Insider Podcast: Pliskova Delivers
WTA Insider | Hear from both sides of the classic encounter between Karolina Pliskova and Venus Williams in the latest Daily Dispatch.
WTA Insider | Hear from both sides of the classic encounter between Karolina Pliskova and Venus Williams in the latest Daily Dispatch.
A US Open champion must balance the fatigue from a long season with the freneticism the big city. Unseede dAna Konjuh triumphed three years ago in the junior event, and New York has been in her blood ever since.
“The energy here is great,” she said after her third round win over Varvara Lepchenko. “There’s always something to do, so I’m not in the hotel like usual. I love the city and the tournament. It’s really great to be here.”
Konjuh had just reached the second week of a Grand Slam tournament for the first time, but the last teenager left in the draw discussed her daily schedule like an old pro.
“There’s always a day between the matches, so I finish practicing around noon, and then go do what I do.
“I don’t want to be stuck on site 24/7 where it’s just tennis, tennis, tennis. That’s a bit boring. I’m 18 years old and I like to do other stuff too.
“I like to discover new restaurants, see movies, and just strolling around the city. I went shopping on Fifth Avenue, went to Broadway and Times Square, I did some sight seeing. It was really nice.”
The Croat’s week got even nicer on Monday when she knocked out No.4 seed Agnieszka Radwanska under the roof at Arthur Ashe Stadium to reach the quarterfinals.
“I played her at Wimbledon,” she reminded members of the media late last night. “This time I took opportunities. I was just going for it. It was the key to the match.”
Konjuh had held three match points against the Pole at the All England Club, eventually spraining her ankle en route to a heartbreaking loss.
“After that, I went home and had three weeks of therapy. That was really hard because I didn’t get any off time in the summer; I had to do therapy and exercises all day to get better. After that, I got back on court and was bit afraid of moving.”
Fans who saw the injury could certainly forgive the fear. The teenager was running for a Radwanska drop shot when disaster struck in real time.
“My coach showed me the video on Twitter while I was waiting in the physio room,” she recalled.” I said, ‘Yeah, that looks great!’ I didn’t know what had happened to my ankle yet, but I saw the video and was like ‘Oof. If I get back on the court, it’ll be good.'”
Looking more than good headlining her first night session, Konjuh received high praise from coach and former WTA No.32 Jelena Kostanic Tosic.
“My coach said it was my best match ever, and I believe her. I’m obviously seeing that from the other side. I’m real excited about my performance tonight. My serve was pretty good tonight. I don’t think she had any answers.
“I just took the opportunity and went for it, enjoyed the moment.”
Staying present is a learned skill for Konjuh, who was a budding junior star when older sister Antonia fell dangerously ill with a rare autoimmune disease.
“One day she fell on the ground and we didn’t know what had happened. I think I was in Turkey, somewhere, playing a 10K. My father let me know, but I didn’t think it was something serious.
“But then day after day, she didn’t get better, and she celebrated her birthday not knowing who we are. That was really tough for our whole family. She was in the hospital and when I was home, I’d get to see her. I had to do what I had to do in tennis, but I was praying for her. When she got better, it was a miracle.
“Nobody knew what was wrong with her because it was an autoimmune disease, and she was the first case in Croatia. We’re a small country so nobody knew anything. It was really hard for us, but we got through it.
“It defined who I am today. Now I don’t take anything for granted and I just live every day like it’s my last.”
There’s a quiet confidence about the Croat, who next plays No.10 seed Karolina Pliskova, herself a rookie at this stage of a Slam. Her no-nonsense attitude could not only rival a native New Yorker’s, but also help her continue to get by in the city that never sleeps.
“I like fancier places but the food is so expensive, and I don’t see why I should pay for that when the food is great at Dave & Buster’s. We’ll go after a match and have some fun, and then go to Times Square and do some sight seeing. I haven’t been to the Empire State yet, so I hope I can do that this year.
“But if not, there will be other years.”
All photos courtesy of Getty Images.
After a disappointing year of injuries and inconsistencies, Ana Ivanovic took to Twitter on Tuesday, announcing her intention to skip the remaining tournaments in 2016 so that she may be fully fit for the upcoming 2016 season.
Check out her full statement:
A difficult decision that I had to take. pic.twitter.com/XMUtOORCIG
— Ana Ivanovic (@AnaIvanovic) September 6, 2016
Ivanovic had enjoyed a career renaissance in 2014 and had a strong start to 2015, peaking at No.5 just before the toe injury mentioned in her statement. Though she went on to reach the semifinals of the French Open that year, the former No.1 hasn’t made it past the third round in any of the last seven major tournaments. She last played at the US Open, where she fell in the first round to Denisa Allertova, 7-6(4), 6-1.
The Serb spoke with WTA Insider before the start of the Open on her season, career, and the concept of luck in tennis; catch up on that interview below:
DALIAN, China – Aleksandra Krunic suffered a tough first round loss after qualifying for the US Open, but the Serb is back in action at the Dalian Women’s Tennis Open, knocking out local wildcard Lu Jia-Jing, 6-1, 6-2.
Krunic reached the fourth round in Flushing back in 2014, and needed just 61 minutes to dismiss Lu in straight sets, booking a possible second round meeting with No.2 seed Duan Ying-Ying. Duan reached the second round of the US Open before falling to Japan’s Naomi Osaka.
Russia’s Anastasia Pivovarova also advanced on Tuesday with a 7-6(6), 6-2 win over Hiroko Kuwata, and could play No.7 seed Misa Eguchi in the second round. A former World No.93, Pivovarova made her major breakthrough back in 2010 when she reached the third round of the French Open, but has been snakebitten by various injuries throughout her career. Playing her first US Open in six years, Pivovarova lost in qualifying to American Jennifer Brady in a third set tie-break.
In that moment of life, when all I need is a hug… ? #USopen #tennis photo by @spiritbuffalo pic.twitter.com/STvBXfRyCQ
— Anastasia Pivovarova (@A_Pivovarova) September 2, 2016
China’s Wang Qiang is the top seed in Dalian after upsetting No.23 seed Daria Kasatkina to reach the second round of the US Open, and will open her tournament against Nigina Abduraimova.
Angelique Kerber is closing in on the No.1 ranking but her work is far from done in New York. It’s quarterfinal time at the US Open! Chris Oddo previews Tuesday’s action for wtatennis.com.
WTA Insider | On the latest WTA Insider Live Blog, Agnieszka Radwanska headlines her first night session as the Williams sisters provide a double feature on Ashe Stadium
Caroline Garcia and Kristina Mladenovic have become the second doubles team to qualify for the 2016 BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global.
NEW YORK, NY, USA – Simona Halep became the first player in the top half of the draw to reach the US Open quarterfinals after a straight set win over Carla Suárez Navarro.
Some late service jitters turned a stroll across the line into an altogether tenser conclusion, but Halep recomposed herself to close out a 6-2, 7-5 victory.
The Romanian signaled her positive intent from the off, some sparkling attacking tennis helping her to a 4-0 lead. While Suárez Navarro eventually managed to get on the board it was far too late to rescue the set.
This pattern continued into the second. Halep, despite a slight dip, continuing to control much of the action and building a 5-2 lead. Yet with the end in sight, Suárez Navarro finally loosened up, displaying some terrific shotmaking to draw level.
Fueled by her opponent’s brilliance, Halep unleashed a couple of winners of her own to break once more. Serving for the match a second time she did not waver, recovering from 0-30 to set up a quarterfinal showdown with top seed Serena Williams.
Halep, a semifinalist 12 months ago, has enjoyed a productive summer, winning titles in Bucharest and Montréal, and now feels ready to take the next step. “My game now I feel is the best that I had ever, because I feel strong on my body. I feel that I can control every tactic during the match. I can change. I’m able to the change the tactic when I need.
“It’s tough to talk about the winning a Grand Slam because I never won one, so I don’t know the feeling. But I’m working hard to reach that title, to make that dream come true. So I’m just working, dreaming about it, and if one day it happens I will be very happy!”
.@Simona_Halep easily advances against #Navarro to the quarterfinals! #usopen @MBUSA https://t.co/GkA3WzDMHw
— US Open Tennis (@usopen) September 5, 2016
Karolina Pliskova came from match point down to win a dramatic fourth-round shoot-out against two-time champion Venus Williams at the US Open on Monday.
NEW YORK, NY, USA – World No.1 Serena Williams is back into the quarterfinals at the US Open, advancing in a dominant 6-2, 6-3 performance against Yaroslava Shvedova. With the victory Williams recorded her 308th Grand Slam win, passing Roger Federer’s all-time record and making her the winningest player – male or female – in the Open Era.
“It’s a huge number,” Williams said of the history-making achievement. “I think it’s very significant actually. I think it’s something that just really talks about the length of my career.”
“I’ve been playing for a really long time, but also, you know, given that consistency up there. That’s something that I’m really proud of.”
Williams was in control of the match from the start, and set the tone early on when she blasted an ace in the very first point. Her powerful, well-placed serves were her biggest weapon; she struck 11 aces in total, as well as an unreturnable 126 mph cracker, the fastest serve of the tournament so far. She didn’t face a break point all match long and won 93 percent of points behind her first serves.
She’ll face No.5 seed Simona Halep for a spot in the US Open semifinals. It’s the first seeded player Williams has faced in the tournament, but the World No.1 knows that figure doesn’t mean much.
“I just think with everyone I play, they play a step up and above their ranking,” Williams explained. “I think that’s the beauty, one of the reasons I’m able to hang. Everyone I’m playing is playing like they’re No. 1.
“To me it doesn’t really matter who I play because I have to expect they’re going to play the match of their life. That’s how I go into these matches now.”
History made. Again.#Serena becomes overall Open Era leader in major match wins, def. Shvedova, 6-2, 6-3. #usopen pic.twitter.com/A8HOAZt4Vz
— US Open Tennis (@usopen) September 5, 2016