Angelique Kerber's Practice Session In Dubai
Watch Angelique Kerber hit the practice court ahead of the start of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships.
Watch Angelique Kerber hit the practice court ahead of the start of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships.
Angelique Kerber has Tuesday’s shot of the day at the Aegon International Birmingham.
Watch Angelique Kerber and Mona Barthel’s 26-shot rally in the second round of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships.
Irina-Camelia Begu takes on Belinda Bencic in the first round of the Aegon Classic.
DUBAI, UAE – Kateryna Bondarenko is through to the third round of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships after No.5 seed Garbiñe Muguruza was forced to withdraw due to a left achilles injury while trailing 4-1 in the opening set.
“It’s good that I’m through, but it wasn’t really a win,” Bonadarenko said after the match. “She retired.”
Muguruza suffered a shock defeat last week Doha to Zhang Shuai, and looked to be struggling with her timing early on, double faulting to hand her opponent the immediate break.
At the first changeover, Muguruza called for the physio but opted not to take an injury timeout before being broken again.
“When I finished in Doha, because of the rain, a lot of people played two matches, including me,” Muguruza explained. “The second one was very tough, and I remember that as soon as I went, after the match, to my room, I started to have a pain in my left Achilles.
“The next morning was even more painful. I have been carried this since that day. And here, I have been training but on and off, honestly, because of the pain. Some days it was a little bit better, some days it was a little bit worse. It was just hard for me to serve, especially, and to just move side to side today on the court.
A lack of mobility clearly apparent, Muguruza decided that the best way back into the match was to hit her way out of trouble. But with the score at 4-1 in the first set, she decided that it wasn’t worth continuing.
“I can’t see anything right now. I have to do some kind of MRI.
“Personally, I don’t think it’s like something big, hopefully, but it’s very irritated and it’s really bothering me every time I have to run on the court.”
.@GarbiMuguruza retires in the opening set.
Kateryna Bondarenko advances to @DDFTennis Round of 16. pic.twitter.com/zVW98VFLPo
— WTA (@WTA) February 21, 2017
Muguruza’s retirement means that Bondarenko, who has never been past the second round, will now face either Viktorija Golubic or Caroline Wozniacki.
Click here to learn more about Muguruza’s injury courtesy of WTA Insider.
Johanna Konta and Petra Kvitova took one of Birmingham’s canals by storm during one of the Aegon Classic’s many rain delays.
Kvitova takes to one end of the Birmingham canal to engage in a light-hearted rally with the Brit on the other side.
Kvitova and Konta learned a net isn’t necessary after all when playing canal tennis.
Meanwhile, doubles starlet Andrea Hlavackova took a tour of Cadbury World to learn the ins and outs of chocolate production.
Lucie Safarova shows off one of her delicious creations.
Hometown favorite Heather Watson tried her hand at sweet fashion by making a chocolate shoe.
The WTA stars showing off their finished products.
Hlavackova, Safarova, and Watson got to leave Cadbury World with quite the souvenir they helped make themselves.
Tara Moore and Andrea Petkovic took a trip to Villa Park, the local football stadium in Aston.
Petkovic showed off some of her fancy footwork with a powerful kick.
Not to be outdone, recent Nottingham quarterfinalist Moore tried her own kick of the ball.
Later on, Moore and Petkovic received signature jerseys in the colors of the Aston Villa Football Club.
DUBAI, UAE – Elina Svitolina made it through to her third quarterfinal of 2017 so far after a titanic tussle with Christina McHale.
The Ukrainian triumphed 4-6, 6-4, 6-3 to set up a clash in the next round of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships with Lauren Davis.
“It was really tough today – I was in and out today mentally, I was a little bit losing my focus in the first set,” she said in her on-court interview after the match.
“In the end I was just trying to fight for every ball, and I think that’s why I won.”
.@ElinaSvitolina reaches third Quarterfinal of 2017!
Tops McHale 4-6, 6-4, 6-3 at @DDFTennis! pic.twitter.com/0WdyLoSLVh
— WTA (@WTA) February 22, 2017
McHale pushed Svitolina right to the end, forcing her to serve for a match which lasted two hours and 22 minutes, and saving the first of three match points.
She could not delay the inevitable for too long, though, as the 22-year-old’s grit saw her through.
Svitolina was already thinking about her next opponent, the American Davis.
“I’ve played against her a couple of times…but it’s always going to be tough in any quarterfinal,” she said.
MALLORCA, Spain – Former World No.1 Ana Ivanovic enjoyed one of her most emphatic wins of the season, dismantling Sara Sorribes Tormo, 6-1, 6-0, to reach the quarterfinals of the Mallorca Open.
Watch live action from Birmingham and Mallorca this week on WTA Live powered by TennisTV!
Playing against her childhood idol, the 19 year old was overawed on the Center Court in Mallorca, lasting just 51 minutes against the 2008 French Open champion, who was hoping to turn around a disappointing season with a second WTA quarterfinal appearance.
“Honestly, grass is not my favorite surface,” the Serb said in her post-match press-conference, “but I’ve loved playing in Mallorca. I really hope I can keep playing well to stay long. The courts and crowd are really nice, so it’s a good feeling.
“I remember the first time I played the Williams sisters; you’re a little bit overwhelmed playing someone you used to look up to. But she’s very young still, and had some good strokes. Hopefully she can get better and move into the top of the game.”
Dropping just seven points behind her first serve, Ivanovic convered five of nine break point opportunities to set up a match against No.6 seed Caroline Garcia.
“I think we’ve been lucky to have perfect weather here; I know they’ve been struggling in Birmingham. I’ve actually had fun playing here. Yesterday, we had fun in doubles too, with Kirsten Flipkens.
“Garcia won the last three times we played, but it’s a different surface, and I’ll have to be extra focused and low on my shots. I have to go into the match knowing it’s going to be close, and look for my opportunities.”
.@AnaIvanovic impone su ley en el #MallorcaOpen. ¡Sólida victoria ante @sara_sorribes 6-1, 6-0. ?? pic.twitter.com/IOP61qYPYQ
— MallorcaOpen (@MallorcaOpen) June 16, 2016
Garcia played earlier in the day and survived a nail-biter of a second set tie-break against unseeded German Anna-Lena Friedsam, advancing, 6-4, 7-6(4).
“It’s good weather and I like when it’s hot. It was two tight sets, but you need a lot of energy on grass and a lot of focus. So every point is very important; I’m happy to be through in two sets.
“Maybe I played the important points better, but it was very tight. That’s grass also, and why you have to stay focused on every point. It’s a very different game, but good to have it for a month – just a month though!”
The Frenchwoman has won her last three matches against Ivanovic – all of which occurred in the spring of 2015 – but the pair have never met on a grass court.
“It’s not very natural for me,” she told press of the surface. “I have to say that the grass here is drier than it usually is in England, so it’s a little bit more comfortable for me. I feel safer on the court and the ball is bouncing higher, especially on my second serve. For your first tournament on grass, you don’t expect much, but I hope to keep going.”
Playing in the inaugural Mallorca Open meant opting out of the Aegon Classic in Birmingham, a tournament plagued by rain delays and poor weather.
“I’ve seen all the news on twitter about interruptions and suspensions. It’s frustrating because you can’t practice; you have to go indoors or the gym. When you want to go on grass, you want to at least be practicing. There’s a chance to do this here. Even when you’re done with a match, you can still practice. So I’m very happy with my choice!”
¡Accede a los cuartos de final del #MallorcaOpen @CaroGarcia! Victoria 6-4, 7-6 ante Friedsam. ?? pic.twitter.com/ZYtsnulUdt
— MallorcaOpen (@MallorcaOpen) June 16, 2016
More to come…
Take a look inside the glamour and excitement of the Dubai Player Party with Dubai Duty Free Ambassadors Caroline Wozniacki and Zhang Shuai!
MALLORCA, Spain – Caroline Garcia continued her domination of No.3 seed Ana Ivanovic, dispatching the Serb in a titanic affair in the quarterfinals of the Mallorca Open, 7-6(9), 5-7, 6-3.
Watch live action from Birmingham and Mallorca this week on WTA Live powered by TennisTV!
Playing in her first-ever grass court quarterfinal, Garcia had plenty of momentum against Ivanovic, having won their last three matches in 2015. But Ivanovic had played some solid tennis of her own in Mallorca, and recovered from an early break to force a first set tie-break against her French nemesis.
“I had so many opportunities, but I stayed positive even when I’d lose my advantage,” Garcia said in her post-match press conference. “It’s good to win matches like this against a big player.
“I was down in the tie-break and had no choice but to go for it and take the opportunity before she could.”
Garcia saved a whopping five set points in the ensuing sudden death – three in a row from 3-6 down – and snuck off with the opening set on her second opportunity. Undaunted, Ivanovic fought back hard in the second set, winning three games in a row to level the contest after being two points from elimination.
“On grass, it’s more mental with so many short points. I was feeling good on the court, and would stay aggressive on the return to put pressure on Ana.
“I think movement is most difficult for me, especially when it’s humid and slippery.”
The Frenchwoman indeed maintained the pressure in the third, racing out to a 3-0 lead and weathering one last Serbian serge to serve out her spot in the semifinals, where she’ll play none other than Kirsten Flipkens, 2013 Wimbledon semifinalist and Ivanovic’s doubles partner.
“It’s a good test for me because she loves grass. I played her a couple weeks ago on clay, so it’ll be much different. She has the shots to play on this surface, so I will have to be aggressive and put the pressure on her.”
.@FlipperKF: “Me he sentido muy bien en la pista”. Congratulations Kirsten! ???? pic.twitter.com/OD1ALyexah
— MallorcaOpen (@MallorcaOpen) June 17, 2016
Flipkens edged past Paraguayan qualifier Veronica Cepede Royg, 7-5, 6-3, to reach her second WTA semifinal of 2016, and her first since finishing runner-up in Monterrey.
“It was warm today but I had a good match today,” the Belgian said in her post-match press conference. “I think she started off really well and at the beginning it was really tough to play my game. But I got into the match better and better, serving well.
“For sure, she was in good shape coming out of qualifying, so I needed to see how her game was. She got an early break, so it was important for me to break her back when she was serving for the set. I was always winning the first point on her serve, but it was a matter of getting into those second and third points.
“Once I broke back to 5-5, I felt like I was back in the match.”
With half the season left to go, Flipkens admitted she already achieved her main goal for 2016 – representing her country in the upcoming Summer Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.
“I’ve never played there before, so I’m very happy about that.”
No.2 seed Jelena Jankovic and Anastasija Sevastova snapped up the final two semifinal spots of the day; the former No.1 dispatched the resurgent Sorana Cirstea, 6-3, 6-3, while Sevastova recovered from a second set wobble to defeat Mariana Duque-Mariño, 6-4, 3-6, 6-3.
.@CaroGarcia is happy! ? ¡Ya está en las semifinales del #MallorcaOpen! pic.twitter.com/oF5VfzHjXc
— MallorcaOpen (@MallorcaOpen) June 17, 2016