Tennis News

Once considered the future of women’s tennis in the United States, Sloane Stephens has since fallen off the beaten path and dropped significantly in the rankings. However, she managed a successful start in Hobart and will now look ahead to another match-up against British No. 1 Heather Watson. This marks the fourth time that the two competitors will cross paths on the professional tour, with Watson leading the series 3-0.

Following her disappointing showing last week, Stephens started off her campaign in Hobart in much better fashion, as she cruised past her first opponent Monica Niculescu in straight sets to set up her encounter with Watson. She eventually defeated her opponent 6-4, 6-2 after going down a break early in the opening set.

“I’ve played some great tennis here,” she said. “My favorite Indian restaurant is here and I always have a good time here, so I’m always really looking forward to coming back to Hobart all the time.”

World No. 49 Heather Watson also needed straight sets to dispatch her opponent Magdalena Rybarikova 7-5, 6-1 in 82 minutes of court time. Watson won 69% of her first service points and converted 7 of 13 break points to close out the match and set up her fourth meeting with the American youngster.

This marks the first time that these two competitors will cross paths on the tour since 2012. Watson remains undefeated in the series with a 3-0 mark but has not faced Stephens in several years – a period that proved tempestuous in the Briton’s life. Given Watson’s record against Stephens, this should be her match to lose. However, Stephens will also be motivated to gather some momentum ahead of the Australian Open next week.

Prediction: Sloane Stephens in Three Sets

In keeping up with his fantastic 2014 season, Stan Wawrinka successfully defended his title at the Aircel Chennai Open to kick off his year in impressive fashion.

Wawrinka, who is now a three-time champion at this event, defeated Aljaz Bedene 6-3, 6-4 in a contest that lasted 69 minutes on Sunday afternoon. The Swiss star faced no break points and needed just one match point to close out the contest and give himself the necessary momentum heading into the Australian Open.

“I feel really happy,” said Wawrinka. “It’s tough to win tournaments on the ATP Tour. I feel good, with more confidence [and] feeling well with my game. I’m happy with my game in general, but it’s just the beginning of the season and I hope I can play well all [of] the season.”

Wawrinka also took home $73,400 and 250 Emirates ATP Ranking points for his efforts. His opponent, the No. 156-ranked Bedene, left with $38,650 and 150 Emirates ATP Ranking points.

“It’s been a great week,” Bedene said on court after the match. “I guess the hard work pays off. It’s been my favourite tournament now for the third year and I’m looking forward to coming back next year. Well done to Stan. He played amazing today.”

Wawrinka won his maiden Grand Slam title last season after he won the Chennai Open. He will be looking to replicate his efforts this season as well.

“It’s one of the reasons I come back every year. It was a great final. I’m really happy with my level.”

After going through a dry spell for the past 11 months, David Ferrer kicked off his 2-15 season in sublime fashion with a title win at the Qatar ExxonMobil Open.

The Spaniard, who had not won a title since Buenos Aires last February, defeated Tomas Berdych 6-4, 7-5 in 1 hour and 29 minutes. The Spaniard won 71% of his first service points, saved 6 of eight break points he faced, and struck 15 winners to close out the match. It was his 22nd ATP World Tour title.

The match took a particularly enthralling turn in the second set, when Berdych failed to serve out the set on three different attempts and allowed Ferrer to close out the match to love.

“I’m very happy,” said Ferrer. “I put in hard work this preseason. It’s special winning this tournament. I was ready to play tonight’s match against Berdych – a Top 10 player.”

Ferrer, who moved to 8-5 in the head-to-head series against Berdych, earned $195,000 in prize money and 250 Emirates ATP Rankings for his efforts on Sunday. A dejected Berdych took home $102,675 and 150 ranking points. However, the Czech No. 1 allowed himself to see the silver lining after the match.

“First of all, it’s a disappointment to lose the final,” reflected Berdych. “But on the other hand, it’s been a very solid week. It’s been a couple of good matches. I was not able to execute the right way (today), but I think it’s a good start for me.”

Following a fantastic year on the tour in 2014, where she returned from a shoulder surgery and managed to win her fifth Grand Slam title, Maria Sharapova maintained that momentum at the start of 2015 with a title win in her first tournament of the season.

Sharapova defeated Ana Ivanovic, arguably her biggest rival of the last year, in a grueling three-set encounter that lasted a total of 2 hours and 38 minutes. After splitting their past four matches – all their encounters of 2014 – they kept up the pace this season.

“We always go in and compete. We don’t give up until the end. I think that’s what makes our matches so great,” Sharapova said going into the match. “I look forward to another good match here.”

The first set alone was a whopping 61 minutes and saw Ivanovic prevail in the tiebreaker. However, Sharapova showed her trademark resiliency and rallied back to win the match 6-7(4), 6-3, 6-3.

“She had some great comebacks. She got back the balls that I thought weren’t coming over the net,” Ivanovic said. “That’s why she’s where she is, and that’s why she’s such a great champion.”

This is Sharapova’s 34th title on the tour. This was also her first title Down Under since she won the Australian Open in 2008 – a match where she also defeated Ivanovic to lift the title.

Given her gradual rise through the ranks, Sharapova has managed to claw her way to a competitive spot against world No. 1 Serena Williams. She will have the opportunity to usurp the ranking with a strong showing in the Australian Open.

After starting her week with a tough three-set battle that nearly saw her exit the tournament in unceremonious fashion, Simona Halep cruised through the remainder of the week to lift the Shenzhen title. The Romanian defeated Timea Bacsinszky in straight sets to give herself the necessary momentum heading into the first Grand Slam of the season.

In the final, Halep held serve throughout the match and faced little resistance from the player who upset Petra Kvitova in the previous round. The top seed eventually defeated the eighth seed 6-2, 6-2 in just over an hour of court time.

“I wasn’t feeling very well before the match – I was a little bit sick – so I told myself I have nothing to lose, just go on court, be relaxed, stay focused and fight for every point,” Halep explained. “It worked, and I felt really relaxed today. I’m happy I could play better day by day and match by match here. I’m looking forward to playing like today in the next tournament, maybe even better.”

Halep has now won nine WTA titles, six in 2013, two in 2014 and one to start her year in 2015.

The Shenzhen doubles final saw Nadiia and Lyudmyla Kichenok win their first WTA doubles title together with a victory over Liang Chen and Wang Yafan 6-4, 7-6(6). They are just the second set of twins to win doubles titles on the WTA tour.

After withdrawing from a scheduled return to professional competition at the Brisbane International, the ‘Tower of Tandil’ Juan Martin del Potro has announced that he is prepared to return to the tour at the Apia Sydney International next week.

While it appeared as though his wrist was still bothering him, the Argentine took the decision to return to the ATP World Tour while training in his home country this week.

“I missed the tour, I missed to compete,” wrote del Potro on Facebook. “Those feelings outweigh the pain in the wrist, which comes and goes and prevented me from having the ideal pre-season training.

“I take it as a reward for the effort that I put to return.

Del Potro, who is currently ranked No. 138 but will use a protected ranking of 7 in 2015, prepared his training both on and off the court in Argentina. He has not played a match since February 25. He managed to win the Apia international in Sydney at the start of the season, then struggled from then on and eventually opted for surgery after failed bids in Rotterdam and Dubai.

The Apia International in Sydney is scheduled to begin Monday, Jan. 12.