Stuttgart: Kerber vs. Siegemund
Angelique Kerber takes on Laura Siegemund in the final of the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix.
Angelique Kerber takes on Laura Siegemund in the final of the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix.
BIEL/BIENNE, Switzerland – Marketa Vondrousova’s fairytale week took her to her first WTA title at the inaugural Ladies Open Biel Bienne; in the battle of first-time finalists, Vondrousova knocked out Anett Kontaveit, 6-4, 7-6(6) in a thrilling championship match.
“It’s the biggest win of my career, because I’d mostly played smaller tournaments, 25Ks and 60Ks,” she said in her post-match press conference. “This was one of my first big tournaments, and I was injured in my left elbow for a lot of last year. I had to do a lot of fitness, which helped me become a better mover.
“Now I’m playing really great!”
What a lob by Vondrousova!
Takes it into a Second set tie-break! #WTABiel pic.twitter.com/9f76GMpLT7
— WTA (@WTA) April 16, 2017
Playing in just her second WTA main draw, Vondrousova came to Biel/Bienne on a roll from the ITF Circuit, having reached four finals and won two titles on that level to start the season.
“At first, I asked for a qualifying wildcard because I wasn’t sure if I could get in without one Once I got into qualies, I almost lost my first match, but I got better and better from there. I played so great the last few matches, so I’m really happy,” she said, letting out a joyful sigh.
The Czech teenager had to qualify and battle past fellow rising stars Annika Beck and Kristyna Pliskova before earning her first career Top 20 win over top seed Barbora Strycova.
“We had goals to play Grand Slam qualifying because I was around No.220 before this tournament. So now I’ll definitely be in qualies for sure, and I’ll be changing my plans and think about it.”
SHE'S DONE IT!
17 year-old Qualifier Marketa Vondrousova captures her FIRST #WTA Title at @WTABielBienne!
Edges Kontaveit 6-4, 7-6(6)! pic.twitter.com/ABNuafCoOV
— WTA (@WTA) April 16, 2017
Against Kontaveit, she continued to employ her high-octane game to impressive effect, striking 28 winners to 26 unforced errors and edging past Kontaveit at the end of each set to take home her first title in one hour and 45 minutes.
“I was down 4-6 in the tie-break. I got a bit lucky when she hit the net then, but it helped remind me to play my game, and it worked out from there. Thank God!”
Vondrousova is set to move up over 100 points in the rankings, shattering her previous career-high and putting her in striking distance of a Top 100 debut.
“I won a 15K and that was like a thousand dollars, so I definitely don’t know what I’ll do with the money I won here!” she joked of the over $40,000 prize money. “My mom will have to help me out!”
“It's been an amazing week, thank you to everyone for your support. I hope to be back next year!” -Marketa Vondrousova #WTABiel pic.twitter.com/gPe03ydK1o
— WTA (@WTA) April 16, 2017
Earlier in the day, Hsieh Su-Wei won the battle of former doubles No.1s, pairing Monica Niculescu to outlast Olympic Silver medalists Martina Hingis and Timea Bacsinszky, 5-7, 6-3, 10-7.
“It was a fun match because both don’t just hit straight across, but also slice and lob,” Hsieh said after the match. “They do a lot at the net, so it was a fun match to play, and plus Monica helps a lot.”
“Su-Wei always plays like this!” Niculescu added. “If you know, Su-Wei, you know!”
Hingis and Bacsinszky were using the week in Biel/Bienne to prepare for the upcoming Fed Cup semifinal, where Switzerland takes on Belarus; they were also aiming to be the only Swiss women to win their home title, but Hsieh and Niculescu had other ideas, receiving the trophy from another Swiss Olympian, Giulia Steingruber, Bronze medalist on vault.
“It was a tough match,” Niculescu continued. “I think the level was very good, and we playing some good tennis. Su-Wei and I were a good team. It was only our second time playing together, but we played amazing because we had to against Martina and Timea. You know what they did; they won the medal, won matches together, and they play good tennis.
“I’m so happy to play with Su-Wei; hopefully it’s not the last time!”
All photos courtesy of Ladies Open Biel Bienne.
Angelique Kerber takes the Parking Challenge at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix.
The Mutua Madrid Open announced that flu has forced top seed and two-time champion Serena Williams to withdraw from this year’s tournament.
LONDON, United Kingdom – British No.1 Johanna Konta has set her sights on becoming the top player in the world.
The 25-year-old has enjoyed an extraordinary start to 2017, winning the Sydney International ahead of the Australian Open before claiming her first-ever Premier Mandatory title in Miami in March.
She currently sits third in the Road to Singapore, behind only Karolina Pliskova and Caroline Wozniacki, but is aiming for even more.
.@JoKonta91 captures the @MiamiOpen title!
Defeats Wozniacki 6-4, 6-3! pic.twitter.com/GVOF47SOVN
— WTA (@WTA) April 1, 2017
“My dream has always been to be No.1 in the world and to win titles and to really be at the top of the game,” she told the BBC.
“I’m doing everything in my power to make it come true. That’s been a dream of mine since I was a young girl and that continues to be my dream and I think will always be as long as I’m playing the sport.
“I need to keep focusing on my work because I know that will bring the best out of me. I always wanted to be the best version of myself.”
Konta, who currently sits at a career-high ranking of WTA World No.7, returns to WTA action following her Miami triumph in Stuttgart next week.
MADRID, Spain – The Mutua Madrid Open draw is out. Here are our biggest questions as the tour turns to the biggest clay court tournament before the French Open.
1. How will Agnieszka Radwanska do as the top seed?
It’s no secret Radwanska isn’t in love with this part of the season. Asked during All-Access Hour where she would rank clay as a surface, she smiled ruefully. “Third,” she said with a laugh. “But that’s still good, right?”
With Serena Williams’ withdrawal, Radwanska is indeed the top seed in Madrid, a turn of events that she jokingly referred to as “weird”. She sits atop the top half of the draw, which includes Victoria Azarenka and defending champion Petra Kvitova.
Radwanska opens against No.38 Dominika Cibulkova. Radwanska leads their head-to-head 7-3 but this will be their first meeting on clay in a decade. Given Cibulkova’s prowess and confidence on clay – she was the 2009 French Open semifinalist and 2012 quarterfinalist – and Radwanska’s lack of confidence on the surface, this is as tricky a first rounder as Aga could have been handed. The winner gets another challenge in either Caroline Garcia or Johanna Konta in the second round.
2. Will Victoria Azarenka pick up where she left off?
Madrid sees the return of Azarenka, who has not played a WTA event since completing the Sunshine Double by winning Indian Wells and Miami. Her 24-1 record remains the standard on tour and she told reporters her training block after Miami introduced some new elements to her clay court game.
“It was my first real preparation on clay with my new team so there were a few new things and tips that I learned a little bit for my movement that were insightful,” Azarenka told reporters during All-Access Hour on Friday.
“Fed Cup was in the middle of my preparation but I felt like the little adjustments were already working. I was just trying to play them through the matches. I felt the last week or so after Fed Cup, I spent a good [amount of time] playing on clay. But you never know. Sometimes you have great preparation and it doesn’t work and sometimes you don’t have any preparation and you play well.”
Azarenka opens against Laura Robson, who is into the main draw with a protected ranking.
3. Can Kerber keep it going?
Success during the early part of the clay season isn’t new for Kerber. Sustaining that momentum into the big events is. After winning Charleston and Stuttgart last year, Kerber lost in the first round of Madrid, the second round of Rome, and the third round of the French Open.
“I mean, it just can be better than last year,” Kerber said during All-Access Hour. “I’m looking forward. I’m feeling good, I’m practicing a few days here. I’m healthy so that’s the most important thing for me.”
Kerber has never made it past the quarterfinals in Madrid but she is relaxed and full of confidence after her Stuttgart win. She opens her tournament against Barbora Strycova. Kerber has won all eight sets they’ve played, so the match-up has been one that’s favored her. They played recently at the Miami Open, where Kerber dropped just two games.
4. Can Petra Kvitova steady herself for a third Madrid title?
There’s a lot at stake for Kvitova in Madrid. The defending champion has 1,000 points to defend and the World No.6 could fall out of the Top 10 depending on her results. But Kvitova has shown her propensity to find her best tennis at the tournaments she’s won in the past and there is no clay court more suitable to her flat-hitting style than Madrid.
But will we see that pure flat-hitter this year? It’s not clear.
“We are trying to play a little but more [variety], probably I what showed in Stuttgart,” Kvitova told reporters at All-Access Hour. “Drop shots, slice, these things. He wants me to still play aggressive from the baseline and really push the opponent. That’s what I’m trying.”
5. Is Garbiñe Muguruza poised for a breakout run on home soil?
Yes. Muguruza has shown glimpses of her 2015 run this year but she just hasn’t been able to get that one big win to unlock her confidence and get her on a roll. Her draw in Madrid is set up for her to show her Spanish fans she’s ready to to challenge in Paris.
Muguruza opens against Anna Karolina Schmiedlova, who has struggled to win matches this year. She could then face either Eugenie Bouchard or Irina Camelia-Begu, a possible third round against Karolina Pliskova. From there she could face Simona Halep and Angelique Kerber. That’s a draw that should give her a few matches under her belt before taking a crack at some of the game’s best.
6. Can Simona Halep find her clay-court mojo?
Halep’s season has been a curious one. From her injury and illness affected start to the season, to signs of life on the US hardcourts after making back-to-back quarterfinals in Indian Wells and Miami, only to be derailed by a stressful Fed Cup weekend and early exit from Stuttgart, where she won just three games off Laura Siegemund in the second round. Halep admits she isn’t thinking about titles at the moment. She just wants matches.
“Now I feel ok. I have nothing to defend I’m all good for this next period,” Halep said with a laugh. “I just want to play, to feel again my game on court, to feel confident. I’m just waiting to win matches, if that’s possible again.”
The Romanian’s draw is set up perfectly for her to get those matches. She opens against Misaki Doi and would play either Margarita Gasparyan or Karin Knapp in the second round. From there she could play either Andrea Petkovic or Timea Bacsinszky (the two former French Open semifinalists drew each other in the first round).
7. Which matches did we circle?
Pop your popcorn for these first round clashes:
– Agnieszka Radwanska vs. Dominika Cibulkova
– Caroline Garcia vs. Johanna Konta
– Daria Gavrilova vs. Yulia Putintseva (pictured above, following their 2010 US Open girl’s singles final, won by Gavrilova)
– Petra Kvitova vs. Lara Arruabarrena
– Timea Bacsinszky vs. Andrea Petkovic
– Lucie Safarova vs. CoCo Vandeweghe
– Angelique Kerber vs. Barbora Strycova
Save some of that popcorn for these possible second round clashes:
– Garbiñe Muguruza vs. Eugenie Bouchard
– Sloane Stephens vs. Daria Kasatkina
– Angelique Kerber vs. Madison Keys
– Roberta Vinci vs. Jelena Jankovic
– Petra Kvitova vs. Jelena Ostapenko
Main draw play begins on Saturday.
All photos courtesy of Getty Images.
Andy Murray believes fellow Brit Johanna Konta can capitalise on Serena Williams’ absence and become World No.1.
The 23-time Grand Slam winner confirmed on Wednesday that she and fiancé Alexis Ohanian are expecting their first child and will not return until 2018.
Murray, the World No.1 in the men’s game late last year feels his compatriot can replicate his achievements over the coming year, having reached the Top 10 and narrowly missed out on qualification for the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global in 2016.
“It’s been pretty much 18 months where she’s played at a level where she’s in the top seven or eight players in the world,” he said in The Guardian.
“She was close to getting to Singapore last year and she’s in with a good shot of doing it this year.
“I’m sure for all of the women, with Serena out, it’s going to be tough to predict. If she steps up her game there’s no reason why she can’t get close to the top.”
Konta has enjoyed an excellent start to 2017, having won the Apia Sydney International in January before claiming the biggest title of her career at the Miami Open earlier this month.
MADRID Spain – On a maquee day in Madrid, all eight of the top seeds will be in attendance to play their first round at the Mutua Madrid Open. Which matches are must-sees?
Sunday, First Round
[1] Agnieszka Radwanska (POL #2) vs. Dominika Cibulkova (SVK #38)
Head-to-head: Radwanska leads 7-3
Key Stat: Two of their last three encounters have gone three sets.
Giant-killer Dominika Cibulkova has been in search of a big win to reassert her standing among the best players in the world after an Achilles injury took her off the tour last spring. Narrowly missing out on upset opportunities over Agnieszka Radwanska in Indian Wells (where she held a match point) and Garbiñe Muguruza in Madrid, she gets another crack at Radwanska on the World No.2’s least favorite surface. The Pole won their only clay court meeting, but that was back in 2006, when the two were fighting for a main draw spot in Budapest qualifying.
Showing some encouraging signs of consistency, Cibulkova battled her way to her first title of the season at the Katowice Open – Radwanska’s home tournament, from which she withdrew citing a right shoulder injury. As for Radwanska, the former Wimbledon finalist grew up on red clay, and acquitted herself well at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix before falling victim to Laura Siegemund’s miracle run in the semifinals.
Pick: Cibulkova in three
[WC] Lara Arruabarrena (ESP #76) vs. [5] Petra Kvitova (CZE #6)
Head-to-head: First meeting
Key Stat: Madrid is Kvitova’s most successful clay court tournament, winning it twice (2011, 2015)
Defending champion Petra Kvitova surprised many when she opted out of her country’s Fed Cup semifinal against Switzerland because it would interrupt her preparation for the clay court swing, but the two-time Wimbledon champion silenced doubters when she showed some of those much-needed improvements in Stuttgart, where she reached the finals and pushed eventual champion Angelique Kerber to three tough sets.
Her next big test comes in the form of dirtballer Lara Arruabarrena; the hometown favorite turned heads in a three-set thriller she played against Kerber in Charleston, and with her maddening consistency, is precisely the type of player to bother Kvitova on clay. The former World No.2 is hardly impervious, having narrowly avoided an early round loss to Monica Niculescu during her otherwise solid run in Stuttgart, but how much better will the Czech powerhouse look with two more weeks under the tutilege of new coach Frantisek Cermak?
Pick: Kvitova in three
Around the grounds: Top ranked Spaniards Carla Suárez Navarro and Garbiñe Muguruza will each be in action on Manolo Santana Court; Suarez Navarro takes on Rabat semifinalist Timea Babos while Muguruza looks to win a fourth straight match against Anna Karolina Schmiedlova – a player in the midst of a sophomore slump. Sunshine Double winner Victoria Azarenka will play her first WTA match since winning Miami against former British No.1 Laura Robson, who entered Madrid with a protected ranking. No.6 seed Simona Halep could have another long day on her hands as she takes on the always dangerous Misaki Doi to open the evening session, while No.2 seed Angelique Kerber takes on Barbora Strycova, against whom she only lost two games en route to the semifinals of the Miami Open.
Finally, there will be no rest for either of the Prague or Rabat finalists entered in Madrid; champions Lucie Safarova and Timea Bacsinszky both play their first rounds against CoCo Vandeweghe and Andrea Petkovic, respectively, while Prague runner-up Samantha Stosur takes on Spanish wildcard Sara Sorribes Tomo Sunday evening.
Irina-Camelia Begu takes on Victoria Azarenka in the second round of the Internazionali BNL d’Italia.
An interview with Garbiñe Muguruza after her win in the third round of the Internazionali BNL d’Italia.