Indian Wells: Radwanska Interview
An interview with Agnieszka Radwanska before the start of the BNP Paribas Open.
An interview with Agnieszka Radwanska before the start of the BNP Paribas Open.
INDIAN WELLS, CA, USA – The first round bottom half gets started at the BNP Paribas Open on Thursday as Eugenie Bouchard takes the court looking to continue her positive momentum.
Thursday
First Round
Stadium 1
Eugenie Bouchard (CAN #42) vs. [Q] Risa Ozaki (JPN #125)
Head-to-head: First meeting
Much ink was spilled in 2015 about Eugenie Bouchard’s second-season woes. Ranked as high as No.5, the Canadian ended the year outside of the Top 40 as she struggled to close out matches and string together victories.
But Bouchard seems to have put the past firmly behind her as she rides the momentum of a red-hot resurgence into Indian Wells – she’s made two finals and has won 13 out of 18 matches this year.
“I got here early for the tournament and I was working really hard in practice just trying to improve different areas of my game,” Bouchard said in Kuala Lumpur, where she reached the BMW Malaysian Open final. “I feel like I’ve improved already since last week and for me that’s just my goal right now – to improve every single week.”
Bouchard’s first test comes in the form of Japanese qualifier Risa Ozaki. Though the pair have never played before, Ozaki made her presence known in Kuala Lumpur when she pushed eventual champion Elina Svitolina to three sets in the round of 16.
The winner is set to face No.21 seed Sloane Stephens, whose two titles in 2016 are a WTA-leading figure.
Caroline Garcia (FRA #41) vs. Christina McHale (USA #62)
Head-to-head: McHale leads, 2-1
The first women’s match on Stadium 1 sees Caroline Garcia and Christina McHale battle it out for a chance to face the No.4 seed Garbiñe Muguruza in the next round.
Both players are coming off of strong showings in Latin America – Garcia made the semifinal in Monterrey and McHale the semifinal in Acapulco. McHale already has one title under her belt though, an ITF 50K she picked up in Maui, while in her last match in Monterrey Garcia struggled against eventual champion Heather Watson as a result of a lower back injury.
Despite the head to head skewing in McHale’s favor, all three of their previous encounters have been unbelievably close; both of McHale’s wins came after three sets, and in Garcia’s straight sets victory, both sets went to a tiebreak.
Around the grounds…
It’s youth up against experience as Monica Puig faces WTA veteran Mirjana Lucic-Baroni and 18-year-old Daria Kasatkina takes on Daniela Hantuchova. Laura Robson seeks to put her injury woes behind her as she opens against Magdalena Rybarikova.
An interview with Simona Halep before the start of the BNP Paribas Open.
INDIAN WELLS, CA, USA – The first day of WTA main draw action kicked off on Wednesday, and Dominika Cibulkova was among the day’s winners – she will take on No.3 seed Agnieszka Radwanska’s first opponent in the second round.
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“We’ve played so many times against each other,” Cibulkova said in her post-match interview. “[Radwanska] is a great opponent so I hope it’s gonna be a good match.”
The Slovak found her groove early on to cruise against Czech youngster Katerina Siniakova, 6-2, 6-0. She broke serve right away and only lost just one point in the first three games. Though Siniakova had the advantage of being familiar with the surface and the Indian Wells atmosphere – she had fought through two rounds of qualifying – Cibulkova didn’t allow her any way into the match.
Cibulkova needed exactly one hour to put away the 19-year-old and book the second round clash against Radwanska, who received a first round bye.
'Thanks for telling me [I play Aga next],' jokes @Cibulkova. 'I never look at the draw!' https://t.co/kRsZ9udpkC pic.twitter.com/09nipFLNOp
— TennisTV (@TennisTV) March 10, 2016
Also through to the second round is Heather Watson, whose match fitness was tested to the limit by Galina Voskoboeva. Fresh from winning the title at the Abierto Monterrey Afirme on Sunday, Watson had to weather a second-set surge from the Kazakhstani to advance 7-6(4), 4-6, 6-1.
While Voskoboeva faltered, a pair of other Kazakhstani women kept the blue and gold flag flying high at Indian Wells as Yaroslava Shvedova survived an all-out assault from qualifier Kristyna Pliskova and Yulia Putintseva picked off Shuai Peng 6-0, 6-1.
It was a tough day at the office for the Americans, though – Lucie Hradecka sent off Alison Riske 7-6(4), 6-2, Vania King ousted her countrywoman Taylor Townsend 6-2, 6-3 and Carina Witthoeft dismissed Irina Falconi 6-4, 6-4. But CoCo Vandeweghe, who feels right at home here in California, kept American hopes alive as she fought off Kiki Bertens 6-4, 6-4.
Full Circle For Santina: Co-No.1s Martina Hingis and Sania Mirza paired up for the very first time at last year’s BNP Paribas Open, winning the event and prompting a 15-match winning streak through Miami and Charleston. The summer following their first Grand Slam victory at Wimbledon proved even more fruitful, taking Santina on a 41-match win streak that included nine titles and two more majors at the US Open and Australian Open.
That incredible run came to an end in the quarterfinals of the Qatar Total Open, three matches shy of tying the longest winning streak since 1990 – when Jana Novotna and Helena Sukova won 44 matches in a row – forcing Hingis and Mirza to celebrate their one year anniversary on a decidedly unexpected one-match losing streak.
Turning that around won’t be an easy ask for the best team in the world; in a jam-packed draw, Santina are set to play a first round against Casey Dellacqua – the current World No.4 who reached the US Open final with Yaroslava Shvedova – and former No.1 Samantha Stosur. Also in their section are Elena Vesnina and Daria Kasatkina, the very team who beat them in Doha.
But bear in mind: Hingis and Mirza haven’t done a whole lot of losing in the last 12 months; should they pass these early hurdles, they could easily catch fire once more and capture their fifth title of 2016.
Olympic Fever: Dellacqua/Stosur and Vesnina/Kasatkina aren’t the only mono-country pairings to form this season, as half of the Indian Wells doubles field is comprised of women playing with their compatriots.
Four of them – No.4 seeds Andrea Hlavackova and Lucie Hradecka, No.7 seeds Garbiñe Muguruza and Carla Suárez Navarro, No.8 seeds Raquel Atawo (née Kops-Jones) and Abigail Spears, and No.2 seeds Chan Hao-Ching and Chan Yung-Jan – qualified for BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global just a few months ago.
The Czechs have the most experience under their belts, including two Grand Slams and an Olympic silver medal, while the Spaniards finished runner-up to Hingis and Mirza in Singapore, and the Americans played some of their best tennis in 2015. The Chan sisters were the story of the second half of the season, and reversed a slow start with back-to-back titles in Taiwan and Doha.
No.6 seeds Caroline Garcia and Kristina Mladenovic were both in Singapore with other partners – Katarina Srebotnik and Timea Babos, respectively – but teamed up to start the season with the Olympics in mind. The two have already reached two finals in Sydney and Doha – beating the Chans and pushing Santina to a match tie-break in the former.
A trio of potential Olympic pairs remain unseeded and looming in the California desert. Anabel Medina Garrigues and Arantxa Parra Santonja came together on a more permanent basis last summer, and have been bastions of consistency throughout 2016. Making the semifinals or better at seven of their last eight events, the Spaniards – who open against Mladenovic and Garcia – swept the Central American swing with titles in Acapulco and Monterrey.
By contrast, wildcards Andrea Petkovic and reigning Australian Open champion Angelique Kerber are playing just their second tournament together and will have to hit the ground running against the Chans, but they may yet build on their reputation as the “best worst team ever,” one that took them into the finals of the Brisbane International.
Bethanie Mattek-Sands has been in search of a consistent partner since injuries and illness felled partner and co-Australian and French Open champion, Lucie Safarova. The Czech is back in action at Indian Wells, but instead playing with Ekaterina Makarova – Vesnina’s former partner. Mattek-Sands began the year alongside Sabine Lisicki and Yaroslava Shvedova, but is revisiting a successful Fed Cup partnership with CoCo Vandeweghe; the Americans won their doubles rubber against Poland’s Paula Kania and Klaudia Jans-Ignacik in straight sets.
Equal and Opposite: With 2015 partners Dellacqua and Mladenovic chasing after Olympic glory, Shevedova and Babos have decided to team up for the time being. Babos had enjoyed success with Julia Goerges in the Middle East, but after opting out of her original arrangement with Katarina Srebotnik, the Hungarian youngster admitted it was tough to find a consistent partner at this point in the season.
“I still have big goals in doubles, and we had a goal with Kata,” she told WTA Insider in Monterrey, “But after two tournaments, we realized it wouldn’t be so easy to make it, and our games weren’t matching so well. After Australia, I tried to find someone who I could play with every week, but it’s not easy to find someone who is still free and can be a good partner when the season’s already started.”
Comeback Kids: Peng Shuai began her wade back into the competitive pool in Australia, playing doubles in her first tournaments since a back enjury ended her 2015 season at the French Open. Making her highly-anticipated singles return at the BNP Paribas Open, Peng is also reforming her most successful partnership by reuniting with Hsieh Su-Wei.
The former No.1s burst onto the scene nearly three years ago with wins at Wimbledon, the French Open, and the WTA Finals. Unseeded in the Mladenovic/Garcia section, Peng and Hsieh drew Sara Errani and Oksana Kalashnikova – Hsieh’s most recent partner. Errani is coming off of a solid Middle East Swing, reaching the finals of Doha with Suárez Navarro.
Elsewhere in the draw is Galina Voskoboeva, who made her WTA return at the Abierto Mexicano Telcel in doubles with Anastasia Rodionova. Winning one match before losing in a valiant effort to Hobart International champions Christina McHale and Han Xinyun, Voskoboeva had been off the tour for almost two years and has solid history with the Aussie, reaching the semifinals of the Rogers Cup back in 2012. Their tournament begins with a first round encounter with Kasatkina and Vesnina.
Finally, Vania King is back at Indian Wells for the first time since 2014 – when she played, oddly enough, with Voskoboeva. Using her protected ranking, King is coming off of a run to the quarterfinals of the Australian Open with Alla Kudryavtseva, where they earned consecutive upsets over Shvedova and Stosur and Vesnina and Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova. In the Santina section of the draw, King and Kudryavtseva will play their first round against Anna-Lena Groenefeld and Barbora Strycova.
All photos courtesy of the St. Petersburg Ladies Trophy and Getty Images.
INDIAN WELLS, CA, USA – Heather Watson weathered an early storm to defeat Galina Voskoboeva in Wednesday’s first round at the BNP Paribas Open.
Watch highlights, interviews and more video from Indian Wells right here on wtatennis.com!
Fresh from winning the third title of her career last weekend, Watson struggled to find her best tennis before eventually prevailing, 7-6(4), 4-6, 6-1.
“It was very tough today. Galina’s coming back from injury and I thought she played very well today and really made me work for it but when it was important I was able to bring out my best tennis and I was very happy with it today,” Watson told Andrew Krasny in her on-court interview.
“I was very happy with my win in Monterrey,” she added. “I think today I was a little slow getting used to the court – it was very different, but I got through and I’m into the next round.”
Watson will face No.32 seed Monica Niculescu in the second round.
More to follow…
Before the tour hits the desert in Indian Wells, good friends Serena Williams and Caroline Wozniacki headed to Madison Square Garden for the BNP Paribas Showdown. Who came out on top?
Who were the last women to complete the Sunshine Double? And who has the most match wins? Find out as SAP takes you Behind The Numbers at Indian Wells and Miami.
Who were the last women to complete the Sunshine Double? Find out as SAP takes you Behind The Numbers at Indian Wells and Miami.
INDIAN WELLS, CA, USA – The BNP Paribas Open gets underway on Wednesday, with an in-form Heather Watson and a couple of Americans on the comeback trail in action.
Wednesday, First Round
Stadium 1
[WC] Heather Watson (GBR #53) vs. Galina Voskoboeva (KAZ #NR)
Head-to-head: Watson leads 1-0
Unsurprisingly, Johanna Konta has dominated British tennis in the opening months of 2016. Last week, though, Heather Watson moved out of the shadows to lift the third WTA title of her career, at the Abierto Monterrey Afirme. Most impressive was the manner of her victory in México, taking the initiative to defeat Caroline Wozniacki, Caroline Garcia and then Kirsten Flipkens in a high-quality final.
Next stop is Indian Wells and an unfamiliar foe. Galina Voskoboeva missed the best part of two years recovering from a serious foot injury, making her return at an ITF event in February. The Kazakhstani has completed just a handful of matches since then and is using her protected ranking of No.72 to step up her competition in the desert. Watson won her only previous meeting against the Kazakhstani, an extremely tight three-set battle three years ago in Memphis, and in light of recent accomplishments will expect to repeat the result.
[Q] Taylor Townsend (USA #379) vs. Vania King (USA #202)
Head-to-head: Townsend leads 1-0
Two years ago, Taylor Townsend looked ready to deliver on her boundless potential, reaching the third round of the French Open and breaking into the Top 100. But since then, things have not exactly gone to plan for the former junior No.1, injury, coaching reshuffles and a loss of form sending her tumbling down the rankings.
Such has been Townsend’s fall, she needed to win eight matches to earn a spot in the main draw. Having negotiated her way through that minefield, the American, who does not turn 20 until later this spring, meets Vania King. Like Townsend, King is also on the comeback trail, a productive spell on the ITF Circuit leaving her on the cusp of the Top 200. The match is be third on Stadium 1 and with defending champion Simona Halep awaiting in the second round the winner is likely to be rewarded with another prime time slot.
Around the grounds…
Dominika Cibulkova attempts to set up a second-round blockbuster against Agnieszka Radwanska when she takes on Katerina Siniakova. Also on court are Barbora Strycova and CoCo Vandeweghe, who face Kiki Bertens and Aliaksandra Sasnovich, respectively.