Top Seed Pereira Stunned In Rio
Top seed Teliana Pereira was shocked in the first round of the Rio Open, falling in straight sets to the unseeded Petra Martic.
Top seed Teliana Pereira was shocked in the first round of the Rio Open, falling in straight sets to the unseeded Petra Martic.
An interview with Agnieszka Radwanska after her win in the quarterfinal of the Connecticut Open.
Karolina Pliskova talks through her semifinal win over Elina Svitolina at the Brisbane International.
DUBAI, UAE – Another Dubai seed was sent packing in a day rife with upsets as Elina Svitolina notched one of the biggest wins of her career against No.2 Garbiñe Muguruza at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships.
Muguruza, who had won the pair’s previous two encounters, came out of the gates looking dominant, imposing her powerful game against her No.21-ranked opponent. But as the first set progressed, Muguruza’s trusted groundstrokes began to misfire and Svitolina found her way into the match.
The Ukrainian emerged victorious after a tough opening set, but it wasn’t without a battle. Svitolina had several chances to close out the set – at 5-4 and again at 6-5 – but was broken each time, sending it into a tiebreak. After over an hour and 15 minutes – during which Muguruza hit 40 unforced errors and 17 winners to Svitolina’s 18 to six – Svitolina closed it out 7-6(3).
“It was really tough and as you can see for both of us it was really a battle,” Svitolina told Annabel Croft after the match. “I’m happy I could win that [first] set – because it was up and down, really a rollercoaster.”
The final set was all Svitolina, who tamped down all of Muguruza’s attempts at a late comeback to clinch the match 7-6(3), 6-3.
“It was tough, and even more fighting against the conditions, too, I think,” Svitolina said. “I think I returned really well today and that was the key – I was seeing the ball really well and moving well, so this was the main thing I was focused on.”
Not only is the win Svitolina’s second career victory over a Top 5 player, it’s also an early sign that her new coaching partnership is paying off. Last week she announced that former No.1 Justine Henin had joined her coaching team.
Awaiting Svitolina in the quarterfinals is American CoCo Vandeweghe, who overcame Kristina Mladenovic 7-5, 3-6, 6-4.
More to come…
Karolina Pliskova had Saturday’s shot of the day at the Brisbane International.
Julia Goerges takes on Svetlana Kuznetsova in the first round of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships.
An interview with Elina Svitolina after her win in the semifinal of the Connecticut Open.
An interview with Karolina Pliskova after she announced her withdrawal from the Apia International Sydney.
Caroline Wozniacki talks through her performance in her victory in the first round of the Apia International Sydney.
Caroline Garcia has Wednesday’s shot of the day at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships.