Miami: Kuznetsova vs. Williams
Svetlana Kuznetsova takes on Serena Williams in the fourth round of the Miami Open.
Svetlana Kuznetsova takes on Serena Williams in the fourth round of the Miami Open.
Victoria Azarenka will look to continue her winning ways on Wednesday as the lower half of the draw contests its quarterfinals matches. We preview the matchups here.
Wednesday, Quarterfinals
[13] Victoria Azarenka (BLR #8) vs. [24] Johanna Konta (GBR #23)
Head-to-head: Konta leads, 1-0
Key Stat: Azarenka is bidding to become the first player to complete the Indian Wells-Miami double since 2005 (Clijsters).
Victoria Azarenka is back in the Top 10, riding a nine-match winning streak, and showing no signs of slowing down ahead of her quarterfinal with Great Britain’s Johanna Konta. With memories of her last two injury-marred seasons rapidly vanishing in the rearview mirror, the two-time Miami champion is oozing positive energy. “I think I’m a better player right now, just the way I handle myself on the court,” Azarenka said after handling Garbiñe Muguruza in two tight sets on Monday. “I think my game is developing with pretty big progress right now, and that’s what I’m most happy about, is being able to add a little bit more every time I play.” Trying to keep Azarenka from adding to her winning streak is one of the surprise stories of 2016 in Johanna Konta. The 24-year-old, already the first British woman to reach the quarterfinals in the history of this event, is looking to reach the semifinals on her debut. Konta is energized by her latest achievement, but aims only to look forward. “It’s a wonderful thing to have on paper and for other people to recognize,” Konta told the BBC of her latest milestone. “But I am very much in the moment in this tournament and it’s not over for me.”
Pick: Azarenka in two
[2] Angelique Kerber (GER #3) vs. [22] Madison Keys (USA #24)
Head-to-head: Kerber leads, 3-1
Key Stat: At 21 years old, Keys is the youngest player remaining in the draw.
Angelique Kerber is finding it difficult to replicate her Australian Open magic on a nightly basis, but whether she’s playing flawless tennis or not, the German is never without her trademark grit. The 28-year-old used every ounce of her mental toughness – and some match point magic – to battle past Hungary’s Timea Babos on Monday night, rallying from a break down in the third set to claim her spot in the quarterfinals. Waiting for her there is the last American standing, the talented, powerful Madison Keys. Keys has been on fire in Miami, winning more than 70 percent of her service points and not dropping serve once in three straight-sets victories. The 21-year-old may be relatively inexperienced compared to Kerber, but she’s had plenty of time to contemplate what it takes to beat the German. Keys has met Kerber in the only two Tour-level finals of her career, and has faced her on three different surfaces. Though Kerber holds the lifetime 3-1 edge, their last two meetings have been nip-and-tuck three-set affairs. Will Keys and her block-rocking ground game unlock the mystery of Kerber, or will the German dial up her defenses and reach the last four?
Pick: Keys in three
-Chris Oddo, wtatennis.com contributor
Victoria Azarenka takes on Garbiñe Muguruza in the fourth round of the Miami Open.
MIAMI, FL, USA – No.19 seed Timea Bacsinszky roared into the final four of the Miami Open for the first time in her career with a 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 victory over No.5 seed Simona Halep.
Watch live action from Miami this fortnight on WTA Live powered by TennisTV!
Bacsinszky had to battle from behind after dropping the opening set and was undaunted by a gloomy forecast – one that even briefly halted proceedings right when the 2015 French Open semifinalist began to find her rhythm.
“I came back from a long road,” she told Andrew Krasny during her on-court interview. “The first set was really tough. She’s an awesome player and a great fighter.
“For the last year, she has also been an inspiration for me because I believe in hard work and she’s one of the players who work really hard, so to be able to play that well against her and to catch the win is really amazing.
“I’m really happy with the win.”
Hey @TimeaOfficial: You giving @Laragut a cut of your check? https://t.co/ps1zCpLRuT
— WTA Insider (@WTA_insider) March 29, 2016
Using her backhand with deadly accuracy, Bacsinszky rolled through the first four games of the final set, eventually serving out the upset with her 20th winner of the match. Watching from the stands was friend and top skiier Lara Gut, who extended her vacation to continue playing “good luck charm” and watch her countrywoman win another day.
“She’s still here! The Swiss are super happy about it; it was even in the news,” she said, then addressing Gut, “Thanks so much for your support; you’re also a huge inspiration for me.”
Narrowly missing out on the chance to qualify for the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global, Bacsinszky had just cracked the Top 10 for the first time in her career when a knee injury suffered in Luxembourg and an viral illness after Fed Cup disrupted her start to 2016.
Now back to playing some of her best tennis, she heads into her first Miami Open semifinal with wins over Ana Ivanovic, Agnieszka Radwanska – her first career Top 3 win – and Halep, with the winner of No.15 seed Svetlana Kuznetsova and No.30 seed Ekaterina Makarova waiting in the other quarterfinal.
For a young woman who had once left the sport to pursue a career in hotel management, Bacsinszky takes her continued success in stride, even courting support from Halep’s disappointed fans.
“I know there are a lot of Romanians; I know a few words because my grandparents are from Satu Mare, so I’ll just say mulțumesc [thank you] and see you next time!”
? ? ? ? pic.twitter.com/wf3yvZtEcV
— WTA (@WTA) March 29, 2016
Angelique Kerber takes on Timea Babos in the fourth round of the Miami Open.
MIAMI, FL, USA – Svetlana Kuznetsova emerged the victor after a late night, two-hour and forty-three minute battle against fellow Russian Ekaterina Makarova for a spot in the Miami Open semifinals, 6-7(3), 6-4, 6-3.
Watch live action from Miami this fortnight on WTA Live powered by TennisTV!
While on paper the indefatigable Kuznetsova came into the match with all the advantages – she leads the head-to-head 5-1, has won the Miami title before and last round she knocked out defending champion Serena Williams – she was facing a monumental task against Makarova.
Would her fitness hold up or would all the time spent on court take a toll?
All of Kuznetsova’s previous matches on her road to the quarterfinals had gone to three sets and lasted longer than two hours. Facing off against Makarova, her compatriot and Fed Cup teammate, Kuznetsova saw no reason to change the pattern while it’s working, though it did take some extra motivation to keep the 30-year-old going.
“I told myself just keep fighting and keep running,” Kuznetsova said afterwards. “I was feeling a little bit low on energy, so I was trying to keep myself going.”
Things looked more straightforward for the 30-year-old as she went up 5-2 in the first set against Makarova. But it started to slip away from her as the fatigue began to creep up leaving her unable to run down her compatriot’s shots. Makarova fought her way back to force a tiebreaker and win the first set.
“I lost a little bit of momentum in the first set when I had three set points and a 5-2 lead,” Kuznetsova reflected after the match. “Then Ekaterina got on top and she played really well.
“I was just trying to hang in there and trying to serve better. That’s it.”
What a point!!@SvetlanaK27 forces a decider over Makarova 6-7(3), 6-4! #WTA https://t.co/WHNyH1CwFa
— WTA (@WTA) March 30, 2016
Kuznetsova turned things around in the second set, coming up to the net more often and playing more aggressively to keep the rallies shorter. The change in tactic worked, and she took the second set 6-4. She had just enough in the tank to do it again in the final set, closing out the match after two hours and forty three minutes on court.
The Russians were very evenly matched during the whole encounter – Kuznetsova hit 66 percent of first serves in, Makarova hit 64 percent; Kuznetsova hit 32 winners, Makarova hit 35 – but their unforced errors count set them apart: Kuznetsova hit just 27 winners to Makarova’s 46.
The win sends Kuznetsova into the Miami Open semifinals for the first time since 2009 and sets up a clash against Timea Bacsinszky, but Kuznetsova can’t even think that far ahead to Thursday:
“I just want to sleep,” says @SvetlanaK27.
And with that, we’ll see you tomorrow @MiamiOpen.
— WTA Insider (@WTA_insider) March 30, 2016
An interview with Svetlana Kuznetsova after her fourth round win at the Miami Open.
WASHINGTON, DC, USA – Americans Sloane Stephens and Shelby Rogers enjoyed an extra special Easter Sunday in their country’s capital; the duo teamed up with USTA President Katrina Adams to bring tennis to the White House Easter Egg Roll hosted by President Barack Obama.
Facilitating a 10 and Under Tennis Clinic, Stephens and Rogers posed for pictures with President Obama, who even briefly took the court to show off his own skills to the WTA stars. NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal was also on hand for a basketball clinic and photos with Adams and former Top 10 WTA player Chanda Rubin.
Check out some of the best photos and tweets from the event:
Honored to be at the @wheastereggroll helping @usta get kids active and on the court. @letsmove #LetsCelebrate pic.twitter.com/8SgRVbBsBE
— Sloane Stephens (@SloaneStephens) March 28, 2016
Great day at the @wheastereggroll!???@usta @katadams68 @JRBlake @SloaneStephens pic.twitter.com/k6XGppSwBs
— Shelby Rogers (@Shelby_Rogers_) March 28, 2016
Possibly the best day ever ?@POTUS pic.twitter.com/9UsfH3Mz2R
— Sloane Stephens (@SloaneStephens) March 28, 2016
.@POTUS blames his bad tennis swing on the “equipment.” #EasterEggRoll pic.twitter.com/EmHeKiRYMm
— POLITICO (@politico) March 28, 2016
An interview with Timea Bacsinszky after her win in the fourth round at the Miami Open.
MIAMI, FL, USA – Margarita Gasparyan and Monica Niculescu produced a stirring second set comeback against Vania King and Alla Kudryavtseva to become the first team into the doubles semifinals at the Miami Open.
Twenty-four hours earlier, Gasparyan and Niculescu had sent shockwaves through the draw by outclassing top seeds and defending champions Martina Hingis and Sania Mirza. However, when they slipped 5-2 behind in the second set, hopes of building on this upset looked to be hanging in the balance.
The seeming inevitability of a match tie-break seemed to liberate the Eastern Europeans who played some swashbuckling tennis in far from ideal conditions to draw level then close out a 6-3, 7-6(3) victory.
“I think we played our best match today, it was a very good win,” Niculescu said. “I was thinking it was going to be a very tough match. It’s not easy to beat No.1s in the world yesterday and then to come here – we know King won two Grand Slams.
“We’re happy to come back – it was a good win, we stayed focused, tried to stay aggressive. It was starting to rain a bit and was also very windy and now we’re in the semifinals! I’m so happy!”
Gasparyan and Niculescu’s previous two outings together ended in second-round defeats in Doha and Indian Wells, and the identity of their semifinal foes will not be revealed until Wednesday, when No.4 seeds Timea Babos and Yaroslava Shvedova take on Kateryna Bondarenko and Olga Savchuk.
In the bottom half, Xu Yi-Fan and Zheng Saisai face Ekaterina Makarova and Barbora Strycova, while in the opening match on Stadium court No.3 seeds Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Lucie Safarova take on fellow Grand Slam winners Andrea Hlavackova and Lucie Hradecka.