Stuttgart: Siegemund vs Vinci
Laura Siegemund takes on Roberta Vinci in the quarterfinals of the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix.
Laura Siegemund takes on Roberta Vinci in the quarterfinals of the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix.
It’s hard to overstate the difficult task at hand for Angelique Kerber when she arrived in Stuttgart last week for the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix. The World No.3 had won eight career titles but she had never successfully defended any of them. As the first German woman to win a major since Steffi Graf, she would be inundated by media requests and sponsor obligations throughout the week. And to cap it off, she was embarking on her fifth consecutive event dating back to the BNP Paribas Open.
All this for a player who admits she’s still getting used to the spotlight and the expectations that go with being a reigning major champion.
But if she was nervous, if she was stressed out, you didn’t see it in Stuttgart. That’s a huge step forward for Kerber. En route to her second title of the year she weathered the storm in two tough three-set wins over Annika Beck and Petra Kvitova before buckling down to take care of her countrywoman Laura Siegemund, 6-4 6-0 in Sunday’s final.
The honeymoon period after winning your first major title can last for months. For some players we’ve seen it last for years. But since losing in the first round of Indian Wells to Denisa Allertova, Kerber has righted the ship. She is 13-2 since then, with the two losses coming to Victoria Azarenka at the Miami Open and a retirement against Sloane Stephens at the Volvo Car Open, both of whom were the eventual champions. In the first two tournaments she played after the Australian Open, she lost in the opening round in straight sets to women ranked outside the Top 60. Her next three events? Semifinals or better, capped off by the win in Stuttgart.
WTA Insider caught up with Kerber after her Stuttgart win.
Insider: When we spoke before Charleston we talked a lot about moving past the Australian Open. Does a result like this, winning Stuttgart and playing how you did all week, does that give you confidence that you moved on?
Kerber: For sure. Like we talked, it was not easy to find the middle, how to mix all the media stress while playing good tennis. Now I’m getting used to it. Of course defending my title here is just an amazing feeling. It’s really special because it’s in Germany and here in Stuttgart. I’m getting used to it. Now I know how to deal with all the pressure and it makes me much more confident than I was a few weeks ago.
Insider: After winning the Australian Open, when you played in the Middle East you were dealing with all the attention in Germany, playing Fed Cup at home. Do you think those results in the Middle East and Indian Wells, was that a result of not being prepared because you couldn’t practice as much or was it because your mind just wasn’t right?
Kerber: I think it was both a little bit. Of course because I didn’t have too much time to prepare for the next tournament and really practicing again really hard like I did after Indian Wells. With all the media things and all the stuff I have to do off site, which now I’m getting used to it.
Insider: Have you just gotten used to the media side of things? Or do you actually enjoy it now?
Kerber: It’s both. I’m trying to enjoy it. It’s nice to do something different. To get to know new people, to see something different, not always my day is practice. I can change a little bit my day plan. So I try to enjoy it. So it’s both of it. I enjoy it but I’m also getting used to it.
Insider: Since the Australian Open, we’ve been playing tournaments but they haven’t been leading up to a Slam. Now we have the French Open coming up. Have you completely embraced clay?
Kerber: Yes that’s for sure. A few years ago clay was not my favorite surface. But right now I had a great clay court season last year and now, I played well in Charleston and here to win on clay, it gives me confidence that my game is also good for the clay court. That’s why I’m looking forward to Madrid, Rome and of course Paris, where I can play good tennis and play well there.
Insider: Does your mindset change now that you’re in Grand Slam preparation mode?
Kerber: I need a few days, even during the tournament for a few days, where I’m doing something different. Not thinking about tennis just trying to relax a little bit, go for a coffee, going shopping. Something like this. Then the motivation is there again to go on court, fight, and play good tennis. I think now I know how to mix it.
Insider: When’s the last time you had a normal day?
Kerber: I think the day will come tomorrow (laughs). I can’t remember, but I know this day will come tomorrow.
Insider: Do you have a celebration ritual?
Kerber: Yeah. Going for a great dinner after and then just enjoy this moment on this day. That’s what we will do today. Just going somewhere and enjoying the evening.
Insider: It must be nice to be home in Germany for that.
Kerber: It helps a lot. Here there are more people around me and it’s much nicer when you have a bigger team.
Insider: So how many Porsches does a single person actually need?
Kerber: Ha. That’s a good question. I don’t know. Minimum one but I think I have a little bit more.
Insider: You’re going to have to invest in a bigger garage.
Kerber: Yes (laughs). Yes, I have to.
All photos courtesy of Getty Images.
PRAGUE, Czech Republic – Katerina Siniakova rewarded the locals who braved the elements on the opening day of the J&T Banka Prague Open by upsetting Alizé Cornet in straight sets.
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On a bitterly cold afternoon in the Czech capital, Siniakova found the conditions more to her liking, delighting the home crowd with a 7-6(5), 6-3 victory over the former World No.11.
“I was trying to play my best and it was really hard because she was fighting, running everywhere, so I’m so happy I could win,” Siniakova said. “I just focused on every point and stuck to the tactics I agreed [with my coach] before the match.”
Siniakova hails from Hradec Kralove, but regularly trains on the Sparta Club’s clay courts that play host to the tournament. This familiarity with the surroundings was clear as the teenager – wisely clad in leggings and thermal vest – set about the task of piercing Cornet’s defense. She was rewarded for her positivity when she prevailed in a see-saw conclusion to the opening set, before warming to the task further at the start of the second.
When Cornet sent a forehand into the tramlines to surrender serve Siniakova had the breathing room her confidence required, and she maintained this advantage until the end to book a second-round meeting with either Stefanie Voegele or fellow Czech Karolina Pliskova.
“Of course it helped because when I’m here, I’m practicing on that court so I know it a little bit. But also the atmosphere was really good because people come and support us,” Siniakova added.
Also hoping to harness the crowd’s support was Kristyna Pliskova, but despite a strong start her powerful game was defused then picked apart by Hsieh Su-Wei, who ran out a 4-6, 6-3, 6-1 winner. Hsieh’s reward is a meeting with Ana Konjuh, after she fought back to upset fellow teenager and No.6 seed Jelena Ostapenko.
RABAT, Morocco – Britain’s Laura Robson is back to her winning ways after a long injury layoff plagued with false starts – the former No.27 scored her first WTA main draw win since 2013 at the GP SAR La Princesse Lalla Meryem, advancing past Ghita Benhadi 6-1, 6-1.
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Robson, who capped her promising juniors career by winning the Wimbledon Junior Girls Championship at 14 years old, found her professional career derailed by a left wrist injury and subsequent surgery that kept her sidelined for 17 months. She currently sits at No.426, but her ranking is expected to rise inside the Top 300 after the victory at Rabat.
The Brit’s performance against 18-year-old Moroccan wildcard Benhadi showed signs of Robson’s pre-injury form: she broke Benhadi’s serve six times and won 67% of her own first and second serve points.
Speaking earlier this year at Indian Wells, Robson said playing matches pain-free for the first time in two years has helped build her confidence.
“I’m not scared to hit [my serve] any more,” she said. “I am getting a couple of miles per hour on serve and the forehand, even if it doesn’t go in. It’s that nice feeling of not being scared to go for it anymore.”
Robson, who is making her Rabat debut this week, also expressed plans to take full advantage of her protected ranking that’s set to expire at Eastbourne, one week before Wimbledon.
“As much as I’d like to get more matches in at qualifying level and things like that, it would be a waste not to use [my protected ranking],” Robson said.
“I plan to play virtually all the clay-court season and the French Open and I think I’ll still have one left for the first week of the grass.”
Yay! ?? #happyandhealthy
— Laura Robson (@laurarobson5) April 16, 2016
Also through to the round of 16 is the top seed Timea Bacsinszky, who had little trouble cruising past Russian wildcard Anna Blinkova, 6-4, 6-2.
Lucky losers Richel Hogenkamp and Sara Sorribes Tormo made good on their second chances; Hogenkamp knocked out No.4 seed Irina-Camelia Begu, 6-3, 6-4, and Sorribes Tormo dominated the Tunisian wildcard, 6-0, 6-2.
Meanwhile No. 8 seed Yulia Putintseva and No.7 seed Lesia Tsurenko also advanced, along with Kateryna Kozlova, Tatjana Maria, and qualifiers Marina Erakovic and Aleksandra Krunic.
Madison Brengle had to borrow a racquet to take the WTA Frame Challenge, and even she was surprised at how well she did. Was it enough to take the lead? Find out here…
PRAGUE, Czech Republic – Top seed Svetlana Kuznetsova was made to work hard for her place in the quarterfinals of the J&T Banka Prague Open, eventually subduing a dogged Madison Brengle in three sets.
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On another bitterly cold afternoon in the Czech capital, Kuznetsova took some time to warm to the challenge, running out a 5-7, 6-4, 6-3 winner after just over two hours on court.
“Yesterday was really hard and today as well,” Kuznetsova said. “It looks like it’s warmer, but it’s not – thankfully it wasn’t snowing! Today I put the heat cream on, and almost all the clothes I have with me.”
The conditions affected the Russian’s game as well much as her wardrobe choices, and it was not until the latter stages that she began to resemble the player that impressed so much en route to the Miami final earlier this month.
“It’s difficult, especially on the clay, because I like when the ball bounces high, and here it doesn’t bounce at all,” she added. “It was a little bit ugly, but sometimes you need to win ugly matches, especially for me.
“In the first set I didn’t really play my game. I was struggling to move and when I don’t move my game is a little bit off.”
Earlier in the day, Lucie Safarova continued her progress when Lucie Hradecka retired from their all-Czech clash with a neck injury. Safarova, who led 6-4, 2-0 at the time of the retirement, is now through to the last eight of a WTA event for the first time since last August, and there she will face Hsieh Su-Wei.
“Obviously it’s not the best feeling after the match to win like that, but I think I played really well in the first set, served really well – there was a key moment at 5-4 when I was down 40-0 and aced her three times,” Safarova said. “Overall I’m happy with my game and ready for the next one.”
Also advancing with minimum fuss was No.3 seed Karolina Pliskova, who defeated Katerina Siniakova, 6-2, 6-4. Next up will be another hard-hitter, Camila Giorgi, after she overcame a late wobble to defeat qualifier Virginie Razzano, 6-1, 7-5.
Santina Feeling The Heat: Co-No.1s Martina Hingis and Sania Mirza were largely in cruise control to start the 2016 season; winning four straight titles in Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne at the Australian Open, and St. Petersburg, the most dominant team of the last five years rode a 41-match winning streak into the quarterfinals fo the Qatar Total Open, where they found themselves stunned by Elena Vesnina and Daria Kasatkina in a match tie-break.
Since then, the pair hoping to capture a fourth straight Grand Slam tournament – a Santina Slam – at the French Open haven’t won a title since – their longest drought since last spring, when they went five tournaments without a win before capturing their first major title at Wimbledon.
Red clay was always going to be the toughest ask for the top ranked team on the Road to Singapore Standings, as it is the only surface on which the pair has yet to win – but the two came close just two weeks ago in Stuttgart – where they reached the final. In an ironic twist, they found themselves out-gutted by Caroline Garcia and Kristina Mladenovic, a team undefeated on clay and riding their own winning streak with back-to-back titles at the Volvo Car Open and Porsche Tennis Grand Prix.
With a bye into the second round of the Mutua Madrid Open, Hingis and Mirza could soon face a rematch of the Australian Open final as No.6 seeds Lucie Hradecka and Andrea Hlavackova, who won last week’s J&T Banka Prague Open title with Margarita Gasparyan.
The “Caroki” Streak?: Speaking of Garcia and Mladenovic, the team who paired up in January ahead of the Olympic Summer Games in Rio de Janeiro has won their last 10 matches – including a decisive Fed Cup rubber over the Netherlands and a first round win in Madrid over Anna-Lena Groenefeld and CoCo Vandeweghe. The young Frenchwomen started the year with two finals in Sydney and Dubai, but have gone from strength to strength since the tour turned to clay – not only taking out Santina in Stuttgart, but also reigning Miami Open and French Open champions Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Lucie Safarova in the finals of Charleston.
In a two-part interview with The Tennis Island, the pair proved that they bring as much energy off the court as they do on, embracing the looming pressure of playing in front of their home crowd in Roland Garros and employing tactics they hope translate into their singles games. Up to No.4 on the Road to Singapore Standings and the No.5 seeds in Madrid, Garcia and Mladenovic next play Australian Open semifinalists Xu Yi-Fan and Zheng Saisai, who reached the second round when Laura Siegemund and Daria Kasatkina were forced to retire due to the former’s illness.
Bucie or Bust: The only player representing two teams on the Road to Singapore Standings, Mattek-Sands is playing some of the best doubles of her career, winning the Indian Wells/Miami “Sunshine Double” with two different partners in Vandeweghe (No.11) and regular partner, Lucie Safarova (No.8). With a run to the Charleston final under their belts, the American/Czech duo will make their red clay debut in Madrid as the former couldn’t play Stuttgart; she was a little busy, after all, helping to lead the United States to a stunning upset victory over Australia in Fed Cup.
With all the talk about Hingis and Mirza, it’s easy to forget that the first half of 2015 belonged to Team Bucie, who were half way to the Calendar Year Grand Slam following back-to-back major victories at the Australian Open and French Open. They went on to capture their last title of the season at the Rogers Cup in Toronto before injury and illness derailed Safarova’s season, ultimately falling in the round robin stage of the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global.
Semifinalists in Madrid one year ago, Mattek-Sands and Safarova earned the first of their two wins over Santina at the Caja Magica, repeating the feat a few weeks later in Paris en route to the title. The pair have a bye in the second round, but a recently reunited team looms in the quarterfinals…
Together Again: Ekaterina Makarova hadn’t played with Elena Vesnina since last summer, when a leg injury curtailed a season that had started so brightly for the Russian veterans. Leading 5-2 in the deciding set of the Wimbledon final, the 2013 French Open and 2014 US Open champions were not only a game away from denying Hingis and Mirza of their first Grand Slam title, but were also incredibly close to grabbing the third leg of a Career Grand Slam.
It was not to be, and as Hingis and Mirza went on their historic run through the rest of the season, Vesnina began to find success with young compatriot, Daria Kasatkina. With the fast-rising teenager, Vesnina got her revenge on Santina in Doha, ending their streak en route to the semifinals.
But as she told WTA Insider earlier this week, the plan was always to reunite with her partner of the last four years, especially with the Olympics in mind. In fact, Makarova and Vesnina played their first WTA tournament together here in Madrid four years ago, where they reached the final.
Hometown Glory: Singapore finalists and Top 2 Spaniards Carla Suárez Navarro and Garbiñe Muguruza joined Garcia and Mladenovic in the second round with a 6-4, 7-6(4) win over Gabriela Dabrowski and Anastasia Rodionova, and both admitted to feeling relieved to be back on the doubles court for what is only their second tournament together in 2016.
“It’s true that sometimes when you play doubles, the nerves and the tension, you can share that with your partner and makes you play a little bit more solid and a little bit more freely,” Suárez Navarro said after her three-set win over Timea Babos on Sunday.
“I think yesterday we had a lot of fun on the court. I think the players we had, they were doubles players and they played a good match, an overall complete match. You had to stay focused. And not only that, I think that it’s of course a buildup for today’s match. You know how the court is laid out and you know how the people are going to be.”
Muguruza echoed her partner’s sentiment.
“I think that the doubles is the part that there are two people on the court and we help each other a lot. In the case of Carla and I, we know each other very well. Mutually we support ourselves and take the nerves off ourselves.”
#NationalHighFiveDay with @queen_v21 pic.twitter.com/BM2Zdeob1t
— Alla Kudryavtseva (@AllaK11) April 22, 2016
The Rivalry: In a season with few certainties, one thing has been all but guaranteed in 2016: a match between teams Alla Kudryavtseva and Vania King and Julia Goerges and Karolina Pliskova. The pairs have already met three times since the start of the season, with Pliskova and Goerges winning both of their hardcourt encounters at the Australian Open and Indian Wells – the latter after King and Kudryavtseva’s straight-sets win over Hingis and Mirza.
Faced with what Kudryavtseva has called their “kryptonite” for a third time in Charleston, the pair finally defeated the BNP Paribas Open finalists to reach the semifinals, and will have the chance to even the series this week in Madrid, as they are set to face off in the first round. For their part, King and Kudryavtseva have taken the serendipity in stride and enjoying a partnership that has already taken them up to No.9 on the Road to Singapore Standings.
“We’re texting each other every day, and we’re really cute!” the Russian told WTA Insider. “We’re always supporting each other and following each others’ live scores. It’s been a nice connection.”
All photos courtesy of Getty Images.
MADRID, Spain – Former Australian Open finalist Dominika Cibulkova finally got the big win she was looking for in 2016, surviving a second set hiccup to unseat top seeded Agnieszka Radwanska, 6-4, 6-7(3), 6-3, to reach the second round of the Mutua Madrid Open.
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Cibulkova has had the game’s best on the ropes in the early rounds throughout the season – holding match points against Radwanska at the BNP Paribas Open and leading Garbiñe Muguruza at the Miami Open – but the 2009 French Open semifinalist refused to relinquish this chance against the Pole in the final match of the day on Court Manolo Santana.
Battling the crafty World No.2 for two hours and 37 minutes, each woman hit 43 winners in a high-quality affair that saw stunning power from the Slovak to edge ahead by a set and a break and serve for a spot in the second round.
On her least favorite surface, Radwanska wouldn’t back down so easily and broke back to level the set, and though she would prove unable to serve out the set herself, she snuck away with the ensuing tie-break and took a 2-0 lead in the decider.
Poised for a third straight loss to a Top 4 player at a Premier Mandatory, Cibulkova dug deep to win six of the last seven games of the match, converting all four break point opportunities in the final set and clinching victory with a thudding forehand winner.
The former World No.10 is coming off a win at the Katowice Open – having already reached a final earlier in the year in Acapulco – and a deep run in Madrid could be crucial as she aims to get back into the seeded position at major tournaments. Standing between her and the third round is Frenchwoman Caroline Garcia, who advanced earlier in the day when Johanna Konta was forced to retire with an upper respiratory illness.
Over on Court 6, Timea Bacsinszky completed an impressive turnaround from winning the GP SAR La Princesse Lalla Meryem in Rabat 24 hours earlier to edge past 2014 French Open semifinalist Andrea Petkovic, 6-4, 2-6, 6-3.
“I was aware that I would have a low in my match,” Bacsinszky said of the understandable fatigue that caused her to fall behind 5-0 in the second set.
“I needed to adapt, know I’d have my chances, and just get into it. At the beginning, it was really going well for me. But after the the end of the first set, you could see I didn’t have the tension to be committed on important points. I was angry at myself, but thinking longterm, that it would be a long match. I tried to kick my butt in the beginning of the third, and the level went up.
“I didn’t want to be brilliant, just efficient.”
Also through late on Sunday was Romania’s Irina-Camelia Begu; suffering from foot blisters in the second and third sets, Begu fought off a late charge from the Canadian youngster to survive the topsy turvy encounter, 6-4, 3-6, 6-4.
More to come…
MADRID Spain – With a manic Sunday of first rounds in the books, which players will step into the spotlight as the Mutua Madrid Open’s second round gets underway?
Monday, Second Round
[4] Victoria Azarenka (BLR #5) vs. Alizé Cornet (FRA #49)
Head-to-head: Azarenka leads 4-0
Key Stat: Azarenka’s last three matches against Cornet have gone three sets.
Azarenka’s undefeated head-to-head against the enigmatic Alizé Cornet is decidedly deceptive, given that the Frenchwoman has had her chances in each of their last three encounters – none bigger than when they faced off on clay at the 2013 French Open.
“I dropped one or two games,” Cornet said after the match, adding, “but that’s enough for your head to go under the water.”
Ordinarily, the former World No.11 would be expected to tread water just fine against the two-time Australian Open champion, but while the Belarusian is playing some of her best tennis – winning her 15th straight match (including Fed Cup) in her first round on Sunday – Cornet is still trying to find her rhythm after a back injury threatened to derail her whole season. The veteran was struggling to put away 2015 French Open junior champion Paula Badosa Gibert when the young Spaniard was forced to retire due to cramps.
Azarenka is eager to prove her prowess on what has been one of her weaker surfaces – she has only reached the French Open semifinals once in her career, compared to two at each of the other three major tournaments. But Cornet loves a big stage – never forget her stunning win over Serena Williams at the 2014 Wimbledon Championships – and is among the few women to have had a day off on Sunday, having played her first round on Saturday.
[Q] Elena Vesnina (RUS #54) vs. [5] Petra Kvitova (CZE #6)
Head-to-head: First meeting
Key Stat: Vesnina is 4-1 against Top 20 opponents in 2016
Speaking of deceptive, the Q next to Elena Vesnina’s name belies her ability to take on (and take out) big name opposition this season. With the first three months already in the books, the Russian has nabbed wins over Simona Halep, Caroline Wozniacki, Venus Williams, and Sara Errani at the Qatar Total Open, Miami Open, and Volvo Car Open, respectively. Her biggest success, however, came in Charleston where, again as a qualifier, the veteran reached the final for the second time in her career, dropping two games against No.2 seed Belinda Bencic and winning seven matches in a row before fading against Sloane Stephens in the championship match.
Somehow, Vesnina and Kvitova have managed to avoid one another thus far in their careers, but if early clay court form is any indication, this should be quite the spectacle on Court Manolo Santana. The two-time Wimbledon winner came into this year’s clay swing with renewed determination, which not only helped her reach the semifinals of the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix two weeks ago, but also easily dismiss Spanish clay courter Lara Arruabarrena on Sunday. Vesnina, too, had few issues in her opening round main draw match, dropping a second set bagel on teenager Jelena Ostapenko to win in under 90 minutes.
Vesnina’s most memorable clay court successes have come on the North American har-tru, but is a former French Open champion in doubles with Ekaterina Makarova, and the red clay at altitude should also serve her well on Monday.
Around the grounds: No.3 seed Garbiñe Muguruza will look to follow up her solid first round win with a second round victory over Irina-Camelia Begu, who narrowly edged past Eugenie Bouchard in three sets. No.13 seed Karolina Pliskova will open play on court Arantxa Sanchez against American Christina McHale, while Louisa Chirico will try to continue her unexpected run in Madrid against No.14 seed Ana Ivanovic. Barbora Strycova attempts to back up her upset over No.2 seed Angelique Kerber on Estadio 3 against Madison Keys, while No.16 seed Sloane Stephens takes on Patricia Maria Tig and No.12 seed Elina Svitolina faces off against former doubles partner Daria Gavrilova on Pista 4.
MADRID, Spain – No.4 seed Victoria Azarenka won her 16th straight match in the second round of the Mutua Madrid Open, taking out rival Alizé Cornet, 6-3, 6-2.
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“I had two completely different type of players this week, and I’m adjusting pretty well,” Azarenka said after the match. “It’s just day by day progress, trying to get the game together.”
Though the Belarusian had never lost to Cornet in four previous encounters, three of those meetings went the distance, and with the two hitting 19 and 17 winners respectively, it was clear both women came to play. Azarenka raced ahead by a double break to start the match, and though Cornet would claw one back, she ultimately bowed to the pressure of the former No.1’s powerful returns, converting on her fourth set point.
“I feel that this year is going to be all about making progress and trying to improve, making errors but still improving.”
The second set came down to more missed opportunities for the Frenchwoman, who won but one of her eight break point chances in the match, while Azarenka took five or nine to advance into the third round in one hour and 23 minutes.
“She’s a good player; she’s always going to be a tricky opponent because she’s a great fighter and has a lot of variety. But I was trying to focus more on myself and that’s what helped me to get through today.”
Up next for the two-time Australian Open champion is qualifier Louisa Chirico, who is making the most of her main draw debut in Madrid with a stunning 5-7, 6-1, 6-3 win over 2008 French Open champion Ana Ivanovic.
Earlier in the day, Christina McHale continued her solid spring swing with a 7-6(3), 6-4 upset over No.13 seed Karolina Pliskova; McHale was part of the American Fed Cup team that upset Australia, defeating former French Open finalist Samantha Stosur in a crucial singles rubber.