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Around The Grounds At The Australian Open

Around The Grounds At The Australian Open

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970
Caroline Wozniacki and Victoria Azarenka were joined by four colorful characters at the Australian Open Kids Tennis Day – as well as the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

Caroline Wozniacki and Victoria Azarenka were joined by four colorful characters at the Australian Open Kids Tennis Day – as well as the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

Eugenie Bouchard’s loyal fans, the “Genie Army,” were out in full force in sunny Melbourne.

Eugenie Bouchard’s loyal fans, the “Genie Army,” were out in full force in sunny Melbourne.

Australian player Daria Gavrilova thrilled Aussie fans with her spirited performance at her home slam. The 21-year-old made the Round of 16, her best result ever at a slam.

Australian player Daria Gavrilova thrilled Aussie fans with her spirited performance at her home slam. The 21-year-old made the Round of 16, her best result ever at a slam.

Down the road from Melbourne Park, Johanna Konta stands under the distinctive clocks of Flinders Street Station. Konta made British tennis history by becoming the first woman in 33 years to reach the quarterfinals of the Australian Open.

Down the road from Melbourne Park, Johanna Konta stands under the distinctive clocks of Flinders Street Station. Konta made British tennis history by becoming the first woman in 33 years to reach the quarterfinals of the Australian Open.

Australian Open tournament director Craig Tiley presents Maria Sharapova with a cake commemorating a major milestone: she reached 600 career singles wins after her victory in the third round.

Australian Open tournament director Craig Tiley presents Maria Sharapova with a cake commemorating a major milestone: she reached 600 career singles wins after her victory in the third round.

Australian Open quarterfinalist Angelique Kerber makes a young fan happy at Autograph Island.

Australian Open quarterfinalist Angelique Kerber makes a young fan happy at Autograph Island.

Naomi Osaka wants to be the very best, like no one ever was. The 18-year-old Japanese – pictured here meeting the penguins at Melbourne Aquarium – made the third round at the Australian Open.

Naomi Osaka wants to be the very best, like no one ever was. The 18-year-old Japanese – pictured here meeting the penguins at Melbourne Aquarium – made the third round at the Australian Open.

Serena Williams signs autographs after her Round of 16 win. The World No.1 has yet to drop a set in her Australian Open title defense.

Serena Williams signs autographs after her Round of 16 win. The World No.1 has yet to drop a set in her Australian Open title defense.

Annika Beck dealt the No.11 seed Timea Bacsinszky a second-round upset, and doled out many autographs at the Australian Open Autograph Island.

Annika Beck dealt the No.11 seed Timea Bacsinszky a second-round upset, and doled out many autographs at the Australian Open Autograph Island.

World No.113 Zheng Shuai was contemplating retiring after the Australian Open – until she upset the No.2 seed Simona Halep in the first round. Zheng – pictured here with coach Liu Shuo at the Chinese Museum – is now in her first ever Grand Slam quarterfinal.

World No.113 Zheng Shuai was contemplating retiring after the Australian Open – until she upset the No.2 seed Simona Halep in the first round. Zheng – pictured here with coach Liu Shuo at the Chinese Museum – is now in her first ever Grand Slam quarterfinal.

Two-time champion Victoria Azarenka signs a camera lens after her victory – can the undefeated No.14 seed make it three Grand Slams in Melbourne?

Two-time champion Victoria Azarenka signs a camera lens after her victory – can the undefeated No.14 seed make it three Grand Slams in Melbourne?

Daria Kasatkina, who made the third round in Melbourne, tries on a bit of Aussie spirit – and a cork hat – at the Australia Pop Up Shop.

Daria Kasatkina, who made the third round in Melbourne, tries on a bit of Aussie spirit – and a cork hat – at the Australia Pop Up Shop.

Carla Suárez Navarro is always calm – whether she’s on court or holding a freshwater crocodile. A quarterfinalist here in Melbourne, she’s looking to move into the final four for the first time in her career.

Carla Suárez Navarro is always calm – whether she’s on court or holding a freshwater crocodile. A quarterfinalist here in Melbourne, she’s looking to move into the final four for the first time in her career.

Garbiñe Muguruza during her post-match interview. The World No.3 made the third round of the Australian Open.

Garbiñe Muguruza during her post-match interview. The World No.3 made the third round of the Australian Open.

The spotlight is on World No.4 Agnieszka Radwanska, behind the scenes at her ESPN Player Montage. The reigning WTA Finals champion is seeking to make the Australian Open her first Grand Slam title.

The spotlight is on World No.4 Agnieszka Radwanska, behind the scenes at her ESPN Player Montage. The reigning WTA Finals champion is seeking to make the Australian Open her first Grand Slam title.

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Insider Notebook: Serena On Course

Insider Notebook: Serena On Course

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

MELBOURNE, Australia – On Day 9 at the Australian Open, Serena Williams and Agnieszka Radwanska won through to set up a semifinal clash, their first match since 2013.

Serena has her game face on: Make that 18 consecutive wins over Maria Sharapova. Serena continued her solid form through the tournament with a 6-4, 6-1 win over the No.5 seed to advance to the semifinals. The first set remained tight after Serena overcame a slow start – she’s been struggling with food poisoning – and Sharapova lost a game point serving at 4-5 in the first set on a tough-luck netcord. But Sharapova just couldn’t capitalize on her small window of opportunities and Serena ran away with it in the end.

Full match recap here.

Agnieszka Radwanska continues her Slam streak: With a 6-1, 6-3 win over Carla Suárez Navarro, Radwanska advanced to the semifinals or better at a Slam for the fifth consecutive year. Radwanska goes into the semifinal against Serena having lost just one set all season and riding a win-streak of 12 matches, dating back to her run to the title at the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global.

“Well, in hindsight, yes, especially that you playing there only against top players, and that give me always more confidence,” Radwanska said, when asked whether the WTA Finals boosted her confidence.

“But I was saying before, this is new season, new Grand Slam; you’re starting over again. So it’s not like you winning Champs so you have easier draw or easy way to the semis.”

Serena’s perfect record: Serena has made the Australian Open semifinals six previous times. She has gone on to win the title every time. An omen?

Back to the drawing board for Sharapova: Sharapova served a career-high 21 aces in the fourth round against Belinda Bencic but tallied just 3 aces, compounded with 7 double-faults on Tuesday. Without getting any free points on her serve, Sharapova’s margin of error grew smaller. It’s a tough problem to solve.

Maria Sharapova

“I think if you’re serving maybe 180kph against somebody else compared to Serena, that’s an ace. Against Serena, as we all know, the return is one of her great strengths. She’s very explosive. She stays quite close to the baseline. She cuts the ball early. She doesn’t give you many angles. That’s the reason I can’t get so many free points against her.”

“Serena’s on a different level.”: Sharapova: “It’s motivating because she’s at a different level. She makes you go back to the drawing board, not just for me, but for many other players. She makes you work. That’s inspiring.”

Sluggish Suárez Navarro can’t lock in: The Spaniard said she had trouble sleeping the last two nights and the fatigue showed on Tuesday. Her game lacked conviction and she looked a step slow on the court. She did not confirm whether the knee injury she sustained against against Daria Gavrilova had an effect.

“I didn’t rest good,” Suárez Navarro said. “I feel tired. But when you are on court you have to fight, you have to run, you have to be there, and today I don’t have the good feeling to play good tennis, the good mentality to play more aggressive or try to play a little bit better than I play.

“But I have to learn about these situations, this match, this experience. I need to learn.”

Despite the disappointment, this was a good tournament for Suárez Navarro, who lost in the first round of three of the four Slams last year (she made the third round at the French Open).

Martina Hingis, Sania Mirza

Doubles semifinals are set: No.1s Martina Hingis and Sania Mirza will play No.13 seed Julia Goerges and Karolina Pliskova, and No.7 seed Andrea Hlavackova and Lucie Hradecka play No.15 seeds Xu Yi-Fan and Zheng Saisai.

Sharapova plans for a light February: Nothing is set in stone, but Sharapova said she plans on dedicating the month to getting her forearm healthy. She’ll travel to Moscow for Fed Cup but does not intend to play, and then, “I don’t see myself playing anything before Indian Wells.”

No, Serena hasn’t thought about the “R” word: Odd timing to ask the World No.1 this question mid-tournament after she just made the semifinals without losing a set, but Serena handled it well:

Q. Is there a chance we’re seeing you in Australia for the last time?
SERENA WILLIAMS: I don’t think so. Hopefully not. Unless you know something I don’t know.

Q. It’s a big year ahead. You have the Olympics. You’ve won four gold medals, going for your fifth. Has it entered your mind yet?
SERENA WILLIAMS: It’s entered yours, but not mine.

WTA Ranking Watch

By reaching the semifinals, Agnieszka Radwanska will move to No.3 in the rankings and can equal her career-high ranking of No.2 if she defeats Serena Williams and advances to the final in Melbourne. Williams owns an 8-0 advantage in their first eight meetings, dropping only one set.

As a result of Radwanska’s jump, Garbiñe Muguruza will dip to No.4 in the rankings and could fall to No.5 if Angelique Kerber advances to the Australian Open final.

Victoria Azarenka has a chance to return to the Top 10 for the first time since August 2014, but will need to reach the final in order to do so. Azarenka is projected to move to No.14 by reaching the quarterfinals, No.11 with a semifinal finish, No. 6 by reaching the final and can climb as high as No.5 if she wins the title; the last time Azarenka was ranked in the Top 5 was at the 2014 French Open.

By advancing to the quarterfinals, Johanna Konta is projected to jump to a career-high No.32 in the rankings after the Australian Open; her previous high was No.46 (reached October 19, 2015). If she wins her quarterfinal match against Zhang Shuai, Konta will move into the Top 30 (No.28), the first British woman to be ranked in the Top 30 since Laura Robson in July 2013, who climbed to No.27.

As a result of Zhang Shuai’s storybook run to the quarterfinals in Melbourne, she will overtake Zheng Saisai as the new Chinese No.1 on Monday. Zhang is projected to rise to No.64 and could move into the Top 40 should she reach the semifinals.

All photos courtesy of Getty Images.

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Kerber Stuns Azarenka

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

No.7 seed Angelique Kerber pulled off the most stunning upset of the tournament to take out red-hot nemesis Victoria Azarenka in straight sets.

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Bouchard Headlines NBA All-Star Game

Bouchard Headlines NBA All-Star Game

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

TORONTO, Canada – Former World No.5 Eugenie Bouchard tried her hand at basketball as part of the 2016 NBA All-Star Celebrity Game.

Playing for Team Canada, Bouchard was joined by fellow tennis pro Milos Raonic and coached by R&B singer Drake in a light-hearted affair that saw them defeat Team USA, 74-64.

Check out some of the best photos and tweets from the event:

Eugenie Bouchard

Eugenie Bouchard

All photos courtesy of Getty Images.

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Notes & Netcords: February 15, 2016

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

THE WINNERS:

No.2 seed Roberta Vinci won the battle of youth vs. experience at the St. Petersburg Ladies Trophy, defeating 18-year-old Belinda Bencic 6-4, 6-3 for her 10th career title, and her first on the WTA Premier level. Vinci had previously announced plans to retire after this year but with another title under her belt, the veteran was singing a slightly different tune when asked if she planned to play a few more years.

“No, two, three years, no,” said Vinci. “One more, but maybe. Why not?”

Read the match review and watch highlights.

Taiwan Open top seed Venus Williams defeated the always-dangerous Misaki Doi 6-4, 6-2, to win her 49th career title. Williams didn’t lose a set through five matches in Kaohsiung, and will hold on to her current ranking of No.11 by virtue of winning the title.

“I’ve had so much success in Asia,” Williams said after the match, having won her last two titles at the Dongfeng Motor Wuhan Open and the Huajin Securities WTA Elite Trophy Zhuhai. “I feel like it’s very lucky to play here.”

Read the match review and watch highlights.

GAME, SET MATCH: WTA Insider

Game: Veterans hold off the youth brigade.

There has been much talk about the 2016 setting up as a year of transition on the WTA, with more and more new and young faces making a splash at the season’s early tournaments. But when it comes trophies, the veterans continue to reign supreme. This week it was Venus Williams putting a winless January behind her to win her first title of the season (and 49th overall) at the Taiwan Open. And she did it without dropping a set.

Over at the inaugural St. Petersburg Ladies Trophy, Roberta Vinci was putting her own retirement announcement in doubt, as she took out Ana Ivanovic and top-seed Belinda Bencic to win her first title in nearly three years. At the WTA Elite Trophy Zhuhai last year, the 33-year-old Italian told reporters 2016 would be her final season. But as she continues to play the best tennis of her career – she’s up to No.12 and a Top 10 debut is calling her name – she told me the idea of hanging up her racket at the end of the year isn’t on her mind. She just wants to enjoy what she’s doing right now.

Set: Belinda Bencic and Daria Kasatkina lead the teen bump.

At the start of last week, the stories going into the St. Petersburg Ladies Trophy and Taiwan Open surrounded the youth on display at both tournaments. For the most part, those stories held up. 18-year-old Belinda Bencic did well in her first tournament as a top seed, advancing to the St. Petersburg final and ensuring a Top 10 debut on Monday. Her junior rival Daria Kasatkina justified her hype as well, making her second WTA semifinal in her last five events. Kasatkina will move up to a career-high No.45 on Monday. Bencic and Kasatkina are the only two teenagers in the Top 50.

Over in Taiwan, 19-year-old Elizaveta Kulichkova has already made five WTA quarterfinals in her short career, after beating No.68 Zarina Diyas to make the quarterfinals in Kaohsiung.

Get to know Kasatkina and Kulichkova in the WTA Insider Podcast.

Match: Hingis and Mirza chasing Novotna and Sukova.

By winning the St. Petersburg Ladies Trophy, Martina Hingis and Sania Mirza extended their streaks to 40 consecutive wins and nine straight titles. Their last loss came at the Western & Southern Open in August, where they fell to Chan Hao-Ching and Chan Yung-Chan (who won their first title of the year this weekend at home at the Taiwan Open). Hingis and Mirza are four wins away from catching Jana Novotna and Helena Sukova’s streak of 44 in 1990. What’s additionally impressive about Hingis and Mirza’s streak is that they’ve done it during the super tie-break era of doubles, which make the margins of victory so much smaller. Of their 40 straight wins, six came down to a super-tiebreak

But – and I say it again because we get asked this a lot – the longest doubles streak is still a long ways off. Martina Navratilova and Pam Shriver won 109 straight matches between April 1983 to July 1985.

More on the SanTina Streak, which both women admit, they’re very well aware of.

RANKING MOVERS:
Notable singles ranking movers for the week of February 15, 2016.

Daria Kasatkina (RUS), +18 (No.63 to 45): 18-year-old Kasatkina makes the week’s biggest ranking jump – after being named one to watch at the St. Petersburg Ladies Trophy, she lived up to the hype by making the quarterfinals. She now reached a career-high ranking of No.45, breaking into the Top 50.  

Hsieh Su-Wei (TPE), +16 (No.81 to No.65): Taiwan’s Hsieh Su-Wei found inspiration from playing in front of a home crowd at the Taiwan Open, reaching the semifinals to jump up 16 ranking spots. 

Misaki Doi (JPN), +9 (No.61 to No.52): Doi’s appearance in the Taiwan Open final boosted her ranking nine spots and puts her within striking distance of the Top 50.

Anastasija Sevastova (LAT), +9 (No.103 to No.95): Playing in the sixth WTA main draw tournament since her return to tennis last January, Sevastova’s run to the quarterfinals at the Taiwan Open sends her ranking back in the Top 100.

Belinda Bencic (SUI), +2 (No.11 to No.9): Bencic was the No.1 at a WTA tournament for the time in her career, and with her run to the St. Petersburg Ladies Trophy final she is now into the WTA Top 10.

UPCOMING TOURNAMENTS:

Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships
Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Premier | $1,734,900 | Hard, Outdoors
Monday, February 15 – Saturday, February 20, 2016

Rio Open
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
International | $226,750 | Clay
Monday, February 15 – Sunday, February 21, 2016

Qatar Total Open
Doha, Qatar
Premier | $2,517,250 | Hard, Outdoors
Sunday, February 21 – Saturday, February 27, 2016

Abierto Mexicano TELCEL
Acapulco, Mexico
International | $226,750 | Hard, Outdoors
Monday, February 22 – Saturday, February 27, 2016

TOP 20 PLAYER SCHEDULES:

1. Serena Williams – Doha
2. Angelique Kerber – Doha
3. Simona Halep – Dubai, Doha
4. Agnieszka Radwanska – Doha
5. Garbiñe Muguruza – Dubai, Doha
6. Maria Sharapova – Doha
7. Flavia Pennetta – (retired)
8. Petra Kvitova – Dubai, Doha
9. Belinda Bencic – Dubai, Doha
10. Lucie Safarova – Doha
11. Carla Suárez Navarro – Dubai, Doha
12. Venus Williams –
13. Roberta Vinci – Dubai, Doha
14. Karolina Pliskova – Dubai, Doha
15. Victoria Azarenka –
16. Timea Bacsinszky – Doha
17. Ana Ivanovic – Dubai
18. Svetlana Kuznetsova – Dubai, Doha
19. Caroline Wozniacki – Doha
20. Jelena Jankovic – Dubai, Doha

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!
Best wishes to those celebrating birthdays this week:

Annika Beck (GER) – February 16, 1994
Carina Witthoeft (GER) – February 16, 1995
Cara Black (ZIM) – February 17, 1979
Madison Keys (USA) – February 17, 1995
Roberta Vinci (ITA) – February 18, 1983
Kateryna Kozlova (UKR) – February 20, 1994

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WTA Frame Challenge: Shelby Rogers

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

It took her three tries to get going, but the third time was the charm for Shelby Rogers on the WTA Frame Challenge. How many did she score? Find out right here!

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Vandeweghe Upsets Pliskova In Dubai

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

DUBAI, UAE – The first day of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships brought the first upset as CoCo Vandeweghe knocked out last year’s finalist Karolina Pliskova in straight sets.

Watch live action from Dubai & Rio de Janeiro this week on WTA Live powered by TennisTV!

Unsurprisingly, given both players’ fearsome serves, break opportunities were few and far between in the opening set. However, once Vandeweghe had pinched that, it was one-way traffic, as she sailed through, 7-6(5), 6-1.

“Taking care of my service games was my main focus. And then in the tie-breaker, I mean, every point matters,” Vandeweghe said. “So when I had my opportunity, I was going to take it. Sometimes I messed up and other times I was successful. But I wasn’t going to allow her to dictate me in the tie-breaker. So that’s what I was thinking going in.”

The tie-break’s decisive crucial moment came when Vandeweghe turned defense to attack with a rifled backhand that brought up two set points. The No.6 seed managed to fend off the first, but could not complete the escape, pushing a backhand long on the following point. 

“Then the second set, getting that early break was really key. Then, you know, from there I just kind of went into a rhythm and continued to steamroll,” Vandeweghe added.

One former runner-up that did make it safely into the second round was Julia Goerges, who enjoyed an easier-than-expected outing against Svetlana Kuznetsova. Goerges, a finalist back in 2012, needed only 57 minutes to knock out the No.8 seed, 6-1, 6-0, and set up a meeting with either Barbora Strycova or Tsvetana Pironkova.

“A very solid performance but at the same time being aggressive and didn’t make that many mistakes,” Goerges said. “Well, I just didn’t give her any chance to get into the match and get into her rhythm, because if she has time she creates good balls and deep balls, and that’s what I tried to take away from her. That worked pretty well today.

“That’s what you’re working for, to play as consistent as possible and why you train every day, and it’s very satisfying to see the performance like this today.”

Also advancing on the opening day was Goerges’ fellow German, Andrea Petkovic. In four previous visits to Dubai, Petkovic has won just two main draw matches, but looked full of confidence in her opening outing this time, brushing aside the mercurial Camila Giorgi, 6-2, 6-1.

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