Kerber & Venus Shine Under The Lights In Miami
World No.1 Angelique Kerber and Venus Williams both captured emphatic opening round wins at the Miami Open, each advancing in to the third round in straight sets.
World No.1 Angelique Kerber and Venus Williams both captured emphatic opening round wins at the Miami Open, each advancing in to the third round in straight sets.
SINGAPORE – Karolina Pliskova marked a memorable debut at the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global by defeating Garbiñe Muguruza from match point down on Monday.
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A couple of hours on from Svetlana Kuznetsova’s back-from-the-brink victory over Agnieszka Radwanska, Pliskova produced an even more unlikely turnaround to triumph, 6-2, 6-7(4), 7-5.
“Inside I’m still in shock that I won this one. Inside I still believed that I could win, but she was playing so well in the second and third sets,” Pliskova told BT Sport after stepping off the court. “There’s always a chance in tennis until it’s done, so I’m really happy with the win today.”
No.4 seed Pliskova was quick out of the blocks, dropping only seven points on serve en route to the first set. When she then broke at the start of the second, a comfortable victory looked on the cards. However, Muguruza, making her second appearance at the Finals, made a better fist of the second set, drawing level before recovering from 3-0 down to take a scrappy tie-break.
With confidence now coursing through her game, Muguruza surged 4-0 ahead in the decider. Try as she might, though, the Spaniard could not find the knockout blow, dropping serve in a 15-minute sixth game to leave the window ajar for a comeback.
At 5-2 she arrived at match point, only to snatch at a routine volley. The mistake proved costly as Pliskova found a second wind, rattling off 15 of the last 19 points to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat.
Karolina Pliskova hit some major aces today! See how she stacks up to the rest of the #WTAFinals field! @WTA @WTAFinalsSG #ace #wtatennis pic.twitter.com/xe4G7gXbYi
— SAP Sports (@SAPSports) October 24, 2016
Despite being broken five times, Pliskova still struck 14 aces in her two and a half hours on court, taking her annual tally to 522. This number is nearly 200 more than her nearest competitor on tour, Serena Williams (324), or at the WTA Finals, Madison Keys (277).
Pliskova will next play on Wednesday, taking on fellow comeback queen Kuznetsova.
Highlights from Caroline Wozniacki’s clash with Sorana Cirstea at the Miami Open.
SINGAPORE – World No.1 Angelique Kerber took control of the Red Group on Tuesday, beating No.4 Simona Halep 6-4, 6-2 to move perilously close to qualifying for her first semifinals at the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global.
Read how the match unfolded in the WTA Insider Live Blog.
– This is the Kerber we’ve watched all year.
There were questions surrounding Kerber coming into Singapore. She was, arguably, the least in-form player in the Red Group and had not played particularly well since the US Open. But through two matches now, especially in her win over Halep, she’s proved to herself and everyone else that she’s ready to play.
Kerber’s defense and counter-punching was top notch against Halep. She prolonged rally after rally with her speed into the tramlines and then pounced on anything Halep left short. The decision-making was there, the shots were there, and most importantly, the confidence was there.
This was the Angelique Kerber who can win this tournament.
The dropper of the highest order from @angeliquekerber! #WTAFinals pic.twitter.com/iOVgdzp45C
— WTA (@WTA) October 25, 2016
– The two “Fs” let Halep down.
The Romanian played well in spurts and she deserved a better scoreline for her efforts, but her forehand and finishing let her down. As she battled hard to penetrate Kerber’s defensive shell, she lacked the rhythm on her forehand side to pressure Kerber consistently. Halep chalked it up to a bad day at the office.
“The court here is slow and the ball doesn’t bounce,” Halep said. “Her balls are very low, so it’s tough to go from down, deep down, to make a winner.
“So I tried just to restart the points all the time, and just when I had the opportunity, good opportunity to finish the ball, I took it. But I missed a lot with the forehand, so I think that was the problem.”
Coach @Darren_Cahill telling @Simona_Halep to hit the high balls hard. Can she comeback? #WTAFinals pic.twitter.com/VgJ0AD7i0P
— WTA (@WTA) October 25, 2016
– Kerber will qualify for her first semifinals if she wins a set, though she may not have to.
On Thursday, Halep will face Dominika Cibulkova in the first singles match (starting at 4pm local time) and Kerber will follow against Madison Keys (starting at 7:30pm). The only scenario in which Kerber does not qualify out of the group stage is if Halep beats Cibulkova in straight sets and Kerber loses to Keys in straight sets. If she wins a set, she’s through.
To the extent there may be additional pressure on Kerber, she’ll know the result of the Halep match before she takes the court. If Halep goes three sets, meaning Cibulkova wins one set, Kerber is through as well. But if Halep wins in straight sets, Kerber will know she has to win a set off Keys to qualify. The good news for the German is that she’s won five of her six matches against Keys.
Turning point: @AngeliqueKerber saves break point at 3-4, goes on to win nine of last 11 games vs Halep @WTAFinalsSG pic.twitter.com/mCxuZ2v70q
— WTA Insider (@WTA_insider) October 25, 2016
A cornerstone of Kerber’s 2016 story is of course her failure to pull off this very feat 12 months ago. Last year, Kerber took the court in Singapore knowing she just needed to win a set off an ailing Lucie Safarova to advance. She lost in straights.
“Of course I have much more confidence right now because I know how to win very big matches, tight matches,” Kerber said. “I know what to do to go for it and just take the game in my hands. Of course I believe much more in my game and in myself than like 12 months ago, especially after Singapore one year ago.”
The press conference for @Simona_Halep, who is still well alive in @WTAFinalsSG! #WTAFinals https://t.co/M0hdDW5SsR pic.twitter.com/z9eJLDiSw9
— WTA (@WTA) October 25, 2016
– Kerber’s biggest fan on Thursday? Halep.
While Kerber’s fate is entirely in her hands on Thursday, Halep needs some help from Kerber. And so the vanquished becomes the cheerleader.
If Kerber wins on Thursday, the only scenario in which Halep would not advance is if she loses in straight sets to Cibulkova. Taking a single set off the Slovak would put her through so long as Kerber wins.
But if Keys beats Kerber in straight sets, and Halep loses a set to Cibulkova, she’s out.
How do you say “Auf geht’s Angie!” in Romanian?
Highlights of the third-round clash between Johanna Konta and Pauline Parmentier at the Miami Open.
SINGAPORE – “If you could turn the last week you’ve had into a movie, what would you name it?”
That was the question posed to an exhausted, punchy Svetlana Kuznetsova after yet another epic three-set comeback victory at the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global, this time over big-serving Karolina Pliskova.
“The Life of a Hustler: the Nonstop Life,” she laughed in her post-match press conference.
“I’m just, I don’t know, a workaholic I guess. But I do love this life and enjoy it, and I feel I’m really blessed to be here and to be able to win matches.”
Given the nonstop, rollercoaster past few weeks that Kuznetsova’s had, the name makes perfect sense.
Last to arrive, first to advance.
It’s been seven years since the last time Kuznetsova competed at the WTA Finals, and after ending the long drought the Russian made sure that her return was fittingly dramatic.
She snagged the eighth qualification spot on the last possible day – the very last day of the WTA season, in fact – with her win in the final of the Kremlin Cup. Her victory also knocked out Johanna Konta, who was waiting in Singapore and would have qualified by default if Kuznetsova hadn’t won the title.
Now, Kuznetsova continues to tear through the draw in Singapore and is already breaking new ground: she’s 2-0 in the group stage and, as a result of Agnieszka Radwanska’s win over Garbiñe Muguruza, she’s through to the semifinals at the WTA Finals for the first time in her career. She’s the first player to secure a semifinal spot, too.
17,086 miles, 1600+ minutes.
If Kuznetsova looks a little tired on court, it’s only understandable.
Her journey to Singapore was anything but straightforward, taking her from New York to Wuhan, and then to Beijing, Tianjin and Moscow before she landing in the Lion City. Along the way she racked up a dizzying 17,086 miles (27,497 kilometers) of travel.
She played for four weeks straight while chasing a qualifying spot for the WTA Finals, and spent more than 27 hours on court (more than 1600 minutes).
Those 27+ hours weren’t easy, either; Kuznetsova has played 30 three-set matches this year and recorded a WTA-leading 22 three-set victories. In fact, 46.6 percent of her matches in 2016 have been decided in three sets, including six during her post-US Open campaign.
So how much energy does Kuznetsova have left in the tank? How far can she go in Singapore?
Your guess is as good as hers:
“If I would know, I would answer that,” Kuznetsova joked during the press conference. She looked completely exhausted, but that was fine – that’s off the court.
“I can be tired now, it’s okay. Sometimes it’s okay.”
Take a nap, Sveta. You’ve earned it.
Highlights from Madison Keys’ matchup with Lara Arruabarrena at the Miami Open.
An interview with Garbiñe Muguruza after her round-robin win at the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global.
Venus Williams won a battle of WTA veterans against Svetlana Kuznetsova, wrapping up the Monday night session and snatching the final Miami Open quarterfinal spot.
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).