Coaches View: Calm, Cool Cibulkova
Dominika Cibulkova played her best tennis when the pressure was on; SAP Tennis Analytics for Coaches shows how the Slovak got it done at the Bank of the West Classic.
Dominika Cibulkova played her best tennis when the pressure was on; SAP Tennis Analytics for Coaches shows how the Slovak got it done at the Bank of the West Classic.
Svetlana Kuznetsova talks after her win over Karolina Pliskova at the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global.
An interview with Dominika Cibulkova after her win in the quarterfinals of the Bank of the West Classic.
An interview with Agnieszka Radwanska after her round-robin win at the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global.
An interview with Alison Riske after her quarterfinal win at the Bank of the West Classic.
Dominika Cibulkova turned in a brilliant performance to upset World No.1 Angelique Kerber and claim her first ever WTA Finals title
Highlights from quarterfinal action at the Bank of the West Classic.
An interview with Agnieszka Radwanska after her semifinal loss at the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global.
BRISBANE, Australia – Victoria Azarenka wasted little time getting her 2016 season up and running with a brisk win over Elena Vesnina in the first round of the Brisbane International.
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In a merciless display, former champion Azarenka broke six times to wrap up a 6-2, 6-0 win and set up an intriguing second round meeting with top seed Simona Halep.
The previous meeting between the two came at last year’s US Open. On that occasion Halep came out on top in three thrilling sets and she is expecting another stern examination from the former World No.1
“Very tough. Yeah, I’m looking forward to start this year. I’m excited. I know that that’s not easy, because every time the first match of the year is difficult mentally as well and physically,” Halep said.
“It will be a nice match I think. Will be very hard and a big challenge for me. Again, I played against her in US Open, so I’m looking forward to play against her and to see how good I can play in the first match of the year.”
Vesnina, who had to come through three rounds of qualifying to secure her first round berth, started brightly enough, a couple of smart winners helping her break to love in the second game. This, however, would be the last time she troubled the scoreboard.
She was not able to hang onto this lead for long, Azarenka flicking an angled backhand to hit back immediately. From this point she moved through the gears effortlessly, barely putting a foot wrong over the next hour, threading one final backhand past Vesnina to add the final flourish to a near immaculate display.
The statistics as well as the scoreline made pleasant reading, the Belarusian complementing an impressive serving display – she struck four aces and a healthy 74% first serve percentage – with a typically polished display from the baseline, producing 22 winners and just seven unforced errors.
“I was happy to be on the court. It’s been a while since I’ve been out there playing an actual match. It’s been a lot of practice, so I was just happy to go out there and play and be in front of the crowd and just compete,” Azarenka said. “So I was happy to be able to do that and play well.”
Venus Williams takes on Alison Riske in the semifinals of the Bank of the West Classic.