Beijing: Keys vs. Kvitova
Madison Keys takes on Petra Kvitova in the quarterfinals of the China Open.
Madison Keys takes on Petra Kvitova in the quarterfinals of the China Open.
BEIJING, China – Johanna Konta recovered from a nightmare start to defeat Zhang Shuai and end home hopes at the China Open.
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After losing the first four games, Konta turned the match on its head to quieten the crowd and run out a 6-4, 6-0 winner. The result sets up a semifinal showdown with fellow BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global contender Madison Keys and also within touching distance of reaching the Top 10.
“Even though it was 12 games in a row, the scoreline was a lot closer,” Konta said. “Every single point was a really high level. I had to fight a lot at the end and I’m really happy to get through.”
In the previous round, Zhang upset Simona Halep for the loss of only three games. Against Konta she picked up from where she left off, delighting the crowd as a run of 13 straight points helped build an early lead.
Konta stopped the rot when Zhang sent a volley long to hand back one of the breaks. The following game she produced a couple of big serves to hold serve from 0-30, as the confidence began to course through her game.
In the ninth game she edged ahead, slapping a forehand winner after dragging Zhang ragged. Even a few interruptions from the crowd managed to derail the Briton, who served out to love before rattling through the second set.
This summer, Konta was one win from reaching the Top 10 only to produce a subdued performance against Kristina Kucova. Judging by Keys’ showing against Kvitova earlier in the day, a repeat performance will end in further disappointment.
The stakes are equally high for Keys – who will qualify for the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global by winning the title. Konta also remains in contention for a place in Singapore – victory over the American would edge her ahead of Dominika Cibulkova and into the eighth and final qualifying berth.
“I really do my best to not think far ahead and really not try to crave those sort of things,” Keys said when asked about a potential Top 10 debut. “I think if you live yourself into that, really bring your head out of your bubble, things become a bit more sticky, a bit more difficult to keep manage of.
“If it’s on the cards for me, great. If it’s not, it’s not. That’s okay, too. I’m really grateful for the journey that I’m having. However it pans out, it’s mine. Yeah, I’m just enjoying playing.”
Elina Svitolina takes on Daria Gavrilova in the quarterfinals of the China Open.
BEIJING, China – Shortly after midnight Agnieszka Radwanska looked alert as ever as she secured the last semifinal spot at the China Open with an impressive win over Yaroslava Shvedova.
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Radwanska, the 2011 champion, produced two sets of near-flawless tennis to wrap up a 6-1, 6-2 victory and a book a meeting with Elina Svitolina.
.@ARadwanska through in the straightest of straight sets into @ChinaOpen SF pic.twitter.com/WCsJ4JXdC5
— TennisTV (@TennisTV) October 7, 2016
Shvedova, who defeated Alizé Cornet in their rain-delayed third-round encounter earlier in the day, made a bright enough start, capitalizing on a couple of errors from Radwanska to claim an early break. However, from this point on it was one-way traffic, the Pole soaking up Shvedova’s best blows to race through the rest of the set.
Radwanska’s defense was equally watertight in the second set – she would finish with just nine unforced errors – rattling off the final four games to take her place in a fifth semifinal in the Chinese capital.
Svitolina’s progress was not quite so straightforward, recovering from a slow start to defeat Daria Gavrilova. Having overturned an early deficit, Svitolina experienced an almighty struggle to close out the opening set. In the end she required seven set points, going on to close out a 7-6(3), 6-1 winner after an hour and 45 minutes.
Agnieszka Radwanska takes on Yaroslava Shvedova in the quarterfinals of the China Open.
BEIJING, China – Madison Keys moved one step closer to qualifying for her first BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global, edging a streaking Petra Kvitova, 6-3, 6-7(2), 7-6(5), to advance to her first Premier Mandatory semifinal at the China Open. Keys will play Johanna Konta on Saturday for a place in the final.
1. Keys’ improved resilience wins the day…again.
No single stat explains Madison Keys’ rise through the ranks in 2016 than her three-set record. In 2014 she was 6-10. In 2015 she was 7-8. In 2016? She’s now 17-5.
“You look at my scores, there’s lulls and stuff but I feel like before it would spiral really quickly,” Keys told WTA Insider earlier this week in Beijing. “Now I’m stopping it and getting better at that.
“I think it’s that confidence of knowing ‘Don’t panic, you can do this.’ I think the biggest thing is knowing that those thoughts of panic are probably going to go into your brain and just accepting it. So that’s been the biggest thing. Not fighting it and trying to think I’m going to have the perfect mentality the entire time. That’s not going to happen. So just knowing it and accepting it has been a huge thing for me.”
To succeed as a power player you have to be able to execute under pressure. Players who can grind out points have the luxury of being able to play for the next shot, prolonging rallies and using their defense to get themselves out of trouble. Players like Kvitova and Keys do not have that luxury. When the opening is there they have to execute. That becomes more and more difficult when the pressure is on.
Keys had multiple opportunities to let this match slip away. She served for the straight set win at 5-4 in the second set only to get broken and lose the tiebreaker. After building a quick 3-0 lead in the final set she let Kvitova back into the set at 3-3 and then had to fend off seven break points to get the match into a final set tie-break.
Then, on the biggest pressure point of the match at 5-5 in the tie-break, Kvitova maintained her discipline and kept the ball on Keys’ less dangerous backhand side before the American finally had enough.
“That was just like, we’re going to go for it and see what happens. Hope for the best,” Keys told reporters afterwards with a laugh. Indeed, Keys gripped and ripped a backhand down-the-line winner to earn match point. She only needed one.
“It was about one or two points in the end,” Kvitova told WTA Insider. “I had break points in the third and I don’t know, I didn’t really think I did anything really wrong. She served well and really went for it at 5-5 in the tiebreaker and put the backhand down the line. It was a great move from her.”
2. Kvitova’s resurgence in China could continue in Zhuhai.
Kvitova was understandably dejected after the loss, having come so close to extending her win-streak to nine matches.
“I felt like the first two sets I was the worst player until the last game of the second set when I break her and then the tie-break,” Kvitova said. “Then in the third I thought I was the better player, but that’s tennis.”
Kvitova was one for 11 on break points in the final set. Keys did well to save more than a handful on her own accord, but Kvitova had a relatively easy forehand on one that she put into the net.
“Maybe I shouldn’t have missed that forehand, but that’s just how it is,” she said. “I had more chances than that. I think both of us in the third were both mentally strong, it was just about the third and you never know how those tiebreaks will go.”
“It was a good fight and finally I am done here.”
Kvitova finally found her game in China, winning the Dongfeng Motor Wuhan Open last week and making her third China Open quarterfinal. In all she went 8-1 through China to bring her ranking back up – she could return to the Top 10 next week depending on Konta’s results in Beijing – and finish the year strong. In all, Kvitova played nine matches in 12 days in China and a brief respite will do her good.
“I’m really tired and I just need to rest,” Kvitova said. “Especially when you lose you just feel more tired than normally.”
Kvitova will finish her regular season in Luxembourg next week and then will head to the WTA Elite Trophy Zhuhai to finish her WTA season. “We are playing the final of the Fed Cup so I think it will be good to play in Zhuhai,” Kvitova said.
How big is the Konta-Keys semi @ChinaOpen?
Keys wins: Qualifies for @WTAFinalsSG.
Konta wins: Makes Top 10 debut, moves to No.8 in RTS.— WTA Insider (@WTA_insider) October 7, 2016
3. Keys on the verge of qualifying for Singapore.
If she advances to the final she will lock down her Singapore spot*. The 21-year-old holds the keys to her own fate this week and Saturday’s semifinal looms particularly large considering she is not presently entered in any more tournaments before the WTA Finals. In other words, barring any last minute wildcards, Beijing is her last chance to earn points.
“It’s tough,” Keys told WTA Insider earlier in the week. “Do I use that as my motivation to try and figure it out or is that going to make me more nervous and put more pressure on me? It just depends on the day.
“Some days it’s like ‘No one say the word! We’re in Beijing, that’s all we’re doing, there’s no more tournaments for the rest of the year.’ Other days it’s like ‘This is really tough, grinding, it’s been a long season, but I’m that close.’ I want to put myself in the best position and I want to be able to walk away, qualifying or not, knowing that I did everything I could to get there.”
*Editor’s note: Karolina Pliskova has withdrawn from Linz and Garbiñe Muguruza has replaced her as a Top 10 direct entry into the main draw. In addition, Dominika Cibulkova and Keys have taken wildcards into Linz. As a result, while a win over Konta on Saturday will place Keys on the cusp of qualification, she will no longer automatically qualify for the WTA Finals by making the China Open final.
An interview with Madison Keys after her win in the quarterfinals of the China Open.
Madison Keys produced one of the most impressive performances of her young career to defuse Petra Kvitova in a thrilling quarterfinal shoot-out in Beijing. The result ends Kvitova’s slim chances of reaching the season-ending showpiece, but what does it mean for Keys and the other contenders?
Matches to Watch in Beijing
Konta vs Keys (SF, Saturday): Keys moved up to No.7 on the RTS leaderboard by overcoming Kvitova and is now just two wins away from securing qualification for her first WTA Finals. If Keys lifts the title in the Chinese capital, she qualifies for Singapore.*
There is plenty on the line for her opponent, too. By reaching the last four, Konta moved into the first alternate position (RTS No.9). If she advances to the final, then Konta will move into the Top 8, 10 points ahead of Dominika Cibulkova.
Should Konta defeat Keys, then she will also make her Top 10 debut, becoming the first Briton to achieve this feat since Jo Durie in 1984.
* Keys had previously only needed to reach the final to qualify for Singapore. However, Karolina Pliskova’s withdrawal from Linz on Friday saw Garbiñe Muguruza take her place as a direct entry as a result of the Top 10 replacement rule. Keys and Dominika Cibulkova also accepted wildcards into the tournament, thus creating a possible scenario where Keys could be overtaken even if she reached the final in Beijing.
Heading To Zhuhai
While Kvitova is no longer is in contention of for a spot in Singapore – neither as a qualifier nor as an alternate – her late-season form has guaranteed her a place at the WTA Elite Trophy Zhuhai.
SINGLES:
Qualified: Angelique Kerber, Serena Williams, Simona Halep, Agnieszka Radwanska, Karolina Pliskova
Next In Line (Current Top 8):
Still in Contention – Currently No.9 to No.13 with points behind current projected cut-off (3352)
WHO IS PLAYING WHERE?
Muguruza: Linz
Cibulkova: Linz, Moscow
Keys: Linz
Suárez Navarro: Linz, Moscow
Konta: Hong Kong
Kuznetsova: Tianjin [will need to play Moscow to stay in contention, possible WC]
An interview with Johanna Konta after her win in the quarterfinals of the China Open.
BEIJING, China – No.5 seeds Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Lucie Safarova defeated wildcards Christina McHale and Peng Shuai on Friday to reach the China Open semifinals and extend their unbeaten run.
Titles at the US Open and Wuhan have established Mattek-Sands and Safarova as the form team on tour and despite falling an early break behind the always looked in control against McHale and Peng, closing out a 6-4, 6-2 victory after an hour and 10 minutes.
The next team charged with snapping their winning streak – which now stands at 14 matches – is Gabriela Dabrowski and María José Martínez Sánchez after they edged past recent BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global qualifiers Julia Goerges and Karolina Pliskova, 6-4, 6-4.
In the top half of the draw, top seeds Caroline Garcia and Kristina Mladenovic stayed on course for their first title since June thanks to a 6-4, 6-3 win over wildcards Timea Bacsinszky and Jelena Ostapenko. Meeting the French duo for a place in the final will be No.3 seeds Chan Hao-Ching and Chan Yung-Jan.
Demain, nous disputons notre 1/2f au @ChinaOpen ??????
Tomorrow 1/2f day at #ChinaOpen @WTA pic.twitter.com/q6pGCJP6CR— Kristina Mladenovic (@KikiMladenovic) October 7, 2016