New Haven: Shot Of The Day (Saturday)
Agnieszka Radwanska had Saturday’s shot of the day at the Connecticut Open.
Agnieszka Radwanska had Saturday’s shot of the day at the Connecticut Open.
For tennis fans, snagging a selfie with their favorite player is the ultimate prize. But what happened when we sent Jelena Ostapenko on the ultimate selfie scavenger hunt?
NEW YORK, NY, USA – No.2 seeded Angelique Kerber started out her US Open campaign with a comfortable win against Polona Hercog, who retired from the match down 6-0, 1-0.
“To be honest, it’s never the way I would like to finish the match, but I went out there to feel my rhythm and start the tournament well.I played the first set really good, so this is what I will take from this match, that I’m playing my tennis,” Kerber said after the match.
“For me, it’s always tricky the first few rounds.So it’s always good to have the first round done.Just now focusing on the next rounds.”
The 28-year-old lefty, who is the WTA’s match win leader as well as the hardcourt win leader, is bidding to win her second Grand Slam title in 2016, a feat which would see her potentially unseat Serena Williams and reach the WTA’s No.1 ranking.
“I mean, for sure I want to be one day No. 1, I think this is a goal from everybody, especially also for me,” Kerber said. “But I will not putting too much pressure on myself like I said a lot of times, because I know that when I put the pressure I’m not playing my tennis then.
“You know, I will go out there to win every match going step by step.If the day will come someday it will be amazing.But, yeah, just let’s see.I have to win few more matches.”
She’s got one match in the bag already against Hercog, who has not won a hardcourt match since February. The Slovakian player seemed to wilt under the harsh heat and dropped the opening set after just 29 minutes. After a medical time out, Hercog tried to continue against Kerber but was forced to withdraw from the match citing dizziness.
She’ll face Mirjana Lucic-Baroni in the second round after the Croat ousted Alizé Cornet 6-4, 6-1.
No.4 seed Agnieszka Radwanska dropped just two games against American qualifier Jessica Pegula to ease into the second round at the US Open.
USANA brand ambassador Sloane Stephens shared with us her special recipe for her favorite pre-match shake – and you can make it right at home with a couple of ingredients and a USANA Nutrimeal.
For a shake with loads of energy and just the right amount of sweetness, combine strawberries and blueberries with USANA’s French Vanilla Nutrimeal. Check out Sloane’s video above to see how she makes hers.
Drink your shake about 30 to 60 minutes before your match or workout.
Here’s everything you need:
USANA is the Official Vitamin & Supplement Supplier of the WTA, and over 170 Athletes – including 8 out of the Top 10 and 15 out of the Top 20 use USANA products. Former No.1 Caroline Wozniacki, Samantha Stosur, Eugenie Bouchard, and Madison Keys are among several USANA ambassadors, and 2016 marks the 10th Anniversary of the USANA-WTA partnership.
WTA Insider | The second round gets underway at the US Open, with Garbiñe Muguruza and Angelique Kerber in action; stay tuned in the latest WTA Insider Live Blog!
NEW YORK, NY, USA – Three seeds were planted early on Tuesday – including former No.1 Ana Ivanovic – but as play continued, the game’s biggest names largely found a way to win, and comfortably so.
World No.1 Serena Williams shook off the rust and lingering doubt about the health of her right shoulder with a comprehensive, 6-3, 6-3 victory over 2014 semifinalist Ekaterina Makarova. How is the top seed feeling after a tough opening round test? Listen in on her press conference as she discusses the match, her shoulder rehab, and the inspiration behind her new eye-catching outfit, sleeves and all.
.@ARadwanska with US Open Series trophy ? ? ? ❤
Congratulations Aga! #Radwanska #ProudOfAga #TeamAga #TrzymajAga pic.twitter.com/xmNydKeONm
— AgaRadwańskaFanClub (@AgaRadwanskaFC) August 31, 2016
Meanwhile, Connecticut Open and Emirates Airline US Open Series winner Agnieszka Radwanska roared past American qualifier Jessica Pegula, dropping just two games en route to the second round. WTA Insider caught up with the Pole on the eve of what she considers to be her least favorite major tournament, and how the former No.2 is feeling about her season thus far.
Plus, get the Insider team’s favorite moments from around the grounds, all in the latest Daily Dispatch from Flushing Meadows:
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– Roberta Vinci ends the seed drought: On the day she makes her top 10 debut, No.9 seed Vinci snags the first win for a seed in the Middle East this year, beating Lesia Tsurenko 6-2, 6-1 in the first round of the Qatar Total Open.
– Eight is not enough: 18-year-old Ana Konjuh saved eight match points against No.13 seed Caroline Wozniacki, but eventually lost 4-6, 6-3, 7-5 in Doha. It was a much needed win for Wozniacki, who fell out of the Top 20 on Monday. She plays Daria Gavrilova in the second round.
– Rankings news in Doha: A few notes on what’s at stake in Doha (read our full preview here):
– Angelique Kerber will remain at No.2 unless Agnieszka Radwanska wins the title.
– Simona Halep and Garbiñe Muguruza need to advance to the final for a chance to move to No.3.
– Muguruza will overtake Halep if she finishes one round better.
– Maria Sharapova will be at No.6 unless Belinda Bencic makes the quarterfinal, Petra Kvitova makes the QF, Vinci makes the semifinal, or Carla Suárez Navarro makes the final.
– Defending champion Lucie Safarova needs to make the final for a chance to get back into the Top 10.
– Caroline Wozniacki needs to make the final for a chance to return to the Top 20.
– Dark horse doubles: Could Elena Vesnina and Daria Kasatkina be a dark horse doubles team for Russia in Rio? Vesnina has not been playing doubles with Ekaterina Makarova and has paired up with Kasatkina with good success over the last few months. Keep an eye on them.
– Who’s on first?: Here’s a confusing, but ultimately telling exchange between Wozniacki and a reporter in Doha:
Q. If the world ends tomorrow, what tennis match would you chose, to play or to see?
CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: If I had to choose a match.
Q. To play or to see a tennis match?
CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: To play.
Q. Who?
CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: Who?
Q. Yeah.
CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: What game I would like to play?
Q. Yeah.
CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: The US Open finals.
Q. Against?
CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: Someone I beat. So if I win, I don’t care who I play against. Doesn’t matter.
– Tricky conditions in Doha: Here’s how Vinci saw it after her opening round win: “So windy. The court is little bit strange. Sometimes it’s fast. Sometimes it’s slow. Completely different than Dubai the last week.”
– How “open” is “open”?: Agnieszka Radwanska was asked about the perceived parity in the women’s game right now. “Of course Serena is always there, especially last year, but other years totally different,” Radwanska said in Doha. “She’s definitely dominating if she’s on fire. When she’s playing her best tennis, she just playing unbelievable and too good, but otherwise it’s open.”
– Radwanska and Halep planning for Fed Cup: Both women told reporters in Doha that they were planning to play in their respective April ties in hopes of keeping their countries in World Group I. Halep’s Romanian side takes on Germany at home. “Yeah, I can say 50/50,” Halep said, when asked to handicap the tie, before joking “And 51 for us.”
– Experience matters: Garbiñe Muguruza has been very conscious of the perils of early success. Just weeks after making he first Slam final at Wimbledon last year, she was already telling me how worried she was about a let-down. Six months later, you can still tell it’s on her mind.
“I don’t think there’s an age to reach the top,” she said in Doha. “I think it’s great when you’re playing good. But being young and also having success, it can be very good and it can be very bad.
“We’ve seen some cases, you’re young and you’re like, I’m playing good, I’m doing a lot of things. But it’s also hard because you’re not as mature. Like Angelique Kerber said, she can maybe handle more or she’s used to more.
“It’s a very thin line there keeping that balance. With time, you can deal better with that.”
– Steve Tignor for Tennis.com on last week’s “Decimation in Dubai.”
Where some see chaos, we see an opportunity to watch lesser-known favorites get a shot at a title and gain some momentum. To me, Strycova, with her mix of melodrama and resourcefulness, is an underrated entertainer; maybe she can build on this run. If you’re interested enough, there’s always a storyline to follow.
On balance, I find upsets exciting, and I like a tour where rank-and-file players aren’t scared to challenge the elite. But I also like to see an elite. The two losses in Dubai that were dispiriting were those of Halep and Muguruza.
– Bustle.com has a nice look back on how women’s tennis has changed through the years.
– Tweet of the Week: It’s still early, but this exchange between Andrea Hlavackova and Jiri Fencl (coach of Hlavackova’s doubles partner Lucie Hradecka) was wonderful:
@maxav out of all the people in the world you misspelled my name?? ????
— Andrea Hlavackova (@AndreaHlavackov) February 22, 2016
NEW YORK, NY, USA – Two-time finalists and 2013 champions Andrea Hlavackova and Lucie Hradecka rebounded from a disappointing finish to their Olympic tennis event with a 6-3, 6-1 win over Denisa Allertova and Anna-Lena Friedsam in the first round of the US Open.
Silver medalists at the Olympics four years ago, Hlavackova and Hradecka were a point away from the finals in Rio when Hlavackova was hit at net, causing an eye injury that affected them not only as their lead slipped away in the semifinals against eventual Silver medalists Martina Hingis and Timea Bacsinszky, but also in the ensuing Bronze medal match later.
But Hlavackova spoke of her full recovery to wtatennis.com, and the pair faced few problems against Allertova and Friedsam on Thursday, breaking serve four times to take the match in 55 minutes.
“I feel 100%, and I’m very happy about it,” she said. “I’ve been practicing at 100% for the last six days. I’m very happy we had the latest possible start to gain that extra day, and I’m happy things are going in the right direction.
“I’ve had some rough days, but it’s not a pain where you can’t do anything. It’s quite fine for what it is, and I’m very happy that I can be here.”
Defeating Venus and Serena Williams en route to the title in 2013, the Czechs employed their signature aggression to book a second round encounter with Mirjana Lucic-Baroni and Maria Sanchez, who defeated Belinda Bencic and kirsten Flipkens, 6-4, 6-4.
“We started very good in the beginning of each sets, playing aggressive and trying to move towards the net.” Hradecka said. “It worked!”
Hlavackova and Hradecka reunited at the end of the 2014 season after nearly 10 months apart; a strong season helped them qualify for the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global, where they reached the semifinals. They took that momentum into the Australian Open in January, falling in the championship match to then Co-No.1s Martina Hingis and Sania Mirza. With Hingis and new partner CoCo Vandeweghe in their quarter of the draw, Hlavackova and Hradecka have good memories from being previous champions, and are hoping for one more strong result to end the year.
“It’s a very nice feeling to be here, of course,” Hlavackova said. “It’s been a while since the year we won, but every Grand Slam is special and this is the last one of the season. That’s a big motivation and we’ll try to do our best.”
Hingis and Vandeweghe recovered from a one-set deficit to defeat former No.1 Kveta Peschke and Anna-Lena Groenefeld, 4-6, 6-1, 6-2. No.3 seeds Timea Babos and Yaroslava Shvedova also advanced with a 6-3, 6-0 win over American wildcards Catherine Bellis and Julia Boserup.
NEW YORK, NY, USA – No.5 seeds Ekaterina Makarova and Elena Vesnina faced down the barrel of five match points – three in a row during the second set tie-break – to turn the tables on Sam Stosur and Zhang Shuai to reach the third round in women’s doubles, 3-6, 7-6(6), 6-4.
Winners in their last two events at the Rogers Cup and Olympic tennis event, Makarova and Vesnina were pushed to the limit by Stosur and Zhang, leading by a set and a break as Stosur held two match points.
“We hadn’t been able to break her the whole match, and then I remember it was 5-4, 40-15 on her serve,” Vesnina said. “It was a crazy match, and they really played well. We played against them at the French Open, and they really played much better here than there.
“Today was a great atmosphere on the court. It was a full stadium on Court 5; so many people came to watch doubles, which was really nice. We just really had fun today on the court as well; the atmosphere was amazing.”
Makarova and Vesnina raised their level to force a tie-break, but the unseeded duo again took an early lead, and the 2011 US Open champion had the chance to serve out the upset twice more before the Russians rebounded.
“They played really good volleys today, reacting so well,” Makarova added. “I can’t say we were missing a lot but the game was really good and they were really good today.”
Playing their first full match since winning the Gold medal, the pair hopes their career-defining achievement will help them hit even bigger results.
“We’re really happy to be playing here at the US Open,” Vesnina said. We have great memories from winning the title here in 2014. Of course, after Rio, we’re just really happy and motivated even more to do well here at a Grand Slam.”
The 2014 champion in women’s doubles two years ago alongside Vesnina, Makarova was more than happy to still be in the tournament after bowing out in the first round of singles to World No.1 Serena Williams. Vesnina has posited that sticking around for doubles is especially helpful if a player’s singles event ends earlier than she’d like, and it was a sentiment with with her partner was in complete agreement.
“I don’t even remember that I lost so early.It was upsetting for me, but doubles helps me still be at the tournament, fighting for the title, practice some other things. Doubles really helps me for singles for sure.”
Around the grounds, top seeds Caroline Garcia and Kristina Mladenovic reached the second round with a 6-3, 6-3 win over Japanese alternates Kurumi Nara and Naomi Osaka, while No.12 seeds Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Lucie Safarova were equally efficient, defeating Lara Arruabarrena and Olga Savchuk, 6-4, 6-1.
No.2 seed Chan Yung-Jan and Chan Hao-Ching ended up on the losing end of a topsy-turvy second round against Alla Kudryavtseva and Sabine Lisicki. Playing just their second match as a pair, Kudryavtseva and Lisicki recovered from a second set bagel to knock out the 2015 quarterfinalists, 6-2, 0-6, 6-3.
“It’s difficult to adjust from more of a doubles player to more of a singles player,” Kudryavtseva told WTA Insider after their first round win. “But Sabine has great volleys; she’s not a typical singles player where she doesn’t know what to do at the net. She knows where she is, where to stand. She’s looking to cross. I’m happy with my choice.”
The Russian doubles star later paired with Scott Lipsky to win another match in mixed doubles, upsetting No.8 seeds Lucie Hradecka and Marcin Matkowski, 7-5, 6-7(3), 11-9.
The @usopen doubles event is underway!@WTA_insider analyzes the field –> https://t.co/HH0TfkgyoY pic.twitter.com/mmHiDxiWIj
— WTA (@WTA) September 1, 2016