Miami: Bacsinszky Interview
An interview with Timea Bacsinszky after her win in the fourth round at the Miami Open.
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.
An interview with Victoria Azarenka after her win in the fourth round at the Miami Open.
MIAMI, FL, USA – It is hard to recall a tennis season in recent memory that has thrown up quite so many surprises as the opening months of 2016.
Showcasing the unprecedented strength and depth of the women’s game, 15 tournaments have witnessed 13 different players lifting silverware. More remarkable still is World No.1 Serena Williams’s failure to enter the winner’s circle, a barren run that will now stretch into May following her fourth-round exit to Svetlana Kuznetsova at the Miami Open.
While it is arguable whether defeat to a two-time Grand Slam champion and former World No.2 should classify as a shock, there is no doubt the result underlines the current competitiveness on tour.
“I just think that overall the level is quite equal of other players,” Kuznetsova said in her press conference following the match. “You know, like some players out of like Top 30, they can beat anybody on good day.
“The thing is they cannot keep playing this good game. You can see some surprise wins in first two rounds. Everybody plays good and goes for their shots and everybody is really strong. But not everybody can keep doing this during the whole tournament. I think this is a bit frustrating. But overall, I think every round is extremely tough now.”
The 30-year-old’s next test comes in the shape of compatriot Ekaterina Makarova, herself no stranger to upsetting the apple cart.
Twice a Grand Slam semifinalist, Makarova has quietly been building up a head of steam at Crandon Park, following up a battling win over Lesia Tsurenko with dominant displays against Petra Kvitova and then Elina Svitolina.
Makarova had yet to make her WTA main draw debut when Kuznetsova was crowned Miami champion in 2006. “I’m too old! It was 10 years ago,” Kuznetsova joked. “I’ve been on this court many times. I love playing on this stage; the fans in my Miami are great. I love being back here and I’m really happy with my performance.”
Despite dominating her encounters with Makarova to date, Kuznetsova is wary of looking too far ahead: “I mean, it’s too early to say. You know, I have so many people saying congratulations I feel like I won the title already. It’s not real.
“Now these days the tennis is extremely tough and each opponent is really difficult to play. I’m just focusing for tomorrow’s match. I don’t have too much time to rest. Really looking forward to give my best another day tomorrow.”
The BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells and the Miami Open pride themselves on being as great as Grand Slams, providing excellent facilities and thrilling matches, but the tournaments also bring top tennis fashion to the table. Marija Zivlak of Women’s Tennis Blog will show us the WTA styles that rocked the prestigious US courts in March.
After ruling the Australian Open fashion scene in the yellow Nike Spring Premier Crop Top and Nike Spring Premier Victory Skirt, world number one Serena Williams again stole the show with the outfit, introducing its omega blue version at Indian Wells. Everything about this combo is stunning, while Serena’s powerful tennis and rocking body make it mind-blowing. The crop top and the flirtatiously-swaying pleated skirt flawlessly suit Serena, while the generous use of mesh is both highly functional and stylish. This look confidently paved the way for crop tops in women’s tennis fashion.
Soft yellow and lilac are dominating Stella McCartney’s summer collection. This month, Andrea Petkovic, Caroline Wozniacki and Garbiñe Muguruza debuted the adidas Summer Stella McCartney Tour Tank, featuring a subtle side floral print, and the adidas Summer Stella McCartney Tour Skirt, highlighted by popular laser-cut details, this time in the shape of hexagon. Stella always manages to make a harmonious marriage between classic athletic and feminine elements.
Fila’s aqua and light grey hues from the Net Set collection perfectly fitted Karolina Pliskova on her way to the semifinals of the BNP Paribas Open. The Fila Spring Net Set Racerback Tank is unique for its contrasting pin-tuck detailing down the back, while the pleated skirt stands out with its alternating colors.
Jelena Jankovic showcased the Fila Spring Net Set Dress, specific for its textural chevron pattern at front and back and central contrasting stripe.
Venus Williams’ EleVen is firmly holding on to the place among tennis fashion elite, constantly releasing new designs that successfully compete with sports apparel giants. In the sole match the American played at the 2016 Miami Open, we got to see the new Strike collection, which captivates with its clean and subtle pattern. The multidirectional groups of thin lines create an appealing print that is not loud or distracting, while contrast grey colorblocking at center and back nicely breaks up the pattern, enhancing a feminine silhouette.
The exact items the seven-time Grand Slam champion wore were the EleVen Strike Print Excel Tank and the EleVen Strike Print Jamming Skirt, while the collection also features a wonderful EleVen Strike Miami Dress, which had been promoted as Venus’ choice for the tournament.
New Balance’s young and fresh spring kit perfectly accompanied Nicole Gibbs’ rise to stardom at Indian Wells and Miami. The American recorded breakthrough results at both tournaments, looking stylish in the New Balance Spring Tournament Tank, whose eye-catching orange logo nicely matches Gibbs’ accessories and shoes, while the New Balance Spring Reversible Skirt is coordinated with the logo at the headband and wristbands. Let’s also mention that New Balance has recently added Sorana Cirstea to their family, but the former world No.21 Romanian lost in the Miami Open qualifying, so we didn’t have much chance to enjoy her new clothes.
Tell us now which WTA outfits you dig the most this March:
– Photos via Getty Images/Jimmie 48
Angelique Kerber had Saturday’s shot of the day at the Miami Open.
The top half of the draw will be whittled down to two semifinalists after today’s action in Miami. Here’s a breakdown of the matchups.
Tuesday, Quarterfinals
[15] Svetlana Kuznetsova (RUS #19) vs. [30] Ekaterina Makarova (RUS #31)
Head-to-head: Kuznetsova leads, 5-1
Key Stat: At 30, Kuznetsova is the oldest player remaining in the draw.
After ending Serena Williams’ 20-match Miami win streak on Monday, Svetlana Kuznetsova’s big task on Tuesday will be to put her feet back on the ground so that she may focus on the next task at hand. It might not be easy, given the character of the Russian’s emotional win over the World No.1. “I have so many people saying congratulations I feel like I won the title already,” joked Kuznetsova after recording her first win over a reigning World No.1 since the 2009 Roland Garros final (d. Safina). When she comes back to earth, Kuznetsova will head into her quarterfinal against compatriot Ekaterina Makarova with confidence to burn. She has won the pair’s last four tilts in straight sets, and is a former Miami Open champion who doesn’t mind the sweltering conditions at Key Biscayne. But Makarova is in good form as well, having knocked off Top 20 opponents in consecutive matches for the first time in over a year to reach her maiden Miami Open quarterfinal.
Pick: Kuznetsova in three
[5] Simona Halep (ROU #5) vs. [19] Timea Bacsinszky (SUI #20)
Head-to-head: Halep leads, 2-0 (1-0 at Tour-level)
Key Stat: Bacsinszky recorded her fourth career Top 5 win (first Top 3) on Monday (4-13 overall).
Two players rounding into peak form will clash in a must-see quarterfinal on Tuesday, and while Simona Halep will come in as the favorite against 26-year-old Timea Bacsinszky, expect the Swiss to come out hungry for a shot of revenge. The last time Bacsinszky attempted to win back-to-back matches against Top 5 opponents she was shut down by Halep in the 2015 Shenzhen Open final, where she only managed four games. On Monday, Bacsinszky reached her first career quarterfinal at Miami with a gritty comeback against Agnieszka Radwanska, impressively wrestling control of the match from the World No.2 after a nervous start. Halep, who has won all six sets she’s played in Miami, should prove to be a tougher matchup for Bacsinszky. Many players struggle to contend with the Swiss’ world-class backhand, but the Romanian is such an exceptional mover, and so steady from both wings, that she should be able to weather the storm in the backhand rallies so that she may exploit the Swiss’ less steady forehand wing.
Pick: Halep in three
-Chris Oddo, wtatennis.com contributor
Angelique Kerber takes on Kiki Bertens in the third round of the Miami Open.
MIAMI, FL, USA – Former World No.2 Svetlana Kuznetsova recovered from a hotly contested opening set to earn her first victory over top seed Serena Williams since 2009, upsetting the 21-time Grand Slam champion in the fourth round of the Miami Open, 6-7(3), 6-1, 6-2.
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“I’m really thrilled,” Kuznetsova told Andrew Krasny during her on-court interview. “I’m sorry, fans who are disappointed that Serena’s not going to keep playing, but for sure she’ll be at more events than here.
“I’m really happy with my performance; I tried to stay at a good level the whole game, put as many balls back. I think I did that pretty well and I’m happy with the way I served today.”
Beginning the season with a title at the Apia International Sydney, the two-time Grand Slam champion hadn’t defeated a reigning World No.1 since winning the French Open almost seven years ago and needed three sets to beat both Carina Witthoeft and Caroline Garcia just to reach the fourth round. Narrowly missed out on a one-set lead after dropping the tie-break 7-3, a strong service game to start the second set her up in good stead against the American, going on to win 10 straight points between the second and third sets.
Serena gets one break back as Kuznetsova floats FH slice long. 3-1*.
Last time Serena lost as early as R16 in Miami: 2000 (l. Capriati).
— WTA Insider (@WTA_insider) March 28, 2016
Williams had reached the final in each of her two WTA appearances this season, but struggled to find her best form at a tournament she was looking to win for a ninth time. Earning two hard-foughts wins over Christina McHale and Zarina Diyas, she hit 43 winners on Monday but was undone by 50 unforced errors in the two hour match.
Kuznetsova was far more consistent throughout, hitting 27 winners to only 13 unforced and surviving a hiccup in the middle of the decider to serve out the upset on the first time of asking – starting the game with one of her eight aces.
“It’s my profession; I play tennis and I have to do my job on the court. I was just focused on my game, just trying to do what I do best.”
Into the quarterfinals for the first time since 2009, Kuznetsova next plays the winner of No.12 seed Elina Svitolina and No.30 seed Ekaterina Makarova – neither of whom had made their WTA main draw debut when the Russian last won in Miami in 2006.
“I’m too old! It was 10 years ago. I’ve been on this court many times. I love playing on this stage; the fans in my Miami are great. I love being back here and I’m really happy with my performance.”
Great hustle from @SvetlanaK27! ?? pic.twitter.com/IjnqLGTfxq
— WTA (@WTA) March 28, 2016