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News | WTA Tennis English

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

INDIAN WELLS, CA, USA – No.28 seed Kristina Mladenovic roared back from a set and a break down to defeat 2011 BNP Paribas Open champion Caroline Wozniacki, 3-6, 7-6(4), 6-2, to not only reach her first Premier Mandatory semifinal, but also gaurantee a Top 20 debut on next week’s WTA rankings.

“It’s been a lot of matches and, to be honest, it’s like the longest kind of string of winning matches I had so far in my career,” Mladenovic said in her post-match press conference.

“It feels great, but in the same time, every day I go out there on the court or in the gym practicing, it’s for moment like that. So I’m not getting too excited. I’m just super satisfied that I am on that kind of stages right now and trying to use my chances and the my opportunities I have.”

Mladenovic had never beaten Wozniacki in three previous encounters, but their most recent meeting last fall undoubtedly gave the surging Frenchwoman hope of pulling off the upset.

“Caroline is a top player, former World No. 1. She’s also in very great shape; she had a very good start of the season, as well, and won lots of matches.

“That final in Hong Kong at the end of last year was very painful for me, very frustrating. I thought I was playing well that entire week and, in the final, I was just kind of exhausted and injured.

“Today I thought, ‘Okay, today I’m feeling good.’ When I woke up, nothing was hurting. I’m not injured. I was happy about that. I wanted to give a fight there and have no regrets.”

The start of the match saw Mladenovic with plenty of opportunities, but after six games, the St. Petersburg Ladies Trophy champion was down 1-5 and 0/7 on break point opportunities.

“I wanted to take my revenge, of course. It was not easy. Again, it was a tough battle and tough conditions. We played, yeah, two hours and a half. I didn’t start the match well at all.

“I thought, when you lost three times against a player, it means that something is wrong and that you don’t really like her game.”

Edging closer in the first set, she recovered from an early break in the second to move ahead 5-3 before ultimately leveling the match in a tie-break.

“I felt like I needed adjustments. It’s the first time for me playing on that huge stadium. I just stayed very positive and composed, because I was out there battling with myself first, because I wanted kind of too much.

“I was just fighting mentally to be close with her at the scoreboard, and eventually I got my chances. And I think I played really well the tie-break.”

Mladenovic is in the midst of a career-best stretch of form, winning her first WTA title and reaching another final at the Abierto Mexicano Telcel, and only got better as the final set wore on, breaking twice to serve out the win in two hours and 33 minutes.

“I went for my game. I went for some variation. I think I played differently at some points, trying to use more the court to make her run, as well, because she was doing that pretty well to me.

“Something new I put today was the serve and volley on such important points. I impressed myself with that! Every time I would serve good on the backhand, she would go very deep and return well. I was, like, ‘Okay, let’s just be creative here.’

“It paid off, and it gave me a chance to fight a third set. I think the third set was the best of today from me.”

Maintaining impressive stats, she struck 42 winners to 39 unforced errors, and won five of six break points in the final two sets.

“I felt pretty much in control there for a while, but sometimes it is what it is,” Wozniacki said in press. “Maybe lost a little bit of concentration, let her back, and then she started playing better. It happens.

“I was trying to be very focused out there and just do my thing. I fought until the end, but it just wasn’t enough today. You can always learn and I can do better.

“But, at the end of the day, I tried my hardest and that’s all I can do.”

Up next for the French No.1 will be No.14 seed Elena Vesnina, who held off an impressive fight from former World No.1 Venus Williams to win in three sets.

“I’m going to enjoy this win and try to recover, because two and half hours on court takes a lot out of me. I’m excited and no matter who I play, I’m sure it’ll be a tough one, hopefully an exciting one with great tennis.

“I’m very happy, and hopefully I can continue.”

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French Open Sunday: Radwanska On A Roll

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

Time to switch gears in Paris. Week two beckons, and the draw has been whittled down to sweet sixteen! We preview the bottom-half matchups at WTATennis.com

Sunday, Round of 16

[2] Agnieszka Radwanska (POL #2) vs. Tsvetana Pironkova (BUL #102)
Head-to-head: Radwanska leads, 9-2
Key Stat: Radwanska has won all three of the pair’s meetings on clay.

Two players not known as clay gurus will vie for a spot in the quarterfinals as they contest their 12th career meeting in Paris on Day 8. A hundred ranking spots separate Agnieszka Radwanska and Tsvetana Pironkova, but that rankings chasm might be misleading because both are executing some of their best clay-court tennis on the terre battue this week. Pironkova has taken out two Top 20 seeds in week one, and was in scintillating form on Friday as she thumped No.19-seeded Sloane Stephens, 6-2, 6-1, to reach the Round of 16 at Roland Garros for the first time. But it is Radwanska who has held the edge in the pair’s head-to-head, winning all three of their encounters on clay, and nine of eleven overall. “Well, we played so many times, but I think the last one was also quite some time ago,” Radwanska said of the Bulgarian. “Against her it’s always a good challenge. She’s really tricky opponent. You know, I expect a tough one as well.”

Pick: Radwanska in three

[4] Garbiñe Muguruza (ESP #4) vs. [13] Svetlana Kuznetsova (RUS #15)
Head-to-head: Kuznetsova leads, 1-0
Key Stat: Kuznetsova (49-12) will bid for her 50th Roland Garros win on Sunday.

One of the more heavily anticipated fourth-round clashes in Paris pits 2009 champion Svetlana Kuznetsova against No.4-seeded Garbiñe Muguruza. Both are rounding into form on the red clay, and both are loose ahead of this high-stakes contest. “I just want to go out there and just try to play my game,” Kuznetsova said after defeating Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in round three. “Since I got a bit better ranking and everything I start to be tense again, and I don’t want it to happen.” Muguruza is taking a similar approach as she prepares to meet Kuznetsova for the second time. “I have a new mindset,” she said. “I’m not thinking of what I did last year, because every time I come to a tournament, no one remembers. People remember who plays good last year, but no one cares. Let’s see who is going to win this year, let’s see who is playing well.”

Pick: Muguruza in three

[6] Simona Halep (ROU #6) vs. [21] Sam Stosur (AUS #24)
Head-to-head: Halep leads, 4-3
Key Stat: Stosur owns a 2-0 edge over Halep at Roland Garros

An injured left wrist has done nothing to slow former runner-up Sam Stosur down in Paris. Will Simona Halep, another former Roland Garros runner-up and the player who absolutely thumped Stosur in Madrid a few weeks back, be able to do it? Maybe yes, maybe no. Either way, the Aussie is not going to carry the baggage from that shellacking into her eighth career meeting with the Romanian. “I’m not going to lose too much sleep over that match going into this next one in a couple days’ time,” Stosur said confidently after squeaking past Lucie Safarova on Day 6. That said, the Aussie knows she’s up against a daunting foe in Halep. When asked what makes Halep such a tough competitor, Stosur was quick with her answer. “I think her ability to continually put you in positions that you don’t necessarily want to be in,” she said. “She’s very consistent. She moves very well. She doesn’t have a big serve but she places it well. So she’s a player that you have to beat. She doesn’t really give too much away.”

Pick: Stosur in three

[25] Irina-Camelia Begu (ROU #28) vs. Shelby Rogers (USA #108)
Head-to-head: First Meeting
Key Stat: This is the first time that two Romanians (Halep, Begu) have reached the Round of 16 at Roland Garros since 1997.

The dream became the reality for 23-year-old American Shelby Rogers on Friday as she stunned No.10-seeded Petra Kvitova to reach the Round of 16 at a major for the first time. “There was a lot of noise and a lot of applause, and a lot of emotions taking over,” Rogers said of the experience. “I immediately started crying, and it was a very incredible moment.” Sunday’s challenge? Rebooting emotionally so that she may handle the task of facing rising Romanian Irina-Camelia Begu. The Bucharest-born 25-year-old is knocking on the door of the Top 20 and has been in great form on the clay, reaching the semifinals in Rome and earning wins over Victoria Azarenka (Rome) and Garbiñe Muguruza (Madrid) this spring. Will Rogers’ wild ride continue, or is it time for Begu to make her mark?

Pick: Begu in two

By the Numbers:

8 – Number of players to have reached the Roland Garros quarterfinals while ranked outside the Top 100 since 1983. Shelby Rogers and Tsvetana Pironkova will bid to become the ninth and tenth today.

4 – Number of former Grand Slam champions to reach the Round of 16 at Roland Garros this year (Kuznetsova, Stosur, Serena Williams and Venus Williams).

4-4 – Stosur’s record against the Top 10 at Roland Garros, which includes a victory over No.1 Serena Williams in 2010.

1 – Agnieszka Radwanska could attain the No.1 ranking at week’s end if she wins the title and Serena Williams does not reach the final.

– Chris Oddo, wtatennis.com contributor
 

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