Mirjana Lucic-Baroni & Shelby Rogers' Guacamole Challenge
Mirjana Lucic-Baroni and Shelby Rogers had a guac-off in Acapulco at the Abierto Mexicano Telcel!
Mirjana Lucic-Baroni and Shelby Rogers had a guac-off in Acapulco at the Abierto Mexicano Telcel!
The Mutua Madrid Open announced that flu has forced top seed and two-time champion Serena Williams to withdraw from this year’s tournament.
MADRID, Spain – The Mutua Madrid Open draw is out. Here are our biggest questions as the tour turns to the biggest clay court tournament before the French Open.
1. How will Agnieszka Radwanska do as the top seed?
It’s no secret Radwanska isn’t in love with this part of the season. Asked during All-Access Hour where she would rank clay as a surface, she smiled ruefully. “Third,” she said with a laugh. “But that’s still good, right?”
With Serena Williams’ withdrawal, Radwanska is indeed the top seed in Madrid, a turn of events that she jokingly referred to as “weird”. She sits atop the top half of the draw, which includes Victoria Azarenka and defending champion Petra Kvitova.
Radwanska opens against No.38 Dominika Cibulkova. Radwanska leads their head-to-head 7-3 but this will be their first meeting on clay in a decade. Given Cibulkova’s prowess and confidence on clay – she was the 2009 French Open semifinalist and 2012 quarterfinalist – and Radwanska’s lack of confidence on the surface, this is as tricky a first rounder as Aga could have been handed. The winner gets another challenge in either Caroline Garcia or Johanna Konta in the second round.
2. Will Victoria Azarenka pick up where she left off?
Madrid sees the return of Azarenka, who has not played a WTA event since completing the Sunshine Double by winning Indian Wells and Miami. Her 24-1 record remains the standard on tour and she told reporters her training block after Miami introduced some new elements to her clay court game.
“It was my first real preparation on clay with my new team so there were a few new things and tips that I learned a little bit for my movement that were insightful,” Azarenka told reporters during All-Access Hour on Friday.
“Fed Cup was in the middle of my preparation but I felt like the little adjustments were already working. I was just trying to play them through the matches. I felt the last week or so after Fed Cup, I spent a good [amount of time] playing on clay. But you never know. Sometimes you have great preparation and it doesn’t work and sometimes you don’t have any preparation and you play well.”
Azarenka opens against Laura Robson, who is into the main draw with a protected ranking.
3. Can Kerber keep it going?
Success during the early part of the clay season isn’t new for Kerber. Sustaining that momentum into the big events is. After winning Charleston and Stuttgart last year, Kerber lost in the first round of Madrid, the second round of Rome, and the third round of the French Open.
“I mean, it just can be better than last year,” Kerber said during All-Access Hour. “I’m looking forward. I’m feeling good, I’m practicing a few days here. I’m healthy so that’s the most important thing for me.”
Kerber has never made it past the quarterfinals in Madrid but she is relaxed and full of confidence after her Stuttgart win. She opens her tournament against Barbora Strycova. Kerber has won all eight sets they’ve played, so the match-up has been one that’s favored her. They played recently at the Miami Open, where Kerber dropped just two games.
4. Can Petra Kvitova steady herself for a third Madrid title?
There’s a lot at stake for Kvitova in Madrid. The defending champion has 1,000 points to defend and the World No.6 could fall out of the Top 10 depending on her results. But Kvitova has shown her propensity to find her best tennis at the tournaments she’s won in the past and there is no clay court more suitable to her flat-hitting style than Madrid.
But will we see that pure flat-hitter this year? It’s not clear.
“We are trying to play a little but more [variety], probably I what showed in Stuttgart,” Kvitova told reporters at All-Access Hour. “Drop shots, slice, these things. He wants me to still play aggressive from the baseline and really push the opponent. That’s what I’m trying.”
5. Is Garbiñe Muguruza poised for a breakout run on home soil?
Yes. Muguruza has shown glimpses of her 2015 run this year but she just hasn’t been able to get that one big win to unlock her confidence and get her on a roll. Her draw in Madrid is set up for her to show her Spanish fans she’s ready to to challenge in Paris.
Muguruza opens against Anna Karolina Schmiedlova, who has struggled to win matches this year. She could then face either Eugenie Bouchard or Irina Camelia-Begu, a possible third round against Karolina Pliskova. From there she could face Simona Halep and Angelique Kerber. That’s a draw that should give her a few matches under her belt before taking a crack at some of the game’s best.
6. Can Simona Halep find her clay-court mojo?
Halep’s season has been a curious one. From her injury and illness affected start to the season, to signs of life on the US hardcourts after making back-to-back quarterfinals in Indian Wells and Miami, only to be derailed by a stressful Fed Cup weekend and early exit from Stuttgart, where she won just three games off Laura Siegemund in the second round. Halep admits she isn’t thinking about titles at the moment. She just wants matches.
“Now I feel ok. I have nothing to defend I’m all good for this next period,” Halep said with a laugh. “I just want to play, to feel again my game on court, to feel confident. I’m just waiting to win matches, if that’s possible again.”
The Romanian’s draw is set up perfectly for her to get those matches. She opens against Misaki Doi and would play either Margarita Gasparyan or Karin Knapp in the second round. From there she could play either Andrea Petkovic or Timea Bacsinszky (the two former French Open semifinalists drew each other in the first round).
7. Which matches did we circle?
Pop your popcorn for these first round clashes:
– Agnieszka Radwanska vs. Dominika Cibulkova
– Caroline Garcia vs. Johanna Konta
– Daria Gavrilova vs. Yulia Putintseva (pictured above, following their 2010 US Open girl’s singles final, won by Gavrilova)
– Petra Kvitova vs. Lara Arruabarrena
– Timea Bacsinszky vs. Andrea Petkovic
– Lucie Safarova vs. CoCo Vandeweghe
– Angelique Kerber vs. Barbora Strycova
Save some of that popcorn for these possible second round clashes:
– Garbiñe Muguruza vs. Eugenie Bouchard
– Sloane Stephens vs. Daria Kasatkina
– Angelique Kerber vs. Madison Keys
– Roberta Vinci vs. Jelena Jankovic
– Petra Kvitova vs. Jelena Ostapenko
Main draw play begins on Saturday.
All photos courtesy of Getty Images.
MADRID Spain – On a maquee day in Madrid, all eight of the top seeds will be in attendance to play their first round at the Mutua Madrid Open. Which matches are must-sees?
Sunday, First Round
[1] Agnieszka Radwanska (POL #2) vs. Dominika Cibulkova (SVK #38)
Head-to-head: Radwanska leads 7-3
Key Stat: Two of their last three encounters have gone three sets.
Giant-killer Dominika Cibulkova has been in search of a big win to reassert her standing among the best players in the world after an Achilles injury took her off the tour last spring. Narrowly missing out on upset opportunities over Agnieszka Radwanska in Indian Wells (where she held a match point) and Garbiñe Muguruza in Madrid, she gets another crack at Radwanska on the World No.2’s least favorite surface. The Pole won their only clay court meeting, but that was back in 2006, when the two were fighting for a main draw spot in Budapest qualifying.
Showing some encouraging signs of consistency, Cibulkova battled her way to her first title of the season at the Katowice Open – Radwanska’s home tournament, from which she withdrew citing a right shoulder injury. As for Radwanska, the former Wimbledon finalist grew up on red clay, and acquitted herself well at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix before falling victim to Laura Siegemund’s miracle run in the semifinals.
Pick: Cibulkova in three
[WC] Lara Arruabarrena (ESP #76) vs. [5] Petra Kvitova (CZE #6)
Head-to-head: First meeting
Key Stat: Madrid is Kvitova’s most successful clay court tournament, winning it twice (2011, 2015)
Defending champion Petra Kvitova surprised many when she opted out of her country’s Fed Cup semifinal against Switzerland because it would interrupt her preparation for the clay court swing, but the two-time Wimbledon champion silenced doubters when she showed some of those much-needed improvements in Stuttgart, where she reached the finals and pushed eventual champion Angelique Kerber to three tough sets.
Her next big test comes in the form of dirtballer Lara Arruabarrena; the hometown favorite turned heads in a three-set thriller she played against Kerber in Charleston, and with her maddening consistency, is precisely the type of player to bother Kvitova on clay. The former World No.2 is hardly impervious, having narrowly avoided an early round loss to Monica Niculescu during her otherwise solid run in Stuttgart, but how much better will the Czech powerhouse look with two more weeks under the tutilege of new coach Frantisek Cermak?
Pick: Kvitova in three
Around the grounds: Top ranked Spaniards Carla Suárez Navarro and Garbiñe Muguruza will each be in action on Manolo Santana Court; Suarez Navarro takes on Rabat semifinalist Timea Babos while Muguruza looks to win a fourth straight match against Anna Karolina Schmiedlova – a player in the midst of a sophomore slump. Sunshine Double winner Victoria Azarenka will play her first WTA match since winning Miami against former British No.1 Laura Robson, who entered Madrid with a protected ranking. No.6 seed Simona Halep could have another long day on her hands as she takes on the always dangerous Misaki Doi to open the evening session, while No.2 seed Angelique Kerber takes on Barbora Strycova, against whom she only lost two games en route to the semifinals of the Miami Open.
Finally, there will be no rest for either of the Prague or Rabat finalists entered in Madrid; champions Lucie Safarova and Timea Bacsinszky both play their first rounds against CoCo Vandeweghe and Andrea Petkovic, respectively, while Prague runner-up Samantha Stosur takes on Spanish wildcard Sara Sorribes Tomo Sunday evening.
Venus Williams might be 36 years old – but she’s already got her eyes focused on playing an event in three years’ time.
That’s when she will get the chance to reclaim her Olympic doubles gold in Tokyo with sister Serena.
“That’s my absolute dream,” she told Reuters. “I have a dream partner. I would love that.”
The pair are three-time champions but could not defend their title in Rio last year, where they were eliminated in the first round by Lucie Safarova and Barbora Strycova.
Venus attributed her long career partially to a sheer love of the game.
“You have to love it, it’s a lot of work,” she told the Associated Press. “If you feel like you have more to give, the heart is in it, that makes it pretty easy to get out there and pay the price.”
She has plenty of other interests off the court, though – not least her fashion line, EleVen by Venus, which will be worn by ballgirls and ushers at the BNP Paribas Showdown at Madison Square Garden on Monday evening, where she will also be playing a singles exhibition match against Garbiñe Muguruza.
She is also studying for a Masters degree in interior design, but her millions of fans will be relieved to know she won’t be putting down her racquet permanently for a long time yet.
“I’m planning on playing tennis for a very long time yet,” Williams said. “That dream is still going strong.”
WTA Insider Courtney Nguyen | With Serena Williams’ announced withdrawal, what can we expect from a reshuffled draw at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells?
April was defined by three breakthrough players who brought some impressive performances on and off the court. Which one soared the highest?
Have a look at the nominees for April’s Breakthrough Performance of the Month and cast your vote before Thursday at 11:59pm ET! The winner will be announced Friday, May 6.
April 2016 WTA Breakthrough Performance of the Month Finalists:
Laura Siegemund: In the midst of a breakthrough season, Siegemund announced herself to the tennis world in a big way at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix, where she reached the finals as a qualifier. Brushing past the likes of Simona Halep, Roberta Vinci, and Agnieszka Radnwaks – all in straight sets – the German veteran who wrote a thesis on the psychology of athletes’ mental strength showed impressive grit and determination to ride the wave of momentum and home support into her first WTA singles final. Should she maintain her No.4 standing in her country’s race to the Olympic Games, she could well qualify for Rio by the French Open.
Cagla Buyukakcay: Speaking of hometown favorites, Cagla Buyukakcay made Turkish history in front of an enthusiastic Istanbul crowd to win the TEB BNP Paribas Istanbul Cup. All in one week, Buyukakcay became the first Turkish woman to reach a WTA semifinal, final, and title at the expense of Danka Kovinic in three grueling sets. The result helped her crack the Top 100 for the first time in her career, and guarantee a Wimbledon main draw debut later this year.
Irina Falconi: Falconi had an emotional run of her own at the Claro Open Colsanitas, taking out clay court specialist Lara Arruabarrena to win her first career WTA title at 25 years old. A former college star at Georgia Tech, Falconi’s win came on the heels of a devestating earthquake that ravaged her birthplace of Portoviejo, Ecuador. Vowing to do all she can to help, the American has already raised over $20,000 in relief money.
2016 Winners:
January: Zhang Shuai
February: Jelena Ostapenko
March: Nicole Gibbs
How it works:
Finalists are selected by wtatennis.com
Winner is then determined by a fan vote on wtatennis.com
The Wuhan Open team have wished their two-time champion Petra Kvitova a happy birthday and a swift recovery in a cute Twitter clip.
NEW YORK, NY, USA – Every spring the Costume Institute at New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art puts on a new fashion exhibit, and with it there’s a brand new themed party: the Met Gala. It’s probably one of the flashiest – and most exclusive – red carpet events of the year, and WTA stars Maria Sharapova and Caroline Wozniacki were right in the thick of it.
Hosted by Vogue editor Anna Wintour, this year’s theme was “Manus x Machina: Fashion in an Age of Technology,” and Sharapova and Wozniacki chose red as their as their color for the night. Sharapova enlisted Colombian designer Juan Carlos Obando, and Wozniacki wore Prabal Gurung.
Here’s some of the best pictures of their red carpet arrivals, courtesy of Getty Images:
MADRID, Spain – Last year, the biggest names in women’s tennis put down their phones and pulled their best faces in the first ever WTA Emoji Challenge.
Watch highlights, interviews and more video from Madrid right here on wtatennis.com!
This week, they’re at it again at the Mutua Madrid Open; co-No.1s Martina Hingis and Sania Mirza join reigning Australian Open champion Angelique Kerber, Sunshine Double winner Victoria Azarenka, Agnieszka Radwanska, Simona Halep, Garbiñe Muguruza, Petra Kvitova, Roberta Vinci, Carla Suárez Navarro, and Sloane Stephens to have some fun, flex some muscle, and imitate some of the newest and most memorable textual expressions.
How do they fare? Check out the video and some of the best pictures from the Second Annual WTA Emoji Challenge:
Sania Mirza & Martina Hingis
Simona Halep
Garbiñe Muguruza
Sloane Stephens
Roberta Vinci
Carla Suárez Navarro
Agnieszka Radwanska
Angelique Kerber
Victoria Azarenka
Petra Kvitova
