Dominika Cibulkova's Practice Session At The Australian Open
Watch Dominika Cibulkova’s practice session at the Australian Open.
Watch Dominika Cibulkova’s practice session at the Australian Open.
NÜRNBERG, Germany – Kiki Bertens lifted the second WTA title of her career on Saturday, defeating Mariana Duque-Mariño in a one-sided final at the NÜRNBERGER VERSICHERUNGSCUP.
In Friday’s semifinals, Bertens had required a third set tie-break to see off Julia Goerges, but against Duque-Mariño there was no such drama as she wrapped up a 6-2, 6-2 win in little over an hour.
“I think I played really well today – I was serving good and going for my shots. I had really good length to my shots and so she couldn’t do much from the baseline” Bertens said.
There was little to separate the players at the start of the contest, as they traded a couple of service holds, before Bertens hit the front decisively, breaking to 15 as she reeled off the final four games of the set.
Bertens’ path to the title was far from straightforward, beginning last Saturday in qualifying. And it was clear she had no intention of staying any longer on court than was strictly necessary; in the second set she raced into a 4-1 lead before breaking for a fourth and final time to wrap up victory.
Incidentally, Bertens only previous singles title also came as a qualifier, four years ago at the French Open tune-up event in Fès. The Dutchwoman will now turn her attention to Paris, where she meets No.3 seed Angelique Kerber in the first round.
Before then, though, she is planning to savor a bumper weekend. “I will fly to Paris in the morning. My family is here so for sure we will celebrate tonight!”
The afternoon got even better for Bertens a few hours later when she teamed up with Johanna Larsson to defeat Shuko Aoyama and Renata Voracova, 6-3, 6-4, in the doubles final.
“We try to play as many tournaments as possible together, so it’s really fun to always have the same partner,” Bertens said when asked about her long-time partnership with Larsson. “For me it’s also important that we not only have a lot of fun on the court but off the court as well.
“We’re really supporting each other. Like this week she lost first round of singles, but was there with me every match, supporting me, and that’s a great feeling to have in a doubles partner.”
The sweetest #kiss … @kikibertens and Johanna #Larsson pic.twitter.com/3VZUpZMNCx
— Nürnberger Cup (@NuernbergerCup) 21 May 2016
Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova served out the upset over No.11 seed Elina Svitolina, while CoCo Vandeweghe recovered from a late break to defeat Eugenie Bouchard in Melbourne.
No.10 seed Petra Kvitova was two points from a first round upset at the hands of familiar foe Danka Kovinic, but turned the tide to advance to the second round in Paris.
MELBOURNE, Australia – Six-time Australian Open champion Serena Williams breezed into the second week Down Under, defeating countrywoman Nicole Gibbs, 6-1, 6-3.
“I feel like I have been able to do pretty good,” she said in her post-match press conference. “I have been doing the things I have been doing in practice, and hopefully I can build up on this.
“That’s all I want to do.”
On RLA now #Serena fighting for a place in the 4R #AusOpen pic.twitter.com/HMb4sxOs5r
— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 21, 2017
While Serena was celebrating her 19th anniversary of the first time she played on Rod Laver Arena (1998, against sister Venus), Gibbs was not only making her debut on Melbourne’s biggest court, but she was also in the midst of a career-best result Down Under – knocking out No.25 seed Timea Babos and Irina Falconi earlier this week.
The former World No.1 came into Saturday’s match well-tested with wins over a pair of former Top 10 players in Belinda Bencic and Lucie Safarova, and was in imperious form from start to finish.
“I was so pumped up going against my first two opponents, but I think that helped me out today. She started out really, really well, with a lot of energy.”
Hitting 17 winners and four aces during the 63 minute match, Serena came to net 13 times, winning 12 of those points. Though she was broken in her first attempt serving for the match, the experienced American booked her spot in the next round shortly thereafter, reaching the second week in her last nine appearances in Australia.
Looming in the next round is No.16 seed, Czech veteran Barbora Strycova.
“I have seen her play a lot. She’s always playing. Venus has played her a few times. I saw her play in Sydney. She’s super fit. She has a good game. She’s very aggressive, so that would be nice to play.
“I don’t have anything to prove in this tournament here. Just, you know, doing the best I can.
“Obviously I’m here for one reason. But at the end of the day, this is all bonus for me and I look forward to playing her. I’m ready for her.”
The 2016 Fed Cup heroine won a string of points in the second set of her match against No.21 seed Caroline Garcia, recovering from a 5-3 deficit to win, 6-2, 7-5.
“I won like 16 points from losing 3-5, 15-40,” Strycova said in her post-match press conference. “I didn’t even count and my coach told me so. I was kind of in a zone, so I was very happy about my performance.
“If it’s Serena, I’m looking forward to that match. That’s why you train. That’s why you work hard, to play these matches on these stages and against the best one.”
The 4R awaits @serenawilliams at the #AusOpen pic.twitter.com/1kOSJ3t2lF
— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 21, 2017
After beating Garcia, Strycova played an interesting guessing game up in the Twitter Blue Room, guessing the identity of several tennis-themed stuffed animals:
.@BaraStrycova joins us in the Twitter Blue Room #AusOpen pic.twitter.com/oCew6EvCkP
— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 21, 2017
PARIS, France – No.2 seed Agnieszka Radwanska raced through her first round match with Bojana Jovanovski, playing bright tennis under a gloomy sky to win, 6-0, 6-2, and set up a second round meeting with Caroline Garcia at the French Open.
Radwanska hadn’t played a match since losing in the first round of the Mutua Madrid Open to Dominika Cibulkova, but it was an even longer lay-off for Jovanovski, who had been off the tour since St. Petersburg in February. As the Serb struggled to find her range, Radwanska soared, hitting 22 winners to just nine unforced errors, breaking serve five times and saving all three break points on her own serve to advance in straight sets on Philippe Chatrier Court.
“It was cold and windy,” she said in her post-match press conference, describing the less than idea conditions on the court. “That’s why it was a little bit slow and the ball is not going anywhere.
“I think we all kind of used to that after couple of days here. The conditions are same for both of us.”
Over on Court 1, Garcia fought off both the demons from her first round loss in 2015 and a surging Lesia Tsurenko to win, 6-3, 7-5.
“I had no specific expectations,” she said after the match. “However, when I made it on the court today I just wanted to do my best. I played with using my strengths.
“It wasn’t a super match, but I think we waged the tough battle. I think I’m quite happy, and I’m looking forward to the next round.”
Sporting a heavily strapped left thigh, Tsurenko nonetheless recovered from losing the opening set to take a 5-2 lead in the second, getting within points of a decider. With the crowd behind the young Frenchwoman, Garcia swept the final five games to win her fifth match in a row following her title run at the Internationaux de Strasbourg last week.
“In Strasbourg I played very well. I learned about myself. I have worked hard, day after day, week after week. It has been a long process. Takes a lot of time.
“But my game has improved, and this is a very important tournament. We’re in France. I wanted to do something. I think I was quite good at managing my stress. I managed to stay very focused, and each point counted.”
Radwanska and Garcia have played thrice before; though the Pole has won two of their three previous meetings, all have gone the distance.
“That’s for sure going to be different match. I guess she’s on fire winning last week. She’s a good hitter and we had couple of good matches, long ones.
“So, well, just looking forward. Going to be a good match, especially here where she’s playing at home.”
“I think I’m getting better. Of course I was doing everything in those last couple of weeks to move better. I think that’s the key on clay.”
Eliminée au 1er tour ces deux dernières années, Caroline Garcia a réussi à faire sauter le verrou ukrainien #RG16 https://t.co/47cZyIhz6o
— Roland Garros (@rolandgarros) May 23, 2016
MELBOURNE, Australia – No.7 seed Garbiñe Muguruza moved confidently into her first Australian Open quarterfinal with a straight-set win over Sorana Cirstea on Sunday.
Breaks at the start of both sets sent Muguruza on her way to a 6-2, 6-3 win and a meeting against CoCo Vandeweghe.
Muguruza fell at the last 16 in both 2014 and 2015, but never looked in danger of suffering another disappointment, making light of her ongoing leg injury to strike 18 winners in little over an hour on court.
The ups and downs of previous rounds were conspicuous by their absence as the Spaniard hit the front early and rode this momentum all the way to the finishing line.
“I am very happy. I went through the match very concentrated, looking to play positively,” Muguruza said. “Was an important match for me. A couple of times in the last three years, I’ve lost in this round. Was the first time I go through. I’m in the quarterfinals. So I’m very excited about that, and I’m still excited!”
Muguruza is arguably playing her best tennis since winning Roland Garros last spring. But with the World No.1’s conqueror up next, she insists a repeat result is still some way off: “I think it’s a very different surface. It’s already a long time since that tournament. I feel that’s very far away. Honestly, I would not compare the level.
“I’ve played CoCo a couple of times. It’s 1-1 head-to-head. She’s a tricky player. She has a lot of power, full shots, serve, everything. She can play very well.”
MELBOURNE, Australia – The second week continues at the Australian Open. On Day 8, can No.2 seed Serena Williams and No.5 seed Karolina Pliskova book two of the four remaining spots in the quarterfinals?
We preview all the day’s biggest matchups right here on wtatennis.com.
Monday, Fourth Round
[2] Serena Williams (USA #2) vs [16] Barbora Strycova (CZE #16)
Head-to-head: Serena leads, 2-0
Key Stat: Neither Serena nor Strycova have dropped a set en route to the second week.
Serena Williams saw her hopes of reclaiming World No.1 brighten when defending champion Angelique Kerber went out at the hands of CoCo Vandeweghe on Sunday. But before she can think of returning to the top of the WTA rankings, she’ll have to get past a fiery veteran in Barbora Strycova, who is in the fourth round of the Australian Open for a second straight year.
Strycova roared back from a 5-3 deficit in the second set, and will be looking to pull of the biggest upset of her career in her first encounter with the 22-time Grand Slam champion since 2012.
Serena has already dispatched former Top 10 players Belinda Bencic and Lucie Safarova along the way; can she continue to improve as Grand Slam No.23 draws closer?
[5] Karolina Pliskova (CZE #5) vs [22] Daria Gavrilova (AUS #26)
Head-to-head: Pliskova leads, 2-0
Key Stat: Pliskova is aiming for her second straight (and second career) Grand Slam quarterfinal.
Brisbane International champion Karolina Pliskova remains undefeated for the season, and takes on another young hopeful in Daria Gavrilova. The Aussie reached the fourth round Down Under for the second year in a row, winning a three-set thriller of her own against Timea Bacsinszky.
Pliskova showed few signs of vulnerability in her first two rounds, but found herself on the brink of defeat against Latvian youngster Jelena Ostapenko, who served for the match in the final set. Fresh off an early pick for best match of 2017, the No.5 seed is back in the second week of a major tournament and will look to widen her head-to-head advantage against Gavrilova, against whom she’s never dropped a set.
The 22-year-old has tended to save her best tennis for her adopted home soil; can she stun Pliskova and earn a career-best Grand Slam result?
Around the Grounds…
No.9 seed Johanna Konta renews her rivalry with No.30 seed Ekaterina Makarova, who pushed the Brit to an 8-6 final set at this very tournament one year ago. A battle of underdogs completes the fourth round line-up as qualifier Jennifer Brady takes on ageless wonder Mirjana Lucic-Baroni, who earned her best-ever result at the Australian Open at 34 years old.
The doubles tounament also continues in Melbourne, with No.2 seeds Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Lucie Safarova taking on Apia International Sydney champs Timea Babos and Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, while top seeds Caroline Garcia and Kristina Mladenovic face No.13 seeds Katarina Srebotnik and Zheng Saisai in the third round.
Garbiñe Muguruza fired a warning shot to her French Open rivals with a 6-2, 6-0 win over wildcard Myrtille Georges.
No.5 seed Karolina Pliskova ended home hopes at this year’s Australian Open with a comfortable win over Daria Gavrilova.