Tennis News

INDIAN WELLS, CA, USA – No.6 seed Martina Hingis and Chan Yung-Jan are becoming one of the new teams to beat in 2017, roaring into their second final in just three events since pairing up in the Middle East, outlasting top seeds Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Lucie Safarova, 7-6(7), 7-5 at the BNP Paribas Open.

“This is a big win for us at a huge event,” Chan said after the match. “I’m happy we’re in the final because it was a really close match against the best team in the tournament. It’s good for our confidence to win this match. The key was our ability to put everything together when we had to. We stayed strong together as a team, even in the tie-break and on deciding points.”

Hingis and Chan, who often goes by her English name, Latisha, reached their first final at the Qatar Total Open, and have been equally impressive in the California desert, ousting No.4 seed Sania Mirza and Barbora Strycova en route to the final four.

“Lucie and Bethanie are the No.1 team, and not for no reason,” Hingis said. “They’ve had a great couple of years and know each other so well. I played them twice a couple years ago and was unsuccessful, so it was nice to go out there with Latisha and see how we’d end up. It’s only our third tournament, so I’m definitely pleased with this win.”

Mattek-Sands and Safarova had been forced to a match tie-break against another new team in Kristina Mladenovic and Svetlana Kuznetsova, but the Australian Open champions couldn’t find the extra magic on Thursday as their eight-match winning streak came to a close in the searing heat.

“It was hot all week! We tried not to have a dip, but at a set and 4-1, we were in the middle of an emotional mindgame with the nerves. Everything was involved, but it was great for the crowd to see a match like that; it was doubles at a very high level, and even if it had gone the other way, we couldn’t have been disappointed losing to one of the best teams out there.”

4th win here @BNPPARIBASOPEN ? one last to go!!???? @mhingis pic.twitter.com/IMV2hsU7Bg

— 詹詠然～YungJan Chan (@YungJan_Chan) March 17, 2017

Once rivals, now partners, Hingis and Chan feel they’ve grown by leaps and bounds since their first tournament together, and are pleasantly surprised with how quickly their bond has grown in the last four weeks.

“At the beginning, we were both excited when we decided to play together, but we didn’t know each other that well beyond playing against each other,” Chan said. “We had to build the trust between us. After the tournaments in the Middle East, we built up a greater relationship between the two of us.”

Standing between them and their first title as a team will be the winner of the second semfinal between Czech stars Lucie Hradecka and Katerina Siniakova and No.2 seeds, Olympic Gold medalists Ekaterina Makarova and Elena Vesnina.

“I played Siniakova and Hradecka at the Taiwan Open with [my sister] Angel in the final. We know Lucie very well, and Siniakova is a young gun playing well. Whoever wins, we’ll have to step in and be aggressive”

“Vesnina and Makarova are another top team; I’ve played them a lot as well, and always great matches like the finals of Wimbledon and the Olympics,” Hingis added. “These are the matches you look forward to because the last couple matches have shown where women’s doubles is at and I’m proud to say I’m part of it.

“Either way we’re trying to go for the title!”

Smiles all around @mhingis & @YungJan_Chan advance to the final #BNPPO17 pic.twitter.com/DjwxuwYTdf

— BNP Paribas Open (@BNPPARIBASOPEN) March 17, 2017

The last two semifinal spots at the 2017 BNP Paribas Open are on offer today at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden. We preview both mouthwatering quarterfinal matchups right here at wtatennis.com.

Thursday

Quarterfinals

[14] Elena Vesnina (RUS #15) vs. [12] Venus Williams (USA #13)
Head-to-head: Vesnina leads, 3-2
Key Stat: Venus Williams has a career record of 111-46 in WTA quarterfinals.

Though she is a tried-and-true veteran, 36-year-old Venus Williams is somewhat of a newbie at this stage of the BNP Paribas Open. Last year Williams dropped her first match in her return from a 14-year absence at Indian Wells, but this year Williams has marched into the quarterfinals, and has her sights set on her first trip to the semifinals at Indian Wells since 2001. Standing in her way will be a Russian on the rise who knows a thing or two about her legendary quarterfinal opponent. “I have so much respect for Venus and Serena; they’re great champions,” Elena Vesnina said after waltzing past Angelique Kerber for the first Top 2 win of her career on Tuesday. “I hope it’s going to be a great match because it’s always an honor to play against her.”

Vesnina owns a 3-2 lifetime edge over Williams, and even owns a win over the American at Wimbledon. But she knows that a big battle lies ahead, regardless of how well she plays. “We’ve had some great battles in the past; she’s won, I’ve won. But it’s a totally different story; it’s Indian Wells and I’m really enjoying my time here.” Will surging Vesnina enjoy another big win or will it be the crowd favorite Williams who keeps her latest dream run alive with a trip to the last four?

Pick: Vesnina in three

[28] Kristina Mladenovic (FRA #26) vs. [13] Caroline Wozniacki (DEN #14)
Head-to-head: Wozniacki leads, 3-0
Key Stat: Mladenovic is the first French player to reach the last eight at Indian Wells since Marion Bartoli in 2012.

By winning the title at Indian Wells, Caroline Wozniacki would return to the Top 10 for the first time since 2015, but she’ll have her hands full just reaching the semis because she is facing a Frenchwoman who is blossoming into a premier singles player. And 23-year-old Kristina Mladenovic has a rankings reward to chase as well this week—if she defeats Wozniacki on Thursday she’ll make her Top 20 debut on Monday. The Saint-Pol-sur-Mer native, who knocked off No.4-seeded Simona Halep in the third round and has not dropped a set all tournament, says she feels like a different player this year because of her improved movement. “I’m more powerful, which means that maybe my groundstrokes are kind of heavier, faster,” she told reporters after easing past Lauren Davis on Tuesday. But Mladenovic knows that 2011 BNP Paribas Open champion Wozniacki will make her work for every ball. “She’s a former World No. 1,” Mladenovic said of the Dane. “She’s coming back in great shape. She has won lots of matches lately. She has great confidence, I’m sure.”

Wozniacki, who moved into third on the all-time BNP Paribas Open win list with her victory over Madison Keys on Tuesday night, is aware of Mladenovic’s rise. “It’s not going to be an easy one-I played a tough one against her in Hong Kong, in the final,” said Wozniacki at the prospect of facing Mladenovic. “I’m expecting another tricky one, but I’m looking forward to it.”

Pick: Wozniacki in three

By the Numbers:

30-9 – Wozniacki’s lifetime record at Indian Wells. Only Lindsay Davenport (47) and Maria Sharapova (38) have more wins than the Dane.

3 – Number of players that reached their first Indian Wells quarterfinal this year at Indian Wells (Muguruza, Vesnina, Mladenovic).

3 – Number of quarterfinalists that have earned double-digit WTA titles. Williams has 49, Wozniacki 25 and Svetlana Kuznetsova 17.

2 – Number of players that have yet to drop a set at Indian Wells (Wozniacki, Mladenovic).

INDIAN WELLS, CA, USA – Madison Keys’ comeback from wrist injury may not have ended on the note that she wanted, but the 22-year-old considered her Round of 16 run at the BNP Paribas Open a success.

Keys underwent left wrist surgery during the off-season, which ruled her out of the first two months of the year. Playing in her first tournament, she scored two solid wins over Mariana Duque-Mariño and Naomi Osaka, before losing to a steady Caroline Wozniacki 6-4, 6-4 on Tuesday night.

“Funny enough, this is the furthest I got in Indian Wells, so go me!” Keys said after the match. “Obviously it sucks, but I’m happy I could play three matches. Caroline played well tonight. I thought it was pretty tight for someone who has played 20 matches this year and I’ve played three.”

.@Madison_Keys in control of the point! #BNPPO17 pic.twitter.com/m1CjnChreb

— WTA (@WTA) March 15, 2017

Earlier in the week, Keys said her expectations for her first tournament back were fairly low.

“I was, like, if I get a set, I’ll be happy. It’s always tough to come back and everyone is in the middle of their season. I definitely had really low expectations, which is probably why, when I was up there and serving for the match in the first round, I was, like, ‘Oh, this is exciting. I didn’t think this was going to happen.'”

Keys sustained the left wrist injury at the 2015 US Open but played the entire 2016 season while managing the pain. It ended up being her best season to date, as she broke into the Top 10, made the biggest final of her career at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia and qualified for her first BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global.

“I don’t think I really compromised my game,” Keys said, referring to playing last season with the injury. “If anything, it made me play my game better, looking more for forehands, doing what I could, maybe not going for the winner down the line from 16 feet behind the baseline, playing a lot smarter.

“More than anything, I think it made me a lot more mentally tougher knowing it’s going to hurt, it’s going to be tough, but just wanting to make Singapore that badly, I was just going to do everything that I could to get there.

“I think it was after Wimbledon I found out it’s not going to go away and that I was going to need surgery to fix it. So the original plan was, ‘Okay, after US Open, [have the surgery], be ready for Australian Open.’

“And then after US Open, I was 9th in the Race to Singapore. There was no way you’re going to get me off of a tennis court right now. Then it was, okay, we’re going to do everything we can to get to Singapore. And then, if you don’t make Singapore, we’ll call it there. If you do, which I did, I got home on the 30th or the 31st of October and I had surgery November 2nd.”

Keys’ wrist was immobilized in a cast after surgery, but once that cast was removed her panic began to set in.

“For the longest time, I still couldn’t turn my steering wheel and I couldn’t use my left hand doing this and that,” she said. “It was tough, and it was really stressful.

“There were so many times when I’d be fine for, like, a week or a month and then all of a sudden I’d be, ‘Oh, my God, guys. What if I never win a match again? What if it’s over?’

“And that’s when my team was really great about, Take a breath. It is fine. You won matches [in 2016] when every time you hit the ball you were in horrible amounts of pain. You can do this.”

.@Madison_Keys saves break point with the drop volley! #BNPPO17 pic.twitter.com/WUlSBTxbOM

— WTA (@WTA) March 15, 2017

Part of that team includes Lindsay Davenport, who rejoined Keys’ team during the off-season. The two worked together during the 2015 season and under Davenport’s tutelage Keys made her first major semifinal at the Australian Open. Family commitments led to a split but so far the reunion has been exactly what Keys needed.

“I think we both came to the table knowing what I could give, what she could give, all of that,” Keys said. “I have been lucky that I have also had the help of USTA in Orlando. So the weeks that she can’t do, I have a really good base to go home to and practice there. So that’s been really good. I think we both know what to expect.”

Going under the knife is never ideal for any athlete, but in Keys’ case there may have been a silver lining. In addition to spending time with her family – “It was nice to live a normal life for a bit” – the delayed start to her season also gave her a block of uninterrupted time to work on her fitness and improve her game.

Beautiful slice from @Madison_Keys! ? #BNPPO17 pic.twitter.com/etTKNa2vLZ

— WTA (@WTA) March 14, 2017

“I worked on my slice a ton, obviously, because I had months where I couldn’t do anything else,” Keys said. “There were a lot of things I got to work on, which was great. And also, I got to work with Scott [Byrnes, her trainer] for the longest period of time without a tournament coming up. We worked on a lot of just little things we haven’t been able to.

“So I feel like I’m in the best shape that I have probably ever been in. Just feeling more comfortable coming to the net, using a slice, all of that. In a lot of ways it was really good to kind of just have the time to work on my game.”

Keys said the wrist is fully healed but she went into the tournament wondering how it would hold up through multiple matches. Under the duress of three matches, those questions were answered positively.

“I’m definitely excited to get back on the grind,” Keys said. “In a weird way I miss losing, because it means I was actually here.

Well that was fun ? thanks for the always amazing tournament @BNPPARIBASOPEN and thanks for all the support. Love you guys ? pic.twitter.com/YdUxxHH9cU

— Madison Keys (@Madison_Keys) March 15, 2017

“We do get to do what we love. I think that’s really special, and I think sometimes we get really caught up in the winning and the losing and rankings and all of that. At the end of the day, we get to play a sport that we love for our jobs, and just this whole time has made me realize how truly blessed I am to be able to do that.”

Keys’ next event is next week’s Miami Open.