Tennis News

MIAMI, FL, USA – No.2 seed Angelique Kerber showed signs of the form that took her to a maiden major title on Friday, dispatching Barbora Strycova in straight sets at the Miami Open.

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Since her Australian Open triumph this January, things on the court have not exactly gone to plan for Kerber; a glorious Fed Cup homecoming was spoiled by a Belinda Bencic-inspired Switzerland before early exits in Doha and Indian Wells.

The draw in Miami, though, was kind to the German, pairing her with Strycova, against whom she had never lost. In fact, in their three career meetings Kerber had not even dropped a set, a record she maintained in emphatic fashion on Friday, completing a 6-1, 6-1 win in just over an hour.

“It was a great start for me,” Kerber said. “I knew that Barbora was a tough opponent and it was a tricky one – she’s played very well this year. But I always go out there and try to play my game again and try to be tough mentally, run for every ball.

“I worked very hard before Miami, because I had a lot of time after Indian Wells and I think the hard work pays off again. I’m also a little bit more relaxed and healthy.”

Grand Slam success has done little to erode Kerber’s famed work ethic. The World No.3 even sought the advice from 22-time major winner Steffi Graf in the build up to the Indian Wells-Miami double-header.

“At the end of such a great success it’s always good to celebrate a little bit and of course no one can ever take it away from me,” Kerber added. “But now it’s time to get on court and work hard again and do the same things that made me strong before Australia, getting ready for me next matches and tournaments.” 

Next Kerber faces Kiki Bertens, after she overcame a disastrous start to upset No.25 seed Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, 1-6, 6-4, 6-1.

MIAMI, FL, USA – No.13 seed Victoria Azarenka showed all of her grit and determination against an inspired Monica Puig, clinching a tight second set to win, 6-2, 6-4.

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Much like good friend and fellow BNP Paribas Open finalist Serena Williams, Azarenka had things all her own way to start, sprinting out to a 5-0 lead on a over-awed Puig. The Puerto Rican youngster was in no mood to sit back, however, and clawed one of the breaks back and played through most of the second set on level footing.

“With a game like this, she definitely has big potential going forward,” Azarenka told Andrew Krasny, complimenting Puig during her on-court interview but adding, “I have to be a little more careful because it was an escape a little bit in the second set.”

Keeping her side of the stats sheet even, the two-time Australian Open champion hit 19 winners to 19 unforced, while Puig was ultimately done in by 25 errors and eight double faults. In particular, the Azarenka serve has shown marked improvement to start the 2016 season, and the Belarusian finished the match with five aces – several appearing when she needed them most.

“I tried to be a little bit more aggressive because she started hitting everything on the rise, and I backed up a little bit. I just have to keep moving forward myself.”

Up next for Azarenka is qualifier Magda Linette; the Pole advanced after No.18 seed Jelena Jankovic was forced to retire just five points into their second round encounter with a right shoulder injury.

The former No.1 is the highest seed left in her section of the draw, with the bottom half seeds going 7-9 on the day – compared with the top half’s 10-6 record on Thursday. Among the casualties were No.17 seed Karolina Pliskova, who dropped a third set tie-break to Timea Babos, 5-7, 6-2, 7-6(0), No.25 seed Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, who lost to qualifier Kiki Bertens, 6-1, 4-6, 6-1, No.29 seed Sabine Lisicki, who squandered a 5-0 final set lead to Irina-Camelia Begu, 6-4, 1-6, 7-6(2), and No.27 seed Kristina Mladenovic, who fell to wildcard Nicole Gibbs, 6-2, 6-4.

MIAMI, FL, USA – Garbiñe Muguruza produced a thrilling final set comeback to defeat Dominika Cibulkova in an absorbing second-round encounter at the Miami Open on Friday.

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Two crushing returns helped Muguruza claim the decisive break in the penultimate game before she calmly wrapped up a 6-7(3), 6-3, 7-5 victory.

“The match today was so tough but I’m so happy I’ve been through this against Dominika,” Muguruza said. “She played very well and I think it was a tricky second round because she’s really tough. But I’m very happy that I fight all the match – even though I lost the first set hard – and I was able to come back.”

Earlier this month in Indian Wells, Cibulkova came within a point of upsetting World No.3 Agnieszka Radwanska. While she did not come quite so close to victory against Muguruza, she will be no less disappointed at her failure to get over the line once again.

After splitting two high-quality sets, Cibulkova looked to be heading for the third round when she surged 3-0 ahead in the decider. However, she was unable to hold onto the momentum, sending a backhand long to surrender her serve in the fifth game.

Considering her struggle for form this year, Muguruza showed tremendous poise with the match in the balance. Trailing 5-4, the Spaniard refused to wilt, a couple of pin-point serves fending off the danger. The same could not be said for Cibulkova in the next game, Muguruza jumping on a couple of short second serves to strike decisively.

Muguruza faces wildcard Nicole Gibbs in the third round. Gibbs reached the fourth round in Indian Wells and continued her superb spring by beating No.27 seed Kristina Mladenovic, 6-2, 6-4, earlier on Friday.

“I don’t know her that well. But she’s here because she’s playing great and feeling at home because she’s from the US. I’ll just do my stuff, prepare and fight until the last point,” Muguruza added.

MIAMI, FL, USA – A former World No.21 and perennial doubles threat, Elena Vesnina needed to fight through qualifying just to reach the main draw of the Miami Open, but the veteran Russian caused one of the biggest shake-ups of the event thus far, outsteadying No.10 seed and former No.1 Venus Williams, 6-0, 6-7(5), 6-2.

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“That was a great match, great fight,” she told Andrew Krasny during her on-court interview. “It’s always an honor to play against Venus. She’s a great champion. We played many times against each other and it’s always been a pleasure to play her and it’s always been a tough match-up.

“I’m really happy that I won today.”

Far from the typical underdog, Vesnina came into the match with a solid week at the Qatar Total Open – where she earned back-to-back wins over Simona Halep and Caroline Wozniacki and ended Martina Hingis and Sania Mirza’s 41-match winning streak in doubles – and an even head-to-head against the illustrious American. Landing 74% of her first serves to start, she took advantage of a flat opponent to race through the opening set without losing a game.

“I honestly was a little bit shocked after the first set, thinking, ‘Ok, what’s going on?'”

The second set was a more even affair; though Vesnina took what appeared to be a decisive break in the seventh game, Venus broke back at the eleventh hour, saving a match point on the Russian’s serve at 5-4.

“Even when I was up 5-3, I felt Venus was playing better and better and she raised her level up.”

Pushing the second set into a tie-break, the momentum swung back and forth before Venus swept the final two points, ensuring that the crowd would see a final set.

“She was serving incredibly; on the tie-break she played at a very high level of tennis.”

Undaunted – and perhaps aware that she won their only prior three-set match at the Western & Southern Open back in 2013 – Vesnina raced out to another 3-0 lead; though Venus pegged her back to within a game of level terms, the reigning Australian Open mixed doubles champion ultimately hit more winners (35 to 28) and fewer errors (35 to 39) to clinch the victory.

“Even though I lost the second set, I still believed in myself, and I knew everything could happen. It was a pleasure to play on this center court.”

Up next for Vesnina is No.24 seed and Australian Open semifinalist Johanna Konta, who defeated Danka Kovinic, 6-4, 6-2. With No.6 seed Carla Suárez Navarro out at the hands of American CoCo Vandeweghe, the highest seed left in this quarter of the draw is BNP Paribas Open champion Victoria Azarenka, who is ranked in the Top 10 but seeded No.13.

Vesnina is also in the doubles draw, set to play her first round with 18-year-old Daria Kasatkina, with whom she ended the Santina Streak. Kasatkina started the year with a win over the elder of the Williams sisters at the ASB Classic, and could be seen supporting her partner from the stands.

“She told me a couple of things before the match, but she said, ‘That’s Venus; you have to expect everything,'” Vesnina said when asked whether her countrywoman had given her any advice. “It was great to have her in my player box alongside my husband and my dad.

“The center court atmosphere was really amazing. Even though I felt like Venus was the favorite and everyone really wanted her to win, there will still some people cheering for me, so that was really nice. It’s great when you can have a big team behind you, supporting you and believing in you.”

MIAMI, FL, USA – Angelique Kerber will look to recapture her Australian Open magic on Friday as the seeds in the lower half of the draw kick off their Miami Open campaigns.

Friday, Second Round

[2] Angelique Kerber (GER #3) vs. Barbora Strycova (CZE #32)
Head-to-head: Kerber leads, 3-0
Key Stat: Kerber has dropped only 12 games in six previous sets versus Strycova.
After producing the most brilliant performance of her career in Australia, Angelique Kerber suddenly finds herself in a bit of a funk. The German, now ranked No.3 in the world, has lost three straight and has dropped six consecutive sets since winning the Australian Open title. But Kerber is not panicking. “I had a lot to do after Australia, and I was really enjoying it.” Kerber said. “Now I had a little bit of time to rest, to work very hard again on the practice courts. I’m fit and I’m healthy and that’s the important thing, so I’m ready to go again.” The German will be tested by the always pesky Barbora Strycova in the second round. Though troubled by Kerber in the past, the wily Czech will surely be ready to pounce on the opportunity if Kerber isn’t up to snuff.

Pick: Kerber in two

[4] Garbiñe Muguruza (ESP #4) vs. Dominika Cibulkova (SVK #54)
Head-to-head: Muguruza leads, 2-0
Key Stat: As a wildcard, Muguruza reached the round of 16 in her first two Miami appearances.
Perhaps a trip back to the place where the magic started will help Garbiñe Muguruza get her lethal game back on track in 2016. In 2012, the Spaniard was given a wildcard into Miami and proceeded to notch her first career WTA-level win before defeating two seeded players (Vera Zvonareva and Flavia Pennetta) on her way to the round of 16. Four years later, Muguruza is a proven Top 5 talent who is reeling a bit, and in search of her mojo. The Spaniard will look to find it against one of the most ornery fighters on tour in Dominika Cibulkova. The Slovakian was in play for an upset last week at Indian Wells, but squandered a match point and dropped the last five games to fall to Agnieszka Radwanska in three sets. Like Muguruza, Cibulkova is no stranger to having success in Miami. In her last appearance here (2014), she reached the semifinals for the first time.

Pick: Muguruza in three

[6] Carla Suárez Navarro (ESP #6) vs. CoCo Vandeweghe (USA #38)
Head-to-head: Suárez Navarro leads, 2-0
Key Stat: Suárez Navarro had to pull out of Indian Wells with a right ankle injury.
Last year Carla Suárez Navarro reached the final in Miami and secured her place in the WTA’s Top10 for the first time. This year, the Spaniard returns with a lot of points to defend, some questions about her health and a very powerful second-round opponent to deal with. Suárez Navarro has never dropped a set against Vandeweghe, but the American is one of the few players on tour that can take the racquet out of her opponent’s hands when she is on. Still, on the slow-playing hard courts of the Crandon Park Tennis Center, one has to like the consistent grind of Suárez Navarro’s methodical attack against the hit-and-miss aggression of Vandeweghe, particularly if the Spaniard is well enough to capitalize on her fitness advantage.

Pick: Suárez Navarro in three

[13] Victoria Azarenka (BLR #8) vs. Monica Puig (PUR #67)
Head-to-head: First meeting
Key Stat: Azarenka leads the WTA Tour in percentage of service games won thus far in 2016.
Victoria Azarenka is one of two players to have won multiple titles on the WTA Tour this year. Can she make it three in Miami? The red-hot Belarusian will square off against Puerto Rico’s Monica Puig in the first round and the match-up should favor Azarenka. Puig is a hard hitter when she is in control of rallies and able to step in and rip, but with Azarenka serving and returning so well of late, it’s hard to imagine many rallies where Puig will be in the driver’s seat. Azarenka, who improved to 16-1 on the season with her victory over Serena Williams in the Indian Wells final, should be able to dictate, and advance, without too much fuss.

Pick: Azarenka in two

Around the grounds…
Three-time champion Venus Williams will look to get back to winning ways against Elena Vesnina of Russia. The pair have split four previous meetings with 10th-seeded Williams winning the last two. No.7 seed Belinda Bencic will take part in a study of contrasts when she takes on hard-serving southpaw Kristyna Pliskova in a first-time meeting. Madison Keys will begin a new era with Mats Wilander as her part-time coach by facing Kirsten Flipkens. Keys has only played once since the Australian Open, losing to Nicole Gibbs at Indian Wells.

– Chris Oddo, wtatennis.com contributor