Tennis News

PRAGUE, Czech Republic – Top seed Svetlana Kuznetsova was made to work hard for her place in the quarterfinals of the J&T Banka Prague Open, eventually subduing a dogged Madison Brengle in three sets.

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On another bitterly cold afternoon in the Czech capital, Kuznetsova took some time to warm to the challenge, running out a 5-7, 6-4, 6-3 winner after just over two hours on court.

“Yesterday was really hard and today as well,” Kuznetsova said. “It looks like it’s warmer, but it’s not – thankfully it wasn’t snowing! Today I put the heat cream on, and almost all the clothes I have with me.”

The conditions affected the Russian’s game as well much as her wardrobe choices, and it was not until the latter stages that she began to resemble the player that impressed so much en route to the Miami final earlier this month.

“It’s difficult, especially on the clay, because I like when the ball bounces high, and here it doesn’t bounce at all,” she added. “It was a little bit ugly, but sometimes you need to win ugly matches, especially for me.

“In the first set I didn’t really play my game. I was struggling to move and when I don’t move my game is a little bit off.”

Earlier in the day, Lucie Safarova continued her progress when Lucie Hradecka retired from their all-Czech clash with a neck injury. Safarova, who led 6-4, 2-0 at the time of the retirement, is now through to the last eight of a WTA event for the first time since last August, and there she will face Hsieh Su-Wei.

“Obviously it’s not the best feeling after the match to win like that, but I think I played really well in the first set, served really well – there was a key moment at 5-4 when I was down 40-0 and aced her three times,” Safarova said. “Overall I’m happy with my game and ready for the next one.”

Also advancing with minimum fuss was No.3 seed Karolina Pliskova, who defeated Katerina Siniakova, 6-2, 6-4. Next up will be another hard-hitter, Camila Giorgi, after she overcame a late wobble to defeat qualifier Virginie Razzano, 6-1, 7-5.

Bacsinszky was facing her first big test of the tournament against 22-year-old Kateryna Kozlova, an opponent who took her to three sets in their last encounter at Nottingham.

“This was a tough one for sure,” Bacsinszky said in her post match interview. “Kozlova is playing better and better every week, so this was a tough match.”

The rapidly rising Kozlova might be ranked No.117 but she sits at No.75 on the Road To Singapore Leaderboard due to her impressive results this year. In St. Petersburg she turned heads with her run through qualifying to the quarterfinals – beating Laura Siegemund and Elena Vesnina along the way – and last week she notched a semifinals appearance in Istanbul.

Bacsinszky drew first blood early on, breaking Kozlova’s in the first game of the match and again to go up to a 4-1 lead. The Swiss’ heavy high-bouncing forehands kept Kozlova back on her heels and out of position. Kozlova broke Bacsinszky’s serve to start mounting a comeback in the final games of the set, but the top seed quickly broke right back close out the set.

Kozlova found her pace in the second set, and put together the play that has impressed throughout the year. She overpowered Bacsinszky from the baseline and took the set to level the match. But the Swiss player put the mid-match dip behind her and won the deciding set after two hours and twenty minutes.

“She raised her level in the second set,” Bacsinszky said. “She was pushing more against me and had me more on defense. It was hard to hit winners against her.

“But I found my way to change things in the third set and in the end I was lucky enough to win the last point.”

Bacsinszky’s opponent in the quarterfinal is Johanna Larsson, who knocked out Teliana Pereira 6-4, 6-4.

Elsewhere, New Zealand qualifier Marina Erakovic had a bittersweet entry to the quarterfinals – she was up 6-4 against the No.7 seed Lesia Tsurenko when the Ukrainian was forced to retire due to pain in her right thigh from an injury sustained during fitness training.

“It’s always tough when you win like that,” Erakovic said afterwards. “You never want to see your opponent injured – I feel sorry for Lesia and hope she’s okay.

“But, you know, good for me. I’ve got through five matches here, which is great. I’m gradually playing better and better each match which is what you want.”

She sets up a quarterfinal clash against Aleksandra Krunic next round, who earlier ousted the No.2 seed Ekaterina Makarova, 6-2, 6-2 in the day’s biggest upset.

“I’ve never played her before but I know her,” Erakovic said. “It’s another challenge, another match, another chance to compete and keep improving my game. That’s what I’m thinking about.”

“Here in Rabat every day is a nice day – the sun is always shining, so tomorrow should be a good day.”

Spanish player Lara Arruabarrena is well known for her skills and touch on clay courts, but earlier this week she may have hit her best shot ever.

While trying out some trick shots and skills with the tennis ball at the Mutua Madrid Open, Arruabarrena’s coach captured a soccer-inspired trick serve that’s lighting up social media.

We’ll let you see it here for yourself:

Just another normal day practising some serves ? pic.twitter.com/rJ7tjXlchI

— Lara Arruabarrena (@laraarrua) April 25, 2016

We caught up with Arruabarrena when she arrived in Madrid this morning.

“I just did it for fun,” she told wtatennis.com. “I had never done such a thing, you know, first touching the ball with my foot to hit a serve.”

A friend of Arruabarrena’s saw the trick on Instagram and dared her try it out on the practice court.

“Can you imagine I did this in a match? I don´t think I can,” she laughed. “Maybe during the warm up.”

“Just another new way of practicing some serves.”

Arruabarrena’s trick serve might be impressive, but is it the best you’ve ever seen?

After all, earlier this year Yulia Putintseva hit a serve at the BNP Paribas Open that could rival Arruabarrena’s. Check it out:

New way to serve ??? pic.twitter.com/cwSNDtxmy5

— Yulia Putintseva (@Yulka1995P) March 17, 2016

 And let’s not forget Elina Svitolina’s serve of the year at the 2014 China Open:

So what’s the verdict? Who hit the best trick serve? Vote here to have your say!

This weekend, the WTA’s finest will descend on the Spanish capital to battle it out for one of the most prestigious titles on the tennis calendar, the Mutua Madrid Open.

Garbiñe Muguruza and Carla Suárez Navarro will lead the Spanish challenge, knowing that success on home soil will earn them a place in the hearts of their compatriots forever. Even in victory, though, both will still have a long way to go if they are to match the feats of Arantxa Sánchez-Vicario.

Affectionately known as the Barcelona Bumblebee, Sánchez-Vicario lived up to her moniker, buzzing the width and breadth of the court in the dogged pursuit of tennis balls, none seeming too distant to be deemed a lost cause. Her unquenchable thirst for the fight brought her four majors during a 17-year career, spent almost exclusively at the pinnacle of the game.

In the latest episode of CNN Open Court, Sánchez-Vicario sat down with Pat Cash to discuss Spanish tennis, her legendary career and that nickname.