Tennis News

Understandably, given the potentially seismic shift at the top of the rankings, Karolina Pliskova’s mightily impressive progress through the draw at last week’s Western & Southern Open went largely unnoticed. Unnoticed that is until she scuppered plans for Angelique Kerber’s World No.1 coronation with a flawless display in the final of the Premier 5 event.

Having enjoyed a breakthrough season in 2015 – reaching six finals and threatening to qualify for the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global – Pliskova has found success harder to come by this time around. There have been flashes of her explosive brilliance – most notably in Indian Wells, where she reached the last four, and on the grass of Nottingham and Eastbourne – but consistency has remained elusive.  

This past weekend, the Czech proved once more that her place at tennis’ top table is very much warranted, outplaying Garbiñe Muguruza then Kerber to take home the sixth and most prestigious title of her career. The result bumps Pliskova several places up the rankings from No.17 to 11. Not only is Pliskova now certain to be among the leading 16 seeds for the US Open, she is also within touching distance – a measly 55 points, to be precise – of reclaiming the Top 10 spot she held briefly last season.

A more pressing concern is fulfilling her undoubted potential at the Grand Slams, where she is yet to make it beyond the third round. Her ranking rise has aided hopes of a good showing at the US Open, which begins next Monday.

Pliskova, though, was not the only player to receive a potential seeding boost.

Timea Babos (+8, No.41 to No.33): Also performing well in Cincinnati was Babos, whose first quarterfinal at an event of this stature was rewarded with a career-high ranking and a possible seeding at the US Open.

Alizé Cornet (+11, No.58 to No.47): It has been a testing campaign for Cornet, injuries precipitating a slide down the rankings and, in Cincinnati, forcing her to qualify for a WTA event for the first time since April 2012. She came through the test, going on to upset Kiki Bertens in the first round to edge back into the Top 50.

Alison Riske (+11, No.70 to No.59): Another player to come through qualifying was Riske, and while she was unable to capitalize on a bright start to upset Svetlana Kuznetsova in the second round, the points earned ensure she continues to close in on a return to the Top 50 for the first time since last September.

And finally…
Strictly speaking, Sania Mirza did not move up in the rankings last week, but by outperforming former partner Martina Hingis in Cincinnati she now assumes sole ownership of the doubles No.1 ranking. It is her 70th week on top – only Gigi Fernandez (80 weeks), Paola Suarez (87), Sara Errani (87), Roberta Vinci (110), Arantxa Sánchez-Vicario (111), Natasha Zvereva (124), Lisa Raymond (137), Cara Black (163), Liezel Huber (199) and Martina Navratilova (237) have been World No.1 for longer.

DUBAI, UAE – No.4 seed Agnieszka Radwanska’s Dubai campaign was cut short in the round of 16 after suffering one of the biggest upsets of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships against 17-year-old CiCi Bellis.

“I didn’t feel good from the beginning. I didn’t play really great, and I was trying everything. I did what I could today,” Radwanska told press after the defeat.

She added, “For me it was really hard to control the ball and make the angles. And also, my serve didn’t work at all. In those kind of tight matches, you need those things. When you don’t have it and you’re struggling pretty much from the beginning, then you have a problem.

“I was really struggling myself. I was really focusing on myself today, but I just wasn’t good enough.”

First Top 10 Win!

17 year old @CiciBellis99 knocks out 2012 champ Radwanska 6-4, 2-6, 6-2! #DDFTennis pic.twitter.com/ggGOaQUEDO

— WTA (@WTA) February 22, 2017

Despite playing against an unseeded teenager, experience told Radwanska to be wary, especially with the way Bellis had climbed the rankings and made a name for herself toward the end of last season.

“I never really think of the seeds or unseeded players,” she explained. “In today’s tennis, we don’t have ‘easy draws’ or ‘open draws.’

“Maybe you can say this from an outside [point of view], but on the court, there’s nothing ‘open.'”

Radwanska had only words of praise for Bellis, who is the youngest member of the WTA Top 100 and the youngest player to defeat a Top 10 opponent since Belinda Bencic posted back to back wins over Angelique Kerber and Jelena Jankovic at the 2014 US Open.

“Very solid. Very consistent. She can really play good rallies with good intensity, and I think that’s a really good thing for that kind of young player. I think she was the best today.”

Putting the loss behind her, Radwanska plans to stop by her home in Poland for a couple of days before making the trip to California for the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells.