Dubai: Zhang Kai-Lin's Shot Of The Day
Zhang Kai-Lin had Sunday’s shot of the day at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships.
Zhang Kai-Lin had Sunday’s shot of the day at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships.
DUBAI, UAE –
Garbiñe Muguruza has taken quite a climb in the last 12 months, winning her maiden major title at the French Open. The Spaniard climbed even higher before kicking off her campaign at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships, scaling the world’s tallest building at the Burj Khalifa.“I’m very excited to see what’s upstairs!” said the No.5 seed before beginning her journey up into the heavens.
Muguruza enjoyed a leisurely ride up the world’s fastest elevator to take in the view from the observation deck on the 148th floor.
“I’ve been told when you’re up this high, you can see the earth starting to curve,” she mused.
Muguruza plays her opening round match on Tuesday against Kateryna Bondarenko; check out the rest of her trip to the Burj Khalifa right here on wtatennis.com!
Kristyna Pliskova takes on Roberta Vinci in the first round of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships.
DUBAI, UAE – No.38-ranked American Alison Riske took out her compatriot and No.11 seed CoCo Vandeweghe in straight sets to move into the second round at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships, 6-4, 6-4.
Playing in their first match since teaming up for Fed Cup, the pair squared off for the eighth time (across all levels) with Riske leading 1-0 in their WTA head-to-head record.
“It can be difficult [to play a friend], especially we just had the best week together at Fed Cup. So it was unfortunate that we played each other first round,” Riske told press after the match.
“But at the end of the day you have to focus on you, and there are so many Americans now in the top. We are all friends, or at least I feel like we are.
“We’re going to beat each other week in and week out, and it’s something that we’ve got to get used to.”
First set ? @Riske4rewards!
Leads Vandeweghe 6-4! #DDFTennis pic.twitter.com/mPvseYCyFJ
— WTA (@WTA) February 20, 2017
Riske kept the Australian Open semifinalist out of her comfort zone throughout the match, taking the pace off the ball and absorbing Vandeweghe’s powerful shots, redirecting it all back at the No.21-ranked American.
Vandeweghe gave up the first break of the match with a double fault – one of the 11 she’d hit during the match – to give Riske a 4-3 lead. Riske weathered back to back breaks of serve as the pair wrestled for momentum towards the end, before taking the opening set on her serve.
The frustration continued to mount for Vandeweghe, who dropped her serve to start the second set and give Riske another early lead. The No.38-ranked American kept her nose in front after a flurry of four straight breaks, comfortably serving out the match to love – aided by a pair of Vandeweghe’s 58 unforced errors.
.@Riske4rewards shocks Vandeweghe 6-4, 6-4 in @DDFTennis First round! pic.twitter.com/p69r3mRHJl
— WTA (@WTA) February 20, 2017
“I think she was having a little difficulty with her first serves,” Riske assessed. “But she was starting to get back in rhythm in the second set there. I feel if I had let up just a little bit, things could have changed.
“I was definitely proud of myself for staying in there and still dictating as best I could and not giving her an inch to come back.”
Awaiting Riske in the second round of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships will be Anastasija Sevastova, who cruised past Irina-Camelia Begu in straight sets.
Caroline Garcia takes on Johanna Larsson in the first round of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships.
DUBAI, UAE – Kristina Mladenovic set up a second-round showdown with Qatar Total Open champion Karolina Pliskova after defeating Katerina Siniakova 6-3, 6-3 at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships.
“It was a very difficult match, I think she is about a similar ranking to me and I never won against her so the score may have looked easy but we played for an hour and a half,” said Mladenovic. “I am very happy about my performance and very glad to be back in Dubai, I have great memories especially winning the doubles here last year and it’s a home tournament for me. I moved here a couple of years ago and I’m loving it.”
Siniakova had won the previous two meetings between the players but it was the 2017 St Petersburg champion who started faster, breaking her younger opponent in the opening game and twice more to win opening set 6-3.
.@KiKiMladenovic in full flight! #DDFTennis pic.twitter.com/Fz8tMKyVMg
— WTA (@WTA) February 20, 2017
The Czech began the season by winning her maiden WTA Tour title in Shenzhen but had no answer to Mladenovic’s effective all-court game, the Frenchwoman breaking early in the second set and hanging on to secure an intriguing second-round tie against in-form Pliskova.
“First of all she is a good friend of mine and we always had tough battles in the past, especially in the final of the Fed Cup I think we played four hours,” added Mladenovic. “Everybody knows about Kara, she’s on fire, winning last week for her second title of the season.
“For sure, it’s going to be a difficult match but I’m going to prepare the best I can. She just won in Doha, so she will feel great, obviously. And here, the conditions are also great for her. I will need to play a bit better than today.”
An interview with Agnieszka Radwanska before her opening round match at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships.
DUBAI, UAE – Ana Konjuh breezed into the second round of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships after routing China’s Zhang Shuai 6-0, 6-1.
The score was a surprise given Zhang’s impressive run in Doha last week when she beat Garbiñe Muguruza en route to the quarterfinals.
But she found her Croatian opponent on devastating form, producing a display of awesome power hitting to seal a second-round meeting with Australia’s Sam Stosur.
“The last two years I played quallies, so I’m really happy to be in the main draw this year and to keep my game like that,” said Konjuh. “Hopefully I’m going to continue.”
.@AnaKonjuh is really in the zone at @DDFTennis! pic.twitter.com/HDmxj1Lt9d
— WTA (@WTA) February 20, 2017
A Chinese player who fared much better was Peng Shuai, who comfortably defeated Leisa Tsurenko 6-1, 6-1 to set up a second-round clash with Barbora Strycova. Surprises continued on Court 1 with Catherine Bellis eliminating 17th seed Yulia Putintseva 6-1, 7-5. Meanwhile, qualifier Elise Mertens upset Tsvetana Pironkova 6-3, 6-2 on Court 3.
Bellis, ranked 70th in the world, found herself 5-1 down in the second set before reeling off an incredible six games on the trot to seal a remarkable victory.
“I got myself in a bit of trouble in the second set, but I’m glad I got out of it. I just thought to myself, stick to my game plan, just keep steady, I can come back,” said Bellis afterwards. “I can come back against anyone I set my mind to. I’m really glad I got through it. in the beginning of the second, I think I won the first game. The second game was really long.
“So I just kept thinking to myself, I’m still in this match, obviously even when I was losing, still in this match, and I’m playing well, so I can come back whenever I want and whenever, you know, I get a good rhythm. So once I went down, I just stayed calm and stuck to my game plan and came back.”
Peng Shuai advances to @DDFTennis Second round!
Storms past Tsurenko 6-1, 6-1! pic.twitter.com/de1fzAED2d
— WTA (@WTA) February 20, 2017
Elsewhere, Kateryna Bondarenko survived an opening-set blip to come through 4-6, 6-4, 6-3 against Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus. Misaki Doi claimed a notable win against Madison Brengle, the Japanese beating the American in three tight sets.
Check out all the day’s results here.
An interview with Dominika Cibulkova before her opening round match at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships.
Olympic champion Monica Puig advanced to the second round of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships after defeating Yaroslava Shvedova 6-3, 4-6, 6-4.
“My serving was pretty good today so I think I just believed that I could serve it out and be as positive as I could,” said Puig. “She played a great match, she put me under pressure a lot and I’m just happy to get through.”
Following a confidence-building run to the semifinals of the Qatar Total Open, Puig continued her rich vein of form by taking the opening set 6-3 but squandered a handful of break points against the Kazakh’s serve before being broken twice to lose a tight second set 6-4.
.@MonicaAce93 downs Shvedova 6-3, 4-6, 6-4!
Plays @CaroGarcia next in @DDFTennis Second round! pic.twitter.com/xHzY75zLu1
— WTA (@WTA) February 20, 2017
Puig took an injury timeout before the start of the decider and it seemed to have the desired effect as the Puerto Rican gained the decisive opening break in the seventh game for a 4-3 lead before serving out for the win.
“There was just some soreness,” Puig said after appearing to be in back pain. “I came from the semis in Doha so obviously I need to get my body as recovered as possible but I’m feeling good after this win.”
Victory for Puig marks her best run in Dubai in only her second appearance and she next faces France’s Caroline Garcia, who beat Johanna Larsson on Sunday.
“I know she (Garcia) is a very feisty player. She plays really well and she’s had a great couple of years so I have to go out there and play my best game and whatever happens, happens but I’m just happy with what I’m doing.”
For Shvedova, her challenging start to the season continues. She made 44 unforced errors and 11 double faults and is yet to win a match in 2017.