Tennis News

Every week wtatennis.com brings you 10 Things To Know about the week – who is playing, where and much more. This week the Road To Singapore goes through Monterrey and Kuala Lumpur…

1) Dubai champion Sara Errani is in search of her second title of 2016…
Errani endured a tough start to the season, losing in the first round of the Australian Open to rising Russian Margarita Gasparyan and both Fed Cup rubbers to Caroline Garcia and Kristina Mladenovic. But it all came together for the Italian veteran in Dubai, as she captured the biggest title of her career and her first on hardcourts since 2008. Top seed at the Abierto Monterrey Afirme, Errani will look to shake off an early loss at the Qatar Total Open to the big-serving Timea Babos and maintain her momentum heading into Indian Wells and Miami.

2) …provided she can get past unseeded and looming Dominika Cibulkova.
The 2014 Australian Open finalist has been trying to return to form since an ankle injury ruled her out for much of last spring. Ranked outside the Top 60 since failing to defend quarterfinal points from 2015, Cibulkova roared into the finals of last week’s Abierto Mexicano Telcel – dropping just one set along the way and narrowly losing an epic three-setter to Sloane Stephens. Back up to No.57, Cibulkova could play Errani in the second round, and leads her 5-3 in overall head-to-head (though they haven’t played since 2013).

3) Can Caroline Wozniacki kickstart her season?
Seeded No.2 in Mexico, Caroline Wozniacki began her season in solid form at the ASB Classic, where she reached the semifinals and fell to eventual champion Stephens. Since then, the Dane has won just two matches, losing in three-sets to Elena Vesnina for only the second time in eight meetings at the Qatar Total Open. Playing Olga Govortsova in the first round, Wozniacki could face big-hitters like Mirjana Lucic-Baroni and Babos early; how will the former No.1 fare?

4) Johanna Konta looks to build on Melbourne momentum.
Australian Open semifinalist Johanna Konta has only won one match outside Melbourne, a first round against Anett Kontaveit in Acapulco. Down 5-1 in the final set to Lucic-Baroni in the next round, the Brit rebounded to 5-5 only to lose, 4-6, 6-2, 7-5. Seeded No.4 in Monterrey and in the Errani half of the draw, Konta is projected to face No.6 seed Alison Van Uytvanck in the quarterfinals, but wildcard and Rio Open winner Francesca Schiavone also looms in her bracket.

5) Might Caroline Garcia go one better in Monterrey?
No.5 seed Caroline Garcia opens against a qualifier, and must have good memories of this tournament in Mexico, having reached the final here 12 months ago – losing to Timea Bacinszky in three sets. Garcia is coming off of a breakthrough run at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships – her best-ever result at a WTA Premier event. Though she dropped her opener against Elena Vesnina in Doha, the Russian went on to upset Simona Halep and Wozniacki en route to the quarterfinals; can the Frenchwoman pick up from where she left off?

6) Medina Garrigues and Parra Santonja are in position for a Mexian sweep.
Anabel Medina Garrigues and Arantxa Parra Santonja have been a force to be reckoned with on the doubles court, reaching the semifinals or better at all but one of their events entered thus far in 2016. Their biggest result came last week when they captured the title in Acapulco, defeating No.2 seeds Kiki Bertens and Johanna Larsson, 6-0, 6-4. Top seeds for a second straight week, can the Spaniards cement their status as Olympic darkhorses with a second title?

7) Red-hot Roberta Vinci is the top seed in Kuala Lumpur.
Roberta Vinci became the oldest woman in WTA history to make her Top 10 debut last week, and played up to her rank in a thrilling quarterfinal encounter with World No.3 Agnieszka Radwanska. Taking a wildcard into the BMW Malaysian Open, Vinci opens against Chang Kai-Chen, with No.6 seed Eugenie Bouchard a potential quarterfinal opponent. In their only prior meeting, Vinci bounced the Canadian, 6-1, 6-0, and has been playing top-flight tennis ever since, reaching the US Open final and winning her first title of the season at the St. Petersburg Ladies Trophy.

8) Elina Svitolina aims to continue climbing with Henin in her corner.
The Ukrainian youngster recently added former No.1 Justine Henin to her coaching team, and the results were immediate; unseeded in Dubai, she upset Garbiñe Muguruza in straight sets before reaching the semifinals. Another wildcard entrant in Kuala Lumpur, Svitolina opens against qualifier Miyu Kato, but could play rising Russian Elizaveta Kulichkova, who took out Zarina Diyas to make the quarterfinals of the Taiwan Open.

9) Zheng Saisai is within striking distance of a career-high ranking.
China’s Zheng Saisai had a big week in Doha, eliminating top seed and reigning Australian Open champion Angelique Kerber and nearly ending the then-40-match winning streak of Martina Hingis and Sania Mirza in doubles – all in one day. Zheng backed up the win to reach the quarterfinals, a result that brought her up to No.63 to start this week – two away from her career-high of No.61. Seeded No.8 in Kuala Lumpur, Zheng could play No.3 seed Sabine Lisicki in the quarterfinals; the German has struggled to start the season, winning just two matches in three tournaments.

INDIAN WELLS, CA, USA – Christina McHale caused a minor shock in the bottom half of the draw at the BNP Paribas Open, knocking out Caroline Garcia in straight sets.

Watch highlights, interviews and more video from Indian Wells right here on wtatennis.com!

In Thursday’s second match on Stadium 1, McHale produced an impressive display to defeat the higher-ranked Garcia, 6-4, 6-4.

McHale made the perfect start, securing a break to love in the first game when she skipped around to punch a forehand winner. However, the cornerstone of her victory was the serve, which bailed her out of trouble at several crucial junctures.

Serving for the opening set, the American sent a stinging serve out wide to erase the second of two break points, before a couple more well-placed deliveries got her safely to the changeover.

“I knew I had to serve well because Caroline is so aggressive and I knew I had to get a lot of first serves in today, and it worked today so I’m excited,” McHale said.

Although there were a few empty seats in the stands, those present certainly made their presence felt, helping McHale withstand a late Garcia rally.

“You guys helped me pull through that match. I love the atmosphere and I love being at Indian Wells!”

Her reward is a meeting with No.4 seed Garbiñe Muguruza, a player whom she has enjoyed mixed fortunes against: “I actually lost to her the last time we played and she’s obviously playing really, really well. I’ll try to play my best tennis and I’m looking forward to that match.”

Other early winners in their section included Yanina Wickmayer, Magdalena Rybarikova and Lauren Davis.

Rybarikova ended Laura Robson’s return to top tier tennis with a 7-6(3), 6-2 win, while Davis defeated Nao Hibino, 6-2, 6-4. Wickmayer’s path into the second round was less straightforward, hauling herself back after a nightmare start to defeat Polona Hercog, 0-6, 6-4, 6-4.

As Agnieszka Radwanska and Roberta Vinci worked their magic in the quarterfinals of the Qatar Total Open, few were more enthusiastically spellbound than colleague, Kristina Mladenovic.

A longtime fixture of the tennis fan community on Twitter – colloquially known as Tennis Twitter – the French No.1 tweeted her thoughts on the nearly two-hour epic, which Radwanska won, 3-6, 6-2, 6-3, after she and Vinci came to net a stunning 101 times over three sets.

Loving this match between @roberta_vinci & @ARadwanska! So much variety tennis & both literally ending every single points at the net?#doha

— Kristina Mladenovic (@KikiMladenovic) February 25, 2016

Ok ladies this is sick tennis.

— Kristina Mladenovic (@KikiMladenovic) February 25, 2016

“It can be a WTA or ATP match,” she said during the BNP Paribas Open draw ceremony. “If I have time and a match looks interesting, I’ll go on the app and watch. It’s fun to applaud great tennis, so why not?

“It’s not just about me and what I am doing!”

Seeded No.27 in Indian Wells – and projected to play World No.1 Serena Williams in the third round – Mladenovic enjoyed a stellar 2015 season that saw her climb from a February low of No.74 all the way into the Top 30.

But success hasn’t driven the 22-year-old away from social media; as the world watched the Vinci mount her unforgettable upset over Williams at the US Open, Mladenovic’s own commentary could hardly be contained by 140 characters – all a mere 72 hours after the Italian veteran had ended her own career-best Grand Slam run in the quarterfinals.

Whatever happens now I kind of feel a bit better about my loss… ? #usopen

— Kristina Mladenovic (@KikiMladenovic) September 11, 2015

Serena is one of the greatest if not the best ever! But brava @roberta_vinci such a talented&great player and a nice person too she deserves

— Kristina Mladenovic (@KikiMladenovic) September 11, 2015

“These days, Twitter is almost like a news channel. You wake up in the morning and go on your phone to see what everyone is up to. I wouldn’t say I’m addicted to social media, but I just put myself in the position of the fans.”

Frequently engaging with fans across the globe, Mladenovic often appears online with a flurry of retweets following a match, gregariously reposting screencaps or videos, many of which display the Frenchwoman’s penchant for on-court flair. 

“I wish that when I was younger I could have known more about the lives of my idols. What is their day like? What do they do away from tennis? Social media is just a great way to really get behind the scenes and get to know the personalities of the players.

“It keeps the fans engaged, even if they can’t attend a tournament in person, and helps to build a great connection.”

Mladenovic will likely continue to build connections in 2016, both as a USANA Brand Ambassador and as one half of a fast-rising dynamic duo with friend and Fed Cup teammate, Caroline Garcia.

Started off with a shoot with @TeamUSANA at #BNPPO16 #USANAwta #usana @WTA @USANAinc pic.twitter.com/LGKHNVpDwG

— Kristina Mladenovic (@KikiMladenovic) March 7, 2016

“I have been using USANA vitamins and supplements for a few years and have seen the difference that it has made in my health and fitness. I’m looking forward to sharing my positive experience with others and letting them know what USANA can do for them.”

Already a major champion in mixed doubles – winning Wimbledon alongside Daniel Nestor in 2013 – the Frenchwoman peaked at No.5 on the doubles rankings last spring after she and then-partner Timea Babos became the only team to defeat the all-but-unstoppable Martina Hingis and Sania Mirza in a final to win the Internazionali BNL D’Italia.

Happy to announce my new partnership in doubles with @CaroGarcia for 2016! Exciting goals ahead of us! ???? pic.twitter.com/06M5slawJT

— Kristina Mladenovic (@KikiMladenovic) November 25, 2015

Making her BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global debut to end the 2015 season, Mladenovic decided to partner with Garcia ahead of the Olympic Summer Games in Rio de Janeiro – a move that as already yielded two finals at the Apia International Sydney and the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships.

“We already had great doubles partners – me with Timea and Caroline with Katarina Srebotnik – both great players and friends. But as countrywomen from the same generation, and with similar goals, we have a great opportunity.

“We’re really lucky to be from the same country and in this position to play together, not just with regard to the Olympics, which would be amazing, but there are exciting tournaments, week after week on the tour.

“Of course, to win a medal for France at the Olympics would be a huge thing, an amazing achievement for any athlete.

Their biggest struggle thus far? Deciding on a team name.

Any suggestions for a team name for @CaroGarcia and @KikiMladenovic? #KikiCaro perhaps? #SydneyTennis #7Tennis https://t.co/UT1DOvbC4v

— 7Tennis (@7tennis) January 15, 2016

“The reaction from fans so far has been great. We’ve really noticed the buzz about us playing together, and we think at Roland Garros in particular it’s going to be very exciting.”