Tennis News

DUBAI, UAE – Just days after throwing down the WTA Shot Of The Month gauntlet to trick shots queen Agnieszka Radwanska, World No.2 Angelique Kerber produced yet another highlight-worthy piece of brilliance at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships – and this time she even went right handed for it!

Watch Kerber switch hands for a right-handed reflex volley in her WTA Shot Of The Day from her quarterfinal against Ana Konjuh:

Speed and soft hands from @AngeliqueKerber! ? pic.twitter.com/Ti8X0o1Ej5

— WTA (@WTA) February 23, 2017

 “I don’t think [I’ve ever hit a right-handed volley before],” Kerber laughed in her post-match press conference. “I think this point — yeah, I have no idea. I just react, so it was just maybe a little bit luck, as well.”

She added, “I’m naturally right handed. Maybe that helps me in this point.”

On Tuesday, Kerber’s 26-shot rally against Mona Barthel prompted the German to muse out loud about displacing perennial hot-shot winner Radwanska, who not only took home January’s WTA Shot Of The Month but also owns the WTA Shot Of The Year Award for the last four years.

She’s coming for you @ARadwanska… pic.twitter.com/q11Hc9WD6Z

— WTA Insider (@WTA_insider) February 21, 2017

Radwanska was game and readily accepted the challenge on Twitter:

Game on ???@AngeliqueKerber https://t.co/0S9L0qIsjJ

— Aga Radwanska (@ARadwanska) February 21, 2017

@ARadwanska ???

— Angelique Kerber (@AngeliqueKerber) February 21, 2017

But will it be enough for Kerber to dethrone Radwanska and claim February WTA Shot Of The Month? Stay tuned…

BOGOTÁ, Colombia – Lara Arruabarrena closed in on her first WTA final since 2012 with a quick-fire win over Sachia Vickery at the Claro Open Colsanitas on Friday.

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

In a tidy display, No.4 seed Arruabarrena broke five times to wrap up a 6-2, 6-0 victory in exactly an hour. Meeting her for a place in the final is the tournaments only other remaining seed, Irina Falconi, a 6-1, 6-4 winner over Catalina Pella.

Four years ago, Arruabarrena lifted her first and to date only WTA title in the Colombian capital and she has looked like a woman on a mission in the early rounds – dropping a grand total of five games in three matches.

In the top half of the draw, another Spaniard, Sílvia Soler-Espinosa takes on Paula Cristina Goncalves.

Soler-Espinosa secured a hard-fought 6-4, 6-4 win over Arma Sadikovic, while Goncalves defeated Elina Svitolina’s conqueror, Alexandra Panova, 6-4, 6-3.

DUBAI, UAE – No.7 seed Elina Svitolina conquered top seed Angelique Kerber for a third straight time – the second time in 2017 – to advance into the biggest final of her young career with a 6-3, 7-6(3) victory at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships.

Svitolina kicked off the season by knocking out Kerber, then No.1, at the Brisbane International, but pulled off a hat trick of wins over the two-time Grand Slam champion on Friday, overcoming a rain delay and a late surge from an experienced – if slightly hampered – opponent to advance after one hour and 39 minutes of play.

“It was really tough,” she said during her on-court interview. “[Kerber] obviously had a medical timeout, so it was in and out all the time. The rain made it even tougher to stay focused, so it was a very tricky match. Hopefully Angelique has nothing serious with her knee and gets better soon.”

“It was a tough match,” Kerber said in press. “I don’t know what’s with my knee now, but I feel pain a little bit.

“I tried my best. This is how I am, and I’m always trying my best until the end.”

Great pace from @ElinaSvitolina! #DDFTennis pic.twitter.com/gAyIMIoCFH

— WTA (@WTA) February 24, 2017

In control late in the second set, Svitolina saw her lead slip as Kerber won three straight games to serve for a decider. Digging in her heels, the Ukrainian youngster was riding a big wave of confidence – and an 11-match winning streak after taking home her fifth career title at the Taiwan Open – and broke back to roar though the ensuing tie-break.

“I was just trying to hit the ball, move my legs, think positively, and fight for every ball.”

Kerber was fighting to reclaim the No.1 ranking, needing to win the title to wrest the ranking from Serena Williams.

“I’m not thinking about this,” Kerber said. “I mean, everybody is writing or asking, but for me, I know how it feels to be No.1. I reach it once, and for sure I will try to get back there.

“But for me it’s really important to be healthy, and at the end, if I play consistent the next weeks or months, then we will see what’s happen then. Bfor the moment, I mean, I’m not looking about the number before my name, actually.”

.@ElinaSvitolina breaks and takes the second set to a tiebreaker! #DDFTennis pic.twitter.com/OIwWpVxKHq

— WTA (@WTA) February 24, 2017

Standing between Svitolina and the biggest title of her career is former World No.1 Caroline Wozniacki, who reached her first final in Dubai since 2011 earlier in the day; Svitolina won their only previous meeting in three grueling sets.

“We played at the Miami Open last year; it was a very late match, and hopefully this next one will be good as well. I’ll give my best and we’ll see how it goes.”

A win in Saturday’s final would also guarantee her long-awaited ascension into the Top 10. 

“It was up and down for me, but towards the end of 2016 I had really consistent results, and I was really consistent with my game,” she said in her post-match press conference. “So I’m really happy that I’m more mature now with my game, and hopefully I will try to stay focused.

“Of course the first thing is it’s important to stay healthy, is the most important for an athlete. Hopefully it will be good, and I will stay – of course, there will be up-and-down, but the only thing matters is how you come back from the downs.”

.@ElinaSvitolina defeats Kerber 6-3, 7-6 (3)!

Sets @DDFTennis Final vs @CaroWozniacki! pic.twitter.com/TEwHmRuXn6

— WTA (@WTA) February 24, 2017

STUTTGART, Germany – Former No.1 Ana Ivanovic recovered from an early deficit to dismantle talented youngster Carina Witthoeft, roaring into the second round of the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix with a 7-6(3), 6-0 victory.

Watch live action from Stuttgart & Istanbul this week on WTA Live powered by TennisTV!

“She played really well, deep, heavy; she was not missing,” Ivanovic said of her opponent after the match. “So, I started a little bit to find my rhythm, but I was always a step too far in.

“Then when my coach came on court, he actually asked me to step in a little more and be more aggressive. I felt that made the difference and once I was aggressive, she started to aim for more and also I could get more free points.

“So, I think that was the key.”

The 2014 finalist fell behind 5-3 in the opening set to the hometown favorite – who had already won two matches in qualifiying to make her second main draw appearance in Stuttgart – but successfully broke serve in the tenth game to level the affair, ultimately running away with the match in the second set.

“I’ve been practicing really hard the last couple of weeks,” she said after the match. “I’ve been putting in a lot of work, a lot of hours on court and in the gym. So, it’s nice to see. That actually helped me to go through today. Also my serve is improving.

“Overall, I’m just so happy to actually be healthy and consistent. Hopefully, I can keep the level and raise it.”

Finishing the match with a positive winner-to-unforced error differential (32 to 28), Ivanovic acquitted herself well in her first clay court match of the season and sets herself up in good stead for her second round encounter against either Karolina Pliskova or No.8 seed Lucie Safarova.

“I feel like I built that relationship throughout the tournament in 2014. I really had a great week here and getting very interactive also with the people. It is a very warm court to play on. And I feel like since then it has even better than before. So, I was very happy to have a victory today in front of the crowd.”

The last match of the day was between No.7 seed Carla Suárez Navarro, who won the last 11 games of her match against Oceane Dodin to join Ivanovic in the second round, 6-3, 6-0. Dodin came out firing after qualifying for the main draw, but Suárez Navarro proved the steadier overall, easing past her opponent in just over an hour – hittin 17 winners and only 11 unforced errors.

Up next for the Spanish veteran is Germany’s Anna-Lena Friedsam, who dispatched Johanna Konta in straight sets on Monday.

In doubles, No.2 seeds Caroline Garcia and Kristina Mladenovic overcame an inspired Laura Siegemund partnered with Johanna Konta to repeat their Fed Cup heroics, 3-6, 6-3, 10-7. Top seeds Martina Hingis and Sania Mirza play their first round match against Eri Hozumi and Miyu Kato on Wednesday.