Tennis News

MELBOURNE, Australia – Zhang Shuai battled past 2015 Australian Open semifinalist Madison Keys to become the fourth Chinese player ever to reach the quarterfinals of a Grand Slam tournament.

Zhang, who nearly went out in qualifying – her opponent in the last round of qualies, Virginie Razzano, served for the match in the third set – had taken out No.2 seed Simona Halep en route to her first second week at a major, and she continued that giant-killing form Monday night with a 3-6, 6-3, 6-3 win over the No.15-seeded Keys, who looked increasingly hampered by injury during the match.

“It’s so tough to play against someone injured,” Zhang said. “Maybe two points you’re feeling like you cannot play, and then the next three balls, pong, pong, pong, you make two aces, one winner. You don’t know what’s going to happen. And also last year this happened many times, and I’d almost win the match, but then I’d lose. But this time I really tried to concentrate, and I’m happy I won.”

Coming in, Zhang was 0-14 in Grand Slams and had lost 20 straight sets at majors, too – she was considering retirement. She’s not thinking of hanging her racquets up now, but she will need a break.

“Right now, after this tournament, I need a long break,” the Tianjin native commented.

“I’ve already played seven matches. Before today I was thinking, ‘Okay, today is the final.’ When somebody wins six matches at a Grand Slam, it’s already the final, right? And at night, it felt like it.

“But I’d already said this year I’ll play less tournaments. I don’t want to play too much. I want some more time for my life. I can have a holiday, rest, stay with my parents – and practice more too.”

Zhang is the fourth Chinese player ever to reach a Grand Slam quarterfinal, after Li Na, Zheng Jie and Peng Shuai – Li was the most successful of the group, picking up two career Grand Slam titles.

Zhang is also guaranteed of becoming the new Chinese No.1 after this tournament. The World No.133 is currently China’s No.4 after No.83 Zheng Saisai, No.102 Wang Qiang and No.117 Duan Ying-Ying.

Next up for Zhang is Johanna Konta, who will also be playing her first Grand Slam quarterfinal.

Konta and Zhang are tied in their head-to-head, 1-1, though they haven’t played since 2013.

#AusOpen Quarterfinals set! ?

Serena vs Sharapova 
Radwanska vs Suarez Navarro
Kerber vs Azarenka 
Konta vs Zhang pic.twitter.com/JjHiNglbTd

— WTA (@WTA) January 25, 2016

CINCINNATI, Ohio – The Olympics have come to a close and the Emirates Airlines US Open Series resumes as the tour heads into the final Grand Slam tournament of 2016; who will strike gold at the Western & Southern Open?

1) The draw is out.
The main draw has shifted a bit as bronze medalist Petra Kvitova has pulled out; Elina Svitolina moves from World No.1 Serena Williams’ section to become the No.17 seed – check out the draw right here!

2) This is the last chance for most to find their game before the US Open.
For the majority of leading names, Cincinnati represents the final opportunity for match practice ahead of the US Open – the final major of the year begins on August 29.

3) Sixteen of the Top 20 players in the world are in Cincinnati.
It’s a Grand Slam-quality field led by all three major champions in 2016 – Serena Williams, Angelique Kerber, and Garbiñe Muguruza. Rogers Cup champion Simona Halep and BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global champion Agnieszka Radwanska are also in attendance.

4) Serena shoots for a third straight Cincinnati title.
Coming off a disappointing early loss at the Olympic tennis event, Serena will try to reverse her fortunes at a tournament she’s won the last two years; in 2015, she knocked out Simona Halep in two tight sets, and would like a third Cincinnati crown to cement her US Open preparation.

5) The World No.1 is in play.
Taking a late wildcard into the Western & Southern Open, Serena has control over the top spot; should she reach the quarterfinals, she guarantees to extend her 183 straight weeks atop the WTA Rankings through the US Open. Should she lose early and Kerber takes the title, it would be the Australian Open champion who would become the first German since Stefanie Graf to reach No.1. 

6) …and Kerber has a tough road to the final.
In the same half of the draw as Halep, Radwanska, and a red-hot Johanna Konta, Kerber could face Barbora Strycova – who knocked her out in Madrid – before the quarterfinals, and French Open semifinalist Kiki Bertens (who beat her in Paris) by the last eight.

7) Serena’s road is hardly simpler.
The 22-time Grand Slam champ could renew her rivalry with Christina McHale, who took her to three sets twice in 2016, and could face No.12 seed Timea Bacsinszky or No.7 seed Svetlana Kuznetsova in the quarterfinals.

8) Belinda’s back!
Belinda Bencic was lighting up the WTA tour this time last year, but back and wrist injuries have beset her since making her Top 10 debut. Seeded No.13 in Cincinnait, she is projected to face No.8 seed Dominika Cibulkova by the third round.

9) The Santina Split is official.
With World Co-No.1s Martina Hingis and Sania Mirza playing apart for the first time this season – Hingis with CoCo Vandeweghe and Mirza with Strycova – French Open champs Caroline Garcia and Kristina Mladenovic are top seeds in a stacked doubles draw – check it out here!

10) Find out where you can watch the action from Cincinnati here!

MELBOURNE, Australia – World No. 4 Agnieszka Radwanska booked her spot in the Australian Open semifinals for the second time, winning over Carla Suárez Navarro 6-1, 6-3 in the first match of the day on Rod Laver Arena.

The match was billed as a meeting of two of the more cerebral players on tour – both rely on craftiness and shot variety to win in an era dominated by big hitters. The pair had faced each other before, with Radwanska winning three of the four encounters but Suárez Navarro – who was looking for a spot in her first Grand Slam semifinal – won their most recent match.

“We had really tough matches in the past,” Suárez Navarro stated in the previous round’s post-match press conference. “I know it will be tough for me. I know that because of her style, you have to run a lot, you have to think every point what to do.”

Suárez Navarro and Radwanska had fought through tough and emotional fourth round matches, where both had to come back from a set down to advance. But at the quarterfinal stage, their matchup was much more straight forward.

Radwanska took the lead from the start, breaking Suárez Navarro’s serve in the first game then winning the next five out of six to close out the set, 6-1. The Spaniard gave more of a pushback in the second set; she broke Radwanska’s serve twice and hung tight at 3-3. But from then it was all Radwanska, who won the next three games and the match at 6-3.

Suárez Navarro found herself unable to keep pace with Radwanska’s all court game – she hit 45 unforced errors while Radwanska, who is typically stingy with the errors, hit just 13.

The Polish No.4 seed has now won 22 of her last 23 matches and is through to the semifinals, where she’s set to face the winner of the blockbuster quarterfinal match between Maria Sharapova and Serena Williams. She trails both players in their head-to-head, 0-8 to Williams and 2-13 to Sharapova, so she’s approaching Thursday’s match by not letting the pressure weigh her down.

“Right now I don’t really have anything to lose,” Radwanska told Rennae Stubbs after the match. “It doesn’t matter who I’m going to play against.

“I’m going to have a good rest and hope I can play my best tennis. Otherwise I’m going to be in big trouble.”