Tennis News

MIAMI, FL, USA – Angelique Kerber will look to recapture her Australian Open magic on Friday as the seeds in the lower half of the draw kick off their Miami Open campaigns.

Friday, Second Round

[2] Angelique Kerber (GER #3) vs. Barbora Strycova (CZE #32)
Head-to-head: Kerber leads, 3-0
Key Stat: Kerber has dropped only 12 games in six previous sets versus Strycova.
After producing the most brilliant performance of her career in Australia, Angelique Kerber suddenly finds herself in a bit of a funk. The German, now ranked No.3 in the world, has lost three straight and has dropped six consecutive sets since winning the Australian Open title. But Kerber is not panicking. “I had a lot to do after Australia, and I was really enjoying it.” Kerber said. “Now I had a little bit of time to rest, to work very hard again on the practice courts. I’m fit and I’m healthy and that’s the important thing, so I’m ready to go again.” The German will be tested by the always pesky Barbora Strycova in the second round. Though troubled by Kerber in the past, the wily Czech will surely be ready to pounce on the opportunity if Kerber isn’t up to snuff.

Pick: Kerber in two

[4] Garbiñe Muguruza (ESP #4) vs. Dominika Cibulkova (SVK #54)
Head-to-head: Muguruza leads, 2-0
Key Stat: As a wildcard, Muguruza reached the round of 16 in her first two Miami appearances.
Perhaps a trip back to the place where the magic started will help Garbiñe Muguruza get her lethal game back on track in 2016. In 2012, the Spaniard was given a wildcard into Miami and proceeded to notch her first career WTA-level win before defeating two seeded players (Vera Zvonareva and Flavia Pennetta) on her way to the round of 16. Four years later, Muguruza is a proven Top 5 talent who is reeling a bit, and in search of her mojo. The Spaniard will look to find it against one of the most ornery fighters on tour in Dominika Cibulkova. The Slovakian was in play for an upset last week at Indian Wells, but squandered a match point and dropped the last five games to fall to Agnieszka Radwanska in three sets. Like Muguruza, Cibulkova is no stranger to having success in Miami. In her last appearance here (2014), she reached the semifinals for the first time.

Pick: Muguruza in three

[6] Carla Suárez Navarro (ESP #6) vs. CoCo Vandeweghe (USA #38)
Head-to-head: Suárez Navarro leads, 2-0
Key Stat: Suárez Navarro had to pull out of Indian Wells with a right ankle injury.
Last year Carla Suárez Navarro reached the final in Miami and secured her place in the WTA’s Top10 for the first time. This year, the Spaniard returns with a lot of points to defend, some questions about her health and a very powerful second-round opponent to deal with. Suárez Navarro has never dropped a set against Vandeweghe, but the American is one of the few players on tour that can take the racquet out of her opponent’s hands when she is on. Still, on the slow-playing hard courts of the Crandon Park Tennis Center, one has to like the consistent grind of Suárez Navarro’s methodical attack against the hit-and-miss aggression of Vandeweghe, particularly if the Spaniard is well enough to capitalize on her fitness advantage.

Pick: Suárez Navarro in three

[13] Victoria Azarenka (BLR #8) vs. Monica Puig (PUR #67)
Head-to-head: First meeting
Key Stat: Azarenka leads the WTA Tour in percentage of service games won thus far in 2016.
Victoria Azarenka is one of two players to have won multiple titles on the WTA Tour this year. Can she make it three in Miami? The red-hot Belarusian will square off against Puerto Rico’s Monica Puig in the first round and the match-up should favor Azarenka. Puig is a hard hitter when she is in control of rallies and able to step in and rip, but with Azarenka serving and returning so well of late, it’s hard to imagine many rallies where Puig will be in the driver’s seat. Azarenka, who improved to 16-1 on the season with her victory over Serena Williams in the Indian Wells final, should be able to dictate, and advance, without too much fuss.

Pick: Azarenka in two

Around the grounds…
Three-time champion Venus Williams will look to get back to winning ways against Elena Vesnina of Russia. The pair have split four previous meetings with 10th-seeded Williams winning the last two. No.7 seed Belinda Bencic will take part in a study of contrasts when she takes on hard-serving southpaw Kristyna Pliskova in a first-time meeting. Madison Keys will begin a new era with Mats Wilander as her part-time coach by facing Kirsten Flipkens. Keys has only played once since the Australian Open, losing to Nicole Gibbs at Indian Wells.

– Chris Oddo, wtatennis.com contributor

MIAMI, FL, USA – No.2 seed Angelique Kerber showed signs of the form that took her to a maiden major title on Friday, dispatching Barbora Strycova in straight sets at the Miami Open.

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Since her Australian Open triumph this January, things on the court have not exactly gone to plan for Kerber; a glorious Fed Cup homecoming was spoiled by a Belinda Bencic-inspired Switzerland before early exits in Doha and Indian Wells.

The draw in Miami, though, was kind to the German, pairing her with Strycova, against whom she had never lost. In fact, in their three career meetings Kerber had not even dropped a set, a record she maintained in emphatic fashion on Friday, completing a 6-1, 6-1 win in just over an hour.

“It was a great start for me,” Kerber said. “I knew that Barbora was a tough opponent and it was a tricky one – she’s played very well this year. But I always go out there and try to play my game again and try to be tough mentally, run for every ball.

“I worked very hard before Miami, because I had a lot of time after Indian Wells and I think the hard work pays off again. I’m also a little bit more relaxed and healthy.”

Grand Slam success has done little to erode Kerber’s famed work ethic. The World No.3 even sought the advice from 22-time major winner Steffi Graf in the build up to the Indian Wells-Miami double-header.

“At the end of such a great success it’s always good to celebrate a little bit and of course no one can ever take it away from me,” Kerber added. “But now it’s time to get on court and work hard again and do the same things that made me strong before Australia, getting ready for me next matches and tournaments.” 

Next Kerber faces Kiki Bertens, after she overcame a disastrous start to upset No.25 seed Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, 1-6, 6-4, 6-1.

CHARLESTON, SC, USA – No.15 seed Sabine Lisicki returned to the the Volvo Car Open – the site of her first career breakthrough – on Monday; the 2009 champion faced few problems against American Irina Falconi, winning, 6-4, 6-3, to reach the second round.

Watch highlights, interviews and more video from Charleston right here on wtatennis.com!

Facing off for the first time since 2011, Lisicki and Falconi took the court on the first day of main draw play at the newly-renamed Volvo Car Open; Lisicki had burst onto the WTA scene on this very court six years ago with three big wins over Venus Williams, Marion Bartoli, and Caroline Wozniacki for her first career title. Against Falconi, she hit seven double faults but nonetheless managed to win 70% of her first serve points and convert all four of her break point chances to reach the second round.

Up next for the former Wimbledon finalist is the winner of the first round between Kurumi Nara and Yulia Putintseva.

Joining Lisicki in the second round is No.11 seed Kristina Mladenovic, who snapped a four-match losing streak with a 6-4, 6-3 win over Tatjana Maria. Mladenovic booked what promises to be a big-hitting second round against Mirjana Lucic-Baroni, who defeated Peng Shuai, 6-2, 6-1. Peng was playing just her third WTA singles tournament since a back injury ended her 2015 season at the French Open.

Mladenovic’s doubles partner, Caroline Garcia, didn’t have the same luck in Charleston; splitting sets with Irina-Camelia Begu, Garcia traded 12 straight service holds before ultimately falling in a third set tie-break, 6-4, 2-6, 7-6(3).

Lara Arruabarrena will be top seed Angelique Kerber’s second round opponent; the Spaniard needed three sets to dispatch American wildcard and Rio Open runner-up Shelby Rogers, 6-4, 3-6, 6-4. Kateryna Bondarenko recovered from a set down to upset No.16 seed Misaki Doi, 4-6, 6-3, 6-1. No.12 seed Daria Gavrilova suffered a second set let down against Zarina Diyas, but the Aussie overcame the Kazakh, 6-1, 1-6, 6-3. Danka Kovinic set up a second round encounter with No.7 seed Sloane Stephens when she took out qualifier Cagla Buyukakacay, 6-1, 6-3. Qualifier Elena Vesnina continued her solid start to 2016 with a 7-5, 6-2 win over Cindy Burger; Vesnina will next play No.2 seed Belinda Bencic in the second round.

KATOWICE, POLAND – Kristyna Pliskova and No.9 seed Kirsten Flipkens kicked off their Katowice Open campaigns and battled into the second round of the International event on Monday.

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Pliskova was the first of the pair to advance in Katowice, the last hardcourt tournament before the tour completes the shift to the clay and grass seasons. She faced a stern first-round test in the form of 23-year-old Brit Heather Watson, who’s been on the rise having already won a title in Monterrey earlier this year.

“It was a really tough first round for me today,” Pliskova said afterwards.

“The surface is very different – quite slow – so it took me some time to get used to it.”

The No.88 Czech put pressure on Watson right away, unleashing her powerful lefty serve and letting lose a couple of her record-holding aces. She went up 4-1, break serve twice and grabbing the first set off Watson. But before Pliskova could run away with it, Watson turned things around to take the second set.

Into a deciding set, Pliskova ran ahead to a 3-0 lead, breaking Watson’s serve twice – Watson saved four break points in the third game alone but gave up the fourth on a mishit backhand. Watson grabbed a break back, but Pliskova’s lead was too great to surmount and the Czech took the match 6-2, 3-6, 6-4.

“I played well and Heather also played well too,” Pliskova said. “So I was pleased to come through a tough third set.”

The No.9 seed Kirsten Flipkens had a much more straightforward road into the second round at Katowice, beating Donna Vekic in an emphatic straight sets, 6-1, 6-4. She only faced one break point all match, and wrapped up the encounter in less than an hour.

Stefanie Voegele, Andreea Mitu, and Elizaveta Kulichkova also advanced.

On Tuesday, 2014 champion Alize Cornet and two-time finalist Camila Giorgi are set to make their Katowice debut.