Tennis News

WUHAN, China – Monica Puig is getting a crash-course in the propulsive nature of the tennis season. After a solid quarterfinal showing at the Toray Pan Pacific Open last week, Puig lost in the first round of the Dongfeng Motor Wuhan Open on Sunday to Roberta Vinci, 6-3, 6-3.

On paper it was a standard result. Few would bat an eye at the sight of the No.15 player in the world knocking out the No.33 player in straight sets.

But nothing is standard for Puig these days. Not since her jaw-dropping run at the Olympic tennis event in Rio, where she defeated now World No.1 Angelique Kerber to win gold, capping off a week that saw her notch career-best win after career-best win. It’s been a whirlwind six weeks since then and the 22-year-old now finds herself between two worlds: one that continues to revel in the glory of gold and one that has relentlessly moved on.

“There’s been a lot of media attention, a lot of focus on just the Olympics,” Puig told reporters after the match. “It’s kind of hard when you have to focus on other things, other tournaments, and everybody keeps bringing you back to Rio.”

After becoming the first man or woman representing Puerto Rico to win Olympic gold, Puig was back on court two weeks later. With the spotlight on her in New York, she bowed out in straight sets in the first round of the US Open to Zheng Saisai.

“It’s a bit tough when you come off the biggest win of your career, the biggest tournament you’ve ever won, and all of a sudden you have to get back to training.

“I feel like Rio definitely drained me mentally and physically because it was a lot to take in. I wish I obviously would have had that time to full-on celebrate, and that would have been it. The tennis calendar isn’t that forgiving.”

Asked directly whether she wished she could have taken a time-out after Rio, Puig did not equivocate: Yes.

“A lot of gymnasts are doing Dancing with the Stars, all this and that,” Puig said with a laugh. “I’m in Wuhan, which is not bad. It’s not bad.

“It’s not something that I’m used to, winning something this big, then having to continue and keep going. I would have loved to celebrate. I would have loved to have some downtime, give my body a little bit of a breather to catch up with everything that’s happened.”

When asked whether she might take some consolation in other players’ ability to battle through a post-Slam winning slump, Puig singled out Angelique Kerber’s ability to get back on track as a good reason not to panic. She also emphasized one simple fact: she wouldn’t trade her gold medal experience for anything.

“It’s like a shock to the body and to everything else,” Puig said. “All of a sudden you’re just like, ‘No way did this just happen.’ I just had that one match in New York, then I came to Tokyo and I had a really good tournament. I think it’s just coming back to thinking about what you have to do, not getting overshadowed by what happened or anything.

“I bet [other players] must have been the same: going to sleep and thinking about everything just happened, that they won a Grand Slam. I think probably for Kerber it’s a little bit different now since she’s had two and so much success, so maybe she’s getting used to it.

“In terms of me, I never had this type of moment. It took me a while to go to sleep and actually calm my thoughts and not replay that moment over and over again. It’s still very new, still very fresh in my mind. I will officially always be labeled the ‘Olympic gold medalist’. I’m getting used to the title.”

Next up for Puig is next week’s China Open and then she will stay in China to play the Tianjin Open. Her goal is to finish the season on a good note and set herself up to be seeded at the Australian Open in January.

“I know when vacation time comes around, I’m not going to be thinking about tennis,” Puig said. “I’m going to turn off Twitter, Instagram. I am going to be like hiatus, out. Nobody is going to know about me for two weeks. I think it’s also healthy to just focus on myself, on the rest, what my body needs to recover, and to start a good pre-season.”

All photos courtesy of Getty Images.

WUHAN, China – Former No.1 Caroline Wozniacki hit another career milestone on Tuesday, winning her 500th career WTA match after defeating Katerina Siniakova, 6-4, 6-4, in the second round of the Dongfeng Motor Wuhan Open.

Wozniacki is currently on a seven-match winning streak, having come to Wuhan less than 48 hours after winning the Toray Pan Pacific Open title, her first of 2016.

“It’s been clicking for me, probably for about a month and a half now,” she said in her post-match press conference. “Even before the US Open, for about a month, I felt really good during practice. It just took me a little bit to get that out when I was playing matches.

“Obviously I still got small injuries here and there. That’s just kind of frustrating.

“It clicked for me at the US Open and I’m happy that it’s clicking for me now. I’m just trying to keep pushing through.”

The Dane will go for win No.501 against rival and longtime friend, Agnieszka Radwanska, whom she defeated in the semifinals of Tokyo last week.

“We’ve known each other for 15 years or something, so I’m pretty sure we know each other’s game by now. If we don’t, then we have a problem. I think we know what to expect. It’s just who can execute best tomorrow.”

Celebrating my 500th career win today! @wuhanopentennis #china pic.twitter.com/N4cd4wpMlK

— Caroline Wozniacki (@CaroWozniacki) September 27, 2016

Photo courtesy of Caromphoto/Wuhan Open.

It’s semifinal Friday at the Dongfeng Motor Wuhan Open! And Chris Oddo is previewing both matchups right here at wtatennis.com.

Friday

Semifinals

[4] Simona Halep (ROU #5) vs. [14] Petra Kvitova (CZE #16)
Head-to-head: Halep leads, 3-0
Key Stat: Halep has won 24 of her last 27 matches

Two of the hottest players on tour will tangle for a spot in the prestigious Dongfeng Motor Wuhan Open final on Friday, as Simona Halep and Petra Kvitova meet for the fourth time overall and second time in 2016. Halep has been absolutely on fire since Wimbledon, winning 24 of 27 matches while grabbing titles in Bucharest and Montreal, and the Romanian just locked up her third consecutive appearance at the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global with her straight-sets win over Madison Keys. Halep is the only player remaining in the draw who has yet to drop a set in Wuhan but she’ll have her hands full with the suddenly scorching Petra Kvitova. The Czech was hovering around the .500 mark after Wimbledon but since then she has regained her daunting power game and won 18 of 23 matches. The only thing missing from Kvitova’s late-season turnaround? A final. Kvitova has reached multiple finals on tour in every year since she emerged as an elite player in 2011, but thus far this year she hasn’t been able to break through. It has already been a banner week for Kvitova, who notched her fourth career win over a reigning world No.1 when she defeated Angelique Kerber in a three-hour and 20-minute marathon in the round of 16. But she knows she’ll have to produce more electric tennis if she is to get past Halep for the first time. “It’s a new day and I will do everything possible, try my best,” Kvitova said of her winless past against Halep. “I lost to her last time so I have something to work on for tomorrow. I know how well she’s playing so I need to be ready.”

Pick: Kvitova in three

[9] Svetlana Kuznetsova (RUS #10) vs. [10] Dominika Cibulkova (SVK #12)
Head-to-head: Cibulkova leads, 4-3
Key Stat: Kuznetsova owns a 17-6 record in three-set matches in 2016.

Svetlana Kuznetsova’s career resurgence continues at full throttle in 2016. By reaching the semifinals with a win over Agnieszka Radwanska, Kuznetsova is guaranteed to move into the WTA’s Top 8 for the first time since May 24, 2010. The 31-year-old has been a warrior all season, displaying rejuvenated fitness and a replenished passion for grinding it out on a weekly basis on tour. Kuznetsova has captured nearly half of her matches in deciding sets (17 of her 35 wins) and because of her hard work the Russian now finds herself contending for a coveted slot at this year’s BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global. The St. Petersburg native could find herself in the Top 8 in the RTS Standings by reaching the final, or even higher if she takes the title in Wuhan. On Thursday Kuznetsova saved a match point to defeat No. 3-seeded Agnieszka Radwanska for her fourth Top 10 win of the season. Also homing in on a Singapore spot is the ever feisty Dominika Cibulkova. The Slovakian survived double-duty on Thursday, defeating No.5-seeded Karolina Pliskova and Barbora Strycova to reach her seventh semifinal of the season. Cibulkova started the week at No.7 in the Road To Singapore leaderboard standings, and she could bolster her bid for a first appearance in Singapore with a strong finish in Wuhan. It’s not something that Cibulkova wants to dwell on, however. “Right now I’m not thinking about it,” the Slovak told WTA Insider after she won the Eastbourne title this summer. “In 2014 I was very close, and that’s what made me very intense and want it too much. I was over-motivated and it didn’t happen. So, I’m not thinking about it.” With so much on the line, Kuznetsova and Cibulkova’s first meeting since 2011 will likely come down to which player can execute best under pressure. The margins will be thin—they have met four times on hardcourts, with each player winning twice.

Pick: Cibulkova in three

By the Numbers:
1 – Kvitova is the only former Wuhan champion remaining in the draw.
53 – Career titles owned by the four semifinalists (Kvitova, 17, Kuznetsova, 16, Halep, 14, Cibulkova, 6).
10-1 – Kvitova’s career record at Wuhan.
5 – Kuznetsova has won her last five hardcourt semifinals.

WUHAN, China – Petra Kvitova produced a ruthless performance to power past No.4 seed Simona Halep and into a second Dongfeng Motor Wuhan Open final.

Watch live action from Wuhan on WTA Live powered by TennisTV!

In stark contrast to Dominika Cibulkova, the winner of Friday’s first semifinal, Kvitova kept her time on court to a minimum, requiring only 67 minutes to wrap up a 6-1, 6-2 victory and move within touching distance of reclaiming the title she won in 2014.

“It’s amazing. I came to this tournament and really didn’t expect this kind of performance,” Kvitova said. “Physically I’m still so-so – I’m really happy that I’m not falling apart. But I played a really great match today in spite of everything, which really put the pressure on her.”

On her day, there are few on tour capable of living with Kvitova. Unfortunately, this campaign those days have been few and far between. Struggling with form and fitness, it was not until the Olympics that the Czech showed her true colors, losing a thrilling semifinal against Monica Puig.

She would walk away with bronze, and although the color of medal was not what she had wished, the achievement alleviated the pressure weighing heavily on her shoulders. “The Olympics is just one in four years. For me the Olympic Games are very important. I grew up in a family where we were always watching the Olympics, so it’s something special.

“Everything I did from the off-season to Rio, I was just going for the medal. I think that’s helped me a lot with everything. The pressure was better afterwards.”

At the US Open, Kvitova reached the fourth round, falling to eventual champion Angelique Kerber, and the return to Asia has seen her level rise further. Kvitova’s unforced error count is usually an accurate gauge of how she is feeling and against Halep she was particularly stingy. In the end, she finished with only 16, while rattling off 34 winners – many of them spectacular.

Ruthless @Petra_Kvitova powers past #Halep 6-1, 6-2 to reach her 1st 2016 final at Wuhan Open, maintaining late WTA Finals charge pic.twitter.com/SX1otJBDF4

— Xinhua Sports (@XHSports) 30 September 2016

The tone was set early on, Halep finding herself marooned several meters behind the baseline. From here she failed to track down a drop shot to slip 0-30 down in her opening service game. Kvitova bludgeoned another winner to bring up three break points, converting when she outmaneuvered the Romanian once more.

Halep had the chance to restore parity the following game, only to flash a forehand into the tape. The match was quickly slipping away in a blur of southpaw winners, Kvitova winning 18 of the next 19 points to take the set. The second set was almost as one-sided, and only a spirited rearguard effort from Halep in the final few games extended the contest beyond the hour mark. 

Remarkably given her form, the win takes Kvitova through to her first final of 2016. And another against Cibulkova will continue her improbable late push for a spot at the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global.

“I never have any expectations. I really love to play these big matches, in front of the crowd. Of course I will do my best tomorrow,” Kvitova added. “I think she’s improved a lot, so it will be a difficult match and I will fight again.”