Australian Open: Mattek-Sands/Safarova vs Chuang/Gibbs
Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Lucie Safarova takes on Chuang Chia-Jung and Nicole Gibbs in the first round of the Australian Open.
Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Lucie Safarova takes on Chuang Chia-Jung and Nicole Gibbs in the first round of the Australian Open.
MELBOURNE, Australia – Former No.1 Venus Williams continued her progress at the Australian Open, moving into the third round in Melbourne for the 13th time in her career after a comfortable win over Stefanie Voegele.
In contrast to her grueling first-round battle against Kateryna Kozlova, Venus never really looked under pressure against Voegele, easing through in straight sets, 6-3, 6-2.
“Today was a good day, a little less hot first thing in the morning, so it was good to get it in, you know, and have a win early,” Venus told press after her victory.
The Swiss qualifier, ranked No.112 in the world, looked decidedly out of her depth on Rod Laver Arena against the former No.1. A tentative start from Voegele allowed the American to open with a double break of serve and rocket to a 3-0 lead.
With the early nerves out of the way, Voegele managed to grab one of the breaks back with a crisp backhand passing shot, but she wasn’t able to wrench the advantage out of Venus’ grasp. Venus stayed aggressive to wrap up the first set with ease, and continued her form into the second, breaking twice to seal the match in barely over 80 minutes.
The No.13 seed will face either Duan Ying-Ying in the third round after the Chinese player outlasted Varvara Lepchenko 6-1, 3-6, 10-8.
“I don’t know anything about her,” Venus admitted. “I have never seen her play. Zero, like zero. So I’m going to have to see how it goes.
“Like, maybe get a scouting report in the warm-up when we hit the five minutes and kind of see how it feels.”
This is Venus’ 17th appearance at the Australian Open – joint-most among active players, tied with her sister Serena Williams – and with No.4 seed Simona Halep out of the tournament in a first round stunner, Venus’ side of the draw gives her ample opportunity to continue on and make a deep run.
It's #Venus into 3R singles. 1R doubles starts today with sister #Serena #AusOpen pic.twitter.com/FncGAoqXru
— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 18, 2017
Serena Williams discusses her performance in her second-round victory at the Australian Open.
MELBOURNE, Australia – On Day 5 of the Australian Open, the favorites took care of business. The two surprises of the day came from Anastasia Pavluchenkova knocking out No.11 seed Elina Svitolina and Sorana Cirstea continuing her good form to beat Alison Riske and advance to her first Round of 16 at a Slam since the 2009 French Open.
Here’s what you missed:
The Top Half Round of 16 is set for Sunday.
No.1 Angelique Kerber vs. No.35 CoCo Vandeweghe
No.78 Sorana Cirstea vs. No.7 Garbiñe Muguruza
No.116 Mona Barthel vs. No.17 Venus Williams
No.27 Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova vs. No.10 Svetlana Kuznetsova
@MonaBarthel chats on court after progressing to the fourth round pic.twitter.com/mP2kbRXziT
— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 20, 2017
Mona Barthel’s long road back.
The German’s talent has never been a question. With a fluid backhand that can take the ball down the line with remarkable precision and disguise, the 26-year-old hit a career-high of No.23 in 2013. But she came into Melbourne having to qualify for the main draw, with a ranking that plummetted to No.116 after an undiagnosed illness derailed her 2016 season.
“Nobody knew what it was exactly,” Barthel said. “Starting around here last year when I got back home I just couldn’t do anything. Walking 100 meters was totally exhausting for me. It was a really tough time. Tennis wasn’t really a part of it, I was just trying to get back to live a normal life. I really didn’t know if I could return.
“It was a tough year for me. I was really sick for a long time. It took me a lot of time to come back and feel physically good again. I think since December I felt a lot better and could practice a lot more and get the hours on the court. I’m just physically much fitter than I was before and that helps me mentally because I know I can play the long rallies and go for three sets.
into the 4th round @AustralianOpen
Bravo @BarthelMona ???
Danke für den Support @WitthoeftCarina @philliplang91
???? pic.twitter.com/iJbXpaAnM1— Christopher Kas (@KasiTennis) January 20, 2017
“It was mentally tough because if you don’t have a diagnosis you don’t know if it’s coming back. It was tough sometimes on court. I just didn’t know where my body was, if I could trust it again. But it’s much better now.”
Barthel needed all her reserves to get past another solid performance from Ashleigh Barty, coming back from a break down in the third to win 6-4, 3-6, 6-3. The win puts Barthel into her first Round of 16 at a Slam where she’ll face Venus Williams.
“She’s a great player. If she’s on, she’s playing unbelievable. But I won six matches in a row. Nothing is impossible.”
Svetlana Kuznetsova plays another marathon in Melbourne.
It was six years ago that Kuznetsova played her part in setting the record for the longest women’s match at a Slam, eventually succumbing to Francesca Schiavone here in Melbourne in 4 hours and 44 minutes. The No.9 seed didn’t have to go that far this time, but she needed 3 hours and 36 minutes to get past Jelena Jankovic 6-4, 5-7, 9-7. Kuznetsova rallied back from 0-3 down in the final set to nip Jankovic in the end.
You're welcome.#ausopen pic.twitter.com/fdqLiuKmcE
— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 20, 2017
CoCo Vandeweghe swags past Eugenie Bouchard.
In the most anticipated match of the day, Vandeweghe came back from a break down in the third set to beat Bouchard 6-4, 3-6, 7-5 in a top-quality battle between two big hitters. The win puts Vandeweghe into her first Round of 16 at a hard court major and she’ll get a chance to pull off the upset over No.1 Angelique Kerber on Sunday.
One thing is for sure: Vandweghe will not be short of confidence. The American was asked whether her win over Bouchard ranked high on her list of career victories and Vandeweghe dismissed the idea.
Coco #Vandeweghe will “be as prepared as possible” for her 4R clash #AusOpen pic.twitter.com/cAWiC7xFaD
— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 20, 2017
“Actually, not that high now that I think about it,” she said, smiling. “I think there are different moments in my career that I have, my short career, that I enjoy, different wins for different reasons.
“I think probably my favorite match that I won — well, I probably have to say tournament, is probably my first WTA title would be my favorite. Then after that, I had a really good run at Montreal where I beat Jankovic and Ivanovic back to back, and that was the first time I ever beat two — I believe they were top 10, both of them, at the time, first time I had ever done that.
“So this one isn’t that high for me. It was kind of expected, in my mind, to get the win and to get the victory and to move a step closer to achieving what I want to achieve for this year and also this tournament.”
Venus Williams doesn’t age.
The 36-year-old has now made the second week at four consecutive Slams and has done so in seven of her last nine majors. On Friday she lost just one game to Duan Ying-Ying, sealing the match in under an hour.
Kristyna Pliskova has a surprising admirier.
The Czech couldn’t do much against Kerber, losing 6-0, 6-4 in 55 minutes. But she certainly caught one Gladiator’s attention:
@KrisPliskova you will be a champion, if you decide to be … You are more powerful than you realise . Strength and honour
— Russell Crowe (@russellcrowe) January 20, 2017
Quote of the Day: “It wasn’t a horrible trip.”
Bouchard leaves Australia with a lot of positives, having found some consistent form to make the Sydney semifinals and come within a few games of the Round of 16 here.
“Obviously, deep down, always expect more, but, you know, I couldn’t expect too much, considering I trained for a month, and it’s the first, you know, really good training I got in a while, first time I got a good break in a while, first time I trained well in a while,” she said.
“It’s kind of like a restart process. I can’t expect too much at the beginning. It wasn’t a horrible trip.”
The Barty Party is over.
It was a great tournament for Barty, who will jump to around No.150 after the tournament. “I think if you would have asked me 12 months ago if I was going to be in the third round of the Australian Open, I would say, Mate, you’re kidding,” Barty said. “Obviously it’s disappointing tonight that we couldn’t execute what we wanted. But still a very positive week.”
Now we’ll just end it on this:
Go @ashbar96 All of #IpswichQld is behind you. #winning #AusOpen We couldn't resist this flashback pic taken 2002 @AustralianOpen @7tennis pic.twitter.com/S7ca81o1ov
— Ipswich City Council (@IpswichCouncil) January 20, 2017
Former World No.1 Venus Williams reached her second Australian Open quarterfinal in the last three years with a decisive win over qualifier Mona Barthel.
MELBOURNE, Australia – Unseeded American CoCo Vandeweghe looks to back up her win over the WTA World No.1 Angelique Kerber with another big upset, this time against No.7 seed Garbiñe Muguruza. Venus Williams hopes to stay on course to another all-Williams final, but a tricky opponent stands in her way. Who will grab the first two spots into the semifinals?
We preview all the Day 9 matchups right here on wtatennis.com.
Tuesday, Quarterfinals
CoCo Vandeweghe (USA #35) vs [7] Garbiñe Muguruza (ESP #7)
Head-to-head: Vandeweghe leads 2-1
Key Stat: Vandeweghe is the first American (other than Serena Williams and Venus Williams) to defeat a WTA World No.1 since Jennifer Capriati defeated Martina Hingis at 2001 French Open
Unseeded American CoCo Vandeweghe is making her Australian Open quarterfinal debut in style, upsetting World No.1 Angelique Kerber in a commanding straight-sets performance.
The battle-tested Vandeweghe also comes into her quarterfinal matchup with an extra bit of confidence, having already defeated her next opponent Garbiñe Muguruza two times previously.
But both of those wins came on grass – Vandeweghe’s favored surface – and both came back in 2014, before the Spaniard rocketed up the rankings and claimed her maiden Grand Slam title.
“It’s an interesting matchup because [Muguruza] holds a different aspect to a playing style of she’s an aggressor, as well.She is going to play that way, and no other way,” Vandeweghe assessed after her win over Kerber.
“For me it depends on if I can match it, as well as if I can beat her to that punch of getting first strike, first play.”
Muguruza struggled with form earlier in the season, but in Melbourne she looks locked in. After overcoming her usual slow starts, Muguruza has rediscovered her lethal aggression, winning matches more decisively and as a result, hasn’t dropped a set all tournament long.
[13] Venus Williams (USA #17) vs [24] Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (RUS #27)
Head-to-head: Venus leads 3-2
Key Stat: 2017 Australian Open marks Venus’ 73rd Grand Slam main draw appearance – the Open Era record
The oldest woman in the draw is turning back the years as Venus Williams is back into the Australian Open quarterfinals for the ninth time. And on the other side of the draw sits Serena Williams, with the sisters looking on course for yet another all-Williams final.
But let’s not get too ahead of ourselves, because standing between Venus and a semifinal berth is No.24 seed Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova. Venus leads the pair’s head-to-head 3-2, with Pavlyuchenkova’s last victory coming in 2009.
But the veteran former No.1 understands that, at this stage of the tournament, everyone is a threat – especially the younger players.
“Today I played a qualifier, and she hardly ever missed. So it doesn’t matter who you come up against, they are coming and they want to win, too,” Venus told press after her win against Mona Barthel.
“They have nothing to lose. I’m going to be focused on winning one round at a time and focus on doing what it takes to be there.”
Around the Grounds…
The doubles tournament is heating up as the top seeded Frenchwomen Caroline Garcia and Kristina Mladenovic are back in action in the quarterfinals, eying their first Australian Open title – and the doubles No.1 ranking. But they’re up against their biggest test of the tournament as they take to Rod Laver Area against the all-Aussie duo of Ashleigh Barty and Casey Dellacqua. The Australians harnessed all the home support in their second-round upset of No.5 seeds Martina Hingis and CoCo Vandeweghe, and will look to strike again on the tournament’s biggest stage.
Also in action, No.2 seeds Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Lucie Safarova take on No.11 seeds Raquel Atawo and Xu Yifan, and No.3 seeded Russians Ekaterina Makarova and Elena Vesnina square up against No.12 seeds Andrea Hlavackova and Peng Shuai.
MELBOURNE, Australia – Venus Williams is through to her first Australian Open semifinal since 2003 without dropping a set after powering past Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, 6-4, 7-6(3).
“It’s wonderful to be here to start the year out with this,” an emotional Venus told the crowd on Rod Laver Arena. “I want to go further! I’m not happy just with this, but I’m just happy to be in the position to go further.”
Venus was made to work for every point by the No.24-seeded Pavlyuchenkova, who was into her first Australian Open quarterfinal and looking for a career-first Grand Slam semifinal appearance.
QFs are about to begin with @NastiaPav taking on @Venuseswilliams #AusOpen pic.twitter.com/e85sXfJP5G
— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 24, 2017
Pavlyuchenkova punished Venus’ vulnerable second serve throughout the match, and the American found herself trailing down a break twice in both sets. But the experience of the seven-time Grand Slam champion showed in the big moments, and she broke back each time as Pavlyuchenkova faltered.
“I just think I wasn’t fresh enough to really go for the serves,” the Russian explained later in press. “I knew that I had to serve good because she’s very aggressive on the baseline and return. I was kind of putting a bit of pressure on myself on the serve. That’s why the percentage went low.”
Venus stayed aggressive throughout the hour and forty-seven minute affair, hitting 35 winners to Pavlyuchenkova’s 17 and striking 29 unforced errors against 32. She was a force at the net as well, winning 81% of the 16 points finished at the net.
The victory is Venus’ 50th win at the Australian Open, and, at 36 years old, she becomes the oldest player to reach a Grand Slam semifinal since Martina Navratilova in 1994 Wimbledon.
“I have a lot to give to the game,” Venus said in her post-match press conference. “I feel like I have a lot of great tennis in me. So any time you feel that way, you continue.
“Why not? I have nothing to lose, literally.”
Venus will play the unseeded CoCo Vandeweghe for a spot in the final after the American knocked out No.7 seed Garbiñe Muguruza in straight sets.
“To have that thought that there’s going to be at least one U.S. player in the final is great for American tennis,” Venus said.
“I’m sure she’s going to want to be in her first final. I’m going to want to be in only my second final here. So it’s going to be a well-contested match.”
“I'm just so excited that I have an opportunity to play again.” @Venuseswilliams #AusOpen #Venus pic.twitter.com/nlmCO654vQ
— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 24, 2017
Venus Williams talks about her celebration on reaching the Australian Open final – and praises the game of opponent CoCo Vandeweghe.
Catch up on the action from the semifinals of the Australian Open.
Julia Goerges, Karolina Pliskova, Yulia Putintseva, Agnieszka Radwanska, Alizé Cornet – who will win January’s WTA Shot Of The Month presented by Cambridge Global Payments? Vote now!