Australian Open: Naomi Osaka v Johanna Konta
Johanna Konta takes on Naomi Osaka in the second round of the Australian Open.
Johanna Konta takes on Naomi Osaka in the second round of the Australian Open.
With all tennis apparel companies getting ready for their big product launches at the French Open in mid-May, April was somewhat of a slow month in terms of women’s tennis fashion, but that doesn’t mean that WTA players didn’t look stylish these past four weeks and the less busy period allowed smaller brands to grab the much-deserved attention to themselves, most notably Tonic by Martina Hingis. Marija Zivlak of Women’s Tennis Blog will show us the clothes that dominated the courts of April’s tournaments.
Laura Siegemund came all the way from qualifying at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix, dismantled three Top 10 payers without losing a set and made the title match, all the while looking fashionable in a variety of Tonic ensembles.
The 28-year-old Siegemund earned her Top 50 debut in all-white, all-black and colored outfits standing out with their thin tank straps and sheer elements, while practical and trendy plaited hairstyle spiced up the look.
The above Tonic Spring Lucid Tank features built-in bra with removable cups, neck and side contrast detailing, while the highlight are definitely criss-cross spaghetti straps. The top exists in six colors, while my favorite is the white one with pixel contrast, as seen below on Danka Kovinic and Viktorija Golubic.
Montenegro’s Kovinic climbed from No. 60 to No. 47 in the WTA rankings this week, following her final at the TEB BNP Paribas Istanbul Cup, while Switzerland’s Golubic, who has recently recorded as much as two victories for her country in the Fed Cup World Group semifinals, beating Czech Republic’s Karolina Pliskova and Barbora Strycova, showcased her stylish Tonic ensemble at the Katowice Open in early April.
Sorana Cirstea had to cover her beautiful aviator navy New Balance Spring Tournament Dress with several layers of clothing in the cold Prague this week, but earlier in April we saw the dress in full light at the TEB BNP Paribas Istanbul Cup, where the Romanian lost in the second round to eventual champion Cagla Buyukakcay.
The 131st-ranked Cirstea started her brand ambassador role this year at the Miami Open, while her Istanbul appearance marked the first time a New Balance representative wore a dress. Striped, flaired skirt and thin strappy racerback of the dress provide both style and great support for maximum range of motion on the court. Plus, you can beautifully round out the look with the New Balance 996v2 Shoe.
Sloane Stephens’ fashion has never been better than in recent months and this dark Under Armour dress has been her lucky charm, as the American won two WTA titles in it, including her biggest career title at Charleston this month, as well as a power-blue Volvo V60 Polestar car.
Everything about the dress is stylish, especially when Sloane wears it. My favorite features are the subtle print at athletic racerback and back cutout, as well as color-coordinated wristbands and braided headband. Being a big fan of Sloane’s fashion, I am really looking forward to seeing her new kit in action, a white crop top and light pink skirt.
Serena Williams discusses what ‘being Serena’ means in her post-match press conference at the Australian Open.
PRAGUE, Czech Republic – No.2 seed Lucie Safarova threw down 14 aces to edge past No.4 seed Samantha Stosur, winning the battle of former French Open finalists, 3-6, 6-1, 6-4, to capture the J&T Banka Prague Open title.
Watch live action from Prague & Rabat this week on WTA Live powered by TennisTV!
Heading into the International-level event in Prague, Safarova hadn’t won a singles match all year. In fact, she hadn’t even won a set until last week in Stuttgart, still struggling to find her form since returning from the bacterial infection that sidelined her at the end of 2015 and forced her to skip the Australian Open.
But last year’s French Open finalist peaked just at the right time, powered by her adoring home crowd to recover from a one-set deficit for her first title of the year.
“I had quite a few tough matches here so I feel pretty tired,” Safarova said after the match. “But my health is holding up which is the best news for me after such a long time of struggling.
“Each match here I was playing better and better, and by semis and finals I felt like my old self.”
Safarova went down an early break in her first service game, Stosur threading a pinpoint accurate backhand down the line to bring up the first break chance of the match. The Australian’s heavy shots were giving Safarova plenty of trouble throughout the opening set, going up a 4-1 lead. Despite pushing back during the later stages of the set, Safarova wasn’t able to pressure the Stosur serve and find a chance to break back, dropping the first set.
The Czech mounted her comeback in the second set, aided by Stosur’s service struggles: the Australian hit four double faults in the one game to hand Safarova the first break. She also unleashed her own powerful serves: 12 of the 14 aces struck by Safarova came in the final two sets. Despite hitting a rare double fault on set point – one of two the whole match – Safarova closed out the second set to level the score.
Safarova got the break in the seventh game of the final set, going up 4-3 as the tide – and the vocal crowd – turned firmly in her favor.
A pair of aces sealed the match and the Prague title, which is Safarova’s seventh WTA title, and her first one on clay courts since Oeiras in 2005.
“I’m so happy because support during the week was amazing,” Safarova said. “To finally get some wins under my belt feels great. And a seventh title? Wow!”
Prague is quickly becoming a stronghold for Czech players: they’ve now seen their second Czech champion in as many years, with Karolina Pliskova having won last year’s inaugural staging.
For Stosur, who was also playing in her first final of the year in Prague, the experience brings nothing but positives.
“I’m really happy with the week that I’ve had,” the Australian said. “I played some really good tennis and some hard fought matches, and it’s really good for my tennis all around.
“Lucie was too good today – we’ve had some close matches and today was pretty similar to that. All credit to her and congratulations, she had the win today.”
It will be a quick turnaround for both finalists going from Prague straight to Madrid: the Mutua Madrid Open starts today and Stosur is slated to play her opening match on Sunday.
“It’s gonna be a late night tonight, and I know Lucie and I are on the same flight,” Stosur said. “We’ll both be in the same boat but that’s the way it goes sometimes.
“It’s not ideal preparation, but to be in a final – you’d take that any day.”
Congrats @LucieSafarova!
Lift that #PragueOpen trophy ? https://t.co/GQfRaEL1RQ
— WTA (@WTA) April 30, 2016
Watch Daria Gavrilova’s practice session at the Australian Open.
MELBOURNE, Australia – Six years after her four-hour epic against Francesca Schiavone at this very tournament, No.8 seed Svetlana Kuznetsova came out on the winning side of Friday’s titanic three-setter against former No.1 Jelena Jankovic, 6-4, 5-7, 9-7, to reach the fourth round at the Australian Open.
“It was crazy,” Kuznetsova admitted in her inimitable way after the match. “I was up set and 4-1 with a double break. Then I found myself down 3-0 and 15-40 on my serve in third set.
“It was a bit insane, but it’s a tennis match, anything can happen; it’s never done until you shake the hand.”
Kuznetsova is no stranger to long matches in Australia, having narrowly lost to Schiavone, 6-4, 1-6, 16-14 in what remains the longest Grand Slam match in WTA history back at four hours and 44 minutes in 2011.
There were few signs from the outset that her encounter against Jankovic would approach that duration, as the Russian raced out to a set and double break lead, serving for the match at 5-4 in the second set. Jankovic turned the tables on Kuznetsova at the 11th hour to win the final three games of the second set and force a decider.
Serving second in the final set, the No.8 seed twice fell behind a break as Jankovic served for a 5-2 lead. Kuznetsova promptly broke back and earned a chance to serve out the match; not to be outdone, Jankovic leveled proceedings at five games apiece and kept things on serve until the fateful 15th game.
“It’s so tough, especially after three and a half hours of playing, that one of us had to lose,” Jankovic said after the match. “Unfortunately, it was me. I’m quite disappointed after such a battle, and it’s not easy to accept. I had my chances and I gave myself the opportunity to win the match.
“After 3-0, I wasn’t making as many first serves in; I don’t know if it was because I got tired spending a lot of hours out there. I haven’t competed much, and my percentage of first serves went down, so I couldn’t hold my serve for a while.
“I still have to work hard to get back to my best level, but at the end, Sveta was fitter than me in the end. I tried so hard, but I couldn’t move anymore and she was the one still standing.”
Svetlana #Kuznetsova is through after 3 hours and 36 mins #AusOpen pic.twitter.com/kMr2owinb5
— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 20, 2017
The third time proved lucky for the three-time Australian Open quarterfinalist, who served out the win on her first match point after three hours and 36 minutes on court.
Up next for Kuznetsova is No.24 seed and compatriot Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, who earned the biggest upset thus far on Day 5 by knocking out No.11 seed Elina Svitolina in three sets.
4R awaits Svetlana #Kuznetsova #AusOpen pic.twitter.com/qyd07fiQcp
— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 20, 2017
MELBOURNE, Australia – The second week is about to get underway at the Australian Open, and World No.1 Angelique Kerber and French Open champion Garbiñe Muguruza headlining Day 7 Down Under.
We preview all the day’s biggest matchups right here on wtatennis.com.
Sunday, Fourth Round
[1] Angelique Kerber (GER #1) vs CoCo Vandeweghe (USA #35)
Head-to-head: Kerber leads, 2-0
Key Stat: Vandeweghe is one of four Americans in the Round of 16.
After two tough matches to start her title defense, Kerber looked much stronger in an emphatic third round win over Kristyna Pliskova. The top seed faced down the Czech youngster’s intimidating serve by winning more than half of her points on return as she advanced into the second week for the second straight year.
Her next opponent is into the second week of a major tournament for just the second time in her career, as CoCo Vandeweghe recovered from 4-2 in the final set against Eugenie Bouchard to pull off the win. Vandeweghe hit 11 aces and won 85% of her first serve to topple the former World No.5, and will need a similarly efficient serving day against the defending champion.
Can Kerber keep her hopes of a third Grand Slam title alive?
Sorana Cirstea (ROU #78) vs [7] Garbiñe Muguruza (ESP #7)
Head-to-head: First meeting
Key Stat: Cirstea is enjoying her best Grand Slam finish since the 2009 French Open.
Muguruza’s first week in Melbourne could well serve as a microcosm of her ups and downs since winning her maiden major title last spring. While the Spaniard hasn’t dropped a set through three wins, she still had a scare halfway through her first round, when she took a medical timeout for fear of exascerbating the right thigh injury that forced her to retire at the Brisbane International.
Despite the hiccup, Muguruza has played her best tennis at a major tournament since last year’s Roland Garros, and will be a tough out for Cirstea, a former World No.21.
The Romanian appeared to be at the height of her career just three years ago when she roared into the Rogers Cup final, but a shoulder injury stunted her progress and led her to re-work her service motion. Winning her first matches in Melbourne since 2014, Cirstea bettered her previous best finish Down Under with wins over Irina Khromacheva, No.10 seed Carla Suárez Navarro, and an in-form Alison Riske.
Can Cirstea cause the first big upset of the second week?
Around the Grounds…
Starting off Day 7 on Rod Laver Arena is an all-Russian affair between No.8 seed Svetlana Kuznetsova and rival No.24 seed Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, who stunned No.11 seed Elina Svitolina in three sets. No.13 seed Venus Williams follows on Laver against qualifier Mona Barthel.
No.24 seed Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova put together a dominating performance to upset her countrywoman Svetlana Kuznetsova and reach the quarterfinals of the Australian Open for the first time.
Serena Williams reveals how she met her fiancé Alexis Ohanian in her Australian Open press conference.
34-year-old Mirjana Lucic-Baroni blasted past qualifier Jennifer Brady to reach her first Grand Slam quarterfinal in 18 years at the Australian Open.