Tennis News

Simona Halep and Caroline Wozniacki took part in very different matches in the quarter-final stage of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships, and yet they both arrived in at the final four, and will meet for a spot in the final on Friday afternoon. This is just the third time that the two top competitors will cross paths on the professional tour with the Wozniacki v Halep Head-to-Head series standing at 1-1.

Follow the match live here: Wozniacki vs Halep Live Stream

Top seed Simona Halep stepped on court for the night session in Dubai and ended up avenging her Aussie Open loss to Ekaterina Makarova to reach the semi-final stage of the tournament. It was an odd, turbulent match of sorts, and saw Halep win in rollercoaster fashion 6-3, 1-6, 7-5. Even the ending of the contest was surprising, as Halep missed her first four match points before closing it out on her fifth attempt.

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“There were ups and downs tonight. It wasn’t easy to be in control the whole match because she’s a good player,” Halep said. “I played really well in the first set, but then in the second set she started to hit stronger, and I think I was one step further behind the baseline, which wasn’t good for me.

“But I just tried to relax and go forward in the court more and take the ball faster, and I’m really happy it ended up being a good match for me. It means a lot, because I need more matches now.”

Unlike her upcoming opponent, Caroline Wozniacki had little trouble dispatching Italy’s Flavia Pennetta in straight sets to arrive in the semi-final in Dubai. She managed 71% of her first service points, 13 winners, and converted six break points to earn the lopsided 7-5, 6-0 victory in 1 hour and 32 minutes.

Halep and Wozniacki will face off in a rubber match to determine who will take the lead in their head-to-head series. Wozniacki won their first meeting at this event three years ago, while Halep avenged that loss in New Haven in 2013.

Prediction: Caroline Wozniacki in Three Sets

The Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships brought some surprising results on Wednesday afternoon as four of the tournaments notable competitors crashed out of the event to open up the draw for those remaining. Petra Kvitova, Agnieszka Radwanska, Ana Ivanovic, and Venus Williams were all prevented from reaching the quarter-final stage of the tournament.

The biggest upset of the day took place on Centre Court when 13th seed Carla Suarez Navarro upset two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova to reach the final eight in Dubai. She defeated the No. 2 seed 6-3, 4-6, 6-3.

“Carla plays different from the other girls – the backhand slice, she can play at the net, from the forehand she can put topspin,” Kvitova said. “She has a lot of variety in her game. She’s not the only one playing like this, but I lost twice already against her, so I hope next time will be better.”

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Three-time champion Venus Williams lost in straight sets to No. 11 seed Lucie Safarova 6-4, 6-2. The temperature clearly did not benefit the former world No. 1.

”I think she played awesome,” Williams said. ”There were a couple of games there that I didn’t even get my racket on the ball. What can I say to that?”

Another surprisingly lopsided upset was Radwanska’s straight sets exit to Garbine Muguruza. She lost to the Spaniard 6-4, 6-2.

”I think when you’re not playing your best tennis then it’s hard to compete with those kind of players,” Radwanska said. ”I think I didn’t serve well enough to win that.”

Simona Halep and Caroline Wozniacki remain as the top seeds in the draw.

Following a stellar start to his clay court campaign, Rafael Nadal is through to the second round of the Rio Open. The Spaniard will continue his run against Pablo Carreno Busta, whom he has never faced previously on the professional tour.

Follow the match live here: Nadal v Carreno Busta Live Stream

The world No. 3 began his run on Tuesday, when he faced Thomaz Bellucci and defeated his Brazilian adversary in straight sets. It was a straightforward victory – he struck 13 winners to close out the match 6-4, 6-1 in 91 minutes. While it was not his best victory, there were several enjoyable rallies during the encounter that left viewers with high hopes for the remainder of his run this week. He appeared pleased with his performance, given that he is yet to return to full form.

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“I think I played well,” said Nadal. “Keeping in mind that it was a long time since I last played on clay. I played not looking to complicate things, because I knew it was not the day to do so. I tried not to make big mistakes.”

Pablo Carreno Busta kicked off his campaign in Rio with a three-set victory over Carlos Berlocq. He needed two hours and 27 minutes to earn the 6-3, 6-7(3), 6-0. He ran away with the match in the final set, but overall, he managed 72% of his first service points, and saved all three of the break points he faced in the entire match.

This is the first meeting between Rafael Nadal and Pablo Carreno Busta, and will likely be a straightforward contest. The Spaniard has looked good so far in his first match on clay and will only loosen up with more court time. It has been a while since his last clay court run, so his current performances following a plague of injuries is extremely promising for the anticipated run towards the French Open.

Prediction: Rafael Nadal in Straight Sets

Wednesday proved to be an odd day at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships – one filled with surprising upset that brought us an unlikely quarter-final match-up between fellow Spaniards and first time opponents Garbine Muguruza and Carla Suarez Navarro.

Arguably the biggest upset of the day took place on Centre Court when 13th seed Carla Suarez Navarro upset two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova to reach the final eight in Dubai. She defeated the No. 2 seed 6-3, 4-6, 6-3.

“Carla plays different from the other girls – the backhand slice, she can play at the net, from the forehand she can put topspin,” Kvitova said. “She has a lot of variety in her game. She’s not the only one playing like this, but I lost twice already against her, so I hope next time will be better.”

Following up on her US Open victory last year against the Pole, Spain’s Garbine Muguruza ousted fifth seed Agnieszka Radwanska 6-4, 6-2 to secure her spot in the quarter-final stage of the tournament. The contest lasted 76 minutes and saw Garbine strike 4 aces, win 84% of her first service points, and converted five break point opportunities.

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“I think nowadays there are so many girls that play so well that the difference between the top players and the other ones is really small,” Muguruza said afterwards. “If you work hard and play your best and concentrate on just playing your game, I think you will always have the chance to beat them.”

This marks the first time that these two competitors will meet on the WTA tour and will likely make for an entertaining match-up between two of the top Spaniards on the tour. The winner will find herself in the semi-final in Dubai, which will be an outstanding achievement.

Prediction: Garbine Muguruza in Three Sets