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News | WTA Tennis English

News | WTA Tennis English

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

MIAMI, FL, USA – Simona Halep comes to the Miami Open ready to get back on the treadmill. And that’s not just a metaphor for the tour’s non-stop grind.

“Yesterday was the first day after two months that I was on the treadmill, so I’m really happy,” a spirited Halep told press during All-Access Hour. “I can train hard; I already played two hours today with no pain.

“I’m happy about that and I’m much better than last week.”

The Romanian has struggled with health issues at the start of her last two seasons, and feels the experience will ultimately prove beneficial – especially as the year wears on.

“I’ve learned that I have to protect my body more to prevent injuries, and do certain exercises for that. After having to do them every day, I’m already sick of them, but I have to keep doing them. It’s a routine, and routine is hard to maintain at this level, but if it helps me, I won’t stop.”

The former No.2 is nonetheless eager to get into her Miami routine; the former semifinalist has good memories of the last big hardcourt event before the clay swing starts.

“I don’t remember my first time in Miami, maybe five-six years ago. I like the weather; it’s perfect here. I like to be here; it’s a great tournament. Everyone is here, boys and girls, so it’s good that it’s mixed.

“I enjoy my time, and I’m enjoying it even more because I’m healthy and I can play. I’m just trying my best every moment.”

Simona Halep

Halep is set to rejoin a tour that has already seen some seismic shifts, and has tried to keep up with the latest impact players during her time off.

“I’m watching matches when I’m in the room and have nothing to do, when I’ve finished my work on the courts. I like watching tennis, but I can’t say I get into it too much; I just watch for fun.”

Most striking for the Romanian has been Elena Vesnina’s stunning run to the BNP Paribas Open title, an achievement that has helped her reassess her own opinions on how long she plans to keep playing.

“Elena played really good and she’s a great player. She’s won Grand Slams in doubles, so she’s right there. She’s also over 30, so the players at that age are playing much better than before. So I still have some time, no?

“For the last year, I’ve started to think that I have many years ahead. That makes me feel more relaxed, but I’m trying to take it easy. At the beginning of my career, I’d say 28, last year I said 30. Now I’m thinking more like 32.”

Halep may be putting off a drive into the sunset, but she’s already settled on her vehicle of choice, becoming the new Romanian ambassador for Mercedes Benz

“I have weird passions. I love watches and cars. Maybe that’s a little bit weird, but I love cars, and I’m really happy with this partnership.”

She begins her tournament against Japanese teenager Naomi Osaka; the pair last played at the French Open, where the No.3 seed won in three sets.

All photos courtesy of Getty Images.

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News | WTA Tennis English

News | WTA Tennis English

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

Despite the disappointing news that Serena Williams will not be competing this year, older sister Venus returns to the scene where she won three of the greatest finals ever contested in Miami.

2001: Williams defeats Capriati 4-6, 6-1, 7-6

Two years after seeing off her sister in the Miami final for the first time, Venus took centre stage again, this time to take on fellow American Jennifer Capriati and yet again those lucky enough to have finals tickets were treated to another thriller.

It was Capriati who started the better, edging a tight opening set 6-4 before Williams roared back to dominate the second set and set up a decider in which she saved a remarkable eight match points before sealing a dramatic victory.

Jennifer Capriati and Venus Williams after the 2001 Miami final

The title marked Williams’ third and final triumph in four brilliant years in Miami but it would be sister Serena who would triumph a year later, beating Capriati to complete a sister double over the New Yorker. They now boast 11 Miami titles between them.

1999: Sisters take centre stage for the first time

An historic first meeting between the two most dominant siblings in tennis ended with older sis Venus taking away the honours. This was the first all-sister final since Maud and Lillian Watson contested the 1884 Wimbledon final but it certainly wouldn’t be the last, Serena now enjoying a 17-11 head-to-head against her sister.

On this landmark occasion, however, it was Venus who came out on top over three tight sets, winning 6-1, 4-6, 6-4.

1998: Venus wins teenage tussle, defeats Kournikova 2-6, 6-4, 6-1

Seeded a lowly 23rd in the women’s draw, Russian teenage sensation Anna Kournikova became the first WTA player to defeat four Top 10 players in a single event, the 15-year-old upsetting Monica Seles, Conchita Martínez, Lindsay Davenport and Aranxta Sanchez-Vicario en route to setting up a dream showdown with fellow rising star and 11th seed Venus Williams in the final.

It was the glamour finale that the crowd wanted and there was little to separate the pair throughout, Kournikova racing out of the blocks to take the opener 6-2 with a dazzling array of winners before Williams took the match to a decider by edging a tight second set 6-4.

And with the momentum behind her, it was Williams who eased to victory, crushing Kournikova 6-1 in the final set.

“Sometimes people get on fire, and you have to be able to extinguish that no matter who they are; but I was nervous. It’s like the fifth biggest tournament, so I’m pretty happy about that,” Williams told the NY Times afterwards. “I was able to feel what it was like to win, and I think that will really help me, especially this year. Sometimes you have to make that extra step, so you can make the extra step in the slams.”

Anna Kournikova reacts to missing a shot in the 1998 Miami Final

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News | WTA Tennis English

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

MIAMI, FL, USA – Ashleigh Barty picked up her first singles victory at the Miami Open in style, downing Eugenie Bouchard in three sets to set up a second-round clash with her countrywoman Samantha Stosur.

“It was a little bit scratchy today, but I’m happy to come through in the end and get a chance to play a second round here,” Barty told the crowd after the match.

“I love Miami and it’s the first time I’ve ever played singles here. So it’s certainly nice to play on a beautiful center court like this.”

The young Australian needed just over two hours to complete the 6-4, 5-7, 6-3 victory over Bouchard and extend the Canadian’s Miami losing streak to five matches in a row.

Barty employed the aggressive, solid tennis that led her to capture her maiden WTA title at the Alya WTA Malaysian Open three weeks ago, pouncing on a shaky Bouchard service game to break the Canadian six times during the encounter.

After narrowly dropping the opening set, Bouchard reigned in the unforced errors to rally back in the second. But the strong Barty second serve bailed the Aussie out of trouble time and again, keeping Bouchard out of the rallies. Bouchard posted 26 winners to 55 unforced errors against Barty’s 21 and 40.

“I think I was able to be very aggressive on the returns and use my forehand,” Barty explained. “I made a few errors as well but I knew I needed to be aggressive to give myself a chance, and I think I did that today.”

Awaiting in the second round will be No.14 seed Samantha Stosur, a fellow Aussie and one whose game Barty knows quite well.

“It’ll be nice to take on Sam, we’ve practice together a lot in the past even though we’ve never played against each other. I think I’ll have to be very aggressive off the return and try to take the serve away from her.

“I think it’ll be a little bit of a ‘battle of the forehands’ from us, but we’ll see how we go.”

Also in action on Day 2, a number of qualifiers recorded strong performances to make their way into the second round. Qualifiers Risa Ozaki (def. Louisa Chirico 3-6, 7-5, 6-1), Patricia Maria Tig (def. Heather Watson 7-6(4), 6-1), Taylor Townsend (def. Amanda Anisimova 2-6, 6-2, 6-3), Anett Kontaveit (def. Kurumi Nara 6-2, 6-1), Aliaksandra Sasnovich (def. Alizé Cornet 6-4, 1-6, 6-4), Varvara Lepchenko (6-3, 6-3), Veronica Cepede Royg (def. 6-2, 6-4), Jana Cepelova (def. Andrea Petkovic 6-2, 6-4) and Madison Brengle (def. Jelena Ostapenko 6-3, 3-6, 6-2) all advanced.

Also through to the second round is wildcard Bethanie Mattek-Sands, who recorded her first win of 2017 to advance past Katerina Siniakova 6-3, 4-6, 6-4. Qiang Wang came back from a first-set shutout to knock out qualifier Donna Vekic 0-6, 6-4, 6-2. Lucie Safarova defeated Yanina Wickmayer 7-6(2), 6-4, while France’s Pauline Parmentier knocked out her countrywoman Oceane Dodin 6-2, 6-1 and Shelby Rogers edged past qualifier Marina Erakovic 4-6, 6-3, 7-6(4). Wildcard Ajla Tomljanovic survived a rollercoaster against lucky loser Magda Linette to advance 6-2, 1-6, 6-2.

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News | WTA Tennis English

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

Top-seeded Angelique Kerber and third-seeded Simona Halep hope to hit the ground running at the Miami Open on Friday. We preview the must-see matchups.

Friday

Second round

[1] Angelique Kerber (GER #1) vs. Duan Ying-Ying (CHN #66)
Head-to-head: First meeting
Key Stat: Duan owns a 0-6 lifetime record against the Top 10.

Another week, another chance for Angelique Kerber to return to the form that saw her rocket to the top of the rankings in 2016. The German has struggled mightily in 2016, dropping all six of her matches against Top 35 opponents while failing to reach a final. Will Kerber find her missing mojo in Miami? Every week is a new chance to shine, she says. “I’m not looking back on the tournaments. You know, it’s a completely new year, new tournament, and every tournament starts from zero,” Kerber said after falling to Elena Vesnina in straight sets at Indian Wells. “For me, I think I got used to the pressure and everything. So I start every tournament from zero. I am going out there to play my matches, trying to win it.”

Kerber, a semifinalist here in Miami last year, will begin her week with a first-time matchup against China’s Duan Ying-Ying. The 27-year-old notched an impressive win over Germany’s Laura Siegemund on Wednesday and will be gunning for glory in her first ever match against a Top 2 opponent.

Pick: Kerber in three

[3] Simona Halep (ROU #3) vs. Naomi Osaka (JPN #49)
Head-to-head: Halep leads, 1-0
Key Stat: Halep owns a 12-5 lifetime record at Miami.

Like Kerber, Simona Halep has had a challenging year in 2017. She has gone 3-3 and had to miss five weeks due to a knee injury. At Indian Wells, Halep shook off some rust in a second-round win over Donna Vekic but she was defeated easily by Kristina Mladenovic in the third round. In Miami, Halep will look to continue to build some positive momentum, but it won’t be easy against Japan’s Naomi Osaka. The 19-year-old pushed Halep to the brink at Roland Garros last year and will be bidding for her biggest career win against Halep. Though she is 0-5 against the Top 10 for her career, Osaka has lost three of those matches in deciding sets, and two of them in deciding set tiebreakers. Will Osaka get over the hump against Halep today, or will the Romanian hit the ground running in Miami?

Pick: Halep in two

[8] Madison Keys (USA #9) vs. Viktorija Golubic (SUI #53)
Head-to-head: First meeting
Key Stat: Keys reached the quarterfinals at Miami last season.

Madison Keys made a successful return to the tour at Indian Wells after missing the first two months of the season while rehabbing her surgically repaired left wrist. Now she wants to take it a step further. “I feel like I’ve gotten some of the rust out,” Keys told reporters on Wednesday. “I also think the expectation that I have from myself is now a little bit higher. So I’m definitely trying to manage the excitement levels and also just what I’m expecting from myself.”

Keys will battle a talented 24-year-old from Switzerland who has not found her best tennis yet this season. After her most successful season on tour, Viktorija Golubic has struggled to win in 2017, but she did pick up her second win of the season on Wednesday, defeating Tsvetana Pironkova in three sets.

Pick: Keys in two

[11] Venus Williams (USA #12) vs. Beatriz Haddad Maia (BRA #166)
Head-to-head: First meeting
Key Stat: Williams won the title at Miami in 2001.

Venus Williams has more Top 20 wins at the Miami Open (11) than most players have matches and the 36-year-old is eager to tack on a few more wins in 2017. The 2001 Miami Open champion will open accounts with a second-round matchup with Brazil’s Beatriz Haddad Maia. The 20-year-old Brazilian Wild Card got her first tour-level win since 2015 when Lesia Tsurenko retired early in the first set of their first-round match. She’ll hope to play the match of her life against Williams on Friday while Williams will look to stretch her winning streak against players outside of the Top 100 to six, and notch her 44th career Miami Open win.

Pick: Williams in three

Around the Grounds:

No.7-seeded Svetlana Kuznetsova upset Serena Williams en route to a runner-up finish at Miami last year. She’ll open accounts with a second-round tussle with Luxembourg’s Mandy Minella. No.14-seeded Samantha Stosur, a two-time quarterfinalist at Miami, will face 20-year-old Ashleigh Barty in an all-Aussie Derby. It will be the first meeting between the two compatriots. No.10-seeded Johanna Konta, a quarterfinalist last year, will square off with qualifier Aliaksandra Sasnovich, while No.31-seeded Daria Kasatkina will tangle with American Shelby Rogers for the right to face the Kerber-Ying-Ying winner.

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