Singapore: Friday Highlights
Highlights from round-robin action at the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global.
Highlights from round-robin action at the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global.
NEW YORK, NY, USA – Two-time finalist Caroline Wozniacki overcame a 0-4 deficit in the opening set to complete a titanic turnaround and upset No.9 seed Svetlana Kuznetsova, 6-4, 6-4 for a spot in the third round of the US Open.
“At one point I was like, ‘we’ve been playing for 30 minutes and it’s 4-0 for her, it’s not looking good for me,” Wozniacki laughed after the match. “I wanted to give the crowd a little more tennis to watch today.”
Coming into the match, the pair’s long rivalry was tied at 6-6, with Kuznetsova winning their two most recent encounters and Wozniacki winning their previous two US Open meetings.
A clash that would normally be worthy of the second week of Slam became a second-round affair, due in large part to Kuznetsova’s 2016 renaissance – returning to the Top 10 in her best season since 2009 – and Wozniacki’s dip in form – a spate of injuries derailing her season and bringing her down to No.74.
“To be honest, I stopped looking at the rankings when I fell out of the Top 10. I was like, ‘I wanna get back up there and once I do I’ll start looking at the rankings again,'” Wozniacki told ESPN’s Pam Shriver after the match.
“It’s been a tough year, I’ve had a lot of injuries, but I feel like I belong at the top. I just beat someone who’s been playing really well this year, so that’s definitely gonna build my confidence.”
After a slow start that saw her down 4-0, @CaroWozniacki roars back to take the first set 6-4. #usopen @Chase https://t.co/Kr03DMnyYH
— US Open Tennis (@usopen) August 31, 2016
The innocuous-looking 6-4, 6-4 score line belies the quality of the tortuous battle between the two great champions. 2004 champion Kuznetsova came out of the gate firing, striking winners from every angle of the court and completely shutting out Wozniacki. The Dane had only struck one unforced error by the time Kuznetsova put her down 4-0.
Facing a break point for a 5-0 deficit, Wozniacki’s game finally started to come together. She took advantage of a drop in Kuznetsova’s energy level to storm back, winning seven unanswered games to take the opening set and hold serve in the second.
Wozniacki served for the match at 5-3, but Kuznetsova placed an incredible topspin forehand lob right on the back line to bring up break point, sealing it with an inside out forehand to keep herself in the match.
But at 5-4, 30-30, just as it looked like the match held one more twist for the pair, Kuznetsova smacked a forehand into the net to bring up Wozniacki’s match point. The Dane sealed her passage into the next round with a pinpoint forehand winner into the back corner of the court.
Wozniacki is set to play Monica Niculescu in the third round after the Romanian advanced with a 6-0, 6-1 win over countrywoman Ana Bodgan.
First Top 10 win of 2016 for @CaroWozniacki!
Knocks out 2004 champ Kuznetsova 6-4, 6-4! #USOpen pic.twitter.com/vddiQsuTPd
— WTA (@WTA) August 31, 2016
SINGAPORE – Dominika Cibulkova staged a thrilling fightback to defeat Svetlana Kuznetsova and take her place in the final of the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global.
Watch interviews and highlights from Singapore on the WTA Facebook page!
In a week chock-full of dramatic moments, Cibulkova’s grandstand finish on Saturday evening will take some beating, as she hauled herself back from the brink to triumph, 1-6, 7-6(2), 6-4.
“At the end I was lying on the court and now I’m so excited. It’s my first time here playing Finals and for me it’s one of my dreams come true – it’s just incredible,” Cibulkova told Andrew Krasny during her on-court interview.
“I just played my tennis. First set, she was really, really aggressive. I knew I had to change things because I needed to play my aggressive tennis. In the end I won because I was the more positive.”
Having been blown away in the first set, Cibulkova displayed typical resolve to haul herself back into the contest. As the Russian’s level dipped slightly, Cibulkova upped the intensity, earning her first break when Kuznetsova sent a routine volley long. While Cibulkova was unable to hang onto the advantage, the momentum had swung.
The set was decided on a tie-break, Cibulkova taking charge in a series of brutal rallies. A thumping drive volley brought up set point, which she converted by guiding a backhand past her forlorn opponent.
So focused on the next point, @Cibulkova asks Kader Nouni in between games, “What's the score?” #WTAFinals pic.twitter.com/1VAr3FnGfV
— WTA (@WTA) October 29, 2016
Kuznetsova was not done, though, and when she produced a sublime lob to move 4-2 ahead in the third set the match appeared hers for the taking. Somehow Cibulkova roused herself for one final push, reeling off the next three games amidst a stream of winners.
Three more brought her to match point. Kuznetsova looked to have escaped when she dragged her opponent to the outer limits of the arena, only to be bamboozled when the reply flicked off the tape and beyond her reach.
Cibulkova, who is making her debut at the year-end Finals and only won one of her three round-robin matches, will now face World No.1 Angelique Kerber or defending champion Agnieszka Radwanska for the title.
An interview with Lucie Safarova before the start of the Qatar Total Open.
NEW YORK, NY, USA – Top seed Serena Williams lit up the Arthur Ashe Stadium night session once more with a 6-3, 6-3 win over Vania King to reach the third round of the US Open.
Coming off a high-powered and high-profile first opponent in Ekaterina Makarova, Williams was even more aggressive against King, who spent most of 2015 off the court nursing an injured back. As celebrity superfans Beyoncé and Jay-Z looked on, Serena was particularly dominant on serve, striking 13 aces in the 64 minute match, and losing just six points behind her first serve.
Still, Serena told press she wasn’t totally satisfied.
“I just think it should have been a different scoreline for me,” she said in her post-match press conference. “I feel like I made a lot of errors.
“But, you know, there’s nothing I can do about that now. What really matters is I got the win. Hopefully I’ll just get better.”
A forehand with a flourish: #Serena's 38th winner of the match closes out Vania #King, 6-3, 6-3. #usopen @chase https://t.co/5xVgOyINYA
— US Open Tennis (@usopen) September 2, 2016
Breaking serve three times over the two sets, Serena didn’t face a break point at all on Thursday night, ending the match with a +10 differential in winners to unforced errors (38-28).
Serena continued to discuss the shoulder injury that reduced her summer schedule to just three matches between Wimbledon and the US Open, and felt optimistic that the injury had largely subsided.
“It’s stable,” she said with a laugh. “I just got to keep it like that. It’s two matches in, and usually you want to be able to play seven matches. It’s not even close to the halfway point.
“I definitely want to keep it as good as it can be.”
Up next for the six-time US Open champion is Sweden’s Johanna Larsson, a semifinalist at last week’s Connecticut Open. Larsson dispatached Ana Ivanovic’s conqueror Denisa Allertova, 6-3, 6-1, to set up the the third round encounter.
A win over Larsson would gaurantee Serena passes Martina Navratilova’s record of 306 Grand Slam wins; she tied the record on Thursday.
“I knew it was on the horizon. I knew at Wimbledon that I wanted to get there. Obviously I’m excited about that. But I would like to take one more step, several more steps.”
When the king and queen of music show up for the queen of the court… ?? #usopen pic.twitter.com/OVXrr9xrPn
— US Open Tennis (@usopen) September 2, 2016
She’s held the No.1 spot for 81 consecutive weeks, and now it’s official – Sania Mirza has secured the 2016 WTA Year-End World No.1 Doubles Ranking, presented by Dubai Duty Free.
NEW YORK, NY, USA – Serena Williams, cheered on by her A-list fan club, eased through her first outing under Arthur Ashe’s new roof on Thursday evening. Also advancing was one of 2016’s feel-good stories, Zhang Shuai, who toppled former champion and doubles partner Sam Stosur in straight sets.
In the latest Daily Dispatch from Flushing, hear from Serena, Zhang and the WTA Insider team as they analyze the Day 4 action, and look ahead to the start of the third round:
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SINGAPORE – Ekaterina Makarova and Elena Vesnina produced a brilliant performance on Sunday afternoon to defeat Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Lucie Safarova and lift the doubles title at the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global.
Watch interviews and highlights from Singapore on the WTA Facebook page!
A high-quality encounter was settled by a few moments of inspiration as the Russian pair closed out a 7-6(5), 6-3 victory after an hour and 38 minutes.
“It was such a great match. It was really a pleasure to play against Bethanie and Lucie and to be honest we really enjoyed playing it,” Vesnina told on-court interviewer Andrew Krasny afterwards. “We weren’t sure until the very end that we were going to win it. It was a really, really close match.”
Makarova and Vesnina have twice come up short at the year-end showpiece and more disappointment looked on the cards when they failed to serve out the opening set at 5-3. However, the ensuing tie-break – and ultimately the match – turned on a brilliant lob from Vesnina, leaving her partner with the simplest of winners. Two points later, Vesnina came up trumps again, her return finding the baseline to clinch the set.
They continued to make most of the running in the second, only to be denied by some wonderfully instinctive net play. At 4-3 the breakthrough finally came, Mattek-Sands sending a half-volley floating wide to surrender serve. There was still time for some late jitters, the previously immaculate Makarova firing long before swinging a serve out wide to close out victory at the fourth time of asking.
“It was a tough match and it was a little bit up and down. It was very important not to have a third set, because the deciding tie-break is a little bit tricky,” Makarova added. “Luckily we could stay solid and focused.”
The triumph comes on the back of a glorious summer in which the pair brought back Olympic gold from Rio. “This year for us has been amazing. The year-end Finals in Singapore is something we’ve been dreaming to win, so this is like a dream come true.”
For Mattek-Sands and Safarova, the result brings to an end an 18-match unbeaten run. It also denies Mattek-Sands the chance to overhaul Sania Mirza at the top of the rankings and finish as 2016 WTA Year-End No.1 Ranking, presented by Dubai Duty Free.
NEW YORK, NY, USA – Twenty-two-time major champion Serena Williams is not the only player aiming to reach a significant milestone on Day 6 of the US Open. Chris Oddo previews all the key match-ups for wtatennis.com.
Saturday, Third Round
Arthur Ashe Stadium
[5] Simona Halep (ROU #5) vs. [31] Timea Babos (HUN #34)
Head-to-head: Halep leads, 2-1
Key Stat: Halep has won 19 of her last 21 matches.
Simona Halep wasn’t exactly thrilled with her level of play during her second-round win over Lucie Safarova, but she takes comfort in the fact that she has navigated a very tricky draw to get to the third round in New York for the fourth straight year. “In the important moments I found the rhythm,” Halep said of her 6-3, 6-4 win over Safarova. “I found the way that I have to hit. And also the serve helped me a lot in important moments.” Halep will next turn her attention to the blossoming Hungarian, Timea Babos. The No.31 seed moved into the third round at a major for the first time by defeating Richel Hogenkamp in straight sets, but her next test will be far more difficult. Babos has gone 0-8 against the Top 10 since 2015, but she does own a victory over Halep in Fed Cup, which came in 2014. Can Babos draw upon that victory and threaten an in-form Halep on the big stage? Or will Halep keep her momentum and ride into week two?
Pick: Halep in three
[1] Serena Williams (USA #1) vs. Johanna Larsson (SWE #47)
Head-to-head: Williams leads, 2-0
Key Stat: Williams is bidding for a record 307th Grand Slam victory on Saturday.
With a win on Day 6 Serena Williams will pass Martina Navratilova in Grand Slam victories, and move into a tie with Roger Federer for the all-time lead in that category. It’s been a remarkable journey for Williams, who first graced the Grand Slam stage with her presence in 1998. Eighteen years later, Williams’ quest for history continues at the scene of her maiden Grand Slam title in 1999. But the 34-year-old has work to do in New York and she knows it. Time for tunnel vision. Always a perfectionist, Williams was not pleased with her second-round victory over Vania King despite the fact that it came in straight sets. “I feel like I made a lot of errors,” she told reporters on Thursday. “But, you know, there’s nothing I can do about that now. What really matters is I got the win. Hopefully I’ll just get better.” There was some good news for the World No.1, however. The serve is ramping up. Williams cracked 13 aces and won 30 of 36 first-serve points against King. “That was the best part of my game today,” Williams said of her vaunted serve. “So seeing that’s what I did the least coming into this tournament, it’s a really good sign of me being able to serve well and hopefully gain momentum on that.” Williams has taken all four sets she has played against her third-round opponent, Sweden’s Johanna Larsson, and if she can continue to serve well, the rest of her game should fall into place.
Pick: Williams in two
Louis Armstrong Stadium
[4] Agnieszka Radwanska (POL #4) vs. [25] Caroline Garcia (FRA #33)
Head-to-head: Radwanska leads, 3-1
Key Stat: Radwanska improved to 28-7 on hardcourts this season with her second-round victory.
Agnieszka Radwanska was tested early and often during her second-round win over Naomi Broady, but the Pole dealt with the Brit’s very aggressive game and found a way to sneak out with the straight-sets win. Next up she’ll face a familiar Frenchwoman that has played her competitively over the years. Radwanska owns a 3-1 edge over Caroline Garcia, but the No.4 seed knows she’ll have to be on point if she is to book her fifth appearance in the US Open’s second week. “We played couple of times,” Radwanska said of Garcia on Thursday. “Long matches, long battles. Playing her is never easy. She’s very solid player, really hitting the ball hard, coming in. Just hitting really fast from the bounce. She’s not giving you much time.” Radwanska has never reached the quarterfinals in New York, but her draw is a favorable one. She’s hoping that she’s in good enough form to capitalize. “I’m healthy,” she told reporters on Thursday. “I’m in one piece. It’s good opportunity to make a good result here. I was doing everything in my power 100% to prepare for this US Open, so we’ll see.”
Pick: Radwanska in three
Grandstand
[10] Karolina Pliskova (CZE #11) vs. [17] Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (RUS #18)
Head-to-head: Pliskova leads, 3-0
Key Stat: Pliskova owns a 15-17 lifetime record at the majors.
The head-to-head with Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova favors Karolina Pliskova, but what about the nerves? Pliskova has reached the third round at a major three times before and each time she has fallen. Though the Czech is one of the most talented players on tour, her lack of success at the majors has hung over her like a black cloud for the last 18 months. Can she get the monkey off her back on Saturday? It will not be an easy task as Pavlyuchenkova has been in very solid form since before Wimbledon. The Russian has been battle-tested here in New York already, and came through with flying colors as she defeated Kristina Mladenovic in a three-set thriller that took three hours and two-minutes to finish. Pliskova has yet to drop a set in New York, and she’s certainly in good enough form to get past the Russian, but will she be able to break through the mental barrier and produce what could be a career-changing victory?
Pick: Pliskova in three
By the Numbers…
306 – Matches won by Serena Williams at majors. She’ll bid to tie Roger Federer’s all-time record of 307 on Day 6.
18 – Venus Williams’ 18 US Open appearances is most among active players and fourth in the Open Era, behind Martina Navratilova (21), Amy Frazier (20), and Chris Evert (19). Williams will face Germany’s Laura Siegemund in third-round action.
3 – Radwanska is one of three players that could finish the tournament at No. 1 in the rankings, along with Serena Williams and Angelique Kerber.
0 – Number of times Karolina Pliskova has reached the second week in 17 previous majors. She’ll bid to change that today when she meets Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova.
WTA Insider Courtney Nguyen | In the final Daily Dispatch podcast from the WTA Finals, WTA Insider recaps the week in Singapore and Dominika Cibulkova’s incredible win.