Tennis News

MELBOURNE, Australia – Top seed Serena Williams withstood a tense first set and a late match charge to take out Maria Sharapova, defeating the No.5 seed for an 18th straight time, 6-4, 6-1.

Sharapova came out firing to start, taking an early 2-0 lead on Australia Day, but Williams worked her way into the match in style, saving break points at 4-4 and winning seven games in a row at one stage.

“It was super intense,” the American told Rennae Stubbs during her on-court interview. “She’s an incredibly intense, focused player who was No.1 and won so many Grand Slams for a reason.

“When you’re playing someone who’s so great, you have to come out with a lot of fire and intensity.”

Looking ill at ease with the doctor on court after the first set, Williams was nonetheless ruthless in the second, getting close to a shutout before Sharapova pulled back, even earning two break points for 5-2 as the top seed served for it.

“I’ve been playing this whole week aggressively, but I didn’t start out playing that way today.

“I just knew after the first set that I wanted to start playing the way I have been, that got me to the quarterfinals, so I was just trying to do that.”

Up next for the World No.1 is No.4 seed and BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global champion, Agnieszka Radwanska.

“She’s a great defender and a great girl. I’m going to do my best, and I have nothing to lose,” she said, then addressing the crowd, “Thank you guys for coming out; I hear you all, and it means a lot to me!”

Looking to tie Steffi Graf’s record of 22 Grand Slam titles, Williams is also after a seventh Australian Open title, her first coming back in 2003 to complete her first Serena Slam.

“I’m here all the time; I have so many friends here. This is one of the few stadiums where I feel so welcome.”

Serena on Maria: When I play her, I know automatically I have to step up my game. I think that makes me play better pic.twitter.com/WVYCLVkiNn

— Australian Open (@AustralianOpen) January 26, 2016

CINCINNATI, OH, USA – Jelena Ostapenko produced a stunning comeback to defeat Anna Karolina Schmiedlova in a rollercoaster opening round at the Western & Southern Open.

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Trailing by a set and double break, it looked for all the world that Ostapenko’s debut at the Lindner Family Tennis Center was going to end in defeat. However, the bleakness of the situation seemed to rouse the Latvian into life, as she rescued the second set before conjuring an even more miraculous escapology act in the third to triumph, 1-6, 7-6(6), 7-6(5).

Ostapenko, a former junior Wimbledon champion, has been ascending the professional ranks fast, establishing herself as the youngest player in the Top 50. Against Schmiedlova the baseline firepower was once again present – she finished with 45 winners. Unfortunately for the teenager, the unforced error count was even higher, and very nearly proved her undoing.

Schmiedlova, meanwhile, was far less flashy, and for the best part of an hour her consistency looked destined to triumph. “I’m sorry about the first set – I couldn’t put a ball in the court – but I’m really happy I saved two match points on her serve and fought to the end and that I could finish the match,” Ostapenko said.

This first set lasted less than 20 minutes, and when Ostapenko slipped 4-1 behind the second appeared certain to be equally swift. Standing on the precipice, Ostapenko produced her best, saving a couple of match points at 5-4 then rallying from 5-2 in the decider to complete an unlikely turnaround.

“I don’t know what was wrong with me today; I was losing but then when I was losing I was playing better. Then in the third set I was 2-0, 40-0 up on her serve. After that I lost five games in a row. I know what happened. But then I started to fight again and I’m glad I could win the match,” she added.

Her reward for the comeback is a second-round meeting with No.15 seed Karolina Pliskova.

INDIAN WELLS, CA, USA – The field for the 2016 BNP Paribas Open has been announced; the list of big names, which already included World No.1 Serena Williams and defending champion World No.2 Simona Halep, now features former No.1 Venus Williams. The seven-time Grand Slam champion and four-time Olympic Gold medalist returns to Indian Wells for the first time in 15 years.

Other names in the field include World No.3 Garbiñe Muguruza, 2014 finalist Agnieszka Radwanska, 2006 and 2013 champion Maria Sharapova, two-time Wimbledon winner Petra Kvitova, Angelique Kerber, and Lucie Safarova. 

Buy tickets to the tournament right here.

The BNP Paribas Open is a combined two-week Premier Mandatory event running from March 9-20 held at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden in sunny Indian Wells, California. 

Venus joins sister Serena, who returned to Indian Wells last year and reached the semifinals before a knee injury ended her shot at the title she won in 1999 and 2001, the last time either sister played at the Premier Mandatory event.

“We are thrilled that Venus Williams, one of the greatest women’s players in the history of the game, is returning to play in the BNP Paribas Open,” said Indian Wells CEO Raymond Moore. “Our fans embraced Serena last year, and we expect nothing less for Venus when she returns to compete at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden.”

“The fans will be thrilled to see Venus compete again in Indian Wells at the BNP Paribas Open,” adds WTA CEO and former Indian Wells Tournament Director and COO, Steve Simon. “I’m delighted to see Venus take her place in this year’s stellar line up of WTA and ATP players. This event keeps going from strength to strength and remains a clear fan and player favorite. I’m confident Venus will enjoy playing there again as much as we will enjoy seeing her on court.”

Halep defeated 2010 champion and former No.1 Jelena Jankovic in three gritty sets to win last year’s final, and fell two matches short of the elusive Indian Wells-Miami double when she lost to Serena in the semifinals of the Miami Open.

Muguruza made the round of 16 in her BNP Paribas Open debut back in 2013, qualifying and upsetting Ekaterina Makarova before losing to eventual semifinalist Angelique Kerber in two tight sets.

BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore by SC Global champion Radwanska rounds out the Top 4 and is currently contesting in her second Australian Open semifinal; the Pole had her best Indian Wells finish in 2014, when she took out Jankovic in the quarters and Halep in the semis, losing to future US Open champion Flavia Pennetta in the final.

Chasing the field will be two-time BNP Paribas Open champion Sharapova; the Russian first captured the Indian Wells title in 2006, later going on to win her second Grand Slam title at the US Open that same year. She struck gold again in California three years ago, defeating Caroline Wozniacki in the final.

This year, the BNP Paribas Open has launched a #TennisParadise Sweepstakes; win a VIP trip for two to this year’s tournament by posting an image with the hashtag #TennisParadise on Twitter or Instagram. The contest runs from January 25-February 5. 

CINCINNATI, OH, USA – Things are heating up on the hardcourts at the Western & Southern Open and wtatennis.com contributor Chris Oddo is on hand to preview Day 2’s must-see action.

Tuesday, First and Second Round

Center Court
[4] Garbiñe Muguruza (ESP #3) vs. CoCo Vandeweghe (USA #33)
Head-to-head: Vandeweghe leads, 2-0

Key Stat: Vandeweghe is sporting a 4-0 record against the Top 10 in 2016.
Neither player has ever been past the second round in Cincinnati, but that is about to change on Tuesday for either CoCo Vandeweghe or Garbiñe Muguruza as they prepare to square off for the first time in two years. Though Muguruza has had the more storied career, it is Vandeweghe who has taken their previous two meetings, which both occurred in 2014. It’s been an excellent year for the 24-year-old American. She has risen to a career-high ranking (No.29 on June 20) and at Wimbledon was seeded at a major for the first time. But Vandeweghe’s achievements pale in comparison to those of the Spaniard. Muguruza rolled to the Roland Garros title in June, defeating Serena Williams in the final. Though the 22-year-old has struggled a bit since her shining moment in Paris – going 3-3 in her last six – Muguruza says she feels refreshed and ready to tackle the Cincinnati challenge. “I was happy to live the experience in Rio, and I’m happy to be back,” she told reporters on Monday. “Coming here, I’m motivated to have a great tournament because I haven’t played a lot of matches. I’m looking forward to it.”

Pick: Muguruza in three

Grandstand
[17] Elina Svitolina (UKR #19) vs. [Q] Daria Gavrilova (AUS #47)
Head-to-head: Tied, 1-1

Key Stat: Gavrilova has won six straight sets since the beginning of qualifying in Cincinnati.
Making her second appearance at the Western & Southern Open, 22-year-old Daria Gavrilova zoomed into the second round with a 7-5, 6-3 shutdown of France’s Caroline Garcia on Monday. The Australian qualifier won 32 of 38 first-serve points and didn’t face a break point in winning her 18th match of 2016, and she hopes that having three matches under her belt in Cincinnati will help her when she faces Elina Svitolina on Tuesday. The Ukrainian reached the semifinals last year in Cincinnati, and she’s fresh off a quarterfinal appearance at the Olympics that saw her achieve her first victory over World No.1 Serena Williams. With both players in form, expect a hard-fought battle between feisty players, both of whom are eager to push deep into a quality draw.

Pick: Gavrilova in three

Stadium 3
Andrea Petkovic (GER #42) vs. Lucie Safarova (CZE #28)
Head-to-head: Petkovic leads, 4-3

Key Stat: Safarova is bidding for her 400th WTA win on Tuesday.
Two tried-and-true veterans will battle for the eighth time on Tuesday, with each hoping to gain some much-needed traction on the hardcourts – and their 400th career win! Safarova, who owns a career record of 399-282, hopes to crack the milestone on Tuesday and make it three consecutive hardcourt wins over Petkovic. Meanwhile, the 28-year-old German could pass the mark by reaching the quarterfinals. Petkovic and Safarova are each hovering around the .500 mark for the season and could badly use a deep run here in Cincinnati to bolster their confidence ahead of the season’s final Grand Slam in New York. With the US Open less than two weeks away the time is ripe for making statements. Who will make theirs on Tuesday?

Pick: Safarova in two

Around the grounds…
Nineteen-year-old Daria Kasatkina will make her Cincinnati debut when she takes on lucky loser Tsvetana Pironkova on Court No.10. Kasatkina, who reached the Olympic quarterfinals last week in Rio, is playing with a career-high ranking of 24. Canada’s Eugenie Bouchard qualified for the main draw and will open with a tricky encounter against Barbora Strycova of the Czech Republic. Bouchard won the pair’s first three meetings but Strycova has taken the last two, including a 6-1, 6-0 trouncing in Rome this spring. Strycova is coming off a Bronze medal performance in women’s doubles at the Rio Games.

NEW YORK, NY, USA – With the year’s final Grand Slam event just a few weeks away, the USTA announced today the recipients of main draw and qualifying wildcards for the US Open, which begins on August 29.

Among the recipients for main draw wildcards are two-time NCAA singles champion Danielle Collins, 2016 USTA Girls’ 18s National Champion Kayla Day, young American Lauren Davis, USTA Pro Circuit US Open Wild Card challenge winner Sofia Kenin, former Top 50 player Vania King, and Rio’s mixed doubles Olympic gold medalist Bethanie Mattek-Sands, as well as France’s Virginie Razzano.

As part of a reciprocal agreement with the USTA, Tennis Australia will award one additional main draw wild card to a player who will be announced at a later date.

In addition to the eight US Open women’s singles main draw wild cards, the USTA also announced the eight women who have been awarded wild card entries into the US Open Qualifying Tournament, which will be held August 23-26 at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center.

One additional US Open qualifying wild card will be awarded to the winner of the 2015 US Open National Playoffs – Women’s Championship, taking place August 19-22 in New Haven, Connecticut.

Here’s the full list of wildcards announced so far:

Main Draw
Kayla Day (USA)
Lauren Davis (USA)
Sofia Kenin (USA)
Vania King (USA)
Bethanie Mattek-Sands (USA)
Virginie Razzano (FRA)

Qualifying
Amanda Anisimova (USA)
Francesca Di Lorenzo (USA)
Nicole Frenkel (USA)
Ellie Halbauer (USA)
Jamie Loeb (USA)
Raveena Kingsley (USA)
Melanie Oudin (USA)
Laura Robson (GBR)