Tennis News

DOHA, Qatar – Zhang Shuai recorded one of the biggest wins of her career, overcoming No.5 seed Garbiñe Muguruza, 7-6, 3-6, 7-5 to reach the last eight – her fourth on the Premier level – at the Qatar Total Open.

Muguruza, who was playing her second match of the day – overcoming Turkey’s Cagla Buyukakcay 6-3, 6-2 after their rain delayed match – quickly found herself in trouble against the Chinese No.1 – herself having to beat Timea Babos earlier in the afternoon – in the first meeting between the pair.

“I woke up thinking that I was going to have a very tough day,” Muguruza said after. “This morning I warm up at 9:00 in the morning. I played pretty good the first match. The second one, Zhang played very well. The conditions were difficult. There was a lot of wind. She was finding her shots. At the end I think was two points difference and they went to her.”

Thunderous hitting from the baseline saw Zhang secure back-to-back breaks of the former French Open champion’s serve for a surprise early 4-1 lead. Muguruza’s fighting spirit helped her break back to love and restore parity as a tight opening set went to a tie-break.

It was the impressive Zhang from there, nailing an impressive 83% of first serves to take the opener as Muguruza double faulted on set point.

.@zhangshuai121 claims an epic rally! @QatarTennis pic.twitter.com/oOgyNEfoAA

— WTA (@WTA) February 15, 2017

The second set followed a similarly tight pattern but this time it was Muguruza with the crucial break at 4-2 as Zhang hit a forehand long, the single break proving sufficient for the Spaniard to serve out and take the match to a deciding set.

The former Australian Open quarterfinalist staved off three break points before breaking herself with a forehand onto the line.

With Muguruza struggling on her second serve, Zhang broke yet again and consolidated for a 5-2 lead but the Spaniard is not a grand slam champion for nothing and roared back to level at 5-5.

What an upset!@zhangshuai121 ousts Muguruza 7-6 (3), 3-6, 7-5! #Qatar_Total_Open pic.twitter.com/00mkn0hr03

— WTA (@WTA) February 15, 2017

Zhang, making only her third appearance at Doha, was not to be denied and a further break at 6-5 sealed the win and her best showing to date. The win marked her fifth career Top 10 win and first of the season after previously earning wins over Dinara Safina, Petra Kvitova, and two over Simona Halep in 2016.

Up next for the Huajin Securities WTA Elite Trophy Zhuhai semifinalist is either No.2 seed Karolina Pliskova or Caroline Garcia. Meanwhile Muguruza said she is looking forward to moving on to the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships.

“I think I’m going to go as soon as possible,” she said. “I want to go in Dubai, try to have a few days of training, recovery take it very seriously. I think Dubai is a big tournament this year for us. I want to do well there.”

NEW YORK, NY, USA – No.2 seeded Angelique Kerber started out her US Open campaign with a comfortable win against Polona Hercog, who retired from the match down 6-0, 1-0.

“To be honest, it’s never the way I would like to finish the match, but I went out there to feel my rhythm and start the tournament well.I played the first set really good, so this is what I will take from this match, that I’m playing my tennis,” Kerber said after the match.

“For me, it’s always tricky the first few rounds.So it’s always good to have the first round done.Just now focusing on the next rounds.”

The 28-year-old lefty, who is the WTA’s match win leader as well as the hardcourt win leader, is bidding to win her second Grand Slam title in 2016, a feat which would see her potentially unseat Serena Williams and reach the WTA’s No.1 ranking.

“I mean, for sure I want to be one day No. 1, I think this is a goal from everybody, especially also for me,” Kerber said. “But I will not putting too much pressure on myself like I said a lot of times, because I know that when I put the pressure I’m not playing my tennis then.

“You know, I will go out there to win every match going step by step.If the day will come someday it will be amazing.But, yeah, just let’s see.I have to win few more matches.”

She’s got one match in the bag already against Hercog, who has not won a hardcourt match since February. The Slovakian player seemed to wilt under the harsh heat and dropped the opening set after just 29 minutes. After a medical time out, Hercog tried to continue against Kerber but was forced to withdraw from the match citing dizziness.

She’ll face Mirjana Lucic-Baroni in the second round after the Croat ousted Alizé Cornet 6-4, 6-1.

DOHA, Qatar: Former World No.1 Angelique Kerber admitted that she did not play well in her defeat to Daria Kasatkina in the Qatar Total Open – but was quick to pay tribute to her young opponent.

The top seed for the tournament was ousted 6-4, 0-6, 6-4 by the Russian teenager, who also knocked her out of the Apia International in Sydney in January.

“I was not feeling the best today – I’m trying to find my rhythm,” the 29-year-old said in her post-match press conference.

“But she [Kasatkina] plays good. I make too many mistakes in the important moments. I think it was, for sure, not my day.”

.@DKasatkina is having a stormer in the deciding set! #Qatar_Total_Open pic.twitter.com/3o2rUZe5CE

— WTA (@WTA) February 16, 2017

Kerber was let down by a proliferation of unforced errors in her 4-6, 6-0, 4-6 loss, but refused to blame it on the Doha rain delays affecting her concentration.

“Of course, the weather, it can happen like this,” she said. “I think this is not a big deal. Of course, we have to wait a lot, but yeah, this is not a big deal, I think, for us players.”

The German now turns her attention to the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships, which begins on February 19.

“First of all, I have to get ready again and feeling good because, yeah, I was not feeling very good in the last few days,” she admitted. “I think this is the most important thing for me right now. Then, of course, looking forward to the next week [in Dubai].”

DOHA, Qatar – No.2 seed Karolina Pliskova survived double duty on Friday, winning her first match against No.3 seed Dominika Cibulkova, 6-4, 4-6, 6-3, to reach the final of the Qatar Total Open.

Pliskova had already made it through a quarterfinal encounter with Zhang Shuai between multiple rain delays, but an even bigger test loomed in the reigning BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global champion, whom she’d never beaten in three previous encounters.

“I’m really excited, especially after what a long, tough day it’s been,” she said during her on-court interview. “Having two wins today is amazing, and I just beat Domi for the first time in my life. It was tough conditions, and so I don’t think it was the best tennis out there. But it’s a win, so it counts.”

.@KaPliskova levels the opening set vs Cibulkova 4-4! #Qatar_Total_Open pic.twitter.com/zlcuZGLdUL

— WTA (@WTA) February 17, 2017

The forecast favored the Slovak for most of the week, as she was the only of the four semifinalists to make it through on Thursday. That advantage appeared evident from the outset, but Pliskova soon found her rhythm, recovering from an early break to win the final four games of the opening set.

Undeterred, Cibulkova raced out to a 4-0 lead in the second and held on to level the match and take the momentum into the decider.

.@KaPliskova holds!

Dominika @Cibulkova will serve to send this into a 3rd set! #Qatar_Total_Open pic.twitter.com/h8ZDlrtxse

— WTA (@WTA) February 17, 2017

A tense finale followed as the pair traded confident service games until 3-3, when the World No.5 held two break points. With the help of a career-best serving day (21 in the match), Pliskova saved both in quick succession and, with the wind at her back, swept the conclusion after nearly two hours on court.

In all, Pliskova maintained impressive numbers from the back of the court, hitting 40 winners to just 16 unforced errors, and just one double fault in the face of those 21 aces.

.@KaPliskova reaches @QatarTennis Final!

Battles past Cibulkova 6-4, 4-6, 6-3! pic.twitter.com/WpKPTg21fP

— WTA (@WTA) February 17, 2017

“That definitely gave me more confidence,” she said of the crucial seventh game, adding, “and then getting on this side of the court, I got to play with the wind, so that helped, as well. I knew I had a chance to break her, and I did; I always believe I can break her, so I’m really excited to win the third set.”

Standing between Pliskova and a second title of 2017 is the winner of the second semifinal between former World No.1 Caroline Wozniacki and Olympic Gold medalist Monica Puig.

“Right now, I’m just really happy. I’m going to rest a little bit now, enjoy that I won two matches in one day – that doesn’t happen every day! Then I’ll get ready for the final.”

Welcome to the @QatarTennis Final @KaPliskova! pic.twitter.com/ELyL3yvHHK

— WTA (@WTA) February 17, 2017