Tennis News

DUBAI, UAE – Chan Hao-Ching and Yaroslava Shvedova shocked top seeds Caroline Garcia and Kristina Mladenovic to make it through to the semifinals of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships.

The fifth-seeded pair won through in a thrilling decider to take the match 7-5, 3-6, 10-3.

“We lost in a super tiebreaker and still I think we had lots of opportunities,” said Mladenovic afterwards. “We had a big lead in the first set and I think we should have closed it out and won probably, but it’s tennis, and the girls are playing well as well and in the third set anything can happen.”

Mladenovic was not too disappointed, however, adding that she and Garcia were both working on their singles game while competing in doubles.

“It’s not easy, it’s just our second tournament of the year,” she said. “I still think we had a good run in Melbourne – lost in the semis – here we had a tough tournament. It’s our goal this year, we are going to be more focused on our singles and we are trying new things, like we are switching sides every set and like really working on our singles game.”

The 23-year-old remains hopeful that she and her partner will impress over the course of the year.

“It’s just the beginning of the season,” she pointed out. “We are looking forward, the season is very long and Indian Wells, Miami coming up soon so everything is positive.”

Second seeds Ekaterina Makarova and Elena Vesnina progressed in a topsy-turvy clash with Canada’s Gabriela Dabrowski and Latvia’s Jelena Ostapenko, winning 6-1, 3-6, 10-5.

Andrea Hlavackova and Peng Shuai had a straightforward quarterfinal against Chan Yung-Jan and Martina Hingis, winning in straight sets, 6-4, 6-2.

EASTBOURNE, England – Karolina Pliskova is back into another English grass court final after coming back from a set down against Eastbourne resident Johanna Konta, ending the Brit’s hopes of reaching her first WTA final on home soil at the Aegon International.

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

Two weeks ago in Nottingham, Pliskova rallied through rain delays to claim her fifth WTA title at the Aegon Open Nottingham. As the same pattern emerged in the seaside town of Eastbourne — where she once again had to play two matches on the same day — the No.17 Czech knew how to prepare.

“I’m just thinking I’m happy to be in the final tomorrow,” Pliskova said. “I’m thinking today, just stay focused and take one match at a time. And rest as much as possible between.”

Pliskova faced a monumental task against home favorite Konta. Though she trains in Spain, the British No.1 calls Eastbourne home, and all week long she enjoyed vocal support from the Devonshire Park crowd who wanted to see a local lift the trophy in her hometown.

“I tried to concentrate on my game and not about the people,” Pliskova acknowledged. “Of course they’re gonna support her. She’s the only one British here in the draw left, and it’s their British No. 1, yeah?”

“I don’t feel like it had any influence on me.”

Konta was well on her way to the final after coming away the winner of a deadlocked first set. Neither player faced a break point and punctuated their strong baseline game with skillful forays to the net, sending the opening set to a tiebreak. Despite Pliskova digging herself out of a 5-2 hole, it wasn’t enough to escape the on-form Konta, who floated a dropshot just out of Pliskova’s long reach to take the set 7-6(5).

Pliskova drew blood early in the second set, grabbing the first break of serve of the match to go up 3-1. Konta looked set to break right back – she climbed to a 0-40 lead – but took a tumble in the middle of the point. Though she wasn’t injured and didn’t call a trainer, the fall seemed to leave her rattled as Pliskova erased the break points to hold her serve.

“It was quite an aggressive fall the way it happened,” Konta said afterward. “It just — yeah, it rattled me a bit. It was a bit of a shock, nothing major happened. I just tend to cry when I get shocked.”

Konta appeared more composed toward the end of the set, but she just couldn’t recover in time and Pliskova took the second set 6-3.

The Czech started the final set with a double break, quickly climbing to a 3-0 lead. Despite Konta grabbing one of the breaks back, Pliskova held her lead and downed the Brit 6-7(5), 6-3, 6-3 to reach her second WTA final of the year.

Pliskova is up against Dominika Cibulkova in the final of the Aegon International, after the Slovak cruised against Puerto Rican qualifier Monica Puig.

#SAPStatOfTheDay: @KaPliskova has hit a #WTA-leading 310 aces in 2016! Third straight season hitting 300+ aces!! pic.twitter.com/VJbw17peS3

— WTA (@WTA) June 24, 2016

DUBAI, UAE – Sixth seeds Andrea Hlavackova and Peng Shuai will move to the top of the Road to Singapore leaderboard on Monday after their brilliant run to the final of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships.

They beat Chan Hao-Ching and Yaroslava Shvedova 6-1, 6-3, to set up a final clash with Ekaterina Makarova and Elena Vesnina.

“It was closer than it looked,” admitted Hlavackova afterwards. “The second set got trickier…I’m very happy to go through.”

The Russian pair were first to book their place, beating third seeds Sania Mirza and Barbora Strycova, 6-4, 6-3.

“It was really important to win this game, and I’m just so happy that we’re in the final now in Dubai,” said Vesnina afterwards.

More to follow.

DUBAI, UAE – No.2 seeds and Olympic Gold medalists Ekaterina Makarova and Elena Vesnina came through multiple rain delays and a thrilling match tie-break to knock out Andrea Hlavackova and Peng Shuai – next week’s top-ranked team on the Road to Singapore leaderboard – 6-2, 4-6, 10-7 to each win their first title at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships.

“Winning the trophy like here in Dubai, it’s very prestigious,” Vesnina said after the match. “It’s the first time we played final here. We were just passing by the corridor, and we saw the trophy. We were just really pleased with the result, because winning such a big title, it’s always giving us some confidence, some positive emotions.”

The Russians reunited last spring after nearly a year apart due to Makarova’s lower leg injury, and quickly resumed being one of the game’s top teams, not only taking home gold at the Olympic tennis event but also winning the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global.

The players are back off court following another shower ☔️ #DDFTennis pic.twitter.com/C3CoXRcS0l

— WTA (@WTA) February 25, 2017

Playing their second final of the season after finishing runner-up at the Brisbane International to eventual No.1 Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Sania Mirza, Makarova and Vesnina enjoyed a bright start to what became a stormy day in Dubai, racing through the opening set behind three breaks of serve.

“At the beginning of the match we felt really good rhythm. We felt we were kind of controlling the game, even knowing that they’re really good players.”

.@KateMakarova1 lets unleashes the forehand! #DDFTennis pic.twitter.com/U5SIGY1Qwp

— WTA (@WTA) February 25, 2017

The first set and a half featured intermittent rain delays, but a heavier pattern set in at 3-3, sending the two teams off court for over an hour. Hlavackova and Peng emerged much stronger after the break – tapping into the form that helped them reach the Australian Open final – and twice broke serve to level the match.

“After these rain delays, it was too much of the rain delays, to be honest. I think everyone would lose their rhythm. Even Roger [Federer], I think, would lose his rhythm after this kind of on-and-off, on-and-off!

“And they came back to the game, you know. They had pretty good games on their serves. Then we were just a little bit tight. On one game after the rain delay, I think I didn’t hit one ball with the center of my racquet. I was just missing the volleys. I felt like I don’t see the ball. I need the glasses.”

.@EVesnina001 /@KateMakarova1 are on top in the super tiebreak! #DDFTennis pic.twitter.com/4IRzoauw5k

— WTA (@WTA) February 25, 2017

A tense sudden death followed; even as the No.2 seeds forged ahead, the Czech/Chinese duo were never far behind, saving a pair of championship points before ultimately succumbing after two hours and 13 minutes.

What a lob from @EVesnina001 to bring up championship point! #DDFTennis pic.twitter.com/a6q0Xdcff0

— WTA (@WTA) February 25, 2017

The Russians played with imperious aggression throughout, hitting 27 winners – including a stunning lob from Vesnina to set up their slew of match points – to just 13 from the No.6 seeds, who were ultimately undone by their second serve, off which they won three of 22 points.

.@EVesnina001 /@KateMakarova1 win @DDFTennis Doubles title!

Defeat Hlavackova / Peng 6-2, 4-6, [7]-[10]! pic.twitter.com/PHk7xoMoWw

— WTA (@WTA) February 25, 2017

The title in Dubai is Makarova and Vesnina’s ninth as a pair, including two Grand Slam trophies at the French Open and US Open in 2013 and 2014.

“Well, it’s a good start, and we are playing good tennis in doubles, especially this tournament,” Makarova said. “Every match was pretty good doubles tennis, you know, and we were really enjoying how we play, and even it was a deciding tiebreak before. But we will play, of course, big tournaments and hope it will go well.”

LONDON, Great Britain – Two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova got her 2016 campaign off to a roaring start against Sorana Cirstea, zooming past the Romanian to claim her eighth first-round win and a spot in the second round.

Kvitova, the champion here in 2011 and 2014, is usually a regular face in the last stages of grass court tournaments and came to Wimbledon looking for a kick start to her sluggish season. The Czech has yet to reach a final and comes off a pair of Round of 16 exits at Birmingham and Eastbourne.

It all clicked together for Kvitova when she needed it to against the No.85-ranked Cirstea; she needed just 52 minutes to notch a commanding 6-0, 6-4 victory.

Cirstea got off to a dismal start as Kvitova immediately broke her to love. The Romanian’s new abbreviated service motion – an attempt to mitigate the shoulder injuries that have plagued her in the past years – seemed to have zapped her of power and left her serves vulnerable against the World No.10’s punishing returns.

Kvitova took the first set to love with a commanding ace after just 15 minutes. The numbers really emphasize how the Romanian struggled on her serve in the opening set: she won just 17% of points behind her first serve against Kvitova’s 89% and won one point in all of her service games.

Cirstea put the disappointing numbers behind her to finally hold serve and get her name on the scoreboard at the start of the second set. But when Kvitova gets on a tear, it’s hard to stop her, and despite Cirstea’s improved ball-striking she couldn’t find a way to pressure her opponent’s lefty serve. Kvitova took the lone break for a 3-2 lead and held on to it to close out the match 6-0, 6-4 and move into the second round.

Kvitova awaits the winner between Ekaterina Makarova and Johanna Larsson, whose match was delayed due to rain.

More to come…