Singapore: Radwanska Interview
An interview with Agnieszka Radwanska after her round-robin win at the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global.
An interview with Agnieszka Radwanska after her round-robin win at the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global.
NEW YORK, NY, USA – No.5 seed Simona Halep survived a gutsy upset bid from No.31 seed Timea Babos, who kept her on the ropes for much of the second half of the match before Halep scraped through, 6-1, 2-6, 6-4.
“Today I had in my head just that I can win the match, and I have just to take point by point,” Halep reflected in her post-match press conference. “So it was a good thing, and I want also to improve more in this. I feel safe when I’m on court. That’s why I refuse to lose.
“I’m stronger mentally and I don’t give up any more during the matches, even if I’m down.”
Halep looked set to cruise to a quick victory after she snapped up the first set in just 24 minutes. She made only four unforced errors to Babos’ nine, and despite the Hungarian entering the tournament ranked third on the WTA for most aces, Halep was able to contain that big serve and break three her three times.
But after being thoroughly outplayed in the opening set, Babos settled into her game and began to read Halep’s shots better. Babos suddenly began to outlast Halep at the baseline – the Romanian’s stronghold – and seemed to be one step ahead of her in the rallies.
With Babos firing off winner after winner, Halep began to play the kind of nervous, fast game that betrayed her mounting frustration. Babos rattled off six unanswered games to grab the second set and carry that momentum into the third, yanking Halep from line to line to draw out the errors and earn an early break.
The momentum shifted once as Halep refused to wilt and kept her cool to stay within touching distance. The Romanian eventually broke back at 3-3 to put them on even ground for the first time in over an hour.
Point of the match? #Halep gets the break she needs to lead her to a three set win over #Babos. #usopen @Chase https://t.co/eywEXaKjsJ
— US Open Tennis (@usopen) September 3, 2016
After a tense couple of games, with Babos serving at 5-4, 40-15 for a chance to extend her stay in the match, the Hungarian sprayed a string of nervous errors to gift Halep match point, before surrendering the match on a double fault.
“It feels good that I could win the match,” Halep said afterwards. “It was really tough. She played unbelievable second and third set. She didn’t miss at all. She was hitting very strong, so it was a good challenge for me and it was a good match.”
“I’m really proud that I could win it and come back from 3-1 down in the third set.”
Next up for the Romanian is the No.11 seed Carla Suárez Navarro, who has been quietly making her way through the draw with her usual consistency. The Spaniard celebrated her 28th birthday with a 6-4, 6-3 victory against No.19 seed Elena Vesnina earlier in the day, and she’s yet to drop a set at the US Open.
A year ago, Suárez Navarro bowed out of the US Open in the first round, one of three first-round exits she suffered at Grand Slams. This year, she’s one of a handful of women to reach the fourth round at every Grand Slam.
“Last year in the Grand Slam I didn’t make the results,” she explained. “So I tried to be more focused, more relaxed. [Now] I play good in the Grand Slams but, you know, I want more.”
“I don’t want to lose in quarterfinals or the round before. I mean, if I’m staying in the second week I want more. I want to be in the final round.”
Dominika Cibulkova turned in a brilliant performance to upset World No.1 Angelique Kerber and claim her first ever WTA Finals title
NEW YORK, NY, USA – Two-time US Open finalist Caroline Wozniacki has tapped into some New York magic once more, taking out No.8 seed Madison Keys, 6-3, 6-4, to reach her first Grand Slam quarterfinal in exactly two years.
“It’s been a good week,” Wozniacki said after the match. “I’m really happy about the way I played. Obviously Madison is a strong player. She hits the ball really hard.
“But I managed to really play well, get a lot of returns in. I served well, which I was pleased with.”
Dealing with injuries throughout the 2016 season, the former No.1 had tumbled all the way down to No.74 in the rankings, but is set to begin her climb back in earnest thanks another big win in Flushing. Playing Keys for the first time, the Dane relied on her signature consistency to frustrate the young American, winning 80% of her first serve points and hitting just three unforced errors in the one hour and 18 minute match.
“Everybody wants to beat you. No matter what my ranking is at this current moment , I always feel like I’m a target. I have to keep improving to beat everybody. I feel like I have been serving well this week, especially today, and returning well and really having good court coverage.”
Two-time #usopen finalist #Wozniacki off to a hot start against Madison #Keys, taking the opener 6-3. @chase https://t.co/CTc5svPzwB
— US Open Tennis (@usopen) September 4, 2016
Keys had come off a hard-fought third round win against fellow young gun Naomi Osaka, and despite hitting 30 winners against Wozniacki, 33 unforced errors proved critical on Sunday, engineering just one break point all day.
“I definitely felt like I got off to a bad start, and then I felt like I was trying to catch up from there,” Keys said in her post-match press conference.
“I definitely don’t think I was playing my best. I mean, I think she played really, really well today. I think it was just a combination of me not playing my best and not playing super smart and her playing really well.
“I feel like the match just got away from me.”
Up next for Wozniacki is comeback kid Anastasija Sevastova, who continued her own Cinderella run into the quarterfinals with a 6-4, 7-5 win over No.13 seed, Johanna Konta.
“I had some tough matches against her in the past,” Wozniacki said. “I think we played Fed Cup a couple of times, but also we played the Australian Open.
“She’s a tough player. She’s a tough opponent. She has a lot of grit and good hands. It’s not going to be an easy one, but I’m excited just to have another shot.”
Calm and relaxed throughout the fortnight, Wozniacki even took in some of Saturday night’s match between Stan Wawrinka and Dan Evans, trying her hand at providing match analysis on Twitter:
What a match happening on Armstrong now!! Will be interesting to see how Evans will bounce back for the 5th set after having had match point
— Caroline Wozniacki (@CaroWozniacki) September 4, 2016
An interview with Agnieszka Radwanska after her semifinal loss at the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global.
NEW YORK, NY, USA – Simona Halep became the first player in the top half of the draw to reach the US Open quarterfinals after a straight set win over Carla Suárez Navarro.
Some late service jitters turned a stroll across the line into an altogether tenser conclusion, but Halep recomposed herself to close out a 6-2, 7-5 victory.
The Romanian signaled her positive intent from the off, some sparkling attacking tennis helping her to a 4-0 lead. While Suárez Navarro eventually managed to get on the board it was far too late to rescue the set.
This pattern continued into the second. Halep, despite a slight dip, continuing to control much of the action and building a 5-2 lead. Yet with the end in sight, Suárez Navarro finally loosened up, displaying some terrific shotmaking to draw level.
Fueled by her opponent’s brilliance, Halep unleashed a couple of winners of her own to break once more. Serving for the match a second time she did not waver, recovering from 0-30 to set up a quarterfinal showdown with top seed Serena Williams.
Halep, a semifinalist 12 months ago, has enjoyed a productive summer, winning titles in Bucharest and Montréal, and now feels ready to take the next step. “My game now I feel is the best that I had ever, because I feel strong on my body. I feel that I can control every tactic during the match. I can change. I’m able to the change the tactic when I need.
“It’s tough to talk about the winning a Grand Slam because I never won one, so I don’t know the feeling. But I’m working hard to reach that title, to make that dream come true. So I’m just working, dreaming about it, and if one day it happens I will be very happy!”
.@Simona_Halep easily advances against #Navarro to the quarterfinals! #usopen @MBUSA https://t.co/GkA3WzDMHw
— US Open Tennis (@usopen) September 5, 2016
SINGAPORE – Following two contrasting semifinals, Angelique Kerber and Dominika Cibulkova will renew acquaintances with the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global on the line. Here are 10 of SAP’s finest facts ahead of Sunday’s showdown.
(1) Angelique Kerber (GER #1) vs (7) Dominika Cibulkova (SVK #8)
Head-To-Head: tied 4-4
1) Familiar foes.
Cibulkova held the early edge in their clashes, racking up four wins over Kerber between 2009 and 2013. However, since then Kerber has edged ahead thanks to five straight victories, the latest of which came in an absorbing round-robin encounter earlier this week.
Since the introduction of the round-robin format in 2003, this is the sixth time players have locked horns twice at the same WTA Finals. The most recent occasion came in 2014, when Simona Halep defeated Serena Williams in the Red Group only to lose their final rematch four days later.
2) Mixed record in finals.
For all Kerber’s success in recent years, she still has a mixed record in finals. Although the German has broken the final hoodoo she suffered earlier in her career – between June 2012 and August 2014 she lost eight of nine – her overall win-loss record stands at 10-14. Cibulkova, too, has a history of near misses, winning only seven of the 17 she has contested
3) Can Cibulkova follow in Radwanska’s footsteps?
Cibulkova’s only win during the round robin came against Halep, after earlier losses to Kerber and Madison Keys. Since the WTA Finals switched format in 2003, only Agnieszka Radwanska in 2015 has gone 1-2 in the round-robin stage and lifted the title.
Rankings Watch: @cibulkova moves up to No.6, could go up to No.5 if she wins @WTAFinalsSG. Kuznetsova at No.9. https://t.co/jwopr3sSW6
— WTA Insider (@WTA_insider) October 29, 2016
4) Cibulkova’s ranking on the rise.
The year-end Top 4 is already confirmed – Kerber, Serena, Agnieszka Radwanska and Halep. But No.5 will be Cibulkova’s should she collect the title. Even if she fails to do so, by reaching the final she is guaranteed to rise to a career-high No.6.
5) Can Cibulkova make her big breakthrough?
This year, Kerber has joined the Grand Slam winner’s club thanks to victories at the Australian and US Opens. For all her career accomplishments, Cibulkova’s biggest titles have all come at the next rung down: the Premier events in Moscow (2011), Carlsbad (2012), Stanford (2012) and Eastbourne (2016). She has come close to breaking through this ceiling, though, reaching Grand Slam (Australian Open, 2014), Premier Mandatory (Madrid, 2016) and Premier 5 (Montréal, 2008, Wuhan 2016) finals.
6) Kerber’s annual earnings will surpass $10 million.
By reaching the final, Kerber will become the second player in WTA history (after Serena in 2013 and 2015) to surpass $10 million prize money in a single season. Cibulkova, meanwhile, can take her career earnings past the $10 million mark with victory in the championship match.
7) Cibulkova the comeback queen.
There were a number of false dawns for Cibulkova following her return from a serious Achilles injury last year. This March in Katowice she finally returned to the winner’s circle, and followed this up with a maiden Premier Mandatory final, in Madrid, and then further silverware, in Eastbourne and then Linz. Her Singapore heroics have taken her 2016 win tally to 52 – a number only bettered by Kerber (63).
8) Best returner in the business.
Kerber’s success this year has been built on her superb return game. In the semifinal against Radwanska she broke serve seven times, winning 37 of 61 points on return. She has now broken 21 times in her four matches this week.
9) The magnificent seven.
Kerber is the 19th player to win all three round-robin matches. Seven of those 19 went on to lift the title – Kim Clijsters (2003), Justine Henin (2007), Venus Williams (2008), Serena (2009, 2012, 2013), and Petra Kvitova (2011).
10) The exclusive leftie club.
Kerber is attempting to become just the fifth left-hander to win the title. The other four were Martina Navratilova (1978, 1979, 1981, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1986*), Sylvia Hanika (1982), Monica Seles (1990, 1991, 1992) and Kvitova (2011).
* In 1986, the WTA Finals were held twice, in March and November
WUHAN, China – Former No.1 Caroline Wozniacki is set to continue her US Open resurgence into the WTA’s Asian swing, joining Serena Williams, Angelique Kerber, Simone Halep, Petra Kvitova and defending champion Venus Williams at the 2016 Dongfeng Motor Wuhan Open.
“I’m so excited to be coming back to Wuhan and seeing all my amazing Chinese fans again,” Wozniacki said. “Playing in China, where the crowds have such a passion for tennis, is always really special. There is a really strong line-up of players this year in Wuhan and it’s going to be fantastic to be part of it.”
The 2016 Dongfeng Motor Wuhan Open announced today a star-studded field, with all of the WTA’s Top 10 active players entered and Wozniacki receiving a wildcard into the 56-player main draw.
The WTA Premier 5 tournament, now entering its third year, has become one of the cornerstones of tennis’s autumn Asian swing. The tournament takes place between 23 September and 01 October 2016, and tickets are already available. Visit the tournament’s website, www.wuhanopen.org, or www.4008702014.com for more details.
Highlights from semifinal action at the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global.
The American flag flies over Arthur Ashe Stadium – and its brand new retractable roof.
Johanna Konta fought through the shadows under the new courts.
Simona Halep tore through the draw on the way to her second straight US Open quarterfinal.
Agnieszka Radwanska was one of four women who started the tournament with a shot at the WTA World No.1 ranking.
Caroline Wozniacki loves New York City, and the city loves her: the two-time finalist revitalized her season at the US Open.
Last year’s finalist Roberta Vinci is a big hit, too, signing autographs for fans after her match.
Players and fans wrote goodbye messages to Louis Armstrong Stadium, which hosted its last scheduled match this year after 39 years.
Venus Williams surprised fans at an on-site event, hitting a few tennis balls on court and answering fan questions.
She’s back! Caroline Wozniacki returned to the US Open semifinals after an emphatic win over Anastasija Sevastova.
As day turned to evening the grounds were packed in preparation for the US Open night session.
Inside the stadium, the stars were out in full force to support their favorite players, including Beyoncé, who was in Serena Williams’ box cheering on the No.1.
But with Garbiñe Muguruza and Agnieszka Radwanska bowing out early, Angelique Kerber has a big chance to dethrone Serena at the top spot.
Kerber zoomed past an ailing Roberta Vinci to reach the semifinals.
Anastasija Sevastova’s Cinderella run to the US Open quarterfinals made lots of headlines…
…as did 18-year-old Ana Konjuh’s.
Konjuh was the author of one of the biggest upsets of the tournament when she knocked out Radwanska in the fourth round.
Things move fast in New York City, and after almost two weeks of action we see familiar faces emerge among the surprises.
Steady as always, Serena marches in historic fashion, aiming for a record-breaking 23rd Grand Slam title.
But World No.2 Kerber has just one goal in mind, and she inches closer and closer to it with every win.
As the sun sets over Flushing Meadows, will we see a new WTA World No.1 at the end of the fornight?