 2016

Qualifying on the last day of the regular season, Kuznetsova’s effort completed the closest Road to Singapore leaderboard in WTA history. Evert believes the photo finish presented a strong case for just how tough the tour has become.

“It just shows the depth at the top. In previous years, you’d have Serena, and then a gap between her and the other women.

“Now, there’s no gap; the Top 8 are all relevant, and are all capable of winning this WTA Finals. I’m really happy to see that the depth is finally there again at the top of the game.”

.@kvittycat53 #AskWTALegends pic.twitter.com/LuKfXceawd

— WTA (@WTA) October 27, 2016

With this season nearly in the books, Evert is already looking ahead to what promises to be an exciting 2017.

“Let’s put it this way. Victoria Azarenka is going to have a baby in December and she’s thinking about coming back; that’ll be interesting. Serena’s always interesting; can she break Stefanie Graf’s record? They’re both at 22 right now, and how much longer is Serena going to be at the top of her game? Maria Sharapova’s coming back in April or May.

“There’s going to be a lot of big stories.”

SINGAPORE – Agnieszka Radwanska’s strong return of serve was key to her win over Karolina Pliskova 7-5 6-3 in the final round robin match of the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global. The victory earned Radwanska a spot in the event’s semifinals.

One of the best returners in the game, Radwanska was facing one of the best servers in the game in Friday’s match.

Through this season, Radwanska is among the Top 3 on the WTA for return points won (49%), return games won (49%) and break points converted (54%).

She was facing an opponent in Pliskova who led the WTA in aces (530) and was second for first serve points won (74%) in 2016.

The SAP Coaches View shows that it was Pliskova’s second serve that was vulnerable to Radwanska’s return, with the Pole winning 61% of those points.

The “Return of Serve” tracking with Coaches View shows that a key to Radwanska’s success was her aggressive approach in taking those Pliskova second serves. Radwanska returned 78% of Pliskova’s second serves from inside the baseline.

During the first two round robin matches of the tournament, Pliskova won 47% of second serve points, compared to 36% against Radwanska. Neither of her first two opponents, Svetlana Kuznetsova and Garbiñe Muguruza, were as aggressive as Radwanska in taking the ball early. Kuznetsova returned 57% of Pliskova’s second serves inside the baseline, while Muguruza did so just 10% of the time.

The SAP Coaches View combines scoring information direct from the chair umpire with tracking data from HawkEye to allow for an in depth look at five different aspects of a match. Each tracking option can be filtered to narrow the focus to specific situations within a match, such as break points.This information is available directly to coaches in real-time during a match on their SAP tablet and also available to them online after matches.

“Return of serve” tracking shows where each service return was struck, differentiating between first and second serves, with an emphasis on how many serves are returned from inside the baseline. This data can be filtered by a particular score.

Radwanska broke Pliskova five times in 10 games during Friday’s match, giving the defending champion a berth in the semifinals as she aims for a second straight WTA Finals title.