Miami: Bacsinszky vs. Halep
Timea Bacsinszky takes on Simona Halep in the quarterfinals of the Miami Open.
Timea Bacsinszky takes on Simona Halep in the quarterfinals of the Miami Open.
Elena Vesnina poses at the famous graffiti laneway Hosier Lane in Melbourne on Day 1 of the 2017 Australian Open. (Credit: Fiona Hamilton, Tennis Australia)
Elena Vesnina poses at the famous graffiti laneway Hosier Lane in Melbourne on Day 1 of the 2017 Australian Open. (Credit: Fiona Hamilton, Tennis Australia)
Elena Vesnina poses at the famous graffiti laneway Hosier Lane in Melbourne on Day 1 of the 2017 Australian Open. (Credit: Fiona Hamilton, Tennis Australia)
Elena Vesnina poses at the famous graffiti laneway Hosier Lane in Melbourne on Day 1 of the 2017 Australian Open. (Credit: Fiona Hamilton, Tennis Australia)
Elena Vesnina poses at the famous graffiti laneway Hosier Lane in Melbourne on Day 1 of the 2017 Australian Open. (Credit: Fiona Hamilton, Tennis Australia)
Elena Vesnina poses at the famous graffiti laneway Hosier Lane in Melbourne on Day 1 of the 2017 Australian Open. (Credit: Fiona Hamilton, Tennis Australia)
Elena Vesnina poses at the famous graffiti laneway Hosier Lane in Melbourne on Day 1 of the 2017 Australian Open. (Credit: Fiona Hamilton, Tennis Australia)
Elena Vesnina poses at the famous graffiti laneway Hosier Lane in Melbourne on Day 1 of the 2017 Australian Open. (Credit: Fiona Hamilton, Tennis Australia)
Elena Vesnina poses at the famous graffiti laneway Hosier Lane in Melbourne on Day 1 of the 2017 Australian Open. (Credit: Fiona Hamilton, Tennis Australia)
BEIJING, China – No.5 seeds Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Lucie Safarova won their 16th match in a row to capture a third straight title in the finals of the China Open, upsetting top seeds Caroline Garcia and Kristina Mladenovic, 6-4, 6-4. Both teams will be ones to watch heading into the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global.
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“It’s amazing, our third tournament in a row,” Safarova said as Mattek-Sands threw in a “Team Bucie!” cheer.
“We’re really on a roll, had some really great matches here, tough ones. We played great, both of us in the final,” turning to her partner to add, “Thank you B!”
The elated pair fell into giggles.
“I’ll play next to you any time, Lucie!”
Mattek-Sands and Safarova were a game from elimination against the French in the final of the US Open, but the 2015 Australian Open and French Open champions turned the tables on the reigning Roland Garros winners and have been unbeatable ever since, triumphing in Flushing and the Dongfeng Motor Wuhan Open heading into Beijing.
“We had a lot of fun, like we do at every tournament,” Mattek-Sands said of their weeks in Wuhan and Beijing. “We have fun on and off the court, from the warm-ups to the dinners and foot massages. We had a lot of fun here in China and we’re looking forward to coming back.”
Their win in Wuhan guaranteed a second straight appearance at the WTA Finals, and the pair will be aiming to erase tough memories from last year, when the two were forced to withdraw in the round robin stage due to injury.
“Thanks to the Chinese fans because they were amazing,” Safarova said. “They came with all kinds of great pictures and presents, and so it was really nice and special.”
MELBOURNE, Australia – No.7 seed Garbiñe Muguruza survived a scare in her opening match against Marina Erakovic to move into the second round at the Australian Open in straight sets, 7-5, 6-4.
“Marina and I played a couple of times and it’s always a tough match,” Muguruza said in her on-court interview. “I’m happy, even with my body, that I won. It was very tough.”
Earlier in the season in Brisbane, Muguruza was forced to retire from her semifinal against Alizé Cornet due to a right thigh injury, and it seemed like the pain still lingered in her Melbourne opener.
Despite taking a close opening set, Muguruza’s movement appeared to be hampered and she struggled with her timing, her usually powerful groundstrokes at times lacking their bite.
The Spaniard’s problems multiplied in the second set, as Erakovic took every opportunity Muguruza’s condition handed her and went up a 4-1 lead.
“It was very tough. You’re playing, then suddenly you start to feel pain in your body,” Muguruza explained. “Obviously I was nervous, so I just tried to be calm, to have a good attitude and keep fighting for the match.”
The New Zealander wasn’t able to hang on to that lead for very long, as Muguruza – with great effort – came roaring back. Erakovic seemed to lose her confidence as Muguruza climbed back up the scoreboard, finally rattling off five straight games to take the match.
Through to the second round in the Australian Open for the fifth straight time, Muguruza awaits the winner of the match between Samantha Crawford and ASB Classic champion Lauren Davis.
Long-time doubles partners Andrea Hlavackova and Lucie Hradecka took to the court together once more at the Tianjin Open – as singles opponents – with the latter emerging victorious, 7-5, 6-4.
The Czech pair have long teamed up as doubles partners with great success, winning the 2011 French Open and 2013 US Open titles together. They will play together once more in a fortnight’s time at the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global.
However, their personal friendship was put to one side in Tianjin and Hradecka has admitted that it felt bizarre to meet Hlavackova for the fourth time in her career.
“You know, it was a tough match playing against Andrea,” she said after the match.
“It’s always tough because we play with each other in doubles and we’re going for the Masters. It’s really tough, you have to concentrate. It’s a strange situation, certainly.
“I’m so happy that I’m through and I’m looking forward to the next match.”
Looking forward, Hradecka says she and Hlavackova are excited to play in the Singapore, which gets underway on October 23.
“We’re looking forward to being in Singapore again, it’s great that we did it this year as well. You know, I think we’re both so excited to be there with the best doubles players in the world.”
There’s a fresh face on the scene at this year’s Australian Open, as 17-year-old Jamiee Fourlis impressed home fans in a convincing first round win.
While Australia’s headlines focused on friend and rival Destanee Aiava, the Melbourne-born Fourlis had an agenda of her own, knocking out former World No. 50 Anna Tatishvili of the United States in straight sets.
“I tried to stay in the moment, tried to keep everything on court. There was nothing to lose today,” Fourlis told reporters post-match. “Winning your first match in a Grand Slam doesn’t come every day. At the moment I’m still trying to take it all in. But it’s an amazing feeling.”
Fourlis lost the 18/U Australian Championships to Aiava just weeks ago, and was able to play qualifying for the year’s opening Grand Slam thanks to a strong run at the annual Wildcard Playoff in late December.
After watching her compatriot Aiava bow out on Day 1, the 17-year-old kept a cool head to advance to the second round in her grand slam debut.
“She handled herself really well under the pressure of playing at home in her first Grand Slam,” childhood coach Kane Dewhurst told wtatennis.com. “She has a lot of support behind her, so it was no surprise to see her play consistently well throughout.”
Dewhurst first worked with the World No. 414 since the age of five, and was certainly impressed with what he saw in Melbourne on Monday.
“Jaimee has always been a clean ball striker. She has weapons on both sides, and it’s now just a matter of understanding when to use them. She has great variety in her game as well, and that’s why she has plenty of growth and development ahead of her.”
Fourlis fought back from an early break down in the second against Tatishvili to close out the match, 6-4 6-3, where she will meet the experienced No.8 seed and two-time Grand Slam champion Svetlana Kuznetsova.
Dewhurst, the owner of Vida Tennis, believes that while the obvious step up in class will be difficult, Fourlis has plenty of upside and could cause an upset.
“Kuznetsova will be a huge step up in class and a massive challenge, but if she can settle early, there is absolutely nothing to lose. The sky is the limit, so I’ll tell her to just get out there and go after it.
“I don’t think we should put any limits on anyone, and there is no reason she can’t cause an upset.”
She certainly has a tough assignment on her hands, but in the shadows of the MCG, home to her beloved football team, the Collingwood Magpies, Fourlis wants all the support she can get in the second round.
“Hopefully some Collingwood players can come and watch!”
Adriano Del Monte, wtatennis.com contributor.
TIANJIN, China – Monica Puig booked her place in the second round of the Tianjin Open on Tuesday with a straight sets victory over Kurumi Nara.
The Puerto Rican made a slow start to the match, being broken in the opening game but she soon recovered, breaking back to level the score at 2-2 before moving ahead at 5-3 and serving out the set.
She soon skipped into a 5-2 lead in the second but, serving for the match, she lost four straight games and was forced to confirm her victory via a tie-break.
“I’m really excited to be back here in Tianjin and I’m really excited to have won my first match, so I’m really looking forward to continuing and playing some good tennis,” she said after the game.
Commenting on the colder conditions in Tiajin, she said: “I just try and warm up my body as much as possible before going out onto the court so I don’t feel that cold but you have to deal with it in the end.”
Meanwhile, American qualifier Shelby Rogers scored an eye-catching win over No.3 seed Elena Vesnina. Serving at 5-6 in the first set, the Russian succumbed to the pressure and went down 7-5.
The 30-year-old rallied in the second set, claiming it 6-4 but, having fought back from a break down in the decider, her tournament was ended on a tie-break.
Another American to cause an upset was Alison Riske, who overcame fourth seed Timea Babos in three sets. Having cruised through the first set 6-2, the Hungarian was broken late in the second to level proceedings.
Riske raced into a 3-0 lead with two breaks in the decider and though Babos recovered one, the 26-year-old held her nerve to claim a big-name scalp.
Puig, Rogers and Riske will be joined in the second round by Magda Linette, who beat Nina Stojanovic in straight sets, Naomi Osaka knocked out eighth seed Yaroslava Shvedova, 6-4, 6-2, Lara Arruabarrena overcame Fangzhou Liu in three and Evgeniya Rodina triumphed against Christina McHale, 6-1, 5-7, 6-0.
Alison Riske takes on Zhang Shuai in the second round of the Australian Open.
LINZ, Austria – Roland Garros champion Garbiñe Muguruza edged closer to claiming her spot at the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global, dispatching Cagla Buyukakcay, 6-4, 6-4, in the first round of the Generali Ladies Linz.
“It was a tough first round. I think we both played well, so it was a battle out there, and a great feeling to start the tournament with a win like this,” she said after the match.
Making her debut in Linz, Muguruza overcame a tough test from the Turkish No.1, who made history for her country by taking home the Istanbul title earlier this season.
“I was looking forward to Linz because it’s new for me, new city, new tournament. I don’t play a lot of new tournaments, so I was excited.
“I just try to go out there and do my best, try to win somehow, playing my tennis and being aggressive. It’s funny because it when there’s no win, everyone plays perfect. The conditions makes things equal.”
Holding on to take the first set after five breaks of serve, the Spaniard broke to 15 to start the second and served out the win in one hour and 38 minutes.
“I was calm and concentrated, even when she was playing great shots and solid in the important moments. I hung in there and waited for my opportunities.”
Up next for the former World No.2 is Monica Niculescu, who won a thrilling three-setter over Madison Brengle on Monday.
“I’ve never played against her, or even practiced together, so it’ll be interesting. I think we have opposite styles, so I think it’s going to be a fun match.”
The highest-ranked woman on the Road to Singapore leaderboard yet to qualify for Singapore, Muguruza could guarantee a second straight WTA Finals appearance by winning the title; if Johanna Konta and Dominika Cibulkova both lose their matches on Thursday, she qualifies by beating Niculescu.
“It’s something great to accomplish, to be part of the eight best players, so you obviously always have it in the back of your mind, wanting to achieve that. But I’m more focused on holding the trophy here.
“I have no idea what I have to do, but hopefully I keep winning, and I earn my spot. I go with the flow!”
Svetlana Kuznetsova takes on Jamiee Fourlis in the second round of the Australian Open.