Tennis News

ROME, Italy – Former World No.5 Eugenie Bouchard emerged on top of a match that featured 14 breaks of serve against former No.1 Jelena Jankovic, 6-4, 2-6, 6-3, to advance into the second round of the Internazionali BNL d’Italia. Reigning Australian Open champion Angelique Kerber looms as her next opponent.

Watch highlights, interviews and more video from Rome right here on wtatennis.com!

“I think I’m still on that journey of trying to, you know, be the best player I can be,” she said in her post-match press conference. “I feel like I have been working hard every single day, and I feel like I have good guidance, I’m on the right path.

“So I think it’s just making sure I still continue to believe in myself, and, you know, trusting that if I do all the right things, if I work hard, if I have the talent, if I have good guidance, you know, one day it has to come.”

The 2014 Wimbledon runner-up recovered from an early break to win four of the next five games and clinch a one-set lead, but twice fell behind a double break to Jankovic, who was playing her second match on clay in 2016 thanks to a right shoulder injury. The Serb recently reunited with Ricardo Sanchez, with whom she’d worked at the time she finished 2008 No.1 in the world, and went on to level proceedings at a set apiece.

“I played well on several occasions, and I think I did pretty well in that second set,” Jankovic told press after the match. “I think mentally and as well physically I went down in that third set. I was getting physically tired and then mentally, as well, because I haven’t been playing matches, and as well I lost a little bit of strength and just being on the court for a while.

“It’s only my second match since Indian Wells, so it’s been a while since I have been competing on a daily basis and just being out there.”

3rd Set!@Jelena_Jankovic storms back to force a decider vs Bouchard 4-6, 6-2! #ibi16 https://t.co/nAbq201T08

— WTA (@WTA) May 10, 2016

For her part, Bouchard – who also returned to former coach Nick Saviano – had lost a similarly topsy-turvy three-setter at the Mutua Madrid Open to Irina-Camelia Begu; undaunted in Rome, she raced ahead 3-0 in the decider and never looked back, hitting 29 winners in the nearly two-hour match to 32 unforced errors, and winning 12 of her 16 approaches to net.

“I knew it would be a tough battle. I have played her a couple of times before, and, you know, she gets a lot of balls back. She’s tough. She stays with you. I just had to keep being tough.

“I realized that she started controlling too many points, so in the third set I decided no matter what, you know, even if I make a couple more mistakes I need to step in and go for it. I think that made the difference.”

Earning her first win on red clay this season, the Canadian booked a second round encounter with No.2 seed Angelique Kerber, who is looking to shake off her own early Madrid defeat to Barbora Strycova, and earned a bye in the round of 32. 

“I feel like it’s my first year on tour again. I feel like it’s 2013 again where I’m playing all these tournaments almost for the first time and obviously not expected to win these matches.

“So it’s been an interesting experience kind of going back to that, and refreshing, as well, and challenging, as well. I play seeds early on. I go and play smaller tournaments. It’s a different lifestyle for me.

“But I’m grinding and I truly love that. I see it as a challenge.”

.@GenieBouchard edges Jankovic 6-4, 2-6, 6-3!

Sets @InteBNLdItalia Second round vs @AngeliqueKerber! #ibi16 pic.twitter.com/oe15UC11b5

— WTA (@WTA) May 10, 2016

ROME, Italy – Eugenie Bouchard scored her biggest victory of the year to battle past No.2 seed Angelique Kerber 6-1, 5-7, 7-5 at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia and claim her first win against a Top 10 player since 2014.

Watch highlights, interviews and more video from Rome right here on wtatennis.com!

Ahead of their second round clash, Bouchard showed her introspective side when asked about her 2016 campaign – she has reached two finals but also suffered two first-round losses.

“I think I’m still on that journey of trying to be the best player I can be,” she said in her press conference after defeating Jelena Jankovic. “I feel like I have been working hard every single day, and I feel like I have good guidance, I’m on the right path.

“So I think it’s just making sure I still continue to believe in myself, and, you know, trusting that if I do all the right things, if I work hard, if I have the talent, if I have good guidance, one day it has to come.”

The first big test of that mentality came in the form of Australian Open and Stuttgart champion Angelique Kerber, World No.2. Though Bouchard leads their head to head 2-1 – winning their two most recent encounters – the pair hadn’t faced each other since 2014, the year the Canadian rocketed up the rankings.

The top German came out of the gate playing uncharacteristically flat and error-prone, striking almost two per game in the first set alone. Bouchard took advantage of the free points, employing rock-solid defense to keep returning the ball back to Kerber to keep drawing out the errors.

Bouchard won eight games in a row to put the World No.2 down 6-1, 3-0. Kerber finally got a chance to break for 3-1 in the second set, aided by a costly double fault from the Canadian. That seemed to kick start her comeback into the match: Bouchard struck four errors in one game as Kerber rallied back to level the score at 4-4. A gutsy smash from the back of the court on break point gave Kerber the set.

The German carried her momentum into the decider, breaking early to go up 2-0, but Bouchard got the break right back and the pair were on even footing for most of the final set. A late break at 6-5 gave the Canadian the extra push she needed, and she took the match after two hours and twenty minutes.

“I did feel like I was playing better tennis today, especially at the beginning,” Bouchard said after the match. “That’s how I want to play. That gives me confidence knowing I can play that way against one of the best players in the world.

Despite her victory against No.2 Kerber being her first Top 10 win since her 2014 defeat of then-No.7 Caroline Wozniacki in Wuhan, Bouchard can still find learning moments from the match.

“For sure I’m happy to win, but at the same time I’m disappointed in myself having a lead like I had, you know. I feel like I could have done better in that second set,” she said.

“My goal next time is if I’m in a position like that is to really be more mentally disciplined and keep pushing. Because, you know, these players, if you give them a chance they will come back.”

Garbiñe Muguruza’s best results have come on hardcourts. She won the China Open last fall and proceeded to storm her way into the semifinals of the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global a few weeks later. But before all that hardcourt success, Paris is where she made her name.

The 22-year-old Spaniard earned her breakout win at the French Open in 2014, when she blasted past Serena Williams in a 6-2, 6-2 romp that lead to her first major quarterfinal. And to dispel any notion that the run was a fluke, she followed it up last year with yet another run to the quarterfinals, beating Angelique Kerber and Flavia Pennetta en route.

While guile, athleticism, and craft governed the terre battue in years past, today’s game requires power. Muguruza has that in spades. Though her 2016 season has yet to live up to the promise of how she finished 2015, Muguruza has played far better than her results would indicate. She’s been on the losing end of two of the best sets of tennis played this year, tallying a tough straight set loss to Victoria Azarenka at the Miami Open and then, in to Madison Keys last week in the semifinals of the Internazionali BNL d’Italia.

That semifinal was her first of the season and her run up to that match was a dominant one. She lost just six games on her way to the quarterfinals, where she dispatched an in-form Timea Bacsinszky in straight sets.

Bonjour à tous ?? ??? pic.twitter.com/wcyvAK7RQU

— Garbiñe Muguruza (@GarbiMuguruza) May 18, 2016

“It was a great week for me,” Muguruza said in Rome. “I would like, for sure, to be in the final and win, but I felt really good playing these matches here, so it’s perfect for French Open.”

Throughout this season, Muguruza has played like a woman who felt the pressure of expectations. After finishing 2015 at No.3, many expected Muguruza to come flying out of the gates on hard courts. But under the bright spotlight she struggled, partly due to injury. It all seemed to come to a head a few weeks ago at the Mutua Madrid Open. The focus of local attention from the start, Muguruza took a tough loss to a streaking Irina-Camelia Begu in the second round.

A week later in Rome, she seemed far more relaxed. She played freely and with a clear sense of purpose. It was as if the pressure of the season dissipated after Madrid and she could just get back to work. If she plays the same way in Paris a deep second week run should be in the cards.

Muguruza will be seeded fourth in Paris, meaning she will avoid a quarterfinal showdown with Serena. Her game is perfectly suited for the clay in Paris, with enough power to finish points and hold serve, with enough court craft to work herself out of defensive positions. Under coach Sam Sumyk, Muguruza has been quick to try and finish points at the net. It’s yet another important development to her game and again, one that will pay dividends in Paris.

Entreno matinal en el Club de Campo antes de poner rumbo a Roma. Last practice before heading to Rome. pic.twitter.com/2HkjUjJas0

— Garbiñe Muguruza (@GarbiMuguruza) May 6, 2016

Click here to keep up with WTA Insider’s pre-French Open coverage!

STRASBOURG, France – No.4 seed Kristina Mladenovic reached her first semifinal of the season with a 6-4, 6-2 win over qualifier and fellow doubles star Alla Kudryavtseva at the Internationaux de Strasbourg.

Watch live action from Strasbourg this week on WTA Live powered by TennisTV!

Mladenovic took to court 24 hours after clinching an epic third set tie-break over Alison Riske, and exchanged four straight service breaks to start against Kudryavtseva, a former World No.56 who was playing her first WTA quarterfinal in nearly 18 months.

“It was a quick match and it’s the ideal scenario before a semifinal, to be able to get some rest and not walk out on the court tomorrow tired,” Mladenovic told wtatennis.com after the match.

“I changed up my shots a lot today which i think was the key.”

Settling quicker, the French youngster survived losing serve in the penultimate games of each set to ease past the hard-hitting veteran, who is poised to move up over 30 spots following a run through qualifying that saw her take out No.9 seed Alizé Cornet in the first round.

Mladenovic became the third from her country to advance into the Strasbourg semifinals on Thursday, after Caroline Garcia and Virginie Razzano both reached the final four; the last time three French women made it this far at a WTA tournament was in 2006, when Tatiana Golovin, Mary Pierce and Amélie Mauresmo all contested for the Paris Indoor title – ultimately won by Mauresmo.

Mirjana Lucic-Baroni ended the hopes of a first French shutout for the first time since the 1999 Generali Ladies Linz (Mauresmo, Pierce, Sarah Pitkowski, Sandrine Testud), defeating Pauline Parmentier, 6-0, 6-1, to complete the semifinal line-up.

“You always want people from your county to do well and it’s great for French Tennis in general, and nice for the fans here – this is our home,” Mladenovic said of the high level of French success in Strasbourg.

Lucic-Baroni is not only in her first WTA semifinal of the season, but this is the farthest she has been in Strasbourg since 1997 when, within weeks of turning pro at 15 years old, she reached the final – falling to former No.1 and WTA Elite Trophy Zhuhai Tournament Ambassador Stefanie Graf.

“It was pretty perfect,” the veteran said after the match. “You can’t ask for much more. I’ve been playing really well. And she’s a great player. It’s just I played really well today and didn’t let her in.”

Forced into qualifying after failing to enter the tournament in time ended up being an auspicious opportunity to the Croat to play her way into form, upsetting No.8 seed Timea Babos earlier in the week.

“I missed the deadline by one day – one day!” She laughed. “So I entered qualies. I got two extra matches and it was a really good decision, clearly.

“I’ve been here a few times, but many years ago. It a beautiful tournament, a beautiful city and right before Roland Garros, so it’s good for confidence.”

A former World No.16, Razzano continues to play her best tennis in Strasbourg, reaching her second straight semifinal at the WTA International, again beating Elena Vesnina in the quarterfinals, 6-1, 3-6, 6-1.

“It’s great to be in the semifinal – my first for a long time!” the veteran exclaimed after the match. “It was a quick turn around from last night’s win. Right now I’m playing well.

“Today against Vesnina it wasn’t easy despite the scores in the first and third set. I’ve found my rhythm and it’s been building from my wins against Shvedova, Puig and playing in qualies.

“I’m working hard. Today it’s paid off.”

Garcia was the second Frenchwoman to advance with Samantha Stosur was forced to withdraw from the event citing a left wrist injury.

 “I have had some pain in my left wrist for the last few days,” the Aussie said. “I tried to practice yesterday and felt a lot of discomfort and unfortunately I can’t take to the court today.

“It’s difficult as I’ve rarely had to withdraw from a match in my career.

“I’ve played some good tennis here this week and I’m disappointed I won’t be able to properly defend my title here in Strasbourg .”