Tennis News

NEW YORK, NY, USA – World No.2 Angelique Kerber is the first player through to the US Open semifinals after conquering Roberta Vinci in straight sets.

After withstanding a fierce early challenge from the Italian, Kerber found another gear to prevail 7-5, 6-0 and end Vinci’s bid to halt a major US Open subplot for a second time.

“I think I have right now more confidence going out there,” Kerber said in her post-match press conference. “I’m not thinking about quarters, semis, or whatever. I’m just going there to playing a good match and to win.

“I know that I can beat everybody, and this is what gives me also a lot of confidence and motivation for going out there and playing with a lot of emotion.”

Vinci and Kerber set the tone of the match early on; Vinci broke Kerber’s serve in a marathon seven-minute opening game, before the German quickly grabbed the break back. In fact, Kerber trailed Vinci a break three times during the opening set, but each time she showed her mental toughness by never allowing Vinci to hold onto the lead.

The two played a game of cat and mouse throughout the first set, with both players showing off their variety and shot making; Vinci would reach a break point with a set of slices and drop shots, and Kerber would save it with a stinging inside-out forehand.

Kerber finally claimed the decisive break in the final game, winning the set and avoiding a tiebreak when Vinci was called for a foot fault on set point.

Down, not out: @AngeliqueKerber wins three games in a row to take the opener vs. #Vinci, 7-5. #usopen @MBUSA https://t.co/CguQohxazo

— US Open Tennis (@usopen) September 6, 2016

“I think the key of the match was the first set,” Kerber reflected afterwards. “I mean, it was really close and tough. It’s always difficult to play against Roberta.

“Keeping my mind a little bit relaxed, and staying in the moment – I think that was my key. Also for the first set to, be a little bit more relax and had not too negative, actually.”

Already hobbled by a foot problem, losing the set by so narrow a margin seemed to suck the wind out of Vinci’s sails. She didn’t have much left in the tank against Kerber, who quickly broke three more times to run away with the match and return to the semifinals of the US Open for the first time since 2011.

Kerber struck 33 winners to 25 unforced errors during the match – just three of those errors in came in the second set – while Vinci hit 17 winners to 32 unforced errors. Vinci’s serve was particularly vulnerable, serving at 40 percent first serves and winning just 57 percent of those points.

While the win moves Kerber one step closer to the WTA No.1 ranking, it spells out a different fate for Vinci. The Italian will fall out of the Top 10 come next week, having needed a run to the semifinals to keep up her ranking.

“Of course I’m so sad about today,” Vinci said. “In general I played a great tournament. Now just will go home and take some days off; see what I have for my injury, and then we will see.”

Kerber now awaits the winner of tonight’s match between Caroline Wozniacki and Anastasija Sevastova to play for a spot in the final.

Stat of the Match: 22 of Kerber’s 25 unforced errors came in the first set. https://t.co/LdN4SrDvQn#USOpen pic.twitter.com/aLCsNv3EkL

— WTA Insider (@WTA_insider) September 6, 2016

ACAPULCO, Mexico – No.2 seed Sloane Stephens needed a final set tie-break against unseeded former Australian Open finalist and 2014 Abierto Mexicano Telcel champion Dominika Cibulkova, but the American finally got the job done against the Slovak, winning, 6-4, 4-6, 7-6(5).

“I got a little bit better today because of her, and I wouldn’t want to have this memory with anyone else,” Stephens said of Cibulkova during the trophy ceremony.

Stephens led Cibulkova by a set and a break before the 26-year-old, who won their previous encounter at last year’s Rogers Cup, roared back to level the match at a set apiece. In what became the longest final thus far in 2016, the two fought through several long games in the final set before heading to a tie-break. Racing out to a 5-2 lead, Stephens held three match points, converting her third on a Cibulkova forehand error.

“We had a great week and a great start to the year, and I’m looking forward to keeping it going.

“I don’t think I’ve ever played in front of a crowd quite like this. Thank you for letting me experience this in Acapulco because it’s something I’ll remember forever.”

“This is one of my favorite tournaments,” Cibulkova said in her runner-up speech. “It feels like home because of the people who work here and all the fans and sponsors. I’m a little disappointed with the result today, but that’s tennis. I hope to be back here next year and maybe get the trophy again.:

Having started the year with a title at the ASB Classic – where she beat former No.1 Caroline Wozniacki en route – Stephens now has three WTA titles and, most impressively, remains undefeated in finals (winning her first title last year at the Citi Open).

The doubles final took place earlier in the evening, and top seeds Anabel Medina Garrigues and Arantxa Parra Santonja defeated No.2 seeds Kiki Bertens and Johanna Larsson, 6-0, 6-4.

NEW YORK, NY, USA – No.10 seed Karolina Pliskova is into her first Grand Slam semifinal after a commanding victory over 18-year-old Ana Konjuh at the US Open.

Both were making their Grand Slam quarterfinal debut – in fact, neither had been past the third round at any Slam before the fortnight – but experience won out for Pliskova, who had little trouble moving past Konjuh in the 57-minute, 6-2, 6-2 romp.

“I was kind of nervous this morning, before the match,” Pliskova said of playing in her first major quarterfinal. “But always when I get on the court I just forget about everything and I’m not nervous anymore.”

“And I’m just trying to play tennis. Maybe I will think about all what I have been playing last few weeks after the tournament, but right now I just don’t want to, you know, put it in too much inside me. I just want to play.”

.@KaPliskova wins 100% of her first serves en route to a first-set victory over #Konjuh. #usopen @Chase https://t.co/o3RAc1pG59

— US Open Tennis (@usopen) September 7, 2016

The victory is especially affirming for the Czech, who’s been a dangerous player at the WTA level for the past two years since her breakthrough, but could never translate that big game onto the big stage.

“To be honest, the Grand Slams before, I wasn’t feeling bad in any of them,” Pliskova said after her third round press conference, the first time ever she’d reached the second week of a Slam. “But just somehow the game on the court wasn’t the way I wanted it to be.

“I was just a little bit tight, I wasn’t playing my tennis, wasn’t aggressive enough. If I’m not playing my game, I cannot beat those players like this. I cannot be the one who is running.”

Pliskova didn’t need to do much running against Konjuh, the lowest-ranked and youngest player in the quarterfinals. The Czech is famous for her huge serve – in fact she’s been the WTA’s ace leader for two years – but Pliskova kept her biggest weapon reigned in. She hit just three aces, much lower than her eight-a-match average, but was still lethal on serve, winning 92 percent of points behind her first serve during the match – 100 percent in the first set.

The 18-year-old Konjuh also wields a powerful serve, which she showed off during her impressive takedown of Agnieszka Radwanska in the last round. But the Croat struggled to hold onto it against the big-hitting Pliskova, who broke her twice at the outset of the match to go up 4-0 in the first set, then twice at the end of the second.

Pliskova closed out the match with back-to-back aces to reach her first Grand Slam semifinals.

Ace the day! @kapliskova dominates #Konjuh 6-2, 6-2 in just 57 minutes to make her first slam semifinal @mbusa https://t.co/mKjBWbbXqo

— US Open Tennis (@usopen) September 7, 2016

Despite the one-sided loss, Konjuh only takes the positives away from her Grand Slam experience.

“You know, I cannot be sad after all of this,” Konjuh reflected in her post-match press conference. “Good luck to her. She’s having great season so far, and, you know, I’m cheering for her.”

“But overall, I’m happy with my results here. When I came here I could only imagine playing the quarters. I think it’s been a great tournament.”

Pliskova awaits the winner in the night match between Serena Williams and Simona Halep to play for a spot in the final.

DALIAN, China – Top seed Wang Qiang won a topsy-turvy encounter on Thursday against Han Na-Lae to reach the quarterfinals of the Dalian Women’s Tennis Open.

Watch live streaming from Dalian all week right here.

Strong performances on the ITF Circuit this year have seen Wang close in on a Top 50 debut, which she could secure with a deep run in Dalian. However, she was given an unexpectedly stern examination against lucky loser Han before finishing strongly to close out a 6-3, 1-6, 6-1 victory.

Grace Min will meet her in the last eight after she upset No.6 seed Jana Cepelova, 6-4, 6-3. This was not the afternoon’s only upset, either; Aleksandra Krunic knocked out No.3 seed Duan Ying-Ying, 6-2, 3-6, 6-1, while Wang Yafan defeated Tamira Paszek, the No.4 seed, 6-2, 7-6(2).

Also advancing was last year’s runner-up, Julia Glushko, who fought back to see off qualifier Peangtarn Plipuech, 4-6, 6-3, 6-2.

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.

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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

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:

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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.