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Muguruza Digs Deep To Deny Cibulkova

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

MIAMI, FL, USA – Garbiñe Muguruza produced a thrilling final set comeback to defeat Dominika Cibulkova in an absorbing second-round encounter at the Miami Open on Friday.

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Two crushing returns helped Muguruza claim the decisive break in the penultimate game before she calmly wrapped up a 6-7(3), 6-3, 7-5 victory.

“The match today was so tough but I’m so happy I’ve been through this against Dominika,” Muguruza said. “She played very well and I think it was a tricky second round because she’s really tough. But I’m very happy that I fight all the match – even though I lost the first set hard – and I was able to come back.”

Earlier this month in Indian Wells, Cibulkova came within a point of upsetting World No.3 Agnieszka Radwanska. While she did not come quite so close to victory against Muguruza, she will be no less disappointed at her failure to get over the line once again.

After splitting two high-quality sets, Cibulkova looked to be heading for the third round when she surged 3-0 ahead in the decider. However, she was unable to hold onto the momentum, sending a backhand long to surrender her serve in the fifth game.

Considering her struggle for form this year, Muguruza showed tremendous poise with the match in the balance. Trailing 5-4, the Spaniard refused to wilt, a couple of pin-point serves fending off the danger. The same could not be said for Cibulkova in the next game, Muguruza jumping on a couple of short second serves to strike decisively.

Muguruza faces wildcard Nicole Gibbs in the third round. Gibbs reached the fourth round in Indian Wells and continued her superb spring by beating No.27 seed Kristina Mladenovic, 6-2, 6-4, earlier on Friday.

“I don’t know her that well. But she’s here because she’s playing great and feeling at home because she’s from the US. I’ll just do my stuff, prepare and fight until the last point,” Muguruza added.

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Makarova Topples Kvitova In Lefty Duel

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

MIAMI, FL, USA – Ekaterina Makarova dug deep to topple fellow lefty Petra Kvitova and grab the first spot in the fourth round at the Miami Open in straight sets, 6-4, 6-4.

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In tennis, as in many sports, left handers typically have a unique advantage over the right-handed population – but what about if the opponent is another lefty, and a two-time Wimbledon champion at that?

“Of course it’s always tough to play against a lefty… we’re not used to it!” Makarova said. “Petra’s such a great player, it was really tough to play against her. I’m just really happy I came through.”

The No.31-ranked Russian found herself in trouble early on, quickly going down 1-4 against Kvitova’s strong groundstrokes and tricky lefty serve. But Makarova put her problem solving skills to the test and adjusted her game, jamming Kvitova with body serves to cut off her deadly angles.

The tactic worked and Makarova rattled off five straight games to come back and win the opening set, Kvitova’s frustration mounting along with her unforced error count. Kvitova hit 26 winners to 24 unforced errors in the match in contrast to Makarova’s tidy 9 to 9.

With the pressure coming steadily from the other side of the net, Kvitova’s woes continued into the second set. Makarova grabbed a crucial break at 3-2, and kept her lead to take the match in an hour and a half.

“Today was actually really tough to play, especially against Petra and in these conditions,” Makarova commented in her post-match interview, referring to Miami’s heat and humidity.

“She started unbelievable – a lot of winners. I just kept going and going, wanting to hit longer points and just being on the court and enjoying it.”

Makarova now meets Elina Svitolina, the winner of a titanic struggle against Caroline Wozniacki in Saturday’s evening session.

In a match lasting 20 minutes shy of three hours, the result was in the balance until the very end. Wozniacki came within two points of victory, only to see Svitolina produce a final flourish to prevail, 5-7, 6-4, 7-6(1). 

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News | WTA Tennis English

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

CHARLESTON, SC, USA – Mirjana Lucic-Baroni took down the hometown favorite Shelby Rogers in three sets to reach the semifinals at the Volvo Car Open.

35-year-old Lucic-Baroni – the oldest player left in the draw – first played in Charleston in 2001, the same year her opponent Rogers was a ball girl at this very tournament. The Croat had never been past the round of 16 on the green clay, but on Friday night she mounted a spirited comeback to oust Rogers from her home tournament, 6-7(7), 6-1, 6-1.

“It was beautiful in a way,” Lucic-Baroni said in her post-match press conference. “It was difficult playing against the crowd, because Shelby is from here. It’s normal. It’s always tough, but I felt they were very respectful. They were cheering for their home girl, and it’s totally normal.

“The wind was what was really difficult today. It was incredibly hard, and the fact that I came out yesterday and today playing some great tennis and winning in these conditions, it’s incredible, really, really good effort.

Just one point made the difference for Rogers as she took the rollercoaster opening set under blustery conditions – which Lucic-Baroni described as, “I would rather play with a live lion running around in normal conditions than play in today’s weather.”

The Charleston-native leveraged the vocal home support to inspire an early comeback as she found herself down a break with Lucic-Baroni serving for the set at 5-4. She dodged a Lucic-Baroni set point to take it to a tiebreaker, then denied the Croat another one as she edged through to take the opening set.

But the big-hitting Lucic-Baroni refused to fold, and reeled in the errors from her all-or-nothing game to shut out Rogers from the next two sets. She didn’t allow Rogers a single break opportunity as she broke the American five times in a row to snatch a dizzying ten games in a row before claiming the match – and her spot in the semifinals – in two hours and thirteen minutes.

“I was just trying to fight for every point,” Rogers reflected in her post-match press conference. “Like it was definitely back and forth. I thought we had a very good level. It was super entertaining; and bad luck, I wish I could have kept it up.

“But a lot of positives to take from that, and you know, moving forward into the clay season, this week’s been great for me, and so many good things to move forward and build on.”

Meanwhile, Lucic-Baroni had nothing but praise for her opponent, lauding her to the adoring Charleston crowd.

“You guys should be so proud of Shelby,” she said. “She’s such a wonderful girl, amazing tennis player with a super bright future and present as well. You should really be proud, she represents [Charleston] beautifully.”

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News | WTA Tennis English

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

BIEL/BIENNE, Switzerland/BOGOTA, Colombia – The Ladies Open Biel Bienne will make its debut on the WTA circuit this week. The second annual tournament in Switzerland is played on indoor hard-courts. While the Claro Open Colsanitas continues the spring, clay court season. Since it’s upgrade to a WTA-level event in 1998, the Colombian tournament has evolved into one of the most prestigious sporting events in all of Latin America.

1) The Swiss are out with a vengeance.
Three Swiss players are playing in Biel/Bienne this week. Belinda Bencic, former World No.7 was given a wildcard into the tournament, while Rebeka Masarova is back at home after making her debut to the women’s tour at Gstaad in 2016 – beating former World No.1 Jelena Jankovic in the first round. Finally, Viktorija Golubic who went on to win the tile in Gstaad, is also in action.

2) Strycova leads in Swiss field.
Top seed Barbora Strycova will aim to win her second career title in Biel/Bienne after strong results at the Miami Open in singles and doubles. Her last title came in 2011 at the Tournoi de Québec – another indoor hardcourt event. 

3) Babos, Niculescu anchor quarter of contrasts.
There are few match-ups more fun than those that provide a contrast in styles, one of which we may get if No.3 seed Timea Babos and No.8 seed Monica Niculescu advance into the last eight. Niculescu leads their head-to-head 3-2, but Babos won both of their 2016 encounters.

4) Carla Suárez Navarro back on form after injury.
Suárez Navarro looks nearly back to her best after an injury-addled start to 2017, she will come into Biel as the No.2 seed after reaching the quarterfinals in Monterry last week.

5) Vinci gets KrisPlis rematch in Biel/Bienne.
Roberta Vinci was a game away from knocking out Kristyna Pliskova at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships before Karolina’s twin sister stunned the Italian veteran in three sets. The two face off again in the first round in Biel/Bienne, Vinci the No.4 seed.

6) Kiki Bertens will start in Colombia as the No.1 seed.
The Dutchwoman reached her career high in February, cracking the World’s Top 20. She is set to play 20-year-old Nina Stojanovic in the first round.

7) Irina Falconi is back to defend her title in Bogota.
The World No.105 has has struggled with injury since winning her maiden WTA title last spring, but she will be fighting to defend it this week. The American faces Slovenian Dalila Jakupovic in the first round.

8) Errani to face streaking Alexandrova.
Former French Open finalist Sara Errani will begin her red clay swing in earnest down in Bogota, but will first have to get past the on-fire Ekaterina Alexandrova. The young Russian comes to Colombia on the back of 10 straight wins and two ITF titles in China and France.

9) Siniakova aims to bring doubles success to singles court in Bogota.
20-year-old Katerina Siniakova started the season with a singles title in Shenzhen, and has since shown her best tennis on the doubles court with Lucie Hradecka, reaching finals at the BNP Paribas Open and the Volvo Car Open last week. The Czech will aim to rediscover her singles form in Bogota, where she will be the No.2 seed.

10) Can Arruabarrena reclaim her Colombian crown.
Lara Arruabarrena won the Claro Open Colsanitas in 2012, and has shown some improved hardcourt form at the Miami Open, where she upset Madison Keys en route to the fourth round. The No.4 seed in Bogota, she opens against a qualifier.

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Vote Now: Who Was March’s Best Dressed?

Vote Now: Who Was March’s Best Dressed?

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

The BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells and the Miami Open pride themselves on being as great as Grand Slams, providing excellent facilities and thrilling matches, but the tournaments also bring top tennis fashion to the table. Marija Zivlak of Women’s Tennis Blog will show us the WTA styles that rocked the prestigious US courts in March.

Nike - Serena Williams

After ruling the Australian Open fashion scene in the yellow Nike Spring Premier Crop Top and Nike Spring Premier Victory Skirt, world number one Serena Williams again stole the show with the outfit, introducing its omega blue version at Indian Wells. Everything about this combo is stunning, while Serena’s powerful tennis and rocking body make it mind-blowing. The crop top and the flirtatiously-swaying pleated skirt flawlessly suit Serena, while the generous use of mesh is both highly functional and stylish. This look confidently paved the way for crop tops in women’s tennis fashion.

Stella McCartney

Soft yellow and lilac are dominating Stella McCartney’s summer collection. This month, Andrea Petkovic, Caroline Wozniacki and Garbiñe Muguruza debuted the adidas Summer Stella McCartney Tour Tank, featuring a subtle side floral print, and the adidas Summer Stella McCartney Tour Skirt, highlighted by popular laser-cut details, this time in the shape of hexagon. Stella always manages to make a harmonious marriage between classic athletic and feminine elements.

Karolina Pliskova - Fila

Fila’s aqua and light grey hues from the Net Set collection perfectly fitted Karolina Pliskova on her way to the semifinals of the BNP Paribas Open. The Fila Spring Net Set Racerback Tank is unique for its contrasting pin-tuck detailing down the back, while the pleated skirt stands out with its alternating colors.

Jelena Jankovic - Fila

Jelena Jankovic showcased the Fila Spring Net Set Dress, specific for its textural chevron pattern at front and back and central contrasting stripe.

EleVen

Venus Williams’ EleVen is firmly holding on to the place among tennis fashion elite, constantly releasing new designs that successfully compete with sports apparel giants. In the sole match the American played at the 2016 Miami Open, we got to see the new Strike collection, which captivates with its clean and subtle pattern. The multidirectional groups of thin lines create an appealing print that is not loud or distracting, while contrast grey colorblocking at center and back nicely breaks up the pattern, enhancing a feminine silhouette.

The exact items the seven-time Grand Slam champion wore were the EleVen Strike Print Excel Tank and the EleVen Strike Print Jamming Skirt, while the collection also features a wonderful EleVen Strike Miami Dress, which had been promoted as Venus’ choice for the tournament.

New Balance - Nicole Gibbs

New Balance’s young and fresh spring kit perfectly accompanied Nicole Gibbs’ rise to stardom at Indian Wells and Miami. The American recorded breakthrough results at both tournaments, looking stylish in the New Balance Spring Tournament Tank, whose eye-catching orange logo nicely matches Gibbs’ accessories and shoes, while the New Balance Spring Reversible Skirt is coordinated with the logo at the headband and wristbands. Let’s also mention that New Balance has recently added Sorana Cirstea to their family, but the former world No.21 Romanian lost in the Miami Open qualifying, so we didn’t have much chance to enjoy her new clothes.

Tell us now which WTA outfits you dig the most this March:

– Photos via Getty Images/Jimmie 48

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Svitolina Upsets World No.1 Kerber In Beijing, Konta Continues Singapore Charge

Svitolina Upsets World No.1 Kerber In Beijing, Konta Continues Singapore Charge

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

BEIJING, China – Elina Svitolina continued her impressive end to the season by upsetting World No.1 Angelique Kerber in the third round of the China Open on Thursday.

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A mature display saw Svitolina hold her nerve at the end of both sets to close out a 6-3, 7-5 victory and book a quarterfinal meeting with Daria Gavrilova.

“I was just trying to be really focused on every ball, and of course try to win,” Svitolina said in her on-court interview.

Earlier this week, Kerber suggested that she was feeling the strain of a hectic schedule that has now seen her play 35 matches since the start of July. However, against Svitolina she battled away until the last saving a couple a couple of match points in the final game.

Svitolina, who also beat then-No.1 Serena Williams at this summer’s Olympics, continued to be the aggressor and was rewarded when Kerber sent a forehand sailing wide at the third time of asking.

“I was trying to think about my next step, what I should try to do,” Svitolina added. “I tried to make my first serve and concentrated on the next shot, but still I was a little bit shaky!”

Johanna Konta

Elsewhere, Johanna Konta continued her own impressive recent run of form with a tense victory over No.5 seed Karolina Pliskova.

Konta, who reached the fourth round of the US Open and the quarterfinals last week in Wuhan, is making a late bid to reach the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global. Depending on other results, a run to the final could elevate her to a qualification spot and she moved one step closer to that rarget by overcoming Pliskova, 6-1, 3-6, 7-6(2). 

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News | WTA Tennis English

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

CHARLESTON, SC, USA – In the first all-teen WTA final since 2009, Daria Kasatkina knocked out former junior colleague Jelena Ostapenko, 6-3, 6-1, to win her first WTA title at the Volvo Car Open.

“It’s very difficult to describe my feeling now,” she said in her post-victory press conference. “I feel I’m just sleeping and everything is not real. I’m so happy. Really.”

Kasatkina and Ostapenko took back-to-back Grand Slam titles back in 2014, the Russian winning the girls’ French Open while the Latvian swept the junior Wimbledon Championships, and the two have been on a collision course since making their WTA debuts the following year.

Ostapenko was in her third career final after finishing runner-up at the Tournoi de Québec in 2015 and the Qatar Total Open in 2016, and won their only previous tour-level meeting last year at the Aegon International in Eastbourne.

But Kasatkina proved far more at home on clay after earning wins over Olympic champion Monica Puig, good friend Daria Gavrilova, No.10 seed Irina-Camelia Begu, and clay court specialist Laura Siegemund en route to her first final.

“Yesterday evening and all night I couldn’t sleep. I woke up during the whole night like two or three times. I was so nervous, you cannot imagine. I was feeling like, I want to just go on the court and everything, let’s finish, play. I cannot feeling this anymore. But now it was worth it.”

The pair exchanged early breaks to start the match; Ostapenko won a long sixth game to level the opening set only to see Kasatkina run away with the contest from there, losing just one more game in the 66-minute match.

“I was ready to be on the court five, six hours. Because it’s a final, I have to be ready for everything, but I’m happy that I finished it in, let’s say, an easy way. So I am very happy and proud of myself.

“When I won the last ball, everything like closed and I just feel like I’m dreaming.” 

Playing clean, consistent tennis, Kasatkina struck just six winners to the Latvian’s 25, but also only seven unforced errors to Ostapenko’s 38, and converted five of seven break point chances over two sets.

“Today, the tactic was to be a little bit more defensive, go back, spin, slice the ball because it’s clay, and she’s playing really aggressive. Usually she beats aggressive players because she likes this type of game, everything. So we decided that I have to go back and make her tired. It was a good tactic, I think.”

“I was playing good all the days this week,” Ostapenko said after the match. “I beat some great players, but today was really not my day, and I just didn’t feel the ball that well. I was missing too much, and because she was defending during the whole match. It was just probably not my day.

“I think I got a bit more consistent on clay, and I think I improved my serve and I’m moving better, but I still have a lot of things to work on. I think it’s pretty good because now I can climb in the ranking.”

The Russian will move back into the Top 30 after the win as she aims to return to Roland Garros as a seed for the second straight year, while Ostapenko returns to the Top 50 following her impressive week and wins over former No.1 Caroline Wozniacki and Australian Open semifinalist Mirjana Lucic-Baroni.

Kasatkina joins an illustrious list of former champions, including Stefanie Graf, Martina Navratilova, Martina Hingis, and Venus Williams. None of that had quite sunk in with the 19-year-old so soon after the match.

“I need to prepare for these things. It never happened to me before. So little bit makeup for the pictures!” she said when asked about a post-victory portrait.

“I don’t realize it yet, so I’m just enjoying it every moment, every second. And really, when I was on the court after the last point, I just wanted the moment to stop because it was one of the best moments in my life.”

Earlier in the day, World No.1 Bethanie Mattek-Sands took her third title of the year, and second with partner Lucie Safarova, overcoming a tough test from BNP Paribas Open finalists Lucie Hradecka and Katerina Siniakova, 6-1, 4-6, 10-7.

All photos courtesy of the Volvo Car Open.

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