Brisbane: Garbiñe Muguruza vs Svetlana Kuznetsova
Garbiñe Muguruza takes on Svetlana Kuznetsova in the quarterfinals of the Brisbane International.
Garbiñe Muguruza takes on Svetlana Kuznetsova in the quarterfinals of the Brisbane International.
WUHAN, China – It was always going to be a big week for Raquel Atawo and Abigail Spears. The Americans qualified for the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global last year, and earned an important victory as they aim to return, knocking out Julia Goerges and Karolina Pliskova, 6-3, 2-6, 10-8, in the second round of the Dongfeng Motor Wuhan Open.
“We’ve probably played at least a thousand 10-point tie-breaks,” Atawo said after the match. “They never get any easier, but if you can find a way to relax, it can help in the big points. We were able to do that today, where we were able to hit the shots when we wanted to in the important moments.”
Watch live action from Wuhan on WTA Live powered by TennisTV!
Recovering from losing the second set, the unseeded Americans triumphed in the match tie-break to book a last eight encounter with either Chan Hao-Ching and Chan Yung-Jan (ranked No.6 on the RTS leaderboard) or Slovenians Katarina Srebotnik and Andreja Klepac, who are ranked No.13.
“If we could make them play, we felt like we were in control,” Atawo said. “We just had to get that first ball in, and when we connected, it was really good.”
Atawo and Spears entered the week at No.10 on the Road to Singapore leaderboard, and have had to overcome tremendous fierce opposition just to reach the second round, defeating No.9 Xu Yi-Fan and Zheng Saisai.
“It’s huge motivation, because we’ve been close the last three years, and it’s good experience. But we want to be back in Singapore, and we’ll do whatever it takes to get back there – so long as it’s legal!” Spears said as the pair laughed.
With today’s results, Atawo and Spears move into the No.9 spot and now trail Georges/Pliskova by just 575 points; to crack the Top 8 in Wuhan, they will need to win the title, thus unseating Goerges and Pliskova on the Road to Singapore leaderboard.
Andrea Hlavackova and Lucie Hradecka moved up to No.5 on the Road to Singapore leaderboard after winning the Coupe Banque Nationale, and kicked off their Wuhan campaign in similarly dramatic style; the Czechs ousted Olga Savchuk and Wang Yafan, 4-6, 6-2, 10-4.
On the outside looking in – at least with new partner Barbora Strycova – is World No.1 Sania Mirza. Mirza has already qualified for Singapore with former Co-No.1 Martina HIngis, but has been making a strong push for a second qualification bid, winning a second title with Strycova at the Toray Pan Pacific Open.
In need of another big result in Wuhan, the No.3 seeds came back from a set down to beat Gabriela Dabrowski and María José Martínez Sánchez, 3-6, 6-3, 10-5.
Karolina Pliskova produced a clinical display on Friday night, swatting aside Elina Svitolina to take her place in the final of the Brisbane International.
WTA Insider Courtney Nguyen | After advancing to the Brisbane final, Alizé Cornet took a moment to pay tribute to a man who always reminded her to be thankful for her lot.
Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Sania Mirza produced a near flawless display to overwhelm Ekaterina Makarova and Elena Vesnina, 6-2, 6-3. The result ensures that Mattek-Sands will replace Mirza as the World No.1 when the new rankings are released on Monday.
Highlights from all of Saturday’s finals action at the Brisbane International.
SYDNEY, Australia – No.5 seed Svetlana Kuznetsova began her title defense at the Apia International Sydney with a decisive 6-1, 6-4 win over Irina-Camelia Begu.
“I started the year quite good with the feeling on court,” she said in her post-match press conference. “Sometimes the results don’t go with how you’re feeling, but I feel very good at the start of the year.”
It was a year ago that Kuznetsova came to Sydney to begin what would become her best season in nearly six years, but shrugged off the pressure of going for a second straight victory.
“I’m not thinking about defending my title. The trophy is at home and nobody can take it away from me. This is another year and another opportunity to play. I always feel like I need a lot of matches at the start of the year. I remember going to Auckland and not winning a single match. Then I came here and it gave me matches, confidence.
“If I played five weeks in a row at the end of last year, I can do three or four weeks here.”
The Russian veteran showed off similar form for much of the match against Begu, who struggled through the 31 minute opening set.
.@SvetlanaK27 has found her range early! pic.twitter.com/Gie2qUY2z3
— WTA (@WTA) January 8, 2017
Winning 10 of the first 12 games, the former World No.2 was on course for a seamless victory before the Romanian mounted a mini-comeback, drawing even at 4-4 in the second.
“What happened? What typically happens in a tennis match. I think I started to play more defensively, and she felt like she had nothing to lose. I got too passive.
“We practiced in December because she was also in Dubai; we played a practice match and that was good because I was able to remember her game.
“It’s a different style; she stays farther behind the baseline, not so much inside. She serves good, and it was hard to read.
.@Irina_Begu is on ?!
She breaks again to level the second set at 4-4! #SydneyTennis pic.twitter.com/FR3QXYMWRy
— WTA (@WTA) January 8, 2017
Kuznetsova closed the door from there, and served out her spot in the second round, where she’ll meet either 2011 US Open champion Samantha Stosur or compatriot Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova.
“Overall, I think I did good, except for those four games when I didn’t play so good.”
.@SvetlanaK27 starts @SydneyTennis title defense with 6-1, 6-4 win over Begu! pic.twitter.com/fMeKx8at2m
— WTA (@WTA) January 8, 2017
Highlights from the quarterfinals action at the Dongfeng Motor Wuhan Open.
SYDNEY, Australia – No.10 seed Caroline Wozniacki survived a titanic tussle against Olympic tennis event winner Monica Puig, 6-3, 2-6, 6-4, to advance into the second round of the Apia International Sydney.
“It’s a tough match, because, you know, you kind of feel, like, oh, I’m winning pretty comfortably right now, but then she can go on a streak, starts hitting winners, has such a good serve,” the Dane explained in her post-match press conference. “That’s where it started going in in the second set, and then the third set I tried to stay closer to the baseline and maybe play a little deeper.
“It paid off. But, yeah, win is a win. I’ll take it.”
Wozniacki had just come off a quarterfinal appearance at the ASB Classic, while Puig was looking for her first win of the season, having dropped her opening round match to Elina Svitolina at the Brisbane International. The No.10 seed broke at her first opportunity and held on for dear life to start the match, gutting out a five-deuce game to hold for 5-2 and ultimately serve out the opening set in 47 minutes.
This perfect backhand has helped @CaroWozniacki save three break points! #SydneyTennis pic.twitter.com/GZaRauEliO
— WTA (@WTA) January 9, 2017
Puig served notice last summer when she took home Puerto Rico’s first ever Olympic gold medal, but was even more impressive off the return in the second set, break serve three times to level the match.
Not a bad way for @CaroWozniacki to save break point! #SydneyTennis pic.twitter.com/8EX3RtLwTt
— WTA (@WTA) January 9, 2017
Much like the first set, Wozniacki broke early in the third and never let go, even as Puig showed all her mettle to hold in a six-deuce game at 3-1 in the decider.
“I changed up my practice quite a bit. I did a lot of other things, probably spent more time on court than I have in a long time and less time in the gym, actually.
“That was a big change for me, because I have worked so hard on my fitness and worked so hard on trying to prevent injuries.
“But at the end of the day, I think I sometimes need to ease off a little bit. I guess I’m not a spring chicken anymore. Sometimes less is more.”
Clinching victory on her first match point, Wozniacki booked a second-round encounter with Yulia Putintseva.
“I was proud of how I managed to just keep grinding today. I feel pretty good. I’m not nervous about my form. I think it’s going to be fine.”
.@CaroWozniacki starts @SydneyTennis campaign with 6-3, 2-6, 6-4 win over Puig! pic.twitter.com/QwCEg3qz3D
— WTA (@WTA) January 9, 2017
Petra Kvitova and Dominika Cibulkova will meet in the Dongfeng Motor Wuhan final with a lot more than just the trophy on the line.
Earlier this week, Kvitova scored a win over current WTA World No.1 Angelique Kerber in the third round at Wuhan, which, arguably, could be considered the WTA match of the year. Kvitova entered the week at No.21 on the Road to Singapore Leaderboard. With an 11-1 record in Wuhan – she was the inaugural winner in 2014 – Kvitova will move to No.12 by reaching the final this week and will be either 897 points outside of the Top 8 – or within 582 points.
If Kvitova, a finalist at the 2014 China Open, could complete a Wuhan-Beijing double, she would vault into the Top 8 and be in position to qualify for the WTA Finals for the sixth straight year.
Cibulkova, who missed four months due to surgery on her Achilles last year, will move to RTS No.7 by reaching the Wuhan final as she attempts to qualify for the WTA Finals for the first time in her career. She can move as high as No.6 on the Leaderboard overtaking French Open champion Garbiñe Muguruza if she wins the title.
SINGLES:
All Eyes on Beijing
Following the finals in Wuhan, all eyes will be on Beijing as the Road to Singapore heats up and enters the final stages – as the countdown to the start of the WTA Finals winds down.
In singles, three players have qualified – Angelique Kerber, Serena Williams and Simona Halep – leaving five spots on the table entering the China Open, a Premier Mandatory event awarding up to 1,000 points to the champion. Meanwhile in doubles, nine teams remain in contention for the final five spots.
Click here to check out the complete China Open draws.
Knocking on Qualification’s Door
Karolina Pliskova and Agnieszka Radwanska are closing in on qualification but they will need to reach the quarterfinals or semifinals (depending on the Wuhan final results). However, if some results fall in their favor, Pliskova and Radwanska could qualify as early as the opening weekend in Beijing.
HOW PLISKOVA & RADWANSKA CAN QUALIFY
1. Madison Keys fails to reach 3r AND Carla Suárez Navarro fails to reach SF
2. Keys fails to reach 3r AND neither Svetlana Kuznetsova nor Johanna Konta reach the final, nor Kvitova wins title (if she wins Wuhan)
3. Suárez Navarro fails to reach SF and neither Kuznetsova or Konta reach final nor Kvitova wins title (if she wins Wuhan)
NOTE: Kuznetsova, Konta, Kvitova are all in the bottom half
Six of Nine Players Ranked Inside RTS Top 12 on Bottom Half of Draw
While Pliskova and Radwanska are next in line to qualify, Garbiñe Muguruza, Dominika Cibulkova and Madison Keys round out the Top 8 of our live leaderboard. Carla Suárez Navarro is next in line followed by Svetlana Kuznetsova, Johanna Konta and Petra Kvitova.
Four of these – Muguruza, Keys, Kuznetsova and Kvitova are all in the same quarter of the Beijing draw, creating some exciting early round matchups at the China Open.
Road to Singapore Update:
Qualified: Angelique Kerber, Serena Williams, Simona Halep
Current Projected Top 8 (5 Spots Remaining)
Next in Line with points behind current projected cut-off (3137)
DOUBLES:
Mattek-Sands/Safarova Seek Wuhan Title, Singapore Qualification
Playing in their seventh tournament together this year, Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Lucie Safarova have a chance to qualify for the WTA Finals for the second consecutive year on Saturday, but they will need to defeat Sania Mirza and Barbora Strycova in the Wuhan final in order to do so.
Wuhan will be the fourth final this year for Mattek-Sands/Safarova, having won titles at Miami and the US Open, while also finishing as runner-up in Charleston. They will move to RTS No.5 if they are runners-up in Wuhan.
Mirza/Strycova Closing in on Top 8
Although this is only the fourth tournament of the year for Mirza/Strycova, the two have posted a 15-1 record winning titles at Cincinnati and Tokyo. Their only loss thus far has been to Kristina Mladenovic and Caroline GarcIa, currently the top ranked doubles team in 2016, at the US Open in the quarterfinals.
Despite forming the late-season partnership, Mirza/Strycova are rapidly climbing the Road to Singapore leaderboard. By advancing to the final, they will move to No.11 and cam climb to No.9 with the Wuhan title.
Qualified: Garcia/Mladenovic, Hingis/Mirza, Makarova/Vesnina
Current Projected Top 8 (5 Spots Remaining)
|
Shvedova/Babos |
3975 |
|
|
Mattek-Sands/Safarova |
3911 |
Qualify with Wuhan title (vs Mirza/Strycova in final) |
|
Hlavackova/Hradecka |
3775 |
|
|
Chan/Chan |
3760 |
|
|
Goerges Pliskova |
3270 |
Remaining Teams in Possible Contention with points behind projected cutoff (3270)
|
*Atawo/Spears |
-575 |
||
|
*Xu/Zheng |
-600 |
||
|
Mirza/Strycova |
-885 |
Close to 570 (and 9th place) with Wuhan title (vs Mattek/Safarova in final) |
|
|
*Klepac/Srebotnik |
-1130 |
||
*Atawo/Spears, Xu/Zheng and Klepac/Srebotnik are in the same quarter of the draw
All photos courtesy of Getty Images.