Dabrowski, Xu Stun Mirza, Strycova To Cap Fairytale Run At Miami Open
Unseeded and looming Gabriela Dabrowski and Xu Yifan knocked out four of the Top 8 seeds en route to their biggest career title at the Miami Open.
Unseeded and looming Gabriela Dabrowski and Xu Yifan knocked out four of the Top 8 seeds en route to their biggest career title at the Miami Open.
Martina Hingis’ list of accomplishments on the tennis court is as long as it is impressive.
With five Grand Slam titles in singles, a further 16 in doubles and a combined total of 250 weeks at the top of the rankings, there is not much of note left to achieve on the career checklist.
However, ask the Swiss Miss and she will admit there is one glaring omission: an Olympic medal.
Her sole Games experience came at Atlanta in 1996, when a 15th-seeded Hingis, still a few months shy of her 16th birthday, slipped to a second-round defeat to Ai Sugiyama.
Since coming out of retirement for a second time in 2013, Hingis has enjoyed great success, adding six trophies to her major collection, three alongside India’s Sania Mirza, at Wimbledon and the US and Australian Opens.
For one week this summer, though, Hingis and Mirza will park their all-conquering partnership. Among the frontrunners to pair up with Hingis in Rio will be Belinda Bencic, who partnered Hingis to victory in the decisive rubber of Switzerland’s recent Fed Cup win over Germany.
Hingis will also appear in the mixed doubles, and to help achieve her Olympic goal she has enlisted the help of another all-time great, Roger Federer – a dream team that was among the subjects touched on by CNN’s Open Court.
MIAMI, FL, USA – The British media celebrated Johanna Konta’s win at the Miami Open with plenty of print space and air time – and are hoping she’ll rise even further up the rankings than her current career high of No.7.
Konta said in her post-match press conference that she hoped her journey in the tournament would garner lots of attention for the sport.
“If the coverage has been good then it’s great for us,” said the British No.1. “It’s promoting tennis, and hopefully promoting more people to play.”
And so it has proved – starting with a front-page splash in the Sunday Times.
No stunts required – win as big as Konta is starting to, it gets attention. Front page of the Sunday Times. pic.twitter.com/VQKgSUsnt9
— DavidLaw (@DavidLawTennis) April 2, 2017
Comparisons are inevitably being drawn with Virginia Wade, Britain’s last female singles Slam winner – but Konta has played that down, although she admitted she would love to win Wimbledon.
The Daily Mail reported that she said: “It does sound quite monumental but winning Wimbledon is a dream and hopefully one day I will get an opportunity to play for such a title.”
An unforgettable two weeks for @JoKonta91 at the @MiamiOpen! ? pic.twitter.com/XuN5Snv16F
— WTA (@WTA) April 2, 2017
The Daily Telegraph’s tennis correspondent Simon Briggs assessed Konta’s chances of a Slam title thus: “How much further, then, can this late-blooming champion climb? Two years ago, Konta was ranked around the 150-mark, which did not even earn her a spot in the qualifying tournament here. Now she stands alongside Pliskova and world No 1 Angelique Kerber as one of the women most likely to worry Serena Williams.”
In the Guardian, Kevin Mitchell wrote: “Konta was clearly the better player in this match as well as the one in Melbourne. That was such a clear indicator of how far the British No1 has come in a relatively short time. There would not have been many takers backing Konta to beat Wozniacki even a couple of years ago. Now she has to set her sights higher.”
And of course Konta’s Fed Cup teammates were also thrilled for her – Naomi Broady and Heather Watson were straight on Twitter to publicly congratulate their friend.
She came, she saw, she 'kontad' ? best tweet I've seen today! Killing it JK ? @JoKonta91
— Naomi Broady (@NaomiBroady) April 2, 2017
Congrats @JoKonta91 ! ?????? #killinit
— Heather Watson (@HeatherWatson92) April 1, 2017
On this Episode 18, Senior Writer Courtney Nguyen and Web Editor David Kane reconvene to discuss the nutty happenings in the Middle East, which have seen a slew of upsets at both last week’s Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships and this week’s Qatar Total Open. Were the upsets anything more than one-offs and bad luck? Or are there deeper problems underlying the first two months of the season?
Courtney and David also bow down to this Golden Generation of Italian women and discuss their impact on the tour and the legacy they are set to leave behind. Last week saw Sara Errani and Francesca Schiavone win titles as well as Roberta Vinci become the oldest woman to ever make her Top 10 debut.
Hear from Samantha Stosur prior to the tournament.
ACAPULCO, Mexico – No.2 seeded Sloane Stephens booked her spot in the semifinals at the Abierto Mexicano Telcel with a commanding win over Naomi Osaka, 6-3, 7-5.
Watch live action from Doha & Acapulco this week on WTA Live powered by TennisTV!
It had been a dream week for Osaka in the Mexican paradise of Acapulco – the Japanese wildcard made her first ever WTA quarterfinal and in the last round ousted Mariana Duque-Mariño in straight sets after saving a set point in the second.
But lying in wait in the quarterfinal was big-hitting American Sloane Stephens, who already knew what to expect from the 18-year-old.
“I was playing a girl who is younger than me who’s been playing really well lately,” Stephens said. “I knew it was going to be tough going into it.”
Stephens got the first break of the tense first set at 4-3. Osaka almost hung on fiercely in the five-minute game, running around her backhand to blast her huge forehands and saving two break points, but to no avail. Stephens grabbed the next two games to close out the set at 6-3.
Osaka grabbed the first break of the final set, but Stephens broke back in reply, keeping them level until she broke Osaka at 5-3. The Japanese edged her way back after a nervy game from Stephens while she was serving for the match at 5-4 – Stephens was broken at love after a double fault on break point. She righted the ship when it counted, though, and broke for the match at 7-5.
With her title in Auckland earlier this year and a semifinal appearance here in Acapulco, this has been Stephens’ best start to the season since 2013.
“It’s only February, so there’s a lot of tennis to be played this year,” the American said. “I’m happy that I’ve had such a good start so I’m just trying to keep the momentum going.”
Awaiting Stephens in the next round is No.8 seed Yanina Wickmayer, who is into her first WTA semifinal of the year after a straight sets win over Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, 6-3, 7-6(3).
Though Yanina Wickmayer leads their head to head 2-1, the record hides just how their encounters have been – all of their previous matches have gone to three sets. This time, Pavlyuchenkova looked like she had an edge; she hasn’t lost a set here in Acapulco and was into her third quarterfinal of the year while Wickmayer had to come back from a set down in each of her previous matches.
The Belgian player is into her first WTA semifinal of the year and her first since winning the Tokyo International in 2015.
On the other side of the draw, Dominika Cibulkova faced her first big test at Acapulco against No.7 seed Johanna Larsson.
Cibulkova has had a smooth ride to the quarterfinals so far – she won her first round match in a 6-0, 6-0 beatdown and received a walkover in the last match as a result of Victoria Azarenka’s withdrawal. But it turned out to be a blessing in disguise for the Slovakian player.
“It helped me today to be more ready because yesterday I had the day off,” Cibulkova said.
“Today was really tough physically – I had the first match of the day and it was really humid and hot. So yeah, I think it really helped me to have yesterday off.”
Cibulkova was in trouble early on, still adjusting to the tough conditions and dropping the first set 6-3. It was just a matter of time before the former Top 10 Slovak got going, upping her serves and finding the lines with her booking groundstrokes to take the second 6-2. Larsson handed Cibulkova match point while she was serving to stay in the match at 5-3, then helped her seal the match burying a return into the net, 3-6, 6-2, 6-3.
Up next Cibulkova is set to face Christina McHale in a rematch of the 2014 Acapulco final. The unseeded American defeated Mirjana Lucic-Baroni 6-4, 6-7(6), 6-2.
“It’s going to be a really tough match,” Cibulkova said. “We are already in the semifinals and we’re all feeling the heat. The more ready player is going to win tomorrow.”
Hey, it’s Nicole, remember me?
No?
Hmm, maybe you know me by Gibbsy then.
Oh, still nothing?
…
Well then, let me tell you a little bit about myself. I’m currently ranked around No.100 in the world in the WTA rankings. I’m a rare breed of professional tennis player who took time away from the tour to get an (ultimately half-baked) college education at Stanford University. After winning four NCAA titles – twice in singles, once in doubles, and once with the team – I left a year before graduating, in 2013, to play full-time. I reached the third round of the US Open in 2014 and have reached the second round of the Australian Open in 2015 and 2016. I have won four professional singles titles, and two professional doubles titles, all in the “minor leagues” of tennis.
When ur small so u make up for it with rly scary faces. ? pic.twitter.com/eVuO39XXKr
— Nicole Gibbs (@Gibbsyyyy) January 27, 2016
In summary, I’m good. But I’m not “Serena good” or even “Sloane good.” Not yet anyway.
On the off chance that my name did ring a bell for you, one of the following probably applies to you:
1. You are an insatiable tennis fan and have literally heard of every player to have ever played at a professional level;
2. You are one of the 10-20,000 followers I have carefully cultivated on social media – you likely added me after a narcissistic-looking selfie or a photo of me in some badass New Balance gear. You hoped following me would lead to an abundance of NB discount codes; it did not;
3. You have physically met me, maybe through tennis, maybe during a yoga class – in which I was noticeably the least flexible;
4. You came across my moderately emo – yet evidently palatable – Facebook post about my year at the end of 2015;
5. You thought you knew who I was but then it turned out you were thinking of the other Nicole girl: Nicole Vaidisova. Isn’t she making another comeback..?
Always wanted to know what I'd look like with fake blue eyes in fake snow ?❄
Snapchat @gibbsyyyy pic.twitter.com/Jx2tvKKXSP
— Nicole Gibbs (@Gibbsyyyy) January 31, 2016
The point that I’m trying to make here is this: being Top 100 is only sometimes what it’s cracked up to be. Every tennis player with dreams of playing on tour wants to be in the Top 100, wants to play in the main draw of grand slams. As someone who’s played in the previous six major tournaments, I’m here to tell you that there are truly fantastic moments – moments where you feel like all the work has already paid off and you’ve made it; the glitz, the glamour, everything exactly as you imagined it.
I’ve had the chance to hold a koala bear at Melbourne Park, eat strawberries and cream in the players’ lounge at Wimbledon, and drink champagne at a private party atop of the Eiffel Tour. I don’t have to worry about hailing taxis in New York because a private Mercedes is waiting for me each morning outside of my apartment. These are moments and facets of life on tour that have surpassed my expectations – things I never even knew to hope for or want.
And then there is the other side of “barely Top 100” that very few actually see. There are the qualifying round losses where I actually lose money on the flights, hotel rooms, and coaching fees. I’m left wondering, “How long can I stay afloat like this?” There are the weeks where I’m defending points that will make or break my entry into the next Slam, and thus the next big paycheck. There are the tournaments where I win a 7-6 in the third thriller in front of a crowd of 11 people and remind myself that I’m not in it for the attention; I’m in it for the love of the sport.
One W down ? pic.twitter.com/T0pR14ihqy
— Nicole Gibbs (@Gibbsyyyy) January 14, 2016
There’s, “Maybe I just can’t handle the pressure…” and “Will anyone remember me after I retire…?” In order to emerge from near anonymity and step into the spotlight, some hard work, dedication from my support team, and self-belief will be required.
So, you might not know who I am yet, but I’m determined for more of you to know me in the future. I want to know the feeling of lifting the trophy on the biggest stages in tennis. I want to know what it feels like for thousands to learn my name.
But most of all, I want to know that I can take myself to the very top of a game that I have committed nearly every waking moment to since the age of three.
In tennis, we love to say “on any given week,” and who knows, maybe this week in Monterrey, Mexico will be mine. But in the meantime, knowing that I love my life as someone who often draws a crowd the size of an 8am college lecture, I figure I don’t have too much to lose. 😉
Forgot how much I love playing in Mexico ??????. Can't wait to get going at @Abierto_MTY on Saturday! pic.twitter.com/9v2ij3zvVR
— Nicole Gibbs (@Gibbsyyyy) February 25, 2016
To keep up with Gibbsy, you can follow her on Twitter @Gibbsyyyy and Instagram. Nicole Gibbs will feature as a regular columnist for WTA Insider. Check back regularly as she files a variety of dispatches from the road to give fans a glimpse of her life on tour.
Agnieszka Radwanska had a third shot of the match in the quarterfinals of the Qatar Total Open.
DOHA, Qatar – Carla Suárez Navarro captured the biggest title of her career at the Qatar Total Open, charging back from a set down against 18-year-old Jelena Ostapenko to triumph, 1-6, 6-4, 6-4.
Watch live action from Doha & Acapulco this week on WTA Live powered by TennisTV!
“I started a little bit nervous and she started really good,” she said in her on-court interview. “It’s not easy to play like this, and I lost the first set but I believed, I fought, I run, and finally I won.”
Ostapenko had beaten the Spaniard in their only prior encounter at last year’s Wimbledon Championships, and started in similar form with a nearly flawless first set in her second WTA final, cracking eight forehand winners en route to winning the opening set.
Playing in her 10th career final, Suárez Navarro drew on her wealth of experience and confidence earned from big wins like the one against No.3 seed Agnieszka Radwanska in the semifinal, and stayed with the young Latvian as the teenager – already set to join fellow 18-year-olds Belinda Bencic and Daria Kasatkina in the Top 50 – began to leak errors off the backhand (30 from that side alone). In the end, Ostapenko hit 35 winners to only 9 from the No.8 seed, but 47 total unforced errors made the difference from the Spaniard, who only hit 25.
“It was a great week for me, and congrats to Carla for such a great match today,” Ostapenko said during the trophy ceremony. “I was just trying to play how I can and show my best; I hope you enjoyed watching me play.
“It’s great but it’s just the first step,” she said of adding to the largest sum of Top 50 teens since April 2009 (Caroline Wozniacki, Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, Sorana Cirstea). “My goal is to be even higher, so I hope I can make it.”
For Suárez Navarro, Doha is her second WTA title, one that brings her up to a career-high ranking of No.6, and No.2 on the Road To Singapore standings behind reigning Australian Open champion Angelique Kerber.
“It’s amazing, a dream come true. I was in Top 10 last year but not No.6, so it’s a special number.
“This tournament was really tough. The best players in the world were here, and it’s so special. You have to play every day, and it’s not easy.
“But these wins give me a lot of confidence, the experience that I take from this. I’ve lost a lot of finals, so I’m really happy and excited about this tournament.”