Wuhan: Kvitova vs Cibulkova
Petra Kvitova takes on Dominika Cibulkova in the final of the Dongfeng Motor Wuhan Open.
Petra Kvitova takes on Dominika Cibulkova in the final of the Dongfeng Motor Wuhan Open.
Petra Kvitova and Dominika Cibulkova will meet in the Dongfeng Motor Wuhan final with a lot more than just the trophy on the line.
Earlier this week, Kvitova scored a win over current WTA World No.1 Angelique Kerber in the third round at Wuhan, which, arguably, could be considered the WTA match of the year. Kvitova entered the week at No.21 on the Road to Singapore Leaderboard. With an 11-1 record in Wuhan – she was the inaugural winner in 2014 – Kvitova will move to No.12 by reaching the final this week and will be either 897 points outside of the Top 8 – or within 582 points.
If Kvitova, a finalist at the 2014 China Open, could complete a Wuhan-Beijing double, she would vault into the Top 8 and be in position to qualify for the WTA Finals for the sixth straight year.
Cibulkova, who missed four months due to surgery on her Achilles last year, will move to RTS No.7 by reaching the Wuhan final as she attempts to qualify for the WTA Finals for the first time in her career. She can move as high as No.6 on the Leaderboard overtaking French Open champion Garbiñe Muguruza if she wins the title.
SINGLES:
All Eyes on Beijing
Following the finals in Wuhan, all eyes will be on Beijing as the Road to Singapore heats up and enters the final stages – as the countdown to the start of the WTA Finals winds down.
In singles, three players have qualified – Angelique Kerber, Serena Williams and Simona Halep – leaving five spots on the table entering the China Open, a Premier Mandatory event awarding up to 1,000 points to the champion. Meanwhile in doubles, nine teams remain in contention for the final five spots.
Click here to check out the complete China Open draws.
Knocking on Qualification’s Door
Karolina Pliskova and Agnieszka Radwanska are closing in on qualification but they will need to reach the quarterfinals or semifinals (depending on the Wuhan final results). However, if some results fall in their favor, Pliskova and Radwanska could qualify as early as the opening weekend in Beijing.
HOW PLISKOVA & RADWANSKA CAN QUALIFY
1. Madison Keys fails to reach 3r AND Carla Suárez Navarro fails to reach SF
2. Keys fails to reach 3r AND neither Svetlana Kuznetsova nor Johanna Konta reach the final, nor Kvitova wins title (if she wins Wuhan)
3. Suárez Navarro fails to reach SF and neither Kuznetsova or Konta reach final nor Kvitova wins title (if she wins Wuhan)
NOTE: Kuznetsova, Konta, Kvitova are all in the bottom half
Six of Nine Players Ranked Inside RTS Top 12 on Bottom Half of Draw
While Pliskova and Radwanska are next in line to qualify, Garbiñe Muguruza, Dominika Cibulkova and Madison Keys round out the Top 8 of our live leaderboard. Carla Suárez Navarro is next in line followed by Svetlana Kuznetsova, Johanna Konta and Petra Kvitova.
Four of these – Muguruza, Keys, Kuznetsova and Kvitova are all in the same quarter of the Beijing draw, creating some exciting early round matchups at the China Open.
Road to Singapore Update:
Qualified: Angelique Kerber, Serena Williams, Simona Halep
Current Projected Top 8 (5 Spots Remaining)
Next in Line with points behind current projected cut-off (3137)
DOUBLES:
Mattek-Sands/Safarova Seek Wuhan Title, Singapore Qualification
Playing in their seventh tournament together this year, Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Lucie Safarova have a chance to qualify for the WTA Finals for the second consecutive year on Saturday, but they will need to defeat Sania Mirza and Barbora Strycova in the Wuhan final in order to do so.
Wuhan will be the fourth final this year for Mattek-Sands/Safarova, having won titles at Miami and the US Open, while also finishing as runner-up in Charleston. They will move to RTS No.5 if they are runners-up in Wuhan.
Mirza/Strycova Closing in on Top 8
Although this is only the fourth tournament of the year for Mirza/Strycova, the two have posted a 15-1 record winning titles at Cincinnati and Tokyo. Their only loss thus far has been to Kristina Mladenovic and Caroline GarcIa, currently the top ranked doubles team in 2016, at the US Open in the quarterfinals.
Despite forming the late-season partnership, Mirza/Strycova are rapidly climbing the Road to Singapore leaderboard. By advancing to the final, they will move to No.11 and cam climb to No.9 with the Wuhan title.
Qualified: Garcia/Mladenovic, Hingis/Mirza, Makarova/Vesnina
Current Projected Top 8 (5 Spots Remaining)
Shvedova/Babos |
3975 |
|
Mattek-Sands/Safarova |
3911 |
Qualify with Wuhan title (vs Mirza/Strycova in final) |
Hlavackova/Hradecka |
3775 |
|
Chan/Chan |
3760 |
|
Goerges Pliskova |
3270 |
Remaining Teams in Possible Contention with points behind projected cutoff (3270)
*Atawo/Spears |
-575 |
||
*Xu/Zheng |
-600 |
||
Mirza/Strycova |
-885 |
Close to 570 (and 9th place) with Wuhan title (vs Mattek/Safarova in final) |
|
*Klepac/Srebotnik |
-1130 |
*Atawo/Spears, Xu/Zheng and Klepac/Srebotnik are in the same quarter of the draw
All photos courtesy of Getty Images.
An interview with Petra Kvitova after her win in the final of the Dongfeng Motor Wuhan Open.
WUHAN, China – Dominika Cibulkova completed her arduous journey to the Dongfeng Motor Wuhan Open final with a thrilling victory over Svetlana Kuznetsova
Watch live action from Wuhan on WTA Live powered by TennisTV!
After over two and half hours of thrilling tennis, Cibulkova added the finishing touch to a 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 victory by thumping a backhand onto the baseline. In the final she will face the winner of Friday’s evening session, Petra Kvitova.
“It feels great. I’m really tired right now, but the feeling to be in the final is unbelievable, and that’s why I love it,” Cibulkova said. “It’s just a great win for me today.”
Cibulkova’s path to the final has been far from straightforward. Rain earlier in the week forced the Slovak to play both her last 16 and quarterfinal matches on Thursday, making the level of play against Kuznetsova all the more remarkable.
“I would say that nothing has been easy here. I’ve had really tough matches from the first round so you don’t expect anything easy from this tournament. I’m really looking forward to another final and I want to keep going, keep playing like this,” Cibulkova added.
Didn't expect Cibulkova to have enough left in the tank for a performance like that. Love her attitude+it's another final @wuhanopentennis
— Anne Keothavong (@annekeothavong) 30 September 2016
Outthought and outfought in the first set, Cibulkova went back to the drawing board at the start of the second. Her change of tack reaped immediate dividends, bookending a trademark drive volley with a couple of perfectly executed drop shots to break in the opening game.
“I have my notes with me [on court] for a couple of years now and it’s helping me, so it’s nothing new for me but it’s something that keeps me focused and helps me remember things to do – it’s just a reminder for me. But it helped me today.”
While this advantage did not last for long, the tide was turning, Cibulkova taking four of the last five games to force a decider.
With the contest in the balance, Cibulkova somehow managed to summon her best tennis. Serving at 4-4, 15-30, she finished a series of energy sapping points with spectacular winners to edge ahead. This sequence seemed to drain the belief from Kuznetsova, who soon found herself staring at three match points. One was enough, Cibulkova pouncing on an inviting serve to reach her fifth final of the season.
The result not only guarantees a return to the Top 10 but also boosts her hopes of reaching the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global for the first time. She will now occupy one of the eight qualification spots on Monday, regardless of the result in the final.
Highlights from semifinal action at the Dongfeng Motor Wuhan Open.
WUHAN, China – Svetlana Kuznetsova’s self-awareness never ceases to disarm a press room. The Russian was the last teenager to win her maiden Slam, which she did at the 2004 US Open at 19 years old. Over a decade on, the 31-year-old is set to return to her highest ranking since 2010, moving as high as No.7 after making the semifinals of this week’s Dongfeng Motor Wuhan Open.
Kuznetsova is in good position to finish her year inside the Top 10 for the first time since 2009 and qualify for the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global for the first time since that same year. All that is to say, the veteran is in the midst of an impressive career-turnaround, having been ranked as low as No.85 just three years ago:
Over the last two years, Kuznetsova stopped caring about her ranking or even her results. She just wanted to enjoy her tennis again and go back to playing her creative and, for better or worse, unpredictable, creative game style. She fancies herself “an artist” on the court. When she plays her best, there’s little argument.
The result? A more relaxed, go with the flow Sveta. She finished last season by winning the Kremlin Cup and qualifying for the Huajin Securities WTA Elite Trophy Zhuhai, then picked up right where she left off, winning the Apia International Sydnery in January. Then came a run to the final of the Miami Open, where she beat then-No.1 Serena Williams en route and has been a consistent feature in the quarterfinals or better.
“All the life for me is mental,” Kuznetsova told reporters after saving match point to beat Agnieszka Radwanska in Wuhan. The press corp laughed. Kuznetsova shot a knowing grin.
“Right before the match, [my coach]. Carlos told me, Do you remember the time you play in Madrid?
“I said, ‘No, I don’t.’
“He said, ‘You were up 6-3 in the tiebreak, and then you lost it’.
“I’m like, ‘Oh.’
“Then here I go. I’m like 6-3 up, then 6-All. I’m like, ‘Damn, why did he tell me that?’
“Then I still have sometimes negative things appear in your head and you have to turn them around. After the match I said to Carlos, ‘Why did you tell me that before the match?’
“He said, ‘I know, I know. I was stupid.'”
What's more important: Talent or Work Ethic? @SvetlanaK27 says just win, baby. pic.twitter.com/GnLBLaNcFx
— WTA Insider (@WTA_insider) September 28, 2016
Over the years Kuznetsova has learned how to play tricks on her herself, to lie to her mind to get her body to do what she wants it to do. It’s part of the experience you gain as a veteran on tour and it’s particularly important at the end of the season, when fatigue can get the better of so many players.
“Like probably when I was 25, 26, I was like, Damn, I’m so tired,” Kuznetsova said. “Damn, when the season going to be over? Now I don’t feel tired because I believe it’s mental. If you say, ‘Oh, season is in the end, I’m tired,’ you will be tired.
“Now I know it’s not something, like, ‘I going to play for ages.’ It makes it easier for me. Now I know it’s a few years left. It’s like, ‘Do the best out of it and that’s it.’ When I was 25, I knew [my tennis career] was still long way to go. I was like, ‘Shit, I’m so tired.’
“Now I just enjoy it.”
Knowing that she is closer to the end of her career also helps take the pressure off. The prospect of competing is far less daunting, especially if you, as Kuznetsova does, trick yourself.
“I think about [retirement] in the positive way, to make me go for more,” Kuznetsova said, when asked how much she thinks about the end of her career. “I say, ‘Look, it’s one, two years, you’re done.’ Maybe it’s not [but] it’s something convincing. You have to work with yourself and find the keys to convince yourself to do good in the positive way. Whatever you say, it’s working. If it’s positive, it makes you go better, that’s good.
“Sometimes I have to lie to myself a little bit in a funny way. I say, ‘Yeah, it’s one tournament, that’s it.’ It’s not, it’s going to be more. But it helps mentally. If you think it very long-term, that comes very big in front of you, big wall. If you do short-term, is better.”
Dominika Cibulkova has Friday’s shot of the day at the Dongfeng Motor Wuhan Open.
Petra Kvitova takes on Simona Halep in the semifinals of the Dongfeng Motor Wuhan Open.
Halep Books Return to Singapore
Just two days after celebrating her 25th birthday, Simona Halep secured her spot in Singapore for the third consecutive year by reaching the semifinal with a win over Madison Keys. Halep joins Angelique Kerber and Serena Williams in the Singapore lineup with the final five spots up for grabs.
Cibulkova, Kuznetsova Deliver Under Pressure
Dominika Cibulkova delivered in a big way with wins over Karolina Pliskova and Barbora Strycova on Thursday to set up a semifinal match against Svetlana Kuznetsova. The victories position her among the Top 8 on the Road to Singapore Leaderboard and also confirm her return to the WTA Top 10 when the latest rankings are released after Wuhan.
Kuznetsova, who now sits at No.10 on the Leaderboard, has enjoyed a late-career resurgence as she will reach her highest ranking since the 2010 French Open after Wuhan. Both players are jockeying for position on the Leaderboard, and a semifinal win will add 235 points to their totals.
Cibulkova has a chance this week to move as high as No.6 on the Leaderboard, overtaking French Open champion Garbiñe Muguruza. Kuznetsova, on the other hand, has a chance to climb into the Top 8 if she can capture the title in Wuhan.
Late Season Push for Kvitova
Petra Kvitova scored a win over current WTA World No.1 Angelique Kerber in the third round, which, arguably, could be considered the WTA match of the year.
Kvitova entered the week at No.21 on the Road to Singapore Leaderboard. Projected to climb to No.18 with her results so far, a run to a second Wuhan final – she was the inaugural Wuhan champion in 2014 – would push her to around No.12. If Kvitova, also a finalist in 2014 at Beijing, could complete a Wuhan/Beijing double, she would vault into the Top 8 and be in position to qualify for the WTA Finals for the sixth straight year.
WTA FINALS – ROAD TO SINGAPORE UPDATE – Thursday, September 29th
SINGLES:
Qualified: Angelique Kerber, Serena Williams, Simona Halep
Next to Qualify: No more qualifiers this week. All eyes will be on Beijing
Current Projected Top 8 (Remaining 5 Spots)
Contenders for Top 8 in Action:
(Current projected cut off is 3,137; points trailing the current projected cutoff)
DOUBLES:
Qualified: Caroline Garcia and Kristina Mladenovic, Martina Hingis and Sania Mirza, Ekaterina Makarova and Elena Vesnina
Next to Qualify: It is possible for two of three teams to qualify this week – Timea Babos and Yaroslava Shvedova will qualify if they defeat Sania Mirza and Barbora Strycova in quarterfinal, and either Chan Hao-Ching and Chan Yung-Jan or Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Lucie Safarova will book their ticket to Singapore with the title
Current Projected Top 8 (Remaining 5 Teams)
Babos/Shvedova |
3975 |
QF vs. Mirza/Strycova |
Hlavackova/Hradecka |
3775 |
lost 2R vs Bondarenko/Chuang |
Chan/Chan |
3760 |
SF vs winner of Babos/Shvedova & Mirza/Strycova |
Mattek-Sands/Safarova |
3676 |
No.5 seed, SF vs McHale/Peng |
Goerges/Pliskova |
3270 |
lost to Atawo/Spears in 2R |
Contenders for Top 8 in Action:
(Current projected cut off is 3,270; points trailing the current projected cutoff)
Atawo/Spears |
-575 |
lost to Chan Sisters in QF |
Xu/Zheng |
-600 |
lost Atawo/Spears in 1R |
Klepac/Srebotnik |
-1130 |
lost No.2 seed Chan Sisters in 2R |
Mirza/Strycova |
-1280 |
QF vs Babos/Shvedova |
Highlights from the quarterfinals action at the Dongfeng Motor Wuhan Open.