Cincinnati: Pliskova Interview
An interview with Karolina Pliskova after her win in the semifinals of the Western & Southern Open.
An interview with Karolina Pliskova after her win in the semifinals of the Western & Southern Open.
MIAMI, FL, USA – No.2 seed Karolina Pliskova wrapped up her straight sets win over Madison Brengle in just under an hour to move into the third round of the Miami Open, 6-1, 6-3.
Last year, Pliskova made a run to the Indian Wells semifinals and crashed out of Miami in her opening match. The Czech admitted at All-Access Hour that her biggest goal was to avoid the same fate again.
“I had this last year as well – I did semis last year and then I lost in first round here,” she said. “So I just want to change this. I know I struggle after I do a good result in one tournament and then coming to a different tournament after.
“I think I’m in good shape this year, so hopefully I can change it in this tournament, to not lose in the first round.”
.@KaPliskova races through the first set 6-1! ? #MiamiOpen pic.twitter.com/kxxXZA3Mdf
— WTA (@WTA) March 23, 2017
With her first serve percentage dipping to 46%, Pliskova relied on her booming groundstrokes and strong returning to ensure that she’d fight another day. She bossed the rallies against the American, quickly breaking twice to reel off six straight games and take the opening set and a break to lead in the second.
Brengle put up a better fight in the second set as she attacked the Pliskova serve and earned herself her first break of the match, but Pliskova quickly reestablished the lead in the next game. They stayed on serve for the rest of the set with just a break separating the two players, and Brengle was unable to bring up a second break opportunity as Pliskova took the victory in just 59 minutes.
.@KaPliskova is first through to @MiamiOpen Third round!
Hurries past Brengle 6-1, 6-3! pic.twitter.com/6Y5EKke1ru
— WTA (@WTA) March 23, 2017
Pliskova dictated the rallies from start to finish, and it showed in the stats: she finished the match with 27 winners and 30 unforced errors to Brengle’s six winners and 24 unforced errors. She took five of the eight break opportunities she created, while the American was only able to convert one of two.
“The last few matches it’s not really about my serve because the percentage is a little low, but I’m happy that I have my game from the baseline,” Pliskova said after the match. “I was feeling the ball pretty well today.
“It was a tough one today against an American, she has the home crowd supporting here. So I’m just happy to be through.”
An interview with Daria Kasatkina after her quarterfinal win at the St. Petersburg Ladies Trophy.
Highlights from semifinals action at the Western & Southern Open.
MIAMI, FL, USA — She reached the quarterfinals in her Miami Open debut a year ago, and Johanna Konta’s 2017 tournament is off to a winning start after the No.10 seed survived a game effort by Aliaksandra Sasnovich of Belarus, 6-2, 6-7(5), 6-4 in the second round on Friday night.
“I’m definitely satisfied with how I came back in the third set and just competed,” Konta said after the match. “Basically just did the best that I could with what I had. It was very difficult conditions — not just the wind, but also the rain, quite a little bit of stop and start. It was about managing your expectations for any sort of level for the match but also any sort of frustrations that would arise because of the conditions — just keeping things in good perspective, fighting and competing. She played quite well, and I really had to fight hard and work for it in the end.”
Konta cruised in the 33-minute opener, winning four straight games from 2-2 to take a one-set lead. The Brit surrendered just seven points on serve in the first set, while winning 50 percent of the points on Sasnovich’s delivery. She remained in command for much of the early going in the second, building a 6-2, 4-2 lead, but Sasnovich got a foothold in the match with a key break of serve in the seventh game — her first of the match.
From there, the set went with serve until the tie-break, with Konta forced to save break points at 4-4 as Sasnovich looked to win a third straight game, before the qualifier found her forehand late, striking several winners to earn herself a deciding set.
Sasnovich is still fighting hard! #MiamiOpen pic.twitter.com/QCsVJZrVJd
— WTA (@WTA) March 24, 2017
After the pair traded breaks to begin the final set, a second break in the fifth game keyed the victory for Konta, as she held serve the rest of the way to emerge victorious in the two hour, 39 minute encounter.
.@JoKonta91 holds off Sasnovich 6-2, 6-7(5), 6-4!
Advances to @MiamiOpen Third round! pic.twitter.com/sE09QZUTam
— WTA (@WTA) March 25, 2017
Also through on Day 4 was Madison Keys, who surrendered just three games en route to dispatching Viktorija Golubic, 6-1, 6-2 in 67 minutes. Dropping serve just once, the No.8 seed broke five times to sail through to the third round.
“The key today was definitely staying calm, because the conditions were not great,” Keys told WTA Insider after the match. “[I was] staying focused on playing my game, having good serves, kind of just focusing on what I could control.”
.@Madison_Keys eases past Golubic 6-1, 6-2 in @MiamiOpen Second round! pic.twitter.com/yre4lQohmf
— WTA (@WTA) March 24, 2017
Keys, who began her 2017 at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells following a lay-off from wrist surgery, reached the fourth round in her first tournament back, and feels as though it hasn’t taken her very long to get back in the swing of competitive tennis.
“I feel pretty good,” Keys said. “There’s obviously still some points where it’s more the mental, where it’s, ‘That was a bad decision’ — that’s where I feel like I’m still not 100 percent happy with myself all of the time. That’s one thing the one thing that I really want to look to improve on.”
Keys will next face Spain’s Lara Arruabarrena, who defeated No.28 seed Irina-Camelia Begu in three sets, but Patricia Maria Tig and Sorana Cirstea made it three Romanians in the third round behind a pair of second-round upsets of their own.
Tig recorded her first win against a top 20 player in defeating Kristina Mladenovic, 7-6(5), 6-2, while Cirstea was victorious in the conclusion of a rain-delayed match against No.19 seed Anastasija Sevastova, 7-6(4), 3-6, 6-3.
Tig also led a trio of qualifiers to advance to the third round, as Anett Kontaveit scored an upset over No.32 seed Ekaterina Makarova, 6-7(1), 6-2, 6-2 and American Taylor Townsend handled No.25 seed Roberta Vinci, 6-3, 6-2.
CINCINNATI, OH, USA – Karolina Pliskova isn’t one to do things halfway. That’s not how she plays her tennis and it’s not how she’s gone about her career. The 24-year-old Czech blitzed the field at the Western & Southern Open last week, capping off a dominant run with a 6-3, 6-1 win over No. Angelique Kerber in the final to win the biggest title of her career. And she’s not done yet.
Pliskova’s 2016 season has not matched the consistency of her breakout 2015, which saw her soar from outside the Top 20 to a career-high of No.7. She finished last season by making the final at the Huajin Securities WTA Elite Trophy Zhuhai, finishing the season having played the most matches of anyone on the WTA tour.
Yet despite that consistency, Pliskova was not satisfied. She lost two tough three-set finals to Kerber at big Premier events in Eastbourne and Stanford. She consistently made the business end of tour events but couldn’t make it into the second week at the majors. Talking to Pliskova throughout last year, it was clear she was pleased with her season but something was missing.
The thing that was missing was a big title or signature win. Pliskova crossed both off the list in Cincinnati. She came into the tournament having never beaten a Top 5 player at a tour event. She proceeded to beat two, losing just four games each to Garbiñe Muguruza in the semifinal and Kerber in the final. With much of the discussion ahead of Sunday’s final concerning Kerber’s quest for No.1, few were paying attention to Pliskova, who was on fire all week.
“There is – I would say 99% of the players – I can beat all of them if I play good tennis. But it’s not always [that I play well],” Pliskova said after beating Muguruza 6-1, 6-3 on Saturday. “But with this victory, even it was a little bit easier than I was expecting, I believe I can win a big tournaments and even Slams later in my life.”
Pliskova got better and better with each match she played in Cincinnati. She skipped the Olympic tennis event in order to focus on her tennis, using the two weeks off as a heavy training block that has left her fitter and more focused.
“Definitely this tournament gave me a lot of confidence,” Pliskova said. “I beat the last three rounds very dangerous and very good players. I feel very good now, especially on the hard court. I have enough matches. That’s what counts before US Open.”
WTA Insider sat down with Pliskova after her big win.
WTA Insider: How does it feel to win the biggest title of your career?
Pliskova: I mean, it feels amazing. I’ve played a few big finals so far and lost them – two of them, actually, were to Angie. So I’m really happy to take this third one, especially here in Cincinnati at such a big tournament.
WTA Insider: When you arrived, obviously you’ve played here before, but you have to had known that these conditions suit you.
Pliskova: I knew it, and I played some good tennis last year as well. Unfortunately, I didn’t get as far as this year, but I’m really happy that my tennis here was good. I’ve played some good matches against top players, which always counts – especially for the next tournaments, as well. These conditions, I knew they were going to suit me, and I’m really happy I took the title this year.
WTA Insider: A year ago, you’re losing these sorts of matches to Kerber, both on grass and hardcourt. This year you turned it around in a really straightforward way. How different is the Karolina Pliskova of 2016 compared to 2015?
Pliskova: Definitely I have some new experience in these finals, especially against her. It was always close, very close, and I could have beaten her either of those times. It wasn’t just about her; I knew if I played good tennis, the kind I played this week, that I could beat her. It happened today because I was aggressive enough and serving well. It happened.
WTA Insider: You said earlier this week that people have said your season hasn’t been as great as last year, but you’ve thought this year was better. Why do you think that?
Pliskova: Last year was totally different than this year. This year, I’ve had some ups and downs while last year was more solid, and I didn’t lose early at too many tournaments. It was different, but this year I’ve played bigger tournaments and bigger matches. I won a few, lost a few, and this one is just the biggest of my career so far.
I’m just happy that it happened this year, because so many people were saying this year has been so bad, and, ‘You have been playing so bad,’ and everything like this. So I’m just happy even for those people, that they can see I can still win something.
WTA Insider: In one way, yes, last year was very consistent, but this year you reached bigger peaks and highs. The way you play tennis, one might think you prefer this season a little more, where you go for the big shots, and it’s not so much about consistency.
Pliskova: Definitely, it’s not my style just to defend. I’m really happy with this title because always – well, not always – I lost in finals, and this shows I can still play good tennis in a final. I definitely prefer this.
WTA Insider: We’re heading to New York in a couple of weeks; what is your relationship with New York? Do you like it? Is it too much? How do you feel about it?
Pliskova: After this week, I’m not going to think about New York yet, but obviously it’s the last Grand Slam of the season, and I just want to play the type of tennis I played this week here, there. It doesn’t matter if I win or lose, but as long as I stick to the game plan I had here, I believe I can have good results, even there.
WTA Insider: How different do you find the conditions there compared to Cincinnati?
Pliskova: The balls are different; that’s what I remember. They fly more here. Last year, I didn’t play much there; it was really terrible for me, there. Definitely, it can only be better this year. I’d like to gain. But I think the conditions everywhere here are pretty hot and humid, so it’s going to fly a lot. It can be similar to here.
WTA Insider: When we talked earlier in the week, I assumed you’d taken those weeks off from Rio to relax and rest. That wasn’t what you did; you hit the practice courts and the gym a lot harder. Obviously it’s paid off, but does that change how you see things moving forward, that you want to take more of these breaks to prepare for the bigger tournaments?
Pliskova: To be honest, I got a lot of ugly messages because I withdrew from Rio. A lot of people in Czech didn’t take it the right way, the way I took it. But now I’m really happy the way it paid off; I wasn’t just on the beach somewhere, I was practicing. I’m happy it paid off and how it helped me prepare for here and this tournament.
WTA Insider: How do you plan to celebrate in Cincinnati?
Pliskova: Definitely, some good dinner, and I have three guys with me, so we’re going to have a small party.
WTA Insider: Like a steakhouse? That’s probably where they’d want to go.
Pliskova: Probably, but we have to go somewhere where they have beer, because they love that.
WTA Insider: When you’re a week away from a tournament, and here you played very deep and played a good number of matches. Do you take time to enjoy New York? Or do you get back on the court right away?
Pliskova: I’m going to have one or two days off for sure; maybe I’ll do some fitness stuff just to stay fit and stay still in the game. I’m withdrawing from New Haven, so I’m just going to get ready for New York the way I did for this tournament.
Listen to more from Pliskova in the latest episode of the WTA Insider Podcast:
All photos courtesy of Getty Images.
Third-round action begins in earnest on Saturday at the Crandon Park Tennis Center in Miami. We preview the day’s must-see matchups right here at WTATennis.com.
Saturday
Third round
[2] Karolina Pliskova (CZE #3) vs. [27] Yulia Putintseva (KAZ #32)
Head-to-head: Tied, 1-1
Key Stat: Pliskova is bidding for her 21st victory of the season. She would take over the WTA lead in that category with a win today.
Karolina Pliskova blasted past American Madison Brengle in the second round doing what she does best. She cracked 27 winners to just six for the American and took control of play early in rallies to cruise to a straight sets victory. She’ll look to do more of the same against fiery Yulia Putintseva on Saturday. Pliskova served 12 aces and raced by the 22-year-old Kazakh in straight sets in her first match of the season at the Brisbane International, and Pliskova will aim to continue that trend on Saturday. Putintseva won more than half of her return points against Germany’s Carina Witthoeft on Thursday, and broke serve six times in thirteen opportunities, but she’ll have her hands full against the WTA’s ace leader and will have to make the most of any opportunities she gets to pull the upset.
Pick: Pliskova in two
[4] Dominika Cibulkova (SVK #4) vs. Kirsten Flipkens (BEL #85)
Head-to-head: Cibulkova leads, 4-2
Key Stat: Cibulkova is playing at a career-high ranking of World No.4 this week.
2014 semifinalist Dominika Cibulkova improved to 15-9 at the Miami Open on Thursday with a straight-sets win over Paraguay’s Veronica Cepede Royg. On Saturday the No.4 seed will face the crafty stylings of Kirsten Flipkens, a savvy veteran that has made a living off of breaking the rhythm of the tour’s best players for years. In six previous meetings with the Belgian Cibulkova has had mixed results. But she won the pair’s last two meetings and will come in as the heavy favorite against the World No. 85, who has only won two of 21 lifetime meetings against Top 10 opponents on hardcourts.
Can Flipkens withstand the punishing ground game of Cibulkova and make enough traction with her eclectic blend of slice and dice, or will the indefatigable Cibulkova power past Flipkens and into the round of 16?
Pick: Cibulkova in two
[5] Agnieszka Radwanska (POL #5) vs. [26] Mirjana Lucic-Baroni (CRO #29)
Head-to-head: Radwanska leads, 2-1
Key Stat: Radwanska has won the singles title (2012) and the doubles title (2011) at Miami.
Mirjana Lucic-Baroni shocked Agnieszka Radwanska out of this year’s Australian Open and went on to reach a semifinal at a major for the first time since 1999. On Saturday the Croatian will try to summon the magic once again when she takes on the fifth-seeded Pole, who is a former champion and owns an impressive 29 career wins at Miami. As much as the 35-year-old Lucic-Baroni would like to bask in the glory of her colossal performance down under, she knows that Miami is another story, another chance for her to show the world that she can still play.
“Melbourne was exciting, it happened, but it already feels like it happened a long time ago,” Lucic-Baroni told WTA Insider after her three-set win over Kateryna Bondarenko on Thursday. “I definitely enjoyed it, but I don’t want to be stuck thinking about that. Look where we are: we’re in Miami, another big tournament. My feet are on the ground, and I’m fighting for every match.”
Radwanska will be fighting as well. After starting slowly in 2017, the Pole is eager to turn the page and make something special happen in Miami. “I think every tournament is different story,” Radwanska said before the tournament. “You just have to start from the beginning, and doesn’t matter what happened last week or two months ago. You just go on court and try and play your best.”
Pick: Radwanska in two
[6] Garbiñe Muguruza (ESP #6) vs. [30] Zhang Shuai (CHN #33)
Head-to-head: Zhang leads, 1-0
Key Stat: Muguruza improved to 6-1 in three-setters this season with her win over McHale on Friday.
After saving a match point and battling back from a break down in the third set to defeat American Christina McHale, Garbiñe Muguruza will now set her sights on matching her career-best performance at Miami. But to reach the round of 16 for the fourth time in six career appearances here, Muguruza will have to avenge a tough loss from earlier this season. Zhang defeated Muguruza, 7-6(3), 3-6, 7-5 in Doha in February, and the Chinese No.1 has now won three of her last five against the Top 10 after losing nine of eleven to start her career.
28-year-old Zhang is a remarkable story. After years of struggles she was contemplating retirement, but her fortunes have changed since the beginning of 2016 and she has risen over 100 spots in the WTA rankings in 15 months. Will she be able to continue her form against one of the game’s premier power players on Saturday, or will it be Muguruza who powers into the round of 16 with a new lease on life after saving match points on Friday?
Pick: Muguruza in three
By the Numbers:
20 – Karolina Pliskova is tied for the tour lead in wins with 20. The Czech did not score her 20th win until June last season.
5 – Agnieszka Radwanska has made the quarterfinal or better in five of her 11 appearances at Miami.
1 – Bethanie Mattek-Sands recorded her first win of the season on Thursday over No.9-seeded Elina Svitolina. It was also Mattek-Sand’s first Top 10 win since 2015.
13 – Ajla Tomljanovic’s win over No.13-ranked Elena Vesnina on Friday was her biggest win rankings-wise since 2014, when she defeated then World No.3 Agnieszka Radwanska at Roland Garros.
SINGAPORE – World No.1 Serena Williams and No.2 Angelique Kerber have secured the first two singles qualifications for this year’s BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global.
“Congratulations to Serena and Angelique on once again qualifying for the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global,” said WTA CEO Steve Simon. “These two athletes are incredible ambassadors for the sport and we look forward to them showcasing their best tennis in Singapore this October. Serena continues to break records and add to her already extraordinary career, while Angie is having the best year of her career so far and has firmly established herself as one of the brightest stars of the tour. They are both fan-favorites and their passion and energy on court will be sure to electrify the Sports Hub.”
Williams has amassed an impressive 29-6 record at the year-end finale, winning five singles titles from seven appearances at the WTA Finals. The 34-year-old has claimed the Billie Jean King Trophy on each of her most recent four outings, including three successive victories from 2012 to 2014. This year will mark Williams’ 10th career appearance at the tournament.
“I’m very proud and excited to qualify for the BNP Paribas WTA Finals in Singapore,” said Serena. “I have great memories of winning the title in Singapore in 2014 and being supported by so many fans. I can’t wait to be back in Singapore later this year to hopefully win my sixth Billie Jean King Trophy.”
The World No.1 has spent the majority of the season on top of the Road to Singapore Leaderboard, claiming her 70th and 71st career singles titles by winning the Internazionali BNL d’Italia in Rome and successfully defending her Wimbledon crown. In addition, she reached a further three singles finals at the Australian Open, Roland Garros and BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, bringing her win-loss record so far this season to 33-5. Her triumph at the All England Club was especially poignant, with her seventh Wimbledon title equaling Stefanie Graf’s Open Era record of 22 Grand Slam singles titles. Her results this season have seen Williams extend her reign as the WTA’s World No.1 player, having now held the top spot for 307 weeks over the course of her career, sitting behind only Graf (377) and Martina Navratilova (332).
Fresh off her runner-up at the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati, Kerber has secured her fourth appearance at the WTA Finals. Her first two appearances at the event were in Istanbul, Turkey, in 2012 and 2013 – highlighted by her win over then-No.4 Agnieszka Radwanska – followed by last year’s showing in Singapore, where she beat eventual runner-up Petra Kvitova in the round-robin stage.
This year Kerber will be bidding to advance to the semifinals for the first time, after being only one set away from doing so in 2015.
Twenty-eight-year-old Kerber has enjoyed her best season yet, compiling a 47-14 record, and reaching a career-high ranking of No.2 after clinching her maiden Grand Slam title at the Australian Open. She also defended her title in front of a home crowd at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart for her ninth career singles crown. In addition, the German reached four more finals so far this season: her second Grand Slam final at Wimbledon (falling to Williams in a re-match of the Australian Open final), a silver medal at the Rio Olympics, the Brisbane International, and Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati.
“I’m so happy to have qualified for the WTA Finals Singapore for the fourth time,” said Kerber. “It is one of the most important events of the year and we all fight to qualify in the Top 8. I have great memories from my other experiences at the tournament and I hope to play some great matches and win the title.”
Agnieszka Radwanska took on Mirjana Lucic-Baroni at the Miami Open.
Highlights of the clash at the Miami Open between Venus Williams and Patricia Maria Tig.