Tennis News

MALLORCA, Spain – Caroline Garcia capped a near-perfect transition from clay courts to grass with her second title of 2016, easing past Anastasija Sevastova, 6-3, 6-4, to win the inaugural Mallorca Open.

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“I’m glad to win any tournament; it doesn’t matter what surface!” a giggling Garcia told press after the match.

“When I arrived here, it was my first tournament on grass this year, so I wasn’t expecting to go this far or win the trophy. It’s a great achievement after a long and diffcult week, so I’m happy to be the winner.”

The Frenchwoman had always proven quite adept on clay, following up her title run at the Internationaux de Strasbourg with a maiden Grand Slam crown in women’s doubles with countrywoman Kristina Mladenovic. But success on grass had hitherto proven far more elusive, with the youngster pointing to a lack of comfort on the often slippery surface.

“For now, this is my best season; when you win your first title, you never know if you’ll win another. It was a dream to win my first, and now I have three, plus the French Open in doubles. The work I’m doing with my team is definitely paying off.”

That all changed this week in sunny Mallorca, where the No.6 moved effortlessly about the court to defeat a pair of former Wimbledon semifinalists in Ana Ivanovic and Kirsten Flipkens to capture her first grass court title on Sunday. Across the net was Sevastova, who was once ranked No.36 in the world before injuries and illnesses forced her to briefly retire. Back on court since early 2015, the Latvian has rocketed back up the rankings, returning to the Top 100 earlier this year.

But it wasn’t enough to overcome Garcia, who won 74% of ponts behind her first serve and broke serve four times in the 85-minute final.

“After so many emotions, it’s hard to remember the match. I remember match point because it was very long! There were a lot of rallies and it was a very intense match; I had to return very well because she used the serve to start aggressively. It was probably the best I played all week, trying to be aggressive and taking the opportunities when they came, so I’m happy with the way I played today.”

With her second title of the season under her belt, the French star moves back into the Top 32, helping her to become the new French No.1 and earn a seed at the upcoming Wimbledon Championships.

“It’s good, but I don’t play tennis to be No.1 in my country. It’s a good achievement but I want to go higher and higher. It’s work from every day and every week, and I’m happier that I’ve won a title to help bring up my ranking. My goal is to be better and better each week, so it gives me a lot of motivation to continue with the hard work.

“It’s always very difficult as you’re starting at a Grand Slam, and it gives me a lot of confidence to head to Wimbledon with a title. I’d never played on grass with a lot of pleasure, but I think this week it changed a lot. Grass is a very difficult surface for everyone, but now that I’ve won one, maybe I’m a favorite [at Wimbledon], but a far-away favorite! I’ll try my best to play as I played here, and I’ll need to be at 100%, and very efficient.”

BIRMINGHAM, Great Britain – Already assured of becoming the first American to debut in the Top 10 since Serena Williams in April 1999 by reaching the Aegon Classic final, Madison Keys went one better in Birmingham, defeating tour veteran Barbora Strycova, 6-3, 6-4, to win her second WTA title.

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Keys had been made to work through a rainy week in Birmingham, winning a pair of thrilling three-setters against Jelena Ostapenko and Carla Suárez Navarro just to clinch her Top 10 debut. Strycova, by contrast, had dropped just one set en route to her second final of what has been a career-best season for the Czech, who is also set to play the doubles final alongside countrywoman Karolina Pliskova against Vania King and Alla Kudryavtseva.

But it was the 21 year old American who drew first blood on Sunday’s final, racing out to a 3-0 lead and never looking back in a decisive opening set.

“I think I got off to a good start in the first set breaking early,” she said in her post-match press conference. “I think I held onto the that lead pretty well. Then in the second set, she definitely raised her level.”

Strycova indeed kept it close in the second, engineering a break point in the eighth game that would have allowed her to serve for a decider, but Keys kept her cool and won the last three games on the bounce to win her first WTA title since 2014 – also on grass in Eastbourne.

“There was definitely a couple of games, especially when I was serving, that I really had to dig deep and figure it out. Luckily I was able to.”

A quarterfinalist at last year’s Wimbledon Championships, Keys played near-perfect grass court tennis during the 79 minute affair, hitting 27 winners to 16 unforced errors and winning 13 of 18 forays to the net.

“I’m feeling pretty good. I think getting this many matches in a row was a huge opportunity that I think that can definitely help me at Wimbledon.

“I obviously really love the surface, so the more I get to play on it, the happier I am.”

EASTBOURNE, England – Caroline Wozniacki stepped up her Wimbledon preparations with a confidence-boosting win over Alizé Cornet at the Aegon International Eastbourne on Sunday.

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Playing just her third match since March, Wozniacki showed few signs of rustiness, briskly pocketing the first set then coming from a break down in the second to complete a 6-1, 6-3 victory.

The Dane is currently ranked at No.35 in the rankings – her lowest position since May 2008 – after missing much of the season with an ankle injury. And after making her return in Nottingham last week she is refreshed eager to test her mettle ahead of the year’s second major.

“I feel confident on my feet, I’ve worked really hard to get into the best shape possible and do a lot of stability work, so now I’m feeling comfortable on my ankle and the grass,” Wozniacki said.

“It’s nice to be on a nice court with a great crowd and also to get another match in before Wimbledon. I’m just excited every time I go on court now.”

In the other three opening round matches there were wins for Jelena Ostapenko, Timea Babos and Kristina Mladenovic.

Ostapenko continued the good form that took her to the Birmingham quarterfinals by prevailing in her all-teenage battle with Daria Kasatkina, 4-6, 6-2, 6-3. Babos edged out Camila Giorgi, 6-4, 7-6(3), while Mladenovic prevailed in an equally close encounter with Yanina Wickmayer, 7-6(6), 6-4. 

1) Radwanska strikes back.
World No.3 Agnieszka Radwanska appeared poised to begin her grass court prep in earnest at the Aegon Classic, but saw her hopes stunted by the streaking CoCo Vandeweghe at the beginning of the week. Top seed at the Aegon International, things won’t get any easier for the 2015 finalist, who could play dangerous opponents like 2014 Wimbledon finalist Eugenie Bouchard or the surging No.15 seed Irina-Camelia Begu before even hitting the quarterfinals.

2) Bencic’s big return.
Things began to come together for the Swiss Miss around this time last year, winning her first career title at the Aegon International at the start of an amazing summer for the youngster. Seeded No.3, she is projected to play Carla Suárez Navarro in the quarterfinals; typically thought of as a clay courter, the Spaniard made it all the way to the semifinals in Birmingham, and could be posed to do more damage this week.

3) Bacsinszky kicks off grass court campaign.
Breaking through at last year’s French Open, Bacsinszky is more than capable on grass courts, having made the quarterfinals at Wimbledon with a win over former finalist Sabine Lisicki. The Swiss star opens against Kristina Mladenovic, who has shown signs of life after a slow start to 2016 – winning the French Open women’s doubles title with Mallorca Open champ Caroline Garcia.

4) Safarova surging forward.
Seeded in Bacsinszky’s section of the draw is Lucie Safarova, another player who has played well on both sides of the Channel. Runner-up at last year’s French Open, Safarova made her major breakthrough two years ago when she reached the final four at Wimbledon, falling to eventual champion Petra Kvitova. On the back foot due to illness and injury, how well will the Czech veteran rebound this week?

5) The British are coming.
Four British women headline the main draw of the Aegon International, led by No.11 seed Johanna Konta. Niggling injuries contributed to an early loss in Nottingham, but Konta is back on the surface where it all began one year ago. So too is Heather Watson, who was within inches of upsetting Serena Williams at Wimbledon. Tara Moore is hoping to back up her quarterfinal run in Nottingham, while Naomi Broady hopes to make a splash in Eastbourne.

6) Kvitova in search of inspiration.
One of the best grass court players of her generation, two-time Wimbledon winner Petra Kvitova is seeded No.5 in Eastbourne, and hopes to get on a roll ahead of her most successful major tournament. In the same quarter as No.2 seed Roberta Vinci, the Czech powerhouse opens against the big-hitting Timea Babos, with Konta potentially looming in the third round.

7) Wozniacki on the comeback trail.
Caroline Wozniacki was one of the tournament’s early winners on Sunday, setting up a second round encounter with No.7 seed Samantha Stosur. The Aussie is coming off a run to the French Open semifinals, but has never been comfortable on grass, giving the former No.1 the opportunity to pull off an upset and kickstart her own comeback from an ankle injury that kept her off-court through the clay court season.

8) Youth is served.
One of the most entertaining opening round match-ups occurred on Sunday evening between former French Open junior champion Daria Kasatkina and former junior Wimbledon champion Jelena Ostapenko. The Latvian knocked out Kasatkina in her first WTA tour-level grass court match, recovering from a set down to play No.12 seed Dominika Cibulkova. Can the Qatar Open finalist get on another roll?

9) Santina headline doubles draw.
Their quest for a Non-Calendar Year Grand Slam may have come to a close, but the season is hardly half over for reigning Co-No.1s Martina Hingis and Sania Mirza, who reunite for their first tournament since the French Open. Top seeds in Eastbourne, Santina opens against wildcards Stosur and Lucie Safarova, while Birmingham semifinalists Chan Hao-Ching and Chan Yung-Jan are on the other half of the draw, seeded No.2.

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