Svitolina Sails To Taiwan Open Title
Top seed Elina Svitolina capped off a solid week in Taipei City with a fifth career WTA title, winning a decisive championship match against resurgent veteran Peng Shuai.
Top seed Elina Svitolina capped off a solid week in Taipei City with a fifth career WTA title, winning a decisive championship match against resurgent veteran Peng Shuai.
TOKYO, Japan – Monica Puig produced a typically gutsy comeback to upset former champion and No.7 seed Petra Kvitova and reach the quarterfinals of the Toray Pan Pacific Open.
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Despite playing much of the contest on the back foot, Puig played the more assured tennis when it mattered to run out a 1-6, 6-4, 6-4 winner.
“It was difficult conditions today – the conditions were heavy and the roof was open this time – so it took me a little bit of time to adjust,” Puig said. “I just kept fighting and that’s what got me through today.”
The Puerto Rican, who also beat Kvitova on her way to Olympic gold this summer, is yet to lose to a left-hander in 2016 and will now face either defending champion Agnieszka Radwanska or Barbora Strycova.
“I didn’t know I hadn’t lost [to a left-hander], but they’re very difficult to play and always tricky,” she said when quizzed on her record after the match.
More to follow…
Not long after winning her record-breaking 23rd Grand Slam title at the Australian Open, Serena Williams met up with a player who knows plenty about what it takes to win in Melbourne.
Victoria Azarenka won back-to-back major titles in Australia back in 2012 and 2013, but sat out the first Grand Slam of 2017, having given birth to son Leo in late December.
Serena and Azarenka have played some of the best matches in the last few years, including a thrilling three-setter in the quarterfinals of the 2015 Wimbledon Championships. Their most recent encounter came last spring, where Azarenka got the upper hand to win the first leg of her Sunshine Double at the BNP Paribas Open.
Off the court, however, it’s all love:
I always enjoy our meetings on and off the court! Always love for @serenawilliams #manymoretocome pic.twitter.com/xyJBGVpCLz
— victoria azarenka (@vika7) February 4, 2017
The Belarusian remains optimistic of a comeback, writing on social media that she hopes to extend her rivalry with the World No.1 on the court in the future.
Azarenka has undoubtedly remained plugged into the sport even from afar, congratulating Serena on her seventh Australian Open title on Twitter not long after the final:
Miss Serena @serenawilliams 23 quite a magic number! Bravo!!! Congrats to Venus as well and your family and your team!
— victoria azarenka (@vika7) January 28, 2017
Kristina Mladenovic takes on Yulia Putintseva in the final of the St. Petersburg Ladies Trophy.
An interview with Garbiñe Muguruza after her second-round match at the Toray Pan Pacific Open.
Highlights from final round action at the St. Petersburg Ladies Trophy.
An interview with Agnieszka Radwanska after her quarterfinal at the Toray Pan Pacific Open.
Karolina Pliskova takes on Ana Ivanovic in the third round of the BNP Paribas Open.
An interview with Magdalena Rybarikova after her win in the fourth round of the BNP Paribas Open.
INDIAN WELLS, CA, USA – On Wednesday afternoon Sara Errani and Oksana Kalashnikova claimed the latest upset of their fledgling partnership, ousting Andrea Hlavackova and Lucie Hradecka in the quarterfinals of the BNP Paribas Open.
Watch highlights, interviews and more video from Indian Wells right here on wtatennis.com!
Playing only their third match together, Errani and Kalashnikova took a while to find their feet against the No.4 seeds, dropping a one-sided opening set. However, their turned the match on its head in spectacular fashion to take the second set and then outplay the Czechs in the decisive match tie-break.
Errani and Kalashnikova’s 3-6, 6-3, 10-5 victory means that only one of the eight seeded teams – No.3 seeds Timea Babos and Yaroslava Shvedova – has made it through to the semifinals in Indian Wells.
We did it again ???? Forza ?@SaraErrani @BNPPARIBASOPEN
— Oksana Kalashnikova (@OksKalashnikova) March 17, 2016
Meeting them for a place in the final will be Julia Goerges and Karolina Pliskova, 6-4, 6-3 winners over Vania King and Alla Kudryavtseva.
In the previous round, King and Kudryavtseva sent shockwaves through the draw by knocking out top seeds Martina Hingis and Sania Mirza, and against Goerges and Pliskova they carried on from where they left off, surging into a 4-1 lead.
This proved to be a false dawn, though, as Goerges and Pliskova pegged back then overhauled them to make it through to the last four of a WTA event together for just the second time.
On the other side of the draw, Babos and Shvedova will take on the all-American team of Bethanie Mattek-Sands and CoCo Vandeweghe.