Eastbourne: Cibulkova vs Pliskova
Dominika Cibulkova takes on Karolina Pliskova in the final of the Aegon International Eastbourne.
Dominika Cibulkova takes on Karolina Pliskova in the final of the Aegon International Eastbourne.
What would Garbiñe Muguruza and Petra Kvitova do if they could prank any player, if they could have any super power and if they could lift any trophy? Find out in Wimbledon’s If Series.
Simona Halep hit the ground running after lengthy rain delays, dropping just two games to former French Open champ Francesca Schiavone to race into the third round at Wimbledon.
LONDON, Great Britain – No.3 seed Agnieszka Radwanska had to dig deep in her second round match against Ana Konjuh, saving three match points to narrowly dodge an upset bid from the 18-year-old Croat.
With No.2 seed Garbiñe Muguruza bowing out in a shock second-round upset, British No.1 Johanna Konta falling against the resurgent Eugenie Bouchard and Belinda Bencic retiring earlier in the day, it seemed like the 2012 finalist would be the next big name on the chopping block. But Radwanska dug deep to save three match points and deny Konjuh the biggest win of her career, 6-2, 4-6, 9-7.
Despite Radwanska going down in her opening service game, it looked like it would be a routine win for the Pole, who broke three times and made just one unforced error in the first set to get ahead comfortably.
But Konjuh, who last year became the youngest WTA title winner in almost a decade when she lifted her maiden trophy at the Aegon Open Nottingham, rallied back valiantly and put Radwanska down a break for a 3-2 lead. She cut her unforced error count by almost half – 19 in the first set to just 10 – and improved her court movement, coming up to the net more and cutting off Radwanska’s angles.
Konjuh held on to that narrow lead and fought off seven break points to take the second set and level the score against the World No.3. Under pressure, Radwanska struggled to put pace on the ball as uncharacteristic errors began to fly from her racquet.
Konjuh held her first match point at 5-3 on Radwanska’s serve, but the 18-year-old’s nerves reared their ugly head as she buried it into the net. She had two more in the next game but a heart-stopping net cord ball fell on her side, denying her the match once again as Radwanska broke back.
At 7-7 with Radwanska serving ahead 40-15, Konjuh picked up a nasty injury after rolling her right ankle while chasing down a drop shot. She was back on court after a lengthy medical time out, but her movement was visibly hampered and she struggled to find power on her serve as well as run down Radwanska’s shots. Radwanska completed her great escape and took the match 6-2, 4-6, 9-7.
Katerina Siniakova of the Czech Republic awaits Radwanska in the third round. Siniakova came back from a set down to topple the No.30 seed Caroline Garcia 4-6, 6-4, 6-1.
More to come…
A valiant effort from 18-year-old Konjuh, who limps off after rolling her ankle and pushing Radwanska to the limit https://t.co/bQvBulrLVA
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) June 30, 2016
Highlights from quarterfinal action at the Apia International Syndey.
Agnieszka Radwanska takes on Barbora Strycova in the semifinals of the Apia International Sydney.
Agnieszka Radwanska talks through her performance in the semifinals of the Apia International Sydney.
LONDON, Great Britain – Anne Keothavong has seen it all as a pro, and now calls the shots from the sidelines as a BT Sport commentator. WTA Insider goes in depth with the former British No.1 live on the grounds of the All England Club in a no-holds-barred chat on the latest episode of the WTA Insider Podcast.
Check out some of the highlights:
On the “unique” challenge of being a British tennis player:
The media are brutal, my goodness! For all the British players, obviously, you want to do well here at Wimbledon more than any other place in the world. You want to show people what you can do, how well you can play, because here is where British players receive the most exposure. Everyone’s aware of that. It’s tough. Obviously there’s a mixture of excitement and nerves.
For me, personally, playing on grass – which was never my favorite surface to play on – was always a tough experience in some ways. When Wimbledon was over, I was relieved more than anything. I thought, ‘Oh well, that’s all over for another twelve months. Okay, lots of nice things were said about me, and lots of horrible things. Probably more horrible things were written about me!’ But you learn to let it go.
On taking on a commentator role at BT Sport:
I guess it was all kinda planned out. I knew, looking ahead, I was kind of planning my future. I knew tennis wasn’t going to be forever.My ranking had dropped as I struggled with injuries.
My last year or two on the tour, I was trying to gain experience wherever possible whether that was here at Wimbledon or at other tournaments. Or just offering to chip in and help whenever anyone needed it, whether it was commentary or in the studio or just hanging out behind the scenes.
I’m very fortunate that when I retired there was something for me to move into immediately. I didn’t receive any specific training – I don’t think anyone really receives any training. They throw you in! I feel like I’ve still got lots to learn, but they haven’t fired me yet so I guess I’m going okay.
It’s nice to feel like you’re still part of the tour without directly being involved. I can take a bit more of a backseat and enjoy it more.
Players who impress her the most:
This year I’ve been really impressed by Daria Kasatkina. She’s fun to watch. She plays with variety and it’s always easier to commentate on someone who plays with variety as well. I really think she has a bright future ahead of her.
And obviously the British players. I try not to be too biased in my commentary, but I want to see the British players do well!
On the rise of Johanna Konta:
It’s incredible. I’ve spoken to Jo herself and her parents and her coach, and I’d be the first to admit to you that I did not see that coming. I would have never thought we’d have Johanna Konta as a Top 20 player.
To do what she’s done over the past 12 months has been incredible. Thinking back to Eastbourne last year when she was ranked No.140-something to this year being a semifinalist and now seeded at Wimbledon, it’s just been fantastic to see and to follow. I always shake my head in disbelief when I see her score another big win. Last night was tough [against Eugenie Bouchard] but she’s headed in the right direction. She’s got a great game.
I used to practice with her all the time in the National Tennis Centre at Roehampton – it’s a completely different person. There’s certain areas of her game that used to crack under pressure, even in practice, but now they hold up so well in terms of the belief she has in her game.
In some ways, I wish I had her coach and her strength when I played.
On on-court coaching timeouts:
Daren Cahill and Nick Saviano are two of my favorites to listen to when they come on for on-court coaching. I feel like I’m listening to [Darren’s] coaching and I’m learning something and think, ‘Oh ok, that’s interesting!’
It’s always weird to see Nigel Sears come on for Ana [Ivanovic], because I think – and I hope he and she don’t mind me saying – she frets a lot. And just knowing Nige, I find it quite amusing some of the things he says to try to keep her calm.
I don’t understand what Dominika Cibulkova says with her coach [Matej Liptak], but they always seem to have a good relationship.
What I really dislike about it is when a coach comes on and reels off a number of things for a player to do without asking the player for her opinion. Just says all these things at a hundred miles an hour. It should be a two-way conversation. I understand some players don’t want to say anything and would just like to listen to their coach, but I do think there’s a certain way of delivering a message which I think would be more productive for the player and looks better on TV.
Subscribe to the podcast on iTunes or on any podcast app of your choice and reviews are always helpful, so if you like what you’ve heard so far, leave us one. You can also get new episode alerts by following us on Twitter @WTA_Insider.
An interview with Johanna Konta after her final win at the Apia International Sydney.
SYDNEY, Australia – British No.1 Johanna Konta put on a masterclass in the final of the Apia International Sydney to defeat Agnieszka Radwanska and capture her second career WTA title in straight sets.
Despite hitting a meager nine unforced errors, Radwanska had no answer against Konta’s aggressively controlled power tennis, falling 6-4, 6-2 after just over an hour and twenty minutes.
“She was just playing unbelievable tennis from the beginning till the end,” Radwanska said to press after the match. “And normally you’re thinking that she can’t play like this whole match and it’s gonna be even game or two that, you know, you can go forward because she’s gonna have some worse couple of games. But she didn’t.
“She was just playing [the] whole match so aggressive with pretty much everything in, and I couldn’t do much.”
Spurred on by a partisan crowd – “it’s a bit like playing Fed Cup,” Konta commented to her coach Wim Fissette at one on-court coaching break – the Sydney-born Brit stayed calm against the World No.3, who she had never defeated in their previous encounters.
.@JoKonta91 is on ?! #SydneyTennis pic.twitter.com/8Y2okuemYP
— WTA (@WTA) January 13, 2017
Keeping Radwanska under pressure with her relentless space and rhythm, Konta grabbed the lone break in the opening set but she had her opponent on the ropes throughout. Radwanska saved another break point that would have given the Brit a double-break lead, but couldn’t take back the deficit as Konta charged ahead.
Konta kept it rolling in the second set, quickly building up a double break to lead 4-0. Though Radwanska managed to grab a couple of games back, Konta imposed herself on every point and never allowed her opponent any time to get back into the match.
The Brit sealed the victory with an ace – her seventh of the match – to take home her second career WTA title.
.@JoKonta91 captures @SydneyTennis title!
Knocks out Radwanska 6-4, 6-2! pic.twitter.com/jVaZfiWMki
— WTA (@WTA) January 13, 2017
“I’m just overall happy with how I was able to progress throughout this tournament,” Konta told press after the win. “I felt each match that I was playing I was thinking a little more clearly and getting that much more match-tight, as the saying is.
“But overall, very happy with the match I played today. I really felt I definitely maintained a high level throughout and I made it very difficult for her to do much today. Going into any match against Aga – I played her twice before – I knew it had to be nothing short of what it was today if I was to have a chance of coming through.”
Guaranteed to move up to World No.9, Konta’s victory will give her plenty of confidence for the upcoming Australian Open, having not dropped a set all tournament long. She’s set to open against Kirsten Flipkens next week in Melbourne.
“Obviously how I have done here, I take it as a really positive thing, as a nice reward along the way for the hard work that myself and my team have put in every day,” Konta said.
“But it’s not a reflection of how next week will go, how the rest of the year will go. It’s back to everyday hard work, because that’s what dictates how I do.”