Tennis News

NEW YORK, NY, USA – It was a day for comebacks on Day 5 of the 2016 US Open.

Former No.1 Caroline Wozniacki continued her New York renaissance with a comprehensive victory over Monica Niculescu to reach the second week of a Grand Slam for just the second time since making the final here two years ago. The Dane is taking her biggest wins of the season in stride as she prepares to play Madison Keys for a spot in the quarterfinals.

Speaking of Keys, the No.8 seed had to fight back from a 1-5 final set deficit to Japan’s Naomi Osaka, one of the fastest rising stars on the game’s major stages. Hear from both Keys and Osaka as they reflect on their exciting showcase of next generation talent.

Plus, the WTA Insider team previews Day 6 as the Williams sisters headline the order of play, along with No.4 seed Agnieszka Radwanska and No.5 seed Simona Halep. It’s all happening on the latest Daily Dispatch:

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NEW YORK, NY, USA – A battle of elite southpaws highlights the Day 7 schedule in New York. We preview Sunday’s Round of 16 tilts at wtatennis.com.

Sunday
Round of 16

[2] Angelique Kerber (GER #2) vs. [14] Petra Kvitova (CZE #16)
Head-to-head: Tied, 4-4
Key Stat: Kerber will ascend to the No.1 ranking if Serena Williams does not reach the semifinals in New York.

Two talented southpaws and former Grand Slam champions will meet in one of the most heavily anticipated matches of the tournament on Day 7. Angelique Kerber is in hot pursuit of the No.1 ranking and she has been fit and focused in New York, dropping just ten games in three rounds. But Sunday’s task promises to be far more daunting than her first three challenges. Kerber will have to square off against a menacing lefty who is finally learning how to excel at the US Open. Kerber has faced Petra Kvitova eight times before, with the pair splitting the pot, but never have they met at a Grand Slam. “Playing against lefties is always a little bit different,” Kerber said on Friday after racing past 17-year-old American CiCi Bellis, 6-1, 6-1. “I played a lot of matches against Petra and we had great matches in the past, so I think it will be a good match. I will try to go for it, go out there to win the match.” Kerber has won 15 of 18 this hardcourt season and has every reason to like her chances on Sunday. “I’m confident. I will go out there and try to enjoy every moment here,” she said. But Kvitova is a confident player herself. A quarterfinalist for the first time at the US Open last season, Kvitova says she is finally starting to understand how to harness the energy of the Big Apple. “I feel that the crowd, it’s always, you know, cheering,” she said after defeating Elina Svitolina on Day 5. “I think finally I find the way how I should take the energy from them as well.”

Pick: Kvitova in three

[7] Roberta Vinci (ITA #8) vs. Lesia Tsurenko (UKR #99)
Head-to-head: Vinci leads, 1-0
Key Stat: Tsurenko is the lowest-ranked player left in the draw.

Roberta Vinci has been here before. The Italian who stunned Serena Williams in last year’s semifinals clearly is having a love affair with the US Open and it shows in the form of nine wins in her last ten matches in Queens. Lesia Tsurenko, on the other hand, is into uncharted waters. The Ukrainian reached the second week of a major for the first time on Friday when she shocked No.12-seeded Dominika Cibulkova in three sets. Tsurenko, playing at her lowest ranking in two years, entered the event with a four-match losing streak at majors and a lifetime 8-20 record at the Grand Slam level. But she’s a battler, and she has five career Top 10 wins to her name as well. But can Tsurenko take the play to an in-form Vinci that is playing her best tennis of the season? The Italian had only won five of her last 15 heading into New York, but she is clearly resonating with the place of her greatest Grand Slam achievement.

Pick: Vinci in two

[8] Madison Keys (USA #9) vs. Caroline Wozniacki (DEN #74)
Head-to-head: First meeting
Key Stat: Keys owns a 14-4 record in three-setters in 2016.

Fresh off the greatest comeback of her young career, 21-year-old American Madison Keys will set her sights on reaching the US Open quarterfinals for the first time. But standing in her way is a suddenly resurgent two-time US Open runner-up who has always thrived in New York. Caroline Wozniacki is finally finding her form after a long and unspectacular season, and she will be a very dangerous opponent for the No.8-seeded Keys. But Keys is confident and feeling lucky after narrowly escaping defeat in two of her first three matches. “I think the biggest thing is I’m never giving up and I’m fighting to the very end,” Keys said after battling back from 5-1 down in the third set to defeat Japan’s Naomi Osaka on Day 5. “That’s something to pat myself on the back for.” Wozniacki has had to fight through her fair share of injuries in 2016, but she’s hoping it’s all behind her. “Every time I have come back something else has been hurting,” she said. “Knock on wood, right now I’m feeling good.” Does she feel good enough to deconstruct Keys’ lethal game or will it be the young American who moves on?

Pick: Keys in three

[13] Johanna Konta (GBR #14) vs. Anastasija Sevastova (LAT #48)
Head-to-head: Konta leads, 1-0
Key Stat: Konta owns a 27-10 hardcourt record in 2016.

The first British player to hold a Top 20 ranking in nearly 30 years will take a shot at reaching her first US Open quarterfinal on Sunday against an unlikely opponent. Johanna Konta and Anastasija Sevastova will meet for the first time in a main draw and the second time overall. Konta will be the favorite based on her higher ranking and impressive hardcourt record this season, but Sevastova is putting the cherry on top of a solid season by making her first run to the second week of a major in over five years. The Latvian No.1 shocked Garbiñe Muguruza on Day 3 and on Friday she won for the first time in four meetings against Kateryna Bondarenko. Konta, who nearly had to retire due to heat-related exhaustion in her second round win over Tsvetana Pironkova, rebounded smartly on Friday by trouncing Belinda Bencic, 6-2, 6-1. Having recovered fully, Konta looks set to make another deep run at a hardcourt major. Is there anything Sevastova can do to stop her?

Pick: Konta in three

By the Numbers:
1-0 – Wozniacki’s record against the Top 10 this season. The Dane defeated No.10 Svetlana Kuznetsova in the second round.
36-11 – Kvitova’s career record against left-handers. Kerber’s career record against lefties is 26-15.
1 – Number of players in Top 10 to have yet to play in a Grand Slam final (Madison Keys).

Serena Williams will continue her quest for Grand Slam history on Monday as the top half contests the Round of 16. We’re previewing the matchups at WTATennis.com, courtesy of contributor Chris Oddo.

Monday

Round of 16

[1] Serena Williams (USA #1) vs. Yaroslava Shvedova (KAZ #52)
Head-to-head: Williams leads, 4-0
Key Stat: Williams is bidding to pass Roger Federer for the all-time lead in Grand Slam match wins on Saturday.

Serena Williams waltzed through the first week in New York, dropping a mere 15 games and proving to the field that her serve is on point. The shoulder is fine, the footwork is fine and the game is dialing in. Now, the 22-time major champion moves on to the business section of the draw. It starts with a fifth career meeting with hard-hitting Kazakh Yaroslava Shvedova. Williams has taken all four of the pair’s previous meetings, but one shouldn’t discount the talents of Shvedova. The World No.52 has won all six sets she’s played in New York to reach the second week at a major for the sixth time. She has the firepower to challenge Williams, but does she have the nerve? Approaching 35, and closing in on the all-time Open Era Grand Slam title record, Williams seems more motivated than ever to win. “I don’t know,” she said on Saturday after storming past Johanna Larsson of Sweden. “I just am not ready to throw in the towel yet or just to have enough yet. I’m still having fun out there. I’m still able to compete with the best. I think that’s what matters most for me.”

Pick: Williams in two

[4] Agnieszka Radwanska (POL #4) vs. Ana Konjuh (CRO #92)
Head-to-head: Radwanska leads, 1-0
Key Stat: Radwanska is one of four players to have reached the round of 16 at all four majors this year (along with Serena Williams, Keys and Suárez Navarro).

The last time Agnieszka Radwanska and Ana Konjuh locked horns, intense drama ensued. The pair battled into extra time in the second round at Wimbledon this year, with Radwanska saving three match points in the final set before winning, 6-2, 4-6, 9-7. Making the experience all the more painful for Konjuh was the fact that she turned her ankle after stepping on a ball at 7-7 in the decider and was severely hobbled at the finish. Less than two months later promising 18-year-old Konjuh has put the past behind her and raced into the round of 16 at a major for the first time in her career. On Monday the youngest player remaining in the draw gets to try to erase the memory of a Wimbledon gone awry. Can she possibly produce the type of tennis that earned her the three match points against Radwanska at the All England Club? Or will the No.4 seed have the perfect gameplan to ensure that Konjuh is kept at bay all day?

Pick: Radwanska in three

[5] Simona Halep (ROU #5) vs. [11] Carla Suárez Navarro (ESP #12)
Head-to-head: Tied, 5-5
Key Stat: Halep has won 20 of her last 22 matches.

Simona Halep really had to work to get past No.31-seeded Timea Babos on Day 6. Down a break in the third set and playing at a level or two below her best, Halep had to double-down on intensity and grind her way to a win. She did that, despite Babos’ inspired form, and lives to see another day in New York. “I don’t know how I came back,” a relieved Halep said on court after her 20^th hardcourt win of 2016. Will Halep’s narrow escape fuel her belief when she faces the proven veteran Carla Suárez Navarro for a spot in the quarterfinals? “Even if today I didn’t play my best, I played good tennis, good level,” said a confident Halep to reporters. “I was moving very well. I am happy to be back in the fourth round two years in a row, so it’s a good thing.” Halep and Suárez Navarro have gone the distance in each of their last three meetings, and they’ve split a total of ten matches since they first met in 2010. Who will break the tie on Monday?

Pick: Halep in three

[10] Karolina Pliskova (CZE #11) vs. [6] Venus Williams (USA #6)
Head-to-head: Williams leads, 1-0
Key Stat: The last time No. 6-seeded Williams was seeded this high in New York was 2010, when she was the No. 3 seed.

Finally, Karolina Pliskova has reached the second week of a major. The hard-serving Czech had been pining for the milestone ever since she emerged as a formidable force among the WTA’s elite at the start of 2015, but in the last two years she’s had nothing but hard luck at the majors. Not anymore. The 24-year-old surged past Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova on Saturday and will now set her sights on legendary Venus Williams in what promises to be scintillating round of 16 encounter. Two-time US Open champion Williams continued her fine showing in New York by blasting past Germany’s Laura Siegemund, 6-1, 6-2, on Saturday. The American defeated Pliskova in the Zhuhai final last year but Pliskova will likely carry more confidence into this tilt. She has won eight matches in a row, four of which came against members of the WTA’s Top 20.

Pick: Pliskova in three

By the Numbers:

36 – The age of Venus Williams, who is one of just three thirtysomethings (also Serena Williams and Robert Vinci) remaining in the draw.

3 – Radwanska is one of three players that could finish the tournament at No. 1 in the rankings, along with Serena Williams and Angelique Kerber. The Pole will need to win the title to become No. 1.

307 – Matches won by Serena Williams at majors. She’ll bid to pass Roger Federer’s all-time record of 307 on Day 8.

428 – Pliskova leads the Tour with 428 aces in 52 matches this year.

9 – Of the nine teenagers that started in this year’s US Open main draw, Konjuh is the only one remaining.

The Fed Cup gets underway this week – and the WTA players are enjoying getting together with their compatriots.

Kristina Mladenovic and her France teammates Alizé Cornet and Pauline Parmentier posed alongside captain Yannick Noah after their press conference.

Le #TeamFranceTennis en conférence de presse “pre-draw”.Ensemble! @FedCup @KikiMladenovic @ppauline86 @alizecornet @NoahYannick pic.twitter.com/OMzbDi4R7J

— FFT (@FFTennis) February 8, 2017

Mladenovic, fresh from her win in St. Petersburg last week, lifted the Hopman Cup last month alongside Richard Gasquet.

The France squad were speaking to the media ahead of their tie against Switzerland.

#predraw #pressconference #FRA “It will be an interesting tie against Switzerland” @KikiMladenovic @FedCup pic.twitter.com/ysg95bYz1S

— Swiss Tennis (@swiss_tennis) February 8, 2017

Meanwhile, Anita Husaric tweeted a picture of the Bosnia and Herzegovina players on court as they prepared to take on Croatia.

Ready and excited about our first match tomorrow against Croatia! ???? #fedcup #teambih pic.twitter.com/Kabc0h66oB

— Anita Husaric (@AnitaHusaric) February 7, 2017

And Casey Dellacqua and Ashleigh Barty were pleased to know they weren’t expected to take on Ukraine on this particular court.

No, the #FedCup tie Aus v Ukraine is not being held on this tennis court @caseydellacqua & @ashbar96 #snowbunnies pic.twitter.com/1hZceDWym1

— TennisAustralia (@TennisAustralia) February 7, 2017