Tennis News

STANFORD, CA, USA – Dominika Cibulkova defeated Misaki Doi at the Bank of the West Classic on Friday to tick off another major accomplishment in an already highly successful summer.

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The past few months have already brought Cibulkova significant moments on and off the court, and her 7-5, 6-0 victory over Doi confirmed that on Monday morning she will return to the Top 10 for the first time in over 18 months.

Cibulkova first broke into the Top 10 shortly after her run to the Australian Open final in 2014, staying there until Achilles surgery laid her low at the start of the following year. This star quality has been evident for much of 2016, a WTA-leading 37 wins, two titles and a Wimbledon quarterfinal appearance prompting a charge up the rankings.

Against Doi, it took a while for her class to shine through. But when the Slovak eventually acclimatized to her opponent’s frantic pace – and the sweltering conditions – she did so emphatically: a run of 11 straight games setting up a semifinal meeting with No.3 seed Johanna Konta.

“Today was really, really tough. She was playing fast from the first ball, but once I found out what I needed to do to win I was doing the right thing all the way through the match,” Cibulkova, who lifted the Stanford title three years ago, said. “I know the court, I know the balls, I know what I have to do to go all the way here.”

Like Cibulkova, Konta was forced to ride out some rocky moments against Zheng Saisai, recovering from a break down in the final set to win, 6-2, 4-6, 6-3.

“I think the level of tennis really took its toll on me – she made it incredibly tough to play the way I wanted to play – so I was very glad I was able to string some points together in the third set,” Konta said.

BASTAD, Sweden – Johanna Larsson moved one step closer to reclaiming her Ericsson Open title by knocking out No.4 seed Annika Beck in Friday’s quarterfinals.

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Appearing at this stage for the fifth time in the past six years, Larsson looked surprisingly ill at ease early on, at one point even dropping her racquet mid-rally as she slipped 3-1 behind. However, urged on by a supportive crowd, she did not trail for long, a run of four straight games turning the set on its head.

While the Swede was unable to serve out the set at 5-4, she hit back immediately, guiding a forehand winner down the line to earn three more break points. Beck surrendered with a backhand into the net and when the same wing let her down a few minutes later the set was over.

As the disappointment lingered, Larsson sensed her moment establishing an early second set lead and wrapping up a 7-5, 6-1 victory after an hour and 20 minutes.

Larssons break ball to 4-1 in 2d was as important as it was spectacular. #ericssonopen @WTA pic.twitter.com/6nacZQsuvz

— Swedish Open Tennis (@swedish_open) July 22, 2016

“I played very well today, I’m happy with my performance – I thought I was really solid out there, I took advantage of the crowd and was just really happy to be out there,” Larsson said. “I think I’m on a good path – today was a good match – and if I can just keep going and keep solid, and if I can keep going and take my chances I’ll have a very good chance in the semifinals.”

There she will face Katerina Siniakova after she upset No.2 seed Sara Errani, 7-6(2), 6-3. On the other side of the draw, Laura Siegemund and Julia Goerges succeeded where their compatriot Beck failed by advancing to the semifinals.

In the schedule’s opening match, Siegemund defeated Lara Arruabarrena, 7-5, 6-3, before Goerges followed up with a 4-6, 6-2, 6-3 win over Karin Knapp. 

WASHINGTON, DC, USA – Yanina Wickmayer put friendship to one side on Friday afternoon to defeat No.4 seed Kristina Mladenovic and take her place in the semifinals of the Citi Open.

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Breaks at the end of the second and third sets proved the difference in a tight affair as Wickmayer prevailed, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, to book a meeting with No.6 seed Yulia Putintseva for a place in the final.

Wickmayer and Mladenovic are close off the court, a relationship which complicated matters going into their quarterfinal meeting. “Yeah it’s difficult, I think we went for dinner five or six times in the past week, it’s tough playing her and being her opponent today,” Wickmayer said afterwards. “I had to work hard because she plays such good tennis.”

Early on it appeared like it would be the Frenchwoman bringing the bragging rights to their next dinner date. However, after dropping the first set, Wickmayer grabbed the initiative in the second, three forehand winners bringing her the decisive break in the eighth game.

The third was just as evenly contested. Wickmayer made her move early, only to surrender this advantage with a misjudged drop shot at 3-2. A game later, the Belgian was back in front, and this time there would be no second chances, confidently serving out for a place in just her second semifinal of the season.

Putintseva ensured she would be fresh for their last four showdown by comfortably seeing off the unseeded Risa Ozaki, 6-4, 6-2.

Also impressing was wildcard Jessica Pegula, who knocked out top seed and former US Open champion Samantha Stosur, 7-6(4), 6-3, to reach her maiden WTA semifinal. There she will face the winner of the evening session between another American, Lauren Davis, and Camila Giorgi.

STANFORD, CA, USA – This week at the Bank of the West Classic proved one to remember for 17-year-old Catherine Bellis, who reached her first WTA quarterfinal, where she played former No.1 Venus Williams.

Bellis first turned heads at the 2014 US Open, when she became the youngest woman to win a match in Flushing since Anna Kournikova in 1996, upsetting then-reigning Australian Open finalist Dominika Cibulkova in the first round. The youngster went on to reach the third round of the Miami Open in 2015 – where she played Venus’ sister Serena for the first time – and with wins over No.6 seed Jelena Ostapenko and Sachia Vickery, kept dreams of a pro career alive in Stanford, even as she committed to play college tennis for that very university.

Here from Bellis as she spoke with reporters following her first round win over Ostapenko, how she doubted whether she’d even be able to take the court after a traumatic left eye contusion left her faced with “the scariest moment of her life,” and how her game has improved since bursting onto the scene nearly two years ago.

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STANFORD, CA, USA – Former No.1 Venus Williams put on a vintage performance to dismiss 17-year-old wildcard Catherine Bellis, 6-4, 6-1, to reach the semifinals of the Bank of the West Classic.

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Bellis was playing in her first-ever WTA quarterfinal, and her quest to become the sixth youngest woman to defeat the five-time Wimbledon winner (at 17 years, 105 days old) was boosted by an opening service break.

The top seed quickly took the break back, however, and remained in the driver’s seat throughout the 61 minute masterclass. Breaking serve once more with a thunderous backhand winner down the line, Williams clinched the opening set and lost just one more game to guarantee the Top 3 seeds advanced into the semifinals.

Into her eighth career Stanford semi, Venus next faces fellow American Alison Riske, who was up a set on No.4 seed CoCo Vandeweghe when her higher ranked opponent turned her ankle and was forced to retire one game into the second.

More to come…