Karolina Pliskova: My Performance
Karolina Pliskova reflects on her performance at the Miami Open.
Karolina Pliskova reflects on her performance at the Miami Open.
NEW YORK, NY, USA – Overcoming a tough second round match, No.13 seed Johanna Konta rebounded well to dismiss No.24 seed Belinda Bencic, 6-2, 6-1, to reach the fourth round of the US Open for the second year in a row.
“I feel good,” she told press after the match. “I feel well enough to play. I’m really happy with how I was able to just really focus on the match at hand and the work at hand and then put all else out of my mind.”
Konta suffered from a scary case of dizziness en route to beating Tsvetana Pironkova on Wednesday, but faced no such issues on the new Grandstand court. The Brit broke serve five times without facing a break point herself, hitting eight aces and winning 19 of 20 points behind her first serve.
No. 13 seed @JoKonta91 fires home 15 winners to help her take the first set over #Bencic. #usopen @Chase https://t.co/nfFkPTJHol
— US Open Tennis (@usopen) September 2, 2016
Bencic was playing in her third event since Wimbledon, where she retired due to a left wrist injury, but was undone by 13 unforced errors to just six from her highter ranked opponent. Konta has been close to breaking into the Top 10 since the middle of the summer thanks to a year of impressive results, and will be aiming to reach her second major quarterfinal of the season – her first at Flushing Meadows.
“I do love the US Open. I do have a lot of firsts here. It was the first time I got to qualify into the main draw. It was the first slam I went deeper in, as well. I definitely think the US Open has got its own vibe, its own organized chaos. I think there is a lot of enjoyments players take from that.
“I think if you can stay focused on the work at hand here, you can make it anywhere,” she said with a laugh, quoting Frank Sinatra’s “New York, New York.”
Standing in her way will be Latvia’s Anastasija Sevastova, who backed up her big win over No.3 seed Garbiñe Muguruza with a 6-4, 6-1 victory over 2009 quarterfinalist Kateryna Bondarenko. Sevastova, who retired in 2013 only to make a successful return to the game two years later, had never beaten her fellow comeback kid, who led by a break to start their match on Court 17 before Sevastova caught fire once more.
“I have played her once before actually in my first Australian Open qualifying, so I do know her and I have been on court with her. That was a number of years ago. She’s obviously playing very good tennis. She is a very good player. I have a lot of respect for her.
“Hopefully we’ll have a good match.”
#Sevastova catapults herself into the fourth round, beating #Bondarenko 6-4, 6-1. #usopen https://t.co/QgJyDU5ykA pic.twitter.com/UZDMlP3NGE
— US Open Tennis (@usopen) September 2, 2016
Garbiñe Muguruza takes on Christina McHale in the second round of the Miami Open.
NEW YORK, NY, USA – Top seed Serena Williams eased to a 6-2, 6-1 victory over Connecticut Open semifinalist Johanna Larson to not only advance into the second week of the US Open for the sixth straight year, but also clinch the Open Era record for total Grand Slam matches won, passing Martina Navratilova for 307 victories.
“Wow, that’s pretty awesome, and honestly, there’s no better place to do it than here, where everything first started,” she told ESPN’s Rennae Stubbs in her on-court interview. “That’s great!
“It was something I didn’t even know about until Wimbledon,” she added in her post-match press conference. “I was like, ‘Oh, I have a new goal.'”
Looking as strong as ever through three rounds, the World No.1 donned her “Superwoman sleeves” and shook off the shoulder concerns that plagued her Emirates Airline US Open Series with another decisive win, this time over an in-form Johanna Larsson.
Six sets played, six sets won.@serenawilliams dispatches #Larsson to move safely into week two. #usopen @MBUSA https://t.co/a2JWJ56Rpy
— US Open Tennis (@usopen) September 3, 2016
Larsson had just reached the semifinals in New Haven as a lucky loser, but had no answers to the 22-time Grand Slam champion’s high-octane game. Hitting 24 winners to just 17 unforced errors, Serena struck another six aces and dropped only five points behind her first serve to advance in just under an hour on Saturday.
“It was a really good match for me because she played a different type of game. It was really good for me to have a different type of rhythm and just to move around. Overall, it was pretty good.”
Awaiting Serena in the fourth round will be Kazakh powerhouse Yaroslava Shvedova, who survived a late surge from China’s Zhang Shuai to reach the second week of the Open for the first time, 6-2, 7-5.
Serena has won all four of her previous meetings with Shvedova; though the former World No.25 pushed the top seed to three sets at the 2012 Wimbledon Championships, their last two meetings have been one-sided affairs, including a 6-3, 6-1 win at the 2013 US Open.
Chris Oddo | World No.1 Angelique Kerber will lead a quartet of Top 10 players into action on Sunday in Miami. We preview the must-see matchups right here at wtatennis.com.
NEW YORK, NY, USA – Martina Hingis and CoCo Vandeweghe continued to strengthen their fledgling partnership with a hard-fought win over Xu Yifan and Zheng Saisai at the US Open on Sunday.
As in the previous two rounds, Hingis and Vandeweghe did not have things all their own way, coming from a break down in the final set to see off their Chinese opponents, 6-4, 4-6, 6-2, in a little over two hours.
“It was an early break so we knew we had a whole set to play. Obviously after losing the second [set] it wasn’t the greatest situation,” Hingis said about their rousing finish. “I mean, they played really well in that first game too – they kept it away from me and made a lot of returns on CoCo’s serve.”
The No.6 seeds looked well set for a smooth passage into the quarterfinals when they took the first set and then moved 3-1 ahead in the second. “I think it was more frustrating to lose the second set because it was kind of there for us to take it,” Hingis added. “But, I mean, this happens, and it’s not a surprise for a tennis player to be broken in the first game after losing the momentum.
“But we were right back on it and I think that was the key; we broke them right back and then won a couple of tight games.”
Vandeweghe is playing only her second event alongside Hingis – they teamed up to reach the final in Cincinnati – and admits the unison was not an expected one: “I got a call from and unusual number and the only reason I answered it – because I usually don’t pick up numbers I don’t know – was that it was such a bizarre number, plus whatever, so I knew it had to be some tennis player!
“I was just at home and Martina asked if I wanted to play Cincinnati and US Open. I told her that I already had two partners but let me think about it, and I almost felt a little big headed for telling her, ‘Let me think about it’. I told my coach and he told me I was crazy to even think about it. I just enjoyed my time at home to let her sweat it out before calling back!”
Also advancing were a couple of more established pairs, including top seeds Caroline Garcia and Kristina Mladenovic, who had few problems defeating Eri Hozumi and Miyu Kato, 6-2, 6-3. No.5 seeds and recent Olympic champions Ekaterina Makarova and Elena Vesnina were made to work somewhat harder, fighting back to defeat Vania King and Monica Niculescu, 2-6, 6-1, 6-2.
Another team battling back from a slow start were wildcards Asia Muhammad and Taylor Townsend. Taking on No.3 seeds Timea babos and Yaroslava Shvedova, the young Americans looked well out of their depth for the opening 20 minutes only to produce a stunning turnaround to eventually triumph, 0-6, 6-4, 6-3.
The decisive moment came at 3-3 in the final set, Muhammad and Townsend harnessing the energy of a partisan crowd to break in a marathon game before repeating the trick a few games later to complete the unlikely upset. Their reward is a meeting with compatriot Bethanie Mattek-Sands and her partner Lucie Safarova, after they saw off No.8 seeds Julia Goerges and Karolina Pliskova, 2-6, 7-5, 6-3.
WTA Insider David Kane | Barbora Strycova brought the sunshine on a rainy Saturday at the Miami Open, chatting about her earliest memories of the city and her season so far.
NEW YORK, NY, USA – World No.1 Serena Williams is back into the quarterfinals at the US Open, advancing in a dominant 6-2, 6-3 performance against Yaroslava Shvedova. With the victory Williams recorded her 308th Grand Slam win, passing Roger Federer’s all-time record and making her the winningest player – male or female – in the Open Era.
“It’s a huge number,” Williams said of the history-making achievement. “I think it’s very significant actually. I think it’s something that just really talks about the length of my career.”
“I’ve been playing for a really long time, but also, you know, given that consistency up there. That’s something that I’m really proud of.”
Williams was in control of the match from the start, and set the tone early on when she blasted an ace in the very first point. Her powerful, well-placed serves were her biggest weapon; she struck 11 aces in total, as well as an unreturnable 126 mph cracker, the fastest serve of the tournament so far. She didn’t face a break point all match long and won 93 percent of points behind her first serves.
She’ll face No.5 seed Simona Halep for a spot in the US Open semifinals. It’s the first seeded player Williams has faced in the tournament, but the World No.1 knows that figure doesn’t mean much.
“I just think with everyone I play, they play a step up and above their ranking,” Williams explained. “I think that’s the beauty, one of the reasons I’m able to hang. Everyone I’m playing is playing like they’re No. 1.
“To me it doesn’t really matter who I play because I have to expect they’re going to play the match of their life. That’s how I go into these matches now.”
History made. Again.#Serena becomes overall Open Era leader in major match wins, def. Shvedova, 6-2, 6-3. #usopen pic.twitter.com/A8HOAZt4Vz
— US Open Tennis (@usopen) September 5, 2016
Ready? Set. Go! It’s Round of 16 time at the Miami Open and we’re previewing all eight must-see matchups right here at WTATennis.com.
Monday
Round of 16
[2] Karolina Pliskova (CZE #3) vs. [15] Barbora Strycova (CZE #20)
Head-to-head: Tied, 1-1
Key Stat: Pliskova leads the tour with 175 aces in 22 matches thus far this season.
Karolina Pliskova took over the WTA lead with her 21st win of the season this weekend, and the 25-year-old is happy that she’s finding ways to win even when she isn’t playing her best tennis. She had to battle the ever feisty Yulia Putintseva and a three-hour rain delay on Saturday, eventually emerging with a 7-5, 6-3 victory.
“I’m happy that I went through, and think I need these matches, the hard ones,” she said after the match. “Not only to win easy matches, but also the ones were I don’t feel really well like today.”
Will she have another tough one on Monday when she faces fellow Czech Barbora Strycova? The 30-year-old has been steady all year, but has lost her last eight against the Top 10.
Pick: Pliskova in three
[4] Dominika Cibulkova (SVK #4) vs. Lucie Safarova (CZE #36)
Head-to-head: Cibulkova leads, 5-2
Key Stat: Cibulkova has won just four of nine three-set matches in 2017.
A pair of proven WTA commodities will look to sail into the quarterfinals on Monday when Dominika Cibulkova and Lucie Safarova square off for the eighth time. Cibulkova has held sway over the pair’s head-to-head, but since 2014 they’ve split their four meetings. Cibulkova breezed past Kirsten Flipkens in straight sets on Saturday while Safarova rolled past Ajla Tomljanovic behind six breaks of serve in eight return games. It is the Slovakian who carries the higher ranking into this meeting but don’t sleep on Safarova; the former World No.5 has racked up 15 wins already this season, and it feels like her best has yet to come.
Pick: Cibulkova in three
Dominika @Cibulkova did not let the three hour rain delay slow her down! #MiamiOpen pic.twitter.com/tCrz3x4jlU
— WTA (@WTA) March 26, 2017
[26] Mirjana Lucic-Baroni (CRO #29) vs. [WC] Bethanie Mattek-Sands (USA #158)
Head-to-head: First meeting
Key Stat: Lucic-Baroni is tied for the WTA lead in Top-10 wins in 2017.
Two surprising veterans are making big waves at this year’s Miami Open, but one of them will be sent packing on Monday as Mirjana Lucic-Baroni and Bethanie Mattek-Sands will match wits for the first time with a spot in the quarterfinals on the line. Mattek-Sands entered this year’s draw without a single tour-level win to her name in 2017. Three rounds later she has a Top 10 and a Top 20 scalp under belt.
Meanwhile, Lucic-Baroni’s fine form in 2017 continues. She blasted past No.5-seeded Agnieszka Radwanska behind 38 winners on Saturday to improve to 3-1 against the Top 10 this season and 11-4 overall.
Pick: Lucic-Baroni in three
[6] Garbiñe Muguruza (ESP #6) vs. [12] Caroline Wozniacki (DEN #14)
Head-to-head: Muguruza leads, 3-1
Key Stat: Muguruza has gone 7-1 in deciders this season (was 8-7 in 2016).
Like Karolina Pliskova, Spain’s Garbiñe Muguruza is taking comfort in her most difficult victories. At this year’s Miami Open she has already had a pair of them. She saved a match point on Friday to defeat Christina McHale and on Saturday she battled back from a set down to knock off China’s Zhang Shuai. While grueling, the wins have left Muguruza feeling confident about her abilities.
“Since I’ve started the year, I’ve had a lot of matches like this, and I’m expecting that every time I go on court,” Muguruza said. “A win is a win, I don’t wish to have matches this tough every day, but I’m very happy with the way I’m facing them.”
On Monday she’ll face another woman who knows a thing or two about grinding out hard-fought triumphs in No.12-seeded Caroline Wozniacki. The Dane comes in hot, having notched her 20th win of the season on Saturday night and should make life difficult for Muguruza yet again.
Pick: Muguruza in three
[1] Angelique Kerber (GER #1) vs. [Q] Risa Ozaki (JPN #87)
Head-to-head: First meeting
Key Stat: Kerber improved to 9-0 vs. players outside the Top 50 with her win over Shelby Rogers on Sunday.
Could it be that Angelique Kerber is starting to find that certain je ne sais quoi in her game? The World No.1 fought past American Shelby Rogers in straight sets and will look to continue her run against a surprise Round of 16 participant from Japan. 22-year-old Risa Ozaki qualified for the main draw and had to win two three-setters in a row before taking out Julia Goerges in straight sets on Sunday. On Monday her reward is her very first match against a Top 10 player. How will she handle the pressure? Whatever the outcome, Ozaki stands to benefit tremendously in the experience category from her run in Miami.
Pick: Kerber in two
[11] Venus Williams (USA #12) vs. [7] Svetlana Kuznetsova (RUS #7)
Head-to-head: Kuznetsova leads, 5-4
Key Stat: Williams is bidding for her 60th Miami Open win today.
It has been a decade since Svetlana Kuznetsova won her lone Miami title in 2006 and more than fifteen years since Venus Williams won the last of her three Miami Open titles in 2001, but these two legends of the game are still gunning for the game’s most coveted hardware, and very much in the running to win it all. On Monday they will meet for the tenth time and just the second time in the last seven years. Kuznetsova recorded a straight-sets win over Williams at Wuhan last year, and the Russian also took the pair’s only meeting in Miami in 2008. Is it time for Williams to take a bit of revenge, or will last year’s runner-up keep rolling in Miami?
Pick: Kuznetsova in three
[3] Simona Halep (ROU #5) vs. [14] Sam Stosur (AUS #19)
Head-to-head: Tied, 4-4
Key Stat: Halep has won back-to-back matches for the first time all season here in Miami.
It hasn’t been a banner year for Simona Halep or Sam Stosur – yet – but each could change the tone of their season significantly with a win on Monday when they clash for the ninth time. The pair have split their eight previous meetings – with Halep holding the 3-1 edge on hardcourts, where she has won the last three meetings.
But more importantly, both Halep and Stosur could really use a nice run in Miami to kickstart the remainder of their season. Stosur went 0 for Australia and is 3-5 against the Top 50 this season, but she notched a gritty three-set win over Peng Shuai on Sunday. Halep has won back-to-back matches for the first time this season in Miami and says she is pain-free and beginning to feel her game. With a prestigious quarterfinal on the line, it will be interesting to see which player comes up with the goods and claims a big win.
Pick: Halep in three
“I played my best tennis this year” -@Simona_Halep #MiamiOpen pic.twitter.com/HNTVf8WywX
— WTA (@WTA) March 27, 2017
[10] Johanna Konta (GBR #11) vs. Lara Arruabarrena (ESP #72)
Head-to-head: Arruabarrena leads, 1-0
Key Stat: Konta improved to 15-3 in 2017 with her third-round win over Pauline Parmentier.
Great Britain’s Johanna Konta has quietly put up a very impressive record in 2017. In just five events she has already racked up 15 wins, a title in Sydney and a quarterfinal at the Australian Open. In short, Konta appears to be prepared to back up her breakout 2016 with another wildly successful campaign. She’ll look to continue her positive momentum when she meets Spain’s Lara Arruabarrena for the first time since 2011. The Spaniard, who upset No. 8-seeded Madison Keys on Sunday, won that meeting (at an ITF event on clay), but it is Konta who will come in as the heavy favorite, based on her impressive run of play for 52 weeks and the fact that she will meet Arruabarrena on her favorite surface this time.
Pick: Konta in two
By the Numbers
4 – Number of unseeded players to reach the round of 16. 1
58 – Mattek-Sands, a former World No.30, is the lowest-ranked player remaining in the draw.
2010 – The year in which a wildcard made the best ever run – Justine Henin reached the semifinals.
36 – The age of the oldest player in this year’s draw, Venus Williams.
7 – The number of thirtysomethings into the round of 16 in Miami (Venus Williams, Svetlana Kuznetsova, Mirjana Lucic-Baroni, Bethanie Mattek-Sands, Sam Stosur, Barbora Strycova, Lucie Safarova)
A US Open champion must balance the fatigue from a long season with the freneticism the big city. Unseede dAna Konjuh triumphed three years ago in the junior event, and New York has been in her blood ever since.
“The energy here is great,” she said after her third round win over Varvara Lepchenko. “There’s always something to do, so I’m not in the hotel like usual. I love the city and the tournament. It’s really great to be here.”
Konjuh had just reached the second week of a Grand Slam tournament for the first time, but the last teenager left in the draw discussed her daily schedule like an old pro.
“There’s always a day between the matches, so I finish practicing around noon, and then go do what I do.
“I don’t want to be stuck on site 24/7 where it’s just tennis, tennis, tennis. That’s a bit boring. I’m 18 years old and I like to do other stuff too.
“I like to discover new restaurants, see movies, and just strolling around the city. I went shopping on Fifth Avenue, went to Broadway and Times Square, I did some sight seeing. It was really nice.”
The Croat’s week got even nicer on Monday when she knocked out No.4 seed Agnieszka Radwanska under the roof at Arthur Ashe Stadium to reach the quarterfinals.
“I played her at Wimbledon,” she reminded members of the media late last night. “This time I took opportunities. I was just going for it. It was the key to the match.”
Konjuh had held three match points against the Pole at the All England Club, eventually spraining her ankle en route to a heartbreaking loss.
“After that, I went home and had three weeks of therapy. That was really hard because I didn’t get any off time in the summer; I had to do therapy and exercises all day to get better. After that, I got back on court and was bit afraid of moving.”
Fans who saw the injury could certainly forgive the fear. The teenager was running for a Radwanska drop shot when disaster struck in real time.
“My coach showed me the video on Twitter while I was waiting in the physio room,” she recalled.” I said, ‘Yeah, that looks great!’ I didn’t know what had happened to my ankle yet, but I saw the video and was like ‘Oof. If I get back on the court, it’ll be good.'”
Looking more than good headlining her first night session, Konjuh received high praise from coach and former WTA No.32 Jelena Kostanic Tosic.
“My coach said it was my best match ever, and I believe her. I’m obviously seeing that from the other side. I’m real excited about my performance tonight. My serve was pretty good tonight. I don’t think she had any answers.
“I just took the opportunity and went for it, enjoyed the moment.”
Staying present is a learned skill for Konjuh, who was a budding junior star when older sister Antonia fell dangerously ill with a rare autoimmune disease.
“One day she fell on the ground and we didn’t know what had happened. I think I was in Turkey, somewhere, playing a 10K. My father let me know, but I didn’t think it was something serious.
“But then day after day, she didn’t get better, and she celebrated her birthday not knowing who we are. That was really tough for our whole family. She was in the hospital and when I was home, I’d get to see her. I had to do what I had to do in tennis, but I was praying for her. When she got better, it was a miracle.
“Nobody knew what was wrong with her because it was an autoimmune disease, and she was the first case in Croatia. We’re a small country so nobody knew anything. It was really hard for us, but we got through it.
“It defined who I am today. Now I don’t take anything for granted and I just live every day like it’s my last.”
There’s a quiet confidence about the Croat, who next plays No.10 seed Karolina Pliskova, herself a rookie at this stage of a Slam. Her no-nonsense attitude could not only rival a native New Yorker’s, but also help her continue to get by in the city that never sleeps.
“I like fancier places but the food is so expensive, and I don’t see why I should pay for that when the food is great at Dave & Buster’s. We’ll go after a match and have some fun, and then go to Times Square and do some sight seeing. I haven’t been to the Empire State yet, so I hope I can do that this year.
“But if not, there will be other years.”
All photos courtesy of Getty Images.