Tennis News

DALIAN, China – No.7 seed Misa Eguchi outlasted Grace Min in a two-hour and twenty minute marathon match to reach the final at the Dalian Women’s Tennis Open, where she’ll face the unseeded Kristyna Pliskova for a shot at the title.

Watch free live streaming from Dalian 125K all week right here!

After dropping the first set to the Japanese No.7 seed, Min – the author of yesterday’s big upset of top seed Qiang Wang – roared back in the second, edging past Eguchi in the tiebreaker to force a deciding set. After weathering a two-hour rain delay, the Japanese player righted the ship in the final set, powering past Min to book a spot in the final.

Her opponent in the Dalian Women’s Tennis Open final will be the 24-year-old Kristyna Pliskova. Pliskova, ranked No.122, will arrive into the match feeling quite rested as her opponent Han Xinyun was forced to retire just 36 minutes into the match, with Pliskova leading 4-1.

Eguchi leads the head to head against Pliskova, notching a straight sets win over the Czech in their only previous encounter back in 2014. But the pair haven’t played at the WTA-level since, and Eguchi will have to contend with Pliskova’s biggest weapon: her powerful, record-setting serve.

ブログ更新！
普通に書いたけど、よく考えたら1回戦プリちゃんだったんだよね。恐るべし

大連 シングルス準決勝 https://t.co/0JQ4VPqDVp

— Misa Eguchi / 江口実沙 (@misa_eguchi) September 10, 2016

Third-round action begins in earnest on Saturday at the Crandon Park Tennis Center in Miami. We preview the day’s must-see matchups right here at WTATennis.com.

Saturday

Third round

[2] Karolina Pliskova (CZE #3) vs. [27] Yulia Putintseva (KAZ #32)
Head-to-head: Tied, 1-1
Key Stat: Pliskova is bidding for her 21st victory of the season. She would take over the WTA lead in that category with a win today.

Karolina Pliskova blasted past American Madison Brengle in the second round doing what she does best. She cracked 27 winners to just six for the American and took control of play early in rallies to cruise to a straight sets victory. She’ll look to do more of the same against fiery Yulia Putintseva on Saturday. Pliskova served 12 aces and raced by the 22-year-old Kazakh in straight sets in her first match of the season at the Brisbane International, and Pliskova will aim to continue that trend on Saturday. Putintseva won more than half of her return points against Germany’s Carina Witthoeft on Thursday, and broke serve six times in thirteen opportunities, but she’ll have her hands full against the WTA’s ace leader and will have to make the most of any opportunities she gets to pull the upset.

Pick: Pliskova in two

[4] Dominika Cibulkova (SVK #4) vs. Kirsten Flipkens (BEL #85)
Head-to-head: Cibulkova leads, 4-2
Key Stat: Cibulkova is playing at a career-high ranking of World No.4 this week.

2014 semifinalist Dominika Cibulkova improved to 15-9 at the Miami Open on Thursday with a straight-sets win over Paraguay’s Veronica Cepede Royg. On Saturday the No.4 seed will face the crafty stylings of Kirsten Flipkens, a savvy veteran that has made a living off of breaking the rhythm of the tour’s best players for years. In six previous meetings with the Belgian Cibulkova has had mixed results. But she won the pair’s last two meetings and will come in as the heavy favorite against the World No. 85, who has only won two of 21 lifetime meetings against Top 10 opponents on hardcourts.

Can Flipkens withstand the punishing ground game of Cibulkova and make enough traction with her eclectic blend of slice and dice, or will the indefatigable Cibulkova power past Flipkens and into the round of 16?

Pick: Cibulkova in two

[5] Agnieszka Radwanska (POL #5) vs. [26] Mirjana Lucic-Baroni (CRO #29)
Head-to-head: Radwanska leads, 2-1
Key Stat: Radwanska has won the singles title (2012) and the doubles title (2011) at Miami.

Mirjana Lucic-Baroni shocked Agnieszka Radwanska out of this year’s Australian Open and went on to reach a semifinal at a major for the first time since 1999. On Saturday the Croatian will try to summon the magic once again when she takes on the fifth-seeded Pole, who is a former champion and owns an impressive 29 career wins at Miami. As much as the 35-year-old Lucic-Baroni would like to bask in the glory of her colossal performance down under, she knows that Miami is another story, another chance for her to show the world that she can still play.

“Melbourne was exciting, it happened, but it already feels like it happened a long time ago,” Lucic-Baroni told WTA Insider after her three-set win over Kateryna Bondarenko on Thursday. “I definitely enjoyed it, but I don’t want to be stuck thinking about that. Look where we are: we’re in Miami, another big tournament. My feet are on the ground, and I’m fighting for every match.”

Radwanska will be fighting as well. After starting slowly in 2017, the Pole is eager to turn the page and make something special happen in Miami. “I think every tournament is different story,” Radwanska said before the tournament. “You just have to start from the beginning, and doesn’t matter what happened last week or two months ago. You just go on court and try and play your best.”

Pick: Radwanska in two

[6] Garbiñe Muguruza (ESP #6) vs. [30] Zhang Shuai (CHN #33)
Head-to-head: Zhang leads, 1-0
Key Stat: Muguruza improved to 6-1 in three-setters this season with her win over McHale on Friday.

After saving a match point and battling back from a break down in the third set to defeat American Christina McHale, Garbiñe Muguruza will now set her sights on matching her career-best performance at Miami. But to reach the round of 16 for the fourth time in six career appearances here, Muguruza will have to avenge a tough loss from earlier this season. Zhang defeated Muguruza, 7-6(3), 3-6, 7-5 in Doha in February, and the Chinese No.1 has now won three of her last five against the Top 10 after losing nine of eleven to start her career.

28-year-old Zhang is a remarkable story. After years of struggles she was contemplating retirement, but her fortunes have changed since the beginning of 2016 and she has risen over 100 spots in the WTA rankings in 15 months. Will she be able to continue her form against one of the game’s premier power players on Saturday, or will it be Muguruza who powers into the round of 16 with a new lease on life after saving match points on Friday?

Pick: Muguruza in three

By the Numbers:

20 – Karolina Pliskova is tied for the tour lead in wins with 20. The Czech did not score her 20th win until June last season.

5 – Agnieszka Radwanska has made the quarterfinal or better in five of her 11 appearances at Miami.

1 – Bethanie Mattek-Sands recorded her first win of the season on Thursday over No.9-seeded Elina Svitolina. It was also Mattek-Sand’s first Top 10 win since 2015.

13 – Ajla Tomljanovic’s win over No.13-ranked Elena Vesnina on Friday was her biggest win rankings-wise since 2014, when she defeated then World No.3 Agnieszka Radwanska at Roland Garros.

MONTERREY, Mexico – No.2 seed Caroline Wozniacki dodged a stern second-round challenge from Mirjana Lucic-Baroni, advancing to the quarterfinals of the Abierto Monterrey Afirme 6-4, 6-4.

Watch live action from Monterrey & Kuala Lumpur this week on WTA Live powered by TennisTV!

“It was very tough,” Wozniacki said after the match. “[Lucic-Baroni] plays really strong and really hard from the baseline and I didn’t have much time to get ready for my shots. So yeah, I’m very happy to be through.”

Wozniacki found herself in trouble early on – she quickly found herself down 4-2 in the first set, overpowered by Lucic-Baroni’s heavy groundstrokes and returns. After a word with her coach, Wozniacki came back with more aggression, winning the next four games to take back the set 6-4.

The pair contested a tight second set, holding serves and trading breaks at 3-3, staying level until Wozniacki sealed the match with a final break to Lucic-Baroni’s serve as the Croatian sent a forehand wide.

“I think I just kept my head cool and just got that extra ball back, try to get a little extra pop in my shots when she was attacking me,” Wozniacki said of her first-set comeback. “I got a lot of returns back and I kept the ball deep.”

Wozniacki is set to face Britain’s Heather Watson in the Monterrey quarterfinals.

Earlier in the evening, No.1 seed Sara Errani was no match for the inspired performance of 20-year-old Anett Kontaveit, who sent her packing 6-1, 6-3.

Kontaveit’s first-round win over Cibulkova – a former Australian Open finalist – fired a warning shot to her Monterrey rivals, and although Errani had never played against her she knew to expect a challenge.

“No, I have seen her on television in a couple of games but I don’t know her,” Errani said ahead of their match. “I have seen her play very well, hit the ball very hard, but let’s see.”

Errani was confounded by Kontaveit’s short-angled forehands and pace, and once the Estonian found her footing in the match there was no looking back. After Errani’s service hold in the first game of the set, Kontaveit won the next six to win the first set 6-1 in barely 22 minutes. Errani’s troubles continued in the second set; though Errani broke Kontaveit’s serve twice, the 20-year-old kept the pressure on and kept the points short, marching to a 6-1, 6-3 victory.

NEW YORK, NY, USA – Angelique Kerber marked her coronation as the WTA’s new No.1 by defusing Karolina Pliskova in an absorbing US Open final.

Showing all the qualities that have made her 2016’s standout performer, Kerber rallied from 3-1 down in the final set to collect her second Grand Slam trophy.

“I think it’s amazing what I did this year, and I’m really so happy and so proud about everything – my team, my game, the improvements to my game,” Kerber said afterwards. “Being here with my second [Grand Slam] trophy is the best feeling ever.”

Hear what else Kerber had to say on her latest triumph, as well as comment from gallant runner-up Pliskova in the latest Daily Dispatch:

Subscribe to the podcast on iTunes, Stitcher, TuneIn or on any podcast app of your choice to ensure you never miss an episode when they go live. Reviews are always helpful, so if you like what you’ve heard so far, leave us one. You can also get new episode alerts by following us on Twitter @WTA_Insider.

Follow @WTA_Insider

TOKYO, Japan – No.7 seed Christina McHale survived a late wobble to defeat Kateryna Kozlova and take her place in the second round of the Hashimoto Sogyo Japan Women’s Open Tennis.

Watch live action from Tokyo this week on WTA Live powered by TennisTV!

In her first match since a disappointing second-round defeat to Roberta Vinci at the US Open, McHale looked to have weathered to storm when she broke for a 5-3 in the deciding set. However, Kozlova had no intention of going quietly, promptly breaking back to ensure a tense finish.

McHale regrouped to force a tie-break and despite spurning two match points, closed out a 6-4, 3-6, 7-5 victory after almost three hours on court.

Elsewhere, there were mixed fortunes for the draws other seeds as Zhang Shuai came through her own rollercoaster, while Kateryna Bondarenko and Madison Brengle fell at the first hurdle.

Taking on wildcard Eri Hozumi and the home crowd, Zhang recovered from a slow start to both the first set, then a second set whitewash before ultimately prevailing, 7-6(4), 1-6, 6-3.

Bondarenko, the No.8 seed, was edged out by Louisa Chirico, 6-4, 7-5, while No.5 seed Brengle lost the final four games to slip to a 6-1, 6-4 defeat at the hands of Jana Cepelova.

The remaining seeds will all be in action on Tuesday, including last year’s winner, Yanina Wickmayer and home favorite Misaki Doi, who begins her bid to become the tournament’s first Japanese champion against Aliaksandra Sasnovich. 

INDIAN WELLS, CA, USA – Simona Halep faces a daunting challenge if she is to become the second player to successfully defend her crown at the BNP Paribas Open.

In the event’s 27-year history, only the great Martina Navratilova has won back-to-back titles. Halep’s hopes of following in these legendary footsteps were done no favors during Monday afternoon’s draw, which placed her in a treacherous top quarter.

All 32 seeds receive a first-round bye and Halep’s opening match will be against either Vania King or a qualifier.The mercurial Ekaterina Makarova, who famously upset Halep at the 2015  Australian Open, is seeded to be her third-round opponent.

Should she pass these early tests, then in all likelihood the Romanian will have to run the Williams gauntlet; Venus Williams is Halep’s projected fourth round foe, with top seed Serena Williams likely to be lying in wait in the quarterfinals. Only seven players have succeeded in beating both sisters at the same tournament, Jelena Jankovic being the most recent, at Rome in 2010. 

Twelve months ago, Serena made her much-publicized return to the Indian Wells Tennis Garden and her move prompted Venus to follow suit. Agnieszka Radwanska and Petra Kvitova are also in the top half, both of whom will be wise not to look too far ahead.

In a section that includes Svetlana Kuznetsova, Monica Niculescu, Heather Watson and last year’s runner-up, Jelena Jankovic, No.3 seed Radwanska’s most pressing concern will be the possible second-round banana skin against Dominika Cibulkova.

Keeping Kvitova company are Fed Cup teammate Lucie Safarova and fellow big-hitters Madison Keys and Sabine Lisicki. 

No.2 seed Angelique Kerber finds herself in the less threatening bottom half, although her recent Doha hiccup will surely safeguard against complacency.

Barring upsets, Kerber and Carla Suárez Navarro are set to lock horns in the last eight, while two of the WTA’s new kids on the block, Garbiñe Muguruza and Belinda Bencic, are the leading seeds in the other quarter.

Click here to see the full draw.

MIAMI, FL, USA – No.3 seed Simona Halep was pushed to the brink in a late night epic against Sam Stosur, needing to come back from a set down and save match point to book her spot into the Miami Open quarterfinals.

Halep books a blockbuster battle against Johanna Konta after emerging victorious in the two-hour-and-ten minute thriller, 4-6, 7-5, 6-2.

“It was a tough match, like I expected,” Halep told press after the match. “But the comeback was pretty good, and I’m really happy about that.

“The last comeback like this for me was in 2014, my first match in Doha against Kanepi. Match point down and I came back. I’m happy about this, shows I can still play some tennis.”

3rd Set!!@Simona_Halep saves a match point to force a decider vs Stosur 4-6, 7-5! #MiamiOpen pic.twitter.com/s103xofKtn

— WTA (@WTA) 28 de marzo de 2017

The Romanian targeted the Aussie’s backhand throughout the early exchanges in the opening set, and was rewarded with an early break. She built up a solid 4-2 lead and looked set to wrap up the opening set, but Stosur had other plans.

Stosur got her heavy topspin forehand going and wreaking havoc on Halep’s game plan, and reeled off four straight games to snatch away the opening set. She went on a tear in the second, recovering from an early break and winning five of the next six games to serve for the match.

She even held a match point, at 5-4 on Halep’s serve, but the Romanian chose that moment to start mounting her epic comeback. A handful of loose errors from Stosur on key moments let Halep back into the set, and she took the next seven games in a row to take the second set and a break lead in the third.

With Stosur flagging and letting her aggression dip slightly, it was Halep who bossed the rallies and dictated play to extend the lead to 4-1. The Aussie didn’t have another comeback left in her, and Halep completed the comeback to move into the Miami quarterfinals.

Comeback Complete✔️@Simona_Halep saves a MATCH POINT to edge Stosur 4-6, 7-5, 6-2! #MiamiOpen pic.twitter.com/0qeasy9VQ4

— WTA (@WTA) 28 de marzo de 2017

“When I was down, I wasn’t thinking about anything, nothing about the score,” Halep said. “I just wanted to fight. I didn’t give up, and I believed in my chance. I was maybe a little bit lucky because I came back from match point down, but still I fought for this.”

Halep will be rewarded for her efforts with another battle in the next round, this time against Britain’s No.1, Konta.

“It will be tough. She’s in a good form now, she’s near Top 10. And she plays great. It’s going to be a tough one, but here every match is tough so I don’t expect an easy one.

“I have my chance here to try my best and try to win, and of course tomorrow will help me to recover. Then I will go on court with confidence.”