Tennis News

Tuesday

Quarterfinals

[2] Karolina Pliskova (CZE #3) vs. [26] Mirjana Lucic-Baroni (CRO #29)
Head-to-head: Tied, 3-3
Key Stat: Pliskova and Lucic-Baroni have played three-setters in each of their last three meetings.

Mirjana Lucic-Baroni has already matched her total of Top 10 wins from the previous four seasons by notching three in 2017 and, on Sunday, the 35-year-old will try to make it four when she meets No.2 seed Karolina Pliskova in her first Miami Open quarterfinal.

Pliskova, who is in the Miami quarterfinals for the second time, knows it will be a challenge. She was knocked off by Lucic-Baroni in January, falling 6-4, 3-6, 6-4 to the Croatian in the quarterfinals at the Australian Open, and their last three battles have all gone the distance.

“She’s always tough,” Pliskova told WTA Insider on Monday after easing past Barbora Strycova in straight sets. “She has a big game and it was close in Australia.”

The head-to-head points to a toss-up but Pliskova comes in as the favorite based on her ranking and the expectations she has set by becoming one of the most lethal players in the last 52 weeks. Now the No.1 Czech, Pliskova is expected to come through these types of matches and she certainly has the game to do it. But how can she keep her veteran opponent off balance so that her blistering groundstrokes don’t take over the match? It’s a task that has proved difficult for many this season and it will be interesting to see how Pliskova approaches playing Lucic-Baroni from a tactical perspective.

Lucic-Baroni, meanwhile, will approach the challenge of facing Pliskova’s game with no fear. She’s playing some of the best tennis of her life – why shouldn’t the fairytale continue?

“It’s always nice when you beat a top player and then beat them again not too long after, so it’s not a ‘fluke,'” Lucic-Baroni said last week in Miami after defeating No.5-seeded Agnieszka Radwanska for the second time this season. “I know people like to say stupid things sometimes. But I don’t pay attention to that. I know I can play some great tennis and that’s really all I care about doing.”

Pick: Pliskova in three

First #WTA Premier Mandatory Quarterfinal!

Mirjana Lucic-Baroni downs Mattek-Sands at @MiamiOpen! pic.twitter.com/h4SjEMPJj3

— WTA (@WTA) March 27, 2017

[12] Caroline Wozniacki (DEN #14) vs. Lucie Safarova (CZE #36)
Head-to-head: Wozniacki leads, 4-3
Key Stat: Wozniacki’s 21 victories in 2017 place her second on tour.

Caroline Wozniacki is back in the last eight of the Miami Open for the fifth time overall and the first time since 2014, and the Dane faces a former Top 10 player on the rise in Lucie Safarova. The Czech secured her first Top 10 win since 2015 when she defeated World No.4 Dominika Cibulkova on Monday in straight sets. If that doesn’t give you an idea of what type of form the 30-year-old Czech is in, consider this: Safarova’s 16 wins in the first three months of the season are already more than she had in all of 2016. She has yet to drop a set this week and has reached the Miami Open quarterfinals for the first time on her 12th career appearance.

Can the southpaw take it a step further and shut down Wozniacki on Tuesday? It will be a difficult task. Wozniacki has won three of her last four against Safarova and is running hot as she prepares to play her sixth quarterfinal of the season. The match will likely hinge on how well Wozniacki can implement her return tactics against Safarova’s serve. The Czech entered the tournament ranked fourth in percentage of service games won this season, while Wozniacki ranked No.6 in percentage of return games won.

Pick: Wozniacki in three

By the Numbers
4 – Number of wins that Lucic-Baroni notched at Miami from 1998 to 2016. She will try to win her fourth match of the 2017 tournament against Pliskova.
22 – Pliskova took over the WTA lead in wins for 2017 with her 22nd win on Monday.
9 – Number of times that Caroline Wozniacki has reached at least the quarterfinal in her last ten tournaments.
16 – Lucie Safarova’s 16 wins (16-6) in 2017 have already surpassed her win total for all of 2016 (15-18).

A rain-affected Tuesday means Wimbledon has some catching up to do, but second-round action nonetheless begins in earnest on Wednesday at the All England Club. We preview the key matchups and look inside the numbers here on wtatennis.com, courtesy of contributor Chris Oddo.

Wednesday

Second Round

[5] Simona Halep (ROU #5) vs. Francesca Schiavone (ITA #111)
Head-to-head: Schiavone leads, 1-0
Key Stat: Schiavone snapped a three-year Wimbledon losing streak with her first round win on Monday.

Simona Halep has only won back-to-back matches at SW19 on one occasion, but that occasion was quite special because it led to an appearance in the semifinals in 2014. Can the Romanian, who has suffered from patchy form and a nagging Achilles injury in recent months, rekindle the magic on grass this year? Standing in her way will be one of the tour’s most revered veterans in Francesca Schiavone. The 36-year-old snapped a three-year Wimbledon drought on Monday with a straight set win over Anastasija Sevastova, but the challenge will be elevated on Wednesday when the Italian tries to win against a Top 10 player on grass for the first time. Halep had to skip Birmingham with injury, but she told reporters on Monday that despite her lack of match play on grass this summer, her extra practice time on the surface is starting to pay off. “I had many days practicing here,” she said. “I feel the grass. I feel the court. I feel the atmosphere here… I’m looking forward for the next round, and maybe I will play better after two days.”

Pick: Halep in two

[9] Madison Keys (USA #9) vs. Kirsten Flipkens (BEL #51)
Head-to-head: Tied, 1-1
Key Stat: Keys enters on six-match winning streak.

Madison Keys, American storm. The 21-year-old may possess a calm and easy going demeanor, but it’s clear to anyone that watches her play that she enjoys playing rock-n-roll tennis when she’s on court. She did that to great effect in winning the Birmingham title a few weeks back and she looked stunning in hammering her way past Germany’s Laura Siegemund on Day 1. But Keys knows her next test against the crafty Belgian Kirsten Flipkens will force her to problem solve a bit more. Will she prove up to the task? She says she’s ready. “It will be tough,” she told reporters on Monday, when asked about the challenge of facing the former Wimbledon semifinalist. “I played her in Miami. It was a tough match. She’s obviously done well on grass before and can be really crafty, is really good with dropshots and slices and mixing it up. That’s going to be a tough match. I think I’ll have to go in with a similar game plan as I did today.”

Pick: Keys in two

Sabine Lisicki (GER #81) vs. [14] Sam Stosur (AUS #16)
Head-to-head: Stosur leads, 5-2
Key Stat: Lisicki improved to 26-7 lifetime at Wimbledon with her win over Shelby Rogers on Monday.

Samantha Stosur holds the significant edge in the pair’s head-to-head, but Sabine Lisicki’s Wimbledon magic could play a role in the eighth meeting between these two hard-serving veterans. Stosur, making her 14th Wimbledon appearance, is well aware of the Lisicki aura at SW19. “I mean, it’s no doubt this is a tournament she feels very comfortable at no matter kind of what she’s been doing in the lead-up,” Stosur said. “I’m sure when she walks through the gates here she probably feels like she’s No. 1 in the world. You have to be aware of that and know she has a very big serve.” Lisicki has won just two of seven tilts against the Aussie, but she’s once again brimming with confidence and a certain je ne sais quoi at Wimbledon. “I really liked this place from the beginning,” she said. “I think in this place you feel the history. It’s just a magical place. When I come here, I just feel really special to have the opportunity to play here.”

Pick: Lisicki in three

Around the Grounds: Garbiñe Muguruza will look to continue her eight-match winning streak at major tournaments when she takes on world No.124 Jana Cepelova of Slovakia. Muguruza owns a 6-1 record against players ranked outside of the Top 100 at majors. Venus Williams will square off with Greek qualifier Maria Sakkari. World No.115 Sakkari won her first Wimbledon match on Monday; Williams owns 77 wins at the All England Club, second only to her sister Serena among active players. Karolina Pliskova will continue her quest to make the second week of a major for the first time when she meets Misaki Doi on Day 2. In 16 major appearances, Pliskova has only reached the third round three times.

By the Numbers:

8 – Number of Wimbledon finals that Venus Williams has played, winning five.

89 – Percentage of first-serve points that Stosur won in her Day 1 victory over Magda Linette.

18 – Number of American women that entered the main draw – most of any country.

122 – The speed of Sabine Lisicki’s fastest serve on Day 1, which was the fastest recorded by all players in action on Monday.

MADRID, Spain – All of the world’s best players have been confirmed to attend the 16th Mutua Madrid Open, which starts on May 6.

With the exception of the injured Petra Kvitova, the field is as strong as it possibly could be according to the WTA rankings – with the returning Maria Sharapova also granted a wildcard along with four other players, to be announced.

To complete the 64-player main draw for the Mutua Madrid Open, eight players will come through the qualifying stages.

Fifth seeded Simona Halep is the reigning champion in a recent roll of honour that has seen Serena Williams triumph twice (2012, 2013) and Sharapova in 2014. The tournament will mark Williams’ return to action, the former champion having struggled with a knee injury since winning the Australian Open.

The @WTA Stars ⭐️ are coming back to Madrid! ☺️. Complete list of players: https://t.co/npBfnToFP5 ?? pic.twitter.com/mYiZUTRz4x

— Mutua Madrid Open (@MutuaMadridOpen) March 28, 2017

Kvitova is also a two-time winner of the event and tournament director Manolo Santana used the announcement as an opportunity to dedicate a few words to the absent champion.

“I would like to send my best wishes and affection to Petra Kvitova, who is unable to play this year for reasons I am sure you are all aware of,” he said. “I have special admiration for Petra’s capacity to overcome adversity and I would love to see her back here fighting for her third title next year.”

The players registered for the Mutua Madrid Open are:

1. Angelique Kerber
2. Serena Williams
3. Karolina Pliskova
4. Dominika Cibulkova
5. Simona Halep
6. Garbiñe Muguruza
7. Svetlana Kuznetsova
8. Agnieszka Radwanska
9. Madison Keys
10. Elina Svitolina
11. Johanna Konta
12. Venus Williams
13. Elena Vesnina
14. Caroline Wozniacki
15. Timea Bacsinszky
16. Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova
17. Kristina Mladenovic
18. Samantha Stosur
19. Barbora Strycova
20. Kiki Bertens
21. Coco Vandeweghe
22. Caroline Garcia
23. Carla Suárez Navarro
24. Anastasija Sevastova
25. Daria Gavrilova
26. Timea Babos
27. Irina-Camelia Begu
28. Mirjana Lucic-Baroni
29. Roberta Vinci
30. Ana Konjuh
31. Yulia Putintseva
32. Zhang Shuai
33. Lauren Davis
34. Ekaterina Makarova
35. Lucie Safarova
36. Katerina Siniakova
37. Alison Riske
38. Laura Siegemund
39. Monica Puig
40. Lesia Tsurenko
41. Daria Kasatkina
42. Peng Shuai
43. Alizé Cornet
44. Monica Niculescu
45. Christina McHale
46. Julia Goerges
47. Naomi Osaka
48. Yaroslava Shvedova
49. Misaki Doi
50. Kristyna Pliskova
51. Viktorija Golubic