New Haven: Wednesday Highlights
Highlights from the second round action at the Connecticut Open.
Highlights from the second round action at the Connecticut Open.
Caroline Wozniacki describes the changes she’s made to her off-season routines over the years in an interview at the Apia International Sydney.
An interview with Johanna Larsson after her win in the quarterfinals of the Connecticut Open.
Highlights from all the second-round action on Day 3 of the Apia International Sydney.
DUBAI, UAE – Ana Ivanovic produced another terrific performance at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships to knock out top seed and defending champion Simona Halep.
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In the previous round Ivanovic dropped a solitary game, and she was every bit as impressive against Halep, booking her place in the quarterfinals with a 7-6(2), 6-2 win.
“Honestly, I’m delighted,” Ivanovic said. “It was a great battle in the first set, and she’s such a great player and I really had to raise my game, which I think I did. It was not easy but I’m really thrilled to be through.”
Heavy rain meant the players did not get on court until after 8pm. When they did finally emerge, another interruption was soon forthcoming, as the ball kids hastily tried to towel down the still-damp baseline.
On the resumption, Halep started brightest, opening up a 5-3 lead. However, with the set at her mercy she tightened, netting a couple of routine groundstrokes to surrender her advantage.
With her tail now up, Ivanovic produced some sparkling tennis to take the tie-break before racing through the second set.
“I was a little but anxious because it was stop and go. I think we both wanted to continue playing but it was a little bit slippery. I needed to stay calm and I’m glad I managed to do that,” Ivanovic added when quizzed about the second interruption.
Barbora Strycova, a 2-6, 6-3, 6-1 winner over Julia Goerges earlier in the day, awaits in the quarterfinals, and Ivanovic expects another testing outing.
“She beat Julia, who is playing great, so it’s going to be a tough match,” Ivanovic added. “We’ve played a few times before, but I’m not really thinking about that at the moment.”
DOHA, Qatar – Serena Williams appeared unstoppable in the summer of 2010; the American had just won her fourth Wimbledon title and was the undisputed World No.1 when an out-of-nowhere foot injury ended her season.
“I left ranked No.1,” Williams said nearly a year later in Eastbourne. “That’s what I miss most, just being on top of the game and just playing some really good tennis, the challenges of all the players.”
Things went from bad to worse when her return to the game was further delayed by breathing troubles that turned out to be something even more serious: a pulmonary embolism.
“I honestly just thought I was out of shape, that I needed to get on the treadmill or something. They just said it could have gotten a lot serious a day later or two days later. It could have been really not good.
“It could have possibly been career-ending, but for the grace of God I got there in time and I was able to recover from it.
“I’m just taking it one day at a time. I mean, I’m not just preparing for today or Wimbledon. I’m preparing for the rest of my career.”
From a nadir of No.172 in July of 2011, Williams went on a tear that summer, winning 18 straight matches to reach the US Open final.
Clicking into gear with gusto in 2012, the American reclaimed her Wimbledon crown – her first major title in exactly two years – added an Olympic Gold medal at the Summer Games in Lodon, and capped a near-perfect season with wins at the US Open and WTA Finals.
She came into that next year’s Qatar Total Open having won 56 of her last 59 matches, with a run to the semifinals all she needed to return to No.1. From 4-1 down in the final set, Williams roared past Petra Kvitova 3-6, 6-3, 7-5 in the quarterfinals to cap an emotional comeback.
“I don’t know how I did it – I really don’t know,” she said after the match. “I just hung in there and she was playing so well. Every time I looked around she was hitting a winner.
“I just tried to stay in there.”
Williams has been atop the WTA rankings ever since, adding six more majors to her current total of 21, and is set to pass Martina Navratilova for consecutive weeks at No.1 at 157 straight weeks.
Steffi Graf remains the final frontier for the American, is in position to pass the German’s haul of 22 major titles and 186 straight weeks at No.1.
“In my particular situation, I never thought I’d play again,” she told press that night in Doha. “Then I thought I’d never be able to win tournaments or Grand Slams. No.1 was so far off. It was always a dream, but, you know, I was No.1 when tragedy struck, and it was just an awful thing to happen.
“So I’m happy that I’m back.”
All photos courtesy of Getty Images.
An interview with Agnieszka Radwanska after her win in the semifinal of the Connecticut Open.
An interview with Barbora Strycova after her win in the quarterfinals of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships.
Elina Svitolina takes on CoCo Vandeweghe in the quarterfinals of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships.
RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil – Former World No.4 Francesca Schiavone showed flashes of the tennis that took her to a maiden Grand Slam title at the 2010 French Open, edging past American Shelby Rogers, 2-6, 6-2, 6-2, to win her seventh career title at the Rio Open.
“I feel very emotional right now,” she said during the trophy ceremony. “It was a very tough match, and I want to congratulate Rogers. She is a young player and she grew a lot in the circuit.”
Schiavone looked down and out when she fell behind against a set and a break to Rogers, who was in just her second WTA main draw since last fall’s Coupe Banque Nationale, but the wily veteran cruised through the second set and raced out to an idential 5-2 lead in the final set before treating the Rio crowd to a tense ending.
“I want to thank everybody who made this fantastic tournament possible,” Rogers said in her runner-up speech. “It was definitely one of the best weeks of my life. I hope I can come back next year.”
Though she lost her first eight career WTA finals, the Italian has been 7-3 since breaking the duck back in 2007 (Bad Gastein), and her win in Rio is her first in just under two years (Marrakech); she will return to the Top 100 on Monday’s rankings.
“I’m really happy to be here today. I wrote this speech this morning,” Schiavone said, addressing the crowd in Portuguese, “regardless of the result, because I wanted to share my joy with you.
“Today is a happy day and I’m very emotional because Brazil is such a wonderful country. Your smile fulfilled my days here and I wish you the best for the Olympic Games.
“I want to thank everybody who helped me, and now it´s time to enjoy.”