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Miami Open 2015 provides opportunity for Junior stars to emerge

Miami Open 2015 provides opportunity for Junior stars to emerge

  • Posted: Mar 22, 2015
Miami Open Tennis

The Miami Open begins next week as part of back-to-back Masters 1000/Premier Mandatory events following on the back of Indian Wells. The agency IMG owns the tournament which sees the wildcards offered take a different shape to most with few local players recipients. Many of the top young players in the game represented by the company will therefore take part in the event.

Ryan Harrison is the biggest name to get one for the main draw. It will be the fifth occasion in six years that Harrison has received a wildcard despite winning just two matches at the event in that time frame. 20 year-old Brit Kyle Edmund has begun to make an impression on the Challenger Tour at least, winning a title in Hong Kong while most recently making the quarter finals in a strong Irving draw.

At 18, Korea’s Hyeon Chung will make his debut in the main draw. Chung has taken advantage of Challenger events in Asia and Australia to move into the top 130. In February, he made consecutive finals in Burnie and Launceston winning the former before losing in three sets in Launceston to Bjorn Fratangelo.

Junior World No.1 and French Open champion Andrey Rublev rounds off the list. After picking up a number of titles at Futures level, the Russian was a quarter finalist in his first Challenger tournament while also picking up the Doubles title. A win over Dudi Sela in Delray Beach was his first at ATP level but Steve Johnson was a step too far in the following round.

Two of the qualifying wildcards go to junior slam winners in Gianluigi Quinzi (Wimbledon 2013) and Omar Jasika (2014 US Open). Elias Ymer qualified for his first grand slam this year beating the aforementioned Chung while Taro Daniel looks to qualify for his fifth ATP event. He made the quarter finals of Vina Del Mar in 2014 but was a first round loser in the other three attempts. Michael Mmoh is a top 10 junior with wins over Rublev and Jasika last year while also picking up a Futures title in Brownsville, Texas.

The Women’s draw is headed by two notable names in Sorana Cirstea and Nicole Vaidisova. Cirstea has plummeted down the rankings to outside the top 140 from a career high of 21 just over 18 months ago. A two times slam semi finalist in his first career, Vaidisova announced a comeback late last year. She is yet to make much of an impact, her best performance being a semi final of a $100,000 ITF event. Her first WTA level match back was a straight sets loss to Ana Ivanovic as a qualifier in Monterrey.

CiCi Bellis made a name for herself at last year’s US Open with a shock three set win over no.13 Dominika Cibulkova at the age of just 15. Three $25,000 Futures titles show she has had no trouble with moving on up to the next level. She also held the junior no.1 spot but didn’t win a slam in 2014, losing her last attempt at the US Open to Natalia Vikhlyantseva, who is also a main draw wildcard here. The Russian is now inside the top 400 but her best tournament at pro level is only a semi final in a $25k event.

17 year-old Paula Badosa Gibert was a two times quarter finalist in Junior slams last year, contributing to her career high no.8 at that level. The Spaniard’s first attempt at WTA level was a failure to qualify to Antwerp, being defeated by Kateryna Bondarenko. Indy De Vroome had slightly more success in Belgium, qualifying and picking up a shock win over Tsvetana Pironkova in the process. She also troubled Dominika Cibulkova but could not maintain her level throughout in the three set loss.

Canada’s Francoise Abanda is a one time $25k title winner who is currently winless on the WTA Tour. She has competed well against the likes of Sabine Lisicki and Venus Williams while also taking a set from Cibulkova at the Canadian Open.

Laura Robson was supposed to head a list of those with qualifying wildcards but she has chosen to exercise further caution with regards to her comeback. Ranked outside the top 800 in May 2014, Oceane Dodin has risen up the rankings rapidly and showcased her ability with a win in her first Australian Open against Alison Riske while taking a set of Karolina Pliskova in Round 2 looks more impressive by the day.

At 24, Arantxa Rus looks an odd choice given her record in recent time. She is 7-6 at ITF level, with just one match coming at above $25k level. However, two wins in Fed Cup action over Magdalena Rybarikova and Anna Karolina Schmiedlova are impressive. Sachia Vickery has won two $25k events in the US this year while going 3-5 at tour level in the past year, with a 1-1 record in 2015.

Ipek Soylu of Turkey is a Junior Doubles slam champion while also winning seven times at ITF level, taking advantage of the year round events in Turkey and Egypt to rack up titles, although they are all $10,000 level. Hungarian Fanni Stollar was a top 20 junior who has been making her first steps into pro events this year. She was a finalist in Orlando $10k this week but was defeated by an even younger opponent in 14 year-old Claire Liu.

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Del Potro Announces Return at Miami Open

Del Potro Announces Return at Miami Open

  • Posted: Mar 22, 2015

del potro

Juan Marin del Potro has officially announced his return to professional tennis, which will take place at next week’s Miami Masters event.

“Two months ago, I was leaving the Mayo Clinic after my last surgery. Today I bring you the news: I will play in Miami,” del Potro posted to social media. “With the support of my team and my doctor Richard Berger, I will take another step in the recovery process which, as you know, takes time.

“It’s great this is happening here in Miami, a special tournament for me because of the Latin fans and the Argentinians in particular. See you next week!”

The Argentine made his return to tennis for the first time since February 2014 last week in Sydney. While few expected much, he managed to reach the quarter-final round at the Apia Sydney International, where he was the defending champion. He defeated Sergiy Stakhovsky and followed up with a three-set win over Fabio Fognini before losing to Mikhail Kukushkin the following round. However, he withdrew from the Australian Open soon afterwards and was under the knife just a few days later.

The Miami Open is scheduled to begin on the March 25. Del Potro has historically done well at this event, as he holds a 13-6 record at the tournament.

 

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Novak Djokovic vs Roger Federer Preview and Prediction – Indian Wells 2015 Final

Novak Djokovic vs Roger Federer Preview and Prediction – Indian Wells 2015 Final

  • Posted: Mar 22, 2015

federer djokovic

The top two players on the ATP World Tour, Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer will meet in the final of the final of the Indian Wells Masters 1000 event on Sunday. This marks the 38th time that the two will cross paths on the professional tour, with the Federer vs Djokovic Head to Head standing at 20-17. He has also won their most recent meeting in Dubai several weeks ago.

Follow the final Live Here: Federer vs Djokovic Indian Wells Live Stream

Earlier in the day, top seed Novak Djokovic breezed past Andy Murray in straight sets, 6-2, 6-3 to secure his spot in the final. He has now won his last six consecutive matches against Murray. Djokovic won 70% of his second serve points, saved two break points and converted four of his own to close out the match in one hour and 28 minutes.

“Even though it’s a straight-set victory, I still had to earn it,” said Djokovic. “I thought that he didn’t play close to his highest level. He made a lot of unforced errors, especially from the forehand side. Low percentage of first serves in. That allowed me to obviously step in and be aggressive.”

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The second of the two semi-finals was a far more competitive affair, as Federer and Raonic went toe-to-toe until Federer found his opening late in the first set. The second set was a more confident one from Federer and he took advantage of an early break to secure the victory, 7-5, 6-4.

“I’m very happy [with] how well I’m playing,” said Federer. “[I] feel good physically. I feel refreshed after the holiday. I’m serving well, which is always crucial.”

The latest chapter in the remarkable rivalry between Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer will be written on Sunday afternoon at Indian Wells, as the two top competitors will cross paths once again in the final of the tournament. Federer won their most recent encounter several weeks ago in Dubai but this is a surface that has done wonders for Djokovic and he will look to avenge that loss and even the score in their 2015 series.

Prediction: Novak Djokovic in Three Sets

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Simona Halep vs Jelena Jankovic Preview – Indian Wells 2015 Final

Simona Halep vs Jelena Jankovic Preview – Indian Wells 2015 Final

  • Posted: Mar 22, 2015

Jelena Jankovic

In an unexpected turn of events, the final of the 2015 Indian Wells event will not feature Serena Williams, as she was forced to withdraw from the event, thus allowing Simona Halep to advance to the championship match against Jelena Jankovic. This marks the fifth time that these two competitors will cross paths on the professional tour, with Halep leading the head to head series 3-1.

You can watch the match Live Here: Halep vs Jankovic Live Stream

It was a surprising twist when Serena walked out on court ahead of her semi-final match to announce her withdrawal from the tournament with a knee injury. Scheduled to play Halep, she opted to err on the side of caution and not take part in the match. Halep was disappointed not to play the No. 1 but is excited about the new challenge of facing Jankovic once again.

“She’s a tough player, tough opponent,” Halep said about Jankovic. “I’ve played many matches against her and every one was really difficult. I know I’ll have to run a lot, hit the balls strong and be aggressive. I will have to stay focused for every ball, too, because she’s going to be fighting until the end.”

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In an unlikely comeback that was one of her best in recent memory, as Jelena Jankovic rallied from a set down and twice overcame a break in the second set to defeat Sabine Lisicki in three sets and reach her first final in over a year.

“I just fought hard, stayed in the zone and took it one point at a time,” the former No.1 said. “Sabine has such a great serve. I had to be ready because anything can happen – she can come up with a really huge serve, then sometimes she takes off the pace, so I had to be ready for anything.”

This is set to be the fifth time that Halep and Jankovic cross paths on the WTA tour, with Halep leading the series 3-1. The Romanian lost their first meeting at the 2010 US Open and has since gone 3-0 against the Serb. Although it has been a tough week for Halep, she will likely conclude it with a new title on her mantle.

Prediction: Simona Halep in Three Sets

Check out all the live results Here; Live Tennis Scores and Results

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Indian Wells 2015 SF Results: Djokovic downs Murray, Federer Edges Raonic

Indian Wells 2015 SF Results: Djokovic downs Murray, Federer Edges Raonic

  • Posted: Mar 22, 2015

Federer

On the enthralling Super Saturday at the American desert, the top two competitors in the world, Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer advanced to the final of the Indian Wells Masters 1000 event with straight set victories over their respective opponents.

In the first of the two semi-final matches, top seed Novak Djokovic breezed past Andy Murray in straight sets, 6-2, 6-3 to secure his spot in the final. He has now won his last six consecutive matches against Murray.

“Even though it’s a straight-set victory, I still had to earn it,” said Djokovic. “I thought that he didn’t play close to his highest level. He made a lot of unforced errors, especially from the forehand side. Low percentage of first serves in. That allowed me to obviously step in and be aggressive.”

The second of the two semi-finals was a far more competitive affair, as Federer and Raonic went toe-to-toe until Federer found his opening late in the first set. The second set was a more confident one from Federer and he took advantage of an early break to secure the victory, 7-5, 6-4.

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The two top players on the ATP World Tour will clash in the final of the Indian Wells Masters 1000 event on Sunday afternoon.

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Indian Wells 2015 SF Results: Serena Williams Withdraws, Jankovic Rallies

Indian Wells 2015 SF Results: Serena Williams Withdraws, Jankovic Rallies

  • Posted: Mar 22, 2015

Serena

The semi-final round of the Indian Wells event brought with it some surprising twists and turns, which eventually led to a Sunday final that few anticipated.

Serena Williams walked out on court ahead of her semi-final match to announce her withdrawal from the tournament with a knee injury. Scheduled to play Simona Halep, she opted to err on the side of caution and not take part in the match. Halep was disappointed not to play the No. 1 but is excited about the new challenge of facing Jankovic once again.

“I was on the practice court and everything was going well, but literally the last two minutes I went for a serve and felt a super sharp pain in my knee,” Williams explained to reporters in her press conference. “It was like, ‘Okay,’ and I served again. I felt it again. I just came off, and it hasn’t been the same since. I have done everything. I have just pretty much done everything from taping to research.

“I even did an injection. I’ve never done an injection before. If this were any other event I probably wouldn’t have considered it. But I wanted to give 200%. It just wasn’t meant to be this year.”

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In the earlier semi-final, Jelena Jankovic rallied from a set down and twice overcame a break in the second set to defeat Sabine Lisicki in three sets and reach her first final in over a year.

Halep and Jankovic will meet in the final of the tournament on Sunday.

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