Tennis News

INDIAN WELLS, CA, USA – Denisa Allertova played fearless tennis to complete the day’s biggest upset, taking out No.2 seeded Angelique Kerber in straight sets in the second round of the BNP Paribas Open.

Watch highlights, interviews and more video from Indian Wells right here on wtatennis.com!

The No.64-ranked Czech had only notched one win against a Top 5 player in her career, taking out Halep last year in Guangzhou, and was playing in her first main draw match at Indian Wells. But she didn’t let the occasion – or Kerber’s rock solid tennis – get to her.

Things seemed to start off going the way of the reigning Australian Open champion early on in the match, Kerber breaking Allertova in the very first game. The German used her defensive counterpunching to keep giving Allertova one more ball until the Czech began to let the errors loose.

But Allertova quickly set aside any early jitters and settled into her trademark high risk game, employing her vicious angles and changing the pace to keep Kerber second-guessing. She broke right back and kept pace with the World No.2, making every game a long battle.

Just as it seemed like Kerber would serve to send the set into a tiebreak, Allertova employed some of her best tennis of the match to bring up a pair of set points. Kerber erased one with a pinpoint accurate crosscourt backhand, but she couldn’t withstand Allertova’s deadly line-to-line game, being dragged all around the court until getting caught by a passing shot to seal the opening set.

Things started to turn around for Kerber in the second set as the German broke to love to grab a 3-2 lead. That quickly became a 5-3 hole as Kerber found a way to keep Allertova’s high risk game in check; Allertova hit just 12 winners this set, compared to the 25 she hit in the previous one. But she did just enough, breaking twice and knocking out the No.2 seed 7-5, 7-5.

Still soaking it all in, the 23-year-old from Prague could barely put the win into words.

“I just tried to play and just focus on every point, tried moving and playing into the court… I don’t know, I just tried to play my best!” she said in her post-match interview. “Just amazing feelings right now because she’s an amazing player.”

“I tried to play my best and I’m so happy that I won today. It’s an amazing feeling.”

Huge win for Denisa Allertova!

Knocks out Australian Open champ Angelique Kerber! #WTA https://t.co/Wj8JhHSX31

— WTA (@WTA) March 12, 2016

The No.6 seed Carla Suárez Navarro wasn’t so lucky today as she saw herself having to bow out of the tournament due to a right ankle injury.

“I twist my ankle yesterday and today I tried to warm up but I’m not 100%,” Suárez Navarro told wtatennis.com. “So I will try to rest, recover and be ready for Miami.”

She was replaced in the draw by lucky loser Anna-Lena Friedsam, who’s set to square off against Daria Kasaktina of Russia.

INDIAN WELLS, CA, USA – The seeds in the lower half of the draw will make their 2016 BNP Paribas debut on Saturday at Indian Wells, including 2016 Australian Open champion Angelique Kerber.

Saturday, Second Round

[2] Angelique Kerber (GER #2) vs. Denisa Allertova (CZE #64)
Head-to-head: first meeting
Key Stat: Allertova won her only previous match against a player in the Top 2, defeating Simona Halep in straight sets in the Guanghzhou quarterfinals last year.

Angelique Kerber is still flying high after winning her maiden Grand Slam title in Melbourne this winter, but is the feisty German ready to become one with the perpetual grind of the WTA tour again? As many first-time major winners have proved in the past, it’s not an easy task.

“The life changed of course a little bit, I had so many things to do when I went back to Germany,” Kerber told media during All-Access Hour on Wednesday. “A lot more people recognize me right now. But I think at the end I’m the same as I was before Australia. It’s still a great feeling but I need also time to prepare and go on court to practice and work hard like I did the last few months and years.”

Kerber’s opening challenge will be a first-time meeting with 23-year-old Czech Denisa Allertova. Though she’s only played 37 WTA-level matches, Allertova has impressively won two of her three contests against Top-10 opponents.

Pick: Kerber in three

[4] Garbiñe Muguruza (ESP #4) vs. Christina McHale (USA # 62)
Head-to-head: Muguruza leads,1-0
Key Stat: Muguruza has a 20-10 win-loss record since reaching the Wimbledon final last year.

There have been ups and downs for the Spaniard since she reached the Wimbledon final last season, but it would be wrong to say that Garbiñe Muguruza has been plagued by inconsistency. If anything, she’s been slowed by physical ailments. After a nagging foot injury slowed her start to 2016, the hard-hitting World No.4 would like nothing more than to assert herself with a career-best run at Indian Wells.

She’ll start her quest in the desert with a second-round match-up with American Christina McHale. Muguruza took their first meeting in straight sets, but the New Jersey native, who defeated Caroline Garcia on Thursday, always proves to be a tough out on home soil.

Pick: Muguruza in two

[13] Victoria Azarenka (BLR #15) vs. Zarina Diyas (KAZ #87)
Head-to-head: first meeting
Key Stat: 2012 champion Azarenka is one of seven previous champions in this year’s draw.

It is still shocking when one considers that, before Brisbane this year, Victoria Azarenka had not won a WTA title in nearly three years. Injuries have reared their ugly head, curtailing the momentum of the two-time major champion on many occasions. And yet, there’s something so magical about Azarenka’s game when in full flight that it’s difficult not to expect her to step up, turn back the clock and roll through a tournament like she did in 2012 and 2013, when she won nine titles, including two majors.

Could March be the month that Azarenka proves to the world she’s top-notch again? The world No.13 will open her seventh appearance at the BNP Paribas Open with a second-round tilt versus Zarina Diyas. Once thought to be a rising star, Diyas has struggled to find her form, going 4-7 thus far in 2016.

Pick: Azarenka in two

[14] Ana Ivanovic (SRB #18) vs. Camila Giorgi (ITA #45)
Head-to-head: Ivanovic leads 1-0
Key Stat: 2008 champion Ivanovic has not been past the third round here since 2012.

In her tenth appearance at Indian Wells, former champion Ana Ivanovic will face a stern second-round challenge in the pugnacious Camila Giorgi of Italy. Ivanovic took the pair’s first meeting handily last autumn in Tokyo, but Giorgi has done some damage in her brief but entertaining Indian Wells career.

She took out Maria Sharapova in her debut in 2014 en route to the fourth round. Giorgi is always one of the most dangerous floaters in a draw, and Ivanovic will surely have her hands full with a player that has earned 16 wins in 37 against members of the Top 20.

Pick: Ivanovic in three

Around the grounds: Seventh-seeded Belinda Bencic will square off with American Lauren Davis for the second time. The Swiss won their first meeting in 2013 in straight sets. Surging Zhang Shuai, who has risen over 100 spots in the rankings since the end of last season, will meet 20th-seeded Caroline Wozniacki. Russians Daria Kasatkina and Margarita Gasparyan each won their Indian Wells debuts on Thursday and will look to reach the third round today. Eugenie Bouchard and Sloane Stephens will meet for the fourth time, and the first time since 2013 – Stephens holds the 2-1 lifetime edge.

INDIAN WELLS, CA, USA – Japanese qualifier Kurumi Nara ended Venus Williams’ fairytale comeback to Indian Wells, where she was playing in her first match back in 15 years.

Watch highlights, interviews and more video from Indian Wells right here on wtatennis.com!

Walking out on court to the Jackson 5’s “I Want You Back,” Williams was given a hero’s welcome to the BNP Paribas Open. The packed Stadium 1 crowd roared as she waved and gave them a big smile, touching her hand to her heart.

The stage was set for a triumphant return, but Nara didn’t read the script.

Undaunted by neither the occasion nor the crowd – who cheered every service hold and point won by Williams – the Japanese kept her head down and proved why she was once ranked as high as No.32, keeping her game clean and tidy as Williams’ frustration – and unforced error count – began to grow.

With the wind swirling and clouds threatening overhead, both players came out solid, trading service holds until the rain finally broke through and halted play at 3-3.

Williams drew first blood when play resumed after the 35-minute delay, breaking Nara for her first lead of the match. It would turn out to be her only one, as Nara quickly leveled the score and grabbed the next three games to close out the opening set.

She rode the momentum and continued her ruthlessly methodical game, forcing error after error off of Williams’ racquet. The American broke Nara twice, powered on by the boisterous crowd, but each time the 24-year-old held on. She remained steady until the end, calmly serving out the biggest match of her career to win 6-4, 6-3.

For Nara, who had to fight through qualifying to book her encounter against Williams and had only defeated one Top 20 player in her previous 16 attempts, this is a moment she won’t soon forget.

“Yes, I’m very happy, this is the biggest win of my career,” Nara enthused after the match.

Despite the experience ending in a defeat, Williams will take only positives from her return to the Indian Wells desert.

“It was enough of a fairy tale to come here and play,” she said in her post-match press conference. “A win would have been nice, but that means I have to come back and play next year.”

“I would definitely love to come back.”

Welcome back! ? ? ?@VenusesWilliams returns to the @BNPParibasOpen after 15 years! #WTA https://t.co/wr7FU9gZ9X

— WTA (@WTA) March 12, 2016

INDIAN WELLS, CA, USA – Serena Williams wrapped up the top half second round action at the BNP Paribas Open with a straightforward win over German qualifier Laura Siegemund, 6-2, 6-1.

Watch highlights, interviews and more video from Indian Wells right here on wtatennis.com!

Playing in her first match since reaching the final at the Australian Open and in the chilly nighttime conditions in Indian Wells, Williams found herself facing a break point right away in the first game of the match. Siegemund’s variety and a sneaky drop shot tripped her up, but the World No.1 shook off any lingering rust with ease to fend off the early assault.

From then on the match grew increasingly one-sided, with Williams simply outgunning the German qualifier, taking the ball early and attacking from every side of the court. A beautiful backhand down the line brought up set point for the top seed, which she took with one her signature swing volleys.

Siegemund continued to attack and even brought up another chance to break in the first game of the second set, but Williams roared back from 0-40 to brush it aside. Not taking the opportunity ended up being costly for Siegemund, and Williams won five straight games to wrap up the encounter in barely over an hour.

“My intensity was the key,” Williams said in her post-match interview. “[Siegemund] actually started out really strong in that first game when I was serving, she was close to breaking me.

“I knew right then and there if I wasn’t going to come out at 100% it would be a long match.”

Awaiting Williams in the third round is Yaroslava Putintseva, who earlier in the day knocked out the No.27 seed Kristina Mladenovic 6-4, 6-4.

The crowd loves @SerenaWilliams! ? ? https://t.co/g0y73sWbBh

— WTA (@WTA) March 12, 2016