Svitolina Shocks No.1 Kerber In Brisbane Quarterfinals
Elina Svitolina produced a spectacular finish to upset World No.1 Angelique Kerber in Thursday’s Brisbane International quarterfinals.
Elina Svitolina produced a spectacular finish to upset World No.1 Angelique Kerber in Thursday’s Brisbane International quarterfinals.
ROME, Italy – Serena Williams left little doubt about her clay court form after easing into the third round with a straightforward win over Anna-Lena Friedsam 6-4, 6-3 at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia.
Watch highlights, interviews and more video from Rome right here on wtatennis.com!
“I feel pretty good,” Williams said in her press conference before the match. “I wasn’t feeling really good for the past several weeks and even the past few days. But right now I’m better.
“I will see how I’m doing when I step on the court for the first time, but overall I think I’m feeling a lot better.”
She hadn’t played a tennis match in a month and a half – since her round of 16 appearance in Miami and subsequent withdrawal from the Mutua Madrid Open – but the three-time Rome champion was too much for Friedsam to handle.
The 22-year-old Friedsam – who reached a career-high ranking of No.50 this week – is making big strides in the WTA and finding the confidence to back up her big game. Earlier this year she reached the semifinals of Shenzhen and the final of the 125K event in San Antonio, and last year at the French Open she stretched Williams to three sets in their only previous encounter – the World No.1 had to battle back from a set down to advance on her way to the title.
Things were more straightforward in Rome, the first match of Williams’ 2016 clay campaign. She broke once to snag an early lead at 2-1 in the first set, then three times in the second set to put the match away after an hour and fifteen minutes. She struck 27 winners and 18 unforced errors to Friedsam’s 16 and 21.
“I was really happy with my level,” Williams said after the match. “I think I was really consistent. I think I was mentally consistent. I started out fast. Those are some of the things I wanted to work on [and] I was really happy about that.”
In the day’s other second-round match, last year’s finalist Carla Suárez Navarro survived a tricky second set to advance past Teliana Pereira 6-1, 7-5.
“I played a really good match, but the second set I tried to close the match but it was really tough,” Suárez Navarro said. “She came back really good and I was really, really nervous.
“You have to know how to finish that kind of match, so I’m happy because it was tough for me.”
Here’s how Alizé Cornet reacted after pulling off a stunning upset over World No.5 Dominika Cibulkova in the quarterfinals of the Brisbane International.
ROME, Italy – After officially stepping away from the game at the 2015 BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global, Flavia Pennetta had an emotional retirement ceremony on Court Pietrangeli at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia this Tuesday.
The ceremony celebrated the Pennetta’s long and successful career, which saw her become Italy’s first No.1 woman in 2009 and a US Open champion in the tournament’s first all-Italian final in 2015. With her family and friends in attendance – along with hundreds of adoring Italian fans – Pennetta was joined on court by WTA CEO Steve Simon, Francesca Schiavone and several of the players, umpires and journalists she’s worked with during her 15 years on tour.
Video messages poured in from around the tennis world for the Italian champion, including well wishes from Serena Williams, Billie Jean King, Chrissie Evert, Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal.
“It was so nice to have the people here with me,” an emotional Pennetta said. “The girls, Steve Simon, the WTA made an unbelievable video for me and I really appreciate everything.
“Like I said, this is my family. This was my family for such a long time. It’s not finished. We spend so much time together. It’s normal to feel this emotion.”
Watch the messages in the tribute video above and check out the best photos of the ceremony below.
Click here to watch the full retirement ceremony.
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Katerina Siniakova takes on Johanna Konta in the semifinal of the Shenzhen Open.
ROME, Italy – Madison Keys employed thoughtful aggression under the lights of Center Court, pulling off a 6-3, 6-4 upset of No.5 seed Petra Kvitova to advance to the third round of the Internazionali BNL d’Italia.
Watch highlights, interviews and more video from Madrid right here on wtatennis.com!
“I definitely didn’t want to start down 2-0 right off the bat,” Keys said of her initially slow start. “But I was able to recover from that, build some momentum and keep it going.”
Hitting eight aces in the 78 minute match, Keys maintained an even winner/unforced error differential against Kvitova, who had enjoyed a strong start to her clay court campaign with a run to the semifinals of the Porsche Grand Prix. The Czech star hit nine fewer winners compared with the American youngster (11 to 20) and six more errors (27 to 21), only managing to engineer one break point in the contest.
Keys, by contrast, broke serve three times and maintained an impeccable 85% first serve percentage.
First set ? @Madison_Keys!
Grabs the opening set vs Kvitova 6-3! #ibi16 https://t.co/7KmpjBjio9
— WTA (@WTA) May 11, 2016
“It’s definitely more love than hate now,” the 21-year-old said of her relationship with clay. “The first couple of years were very difficult for me; I never really played on red clay growing up. I think every year is a little more experience, and I’m feeling more comfortable.”
Up next for the unseeded American is Hungary’s Timea Babos, who outlasted No.12 seed Venus Williams, 6-7(5), 7-5, 6-4, in just under three hours.
“I’ve played her on grass, and I think I got my butt kicked,’ Keys laughed. “So hopefully, it’ll be a little bit better for me next time. I haven’t really seen her play in the last couple of years, so I’ll definitely rely on my coach to help me figure that out.”
Babos led by a double break to start the match; by the final set, the 23-year-old thrice recovered from a break of serve – hitting 32 winners to 43 unforced errors during the two hour, 55 minute affair – to unseat the 35-year-old, who hit 48 winners to 56 unforced errors.
“I’m really happy to win,” she said after the match. “Venus is one of the biggest players in history and it’s the first time I’ve ever played her, so I just tried to think of my tennis and not about who was on the other side of the net.
“I started well, but then was a little more shaky, but I was fighting until the last moment.”
.@TimeaBabos makes 6-7(5), 7-5, 6-4 comeback win over Venus!
Sets @InteBNLdItalia Round of 16 vs Keys! #ibi16 pic.twitter.com/xiQwzhvAiI
— WTA (@WTA) May 11, 2016
Highlights from all of Friday’s semifinals action at the Brisbane International
SYDNEY, Australia – With the Australian Open just around the corner, six of the WTA’s Top 10 players are heading to the Apia International Sydney to fine-tune their preparations for the year’s first major.
The Sydney draw is out and Angelique Kerber, Agnieszka Radwanska, Dominika Cibulkova and Karolina Pliskova are all in action at the Premier-level event – here’s a rundown of what they’re up against this week.
Click here for the complete Sydney singles and doubles draws.
POSSIBLE QUARTERFINALS
[1] Angelique Kerber vs [6] Johanna KontaEARLY MATCHES TO WATCH
Sloane Stephens vs [4] Karolina Pliskova: Stephens is back in action for the first time since August after a left foot injury ended her season after the Olympic tennis event. But it won’t be an easy welcome back to the WTA as she’s drawn Brisbane champion Pliskova in the first round. Stephens leads their head-to-head record 2-0, but the pair haven’t played since late 2015.
[7] Elina Svitolina vs Monica Puig: Svitolina and Puig are set to meet for the second time in as many weeks, and this time it’s at a tournament where the Puerto Rican reached the final last year and is defending valuable points. Svitolina leads their head-to-head 2-1 after last week’s win in Brisbane.
As the top two seeds, Kerber and Radwanska received a bye into the second round. Kerber awaits the winner between Daria Kasatkina and Timea Babos, while Radwanska will face either Roberta Vinci or a qualifier in her first match.
KERBER & RADWANSKA’S ROAD TO THE FINAL:
Should World No.1 Kerber make it past her tricky second-round battle, she could face British No1 Johanna Konta in the quarterfinals. Precedent would be on her side, though, as Kerber’s won both of their previous two encounters in straight sets – including their semifinal clash at the 2016 Australian Open.
It doesn’t get any easier from there, with WTA Finals champ Dominika Cibulkova and defending Sydney champion Svetlana Kuznetsova potentially looming in the semifinals.
For 2013 champion Radwanska, it’s a more straight-forward road to the final but it’s littered with dangerous floaters.
A battle against longtime nemesis Caroline Wozniacki could await in the quarterfinals – though she trails their head-to-head 6-9, Radwanska’s come out on top in their last two matches in Wuhan and Beijing. After that, she could get the big hitting Pliskova in the semifinals.
Caroline Wozniacki takes on Monica Puig in the first round of the Apia International Sydney.
Dominika Cibulkova talks through her performance in her victory in the first round of the Apia International Sydney.