Doha: Daria Kasatkina Interview
An interview with Daria Kasatkina after her victory in the second round of the Qatar Total Open.
An interview with Daria Kasatkina after her victory in the second round of the Qatar Total Open.
Caroline Wozniacki takes on Agnieszka Radwanska in the second round of the Qatar Total Open.
WUHAN, China – No.3 seeds Sania Mirza and Barbora Strycova reached their third final in four events together at the Dongfeng Motor Wuhan Open, defeating No.6 seeds Timea Babos and Yaroslava Shvedova, 6-3, 7-6(6), and No.2 seeds Chan Hao-Ching and Chan Yung-Jan, 6-4, 3-6, 10-7, back-to-back to book a championship match against No.5 seeds Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Lucie Safarova.
Watch live action from Wuhan on WTA Live powered by TennisTV!
Rained out on Thursday, Mirza and Strycova edged past Babos and Shvedova, who needed to win Wuhan to confirm their place in the WTA Finals, and recovered from a second set wobble to dispatch the Chan sisters to reach the championship match over the reigning US Open winners. Strycova has dealt with an especially busy week, having played two singles matches yesterday on her way to a quarterfinal finish.
“So we are obviously very happy to be in our third final together,” Mirza said after the match. “The schedule has been really tough – especially for Barbora – but we are fighting every point and every match and enjoying ourselves playing together.”
Mirza and Strycova first paired up en route to a winning week at the Western & Southern Open, and have lost just one match since then, taking the Toray Pan Pacific Open and winning three more matches in Wuhan over two pairs hoping to book their spot at the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global.
By reaching final at @wuhanopentennis Mirza/Strycova move to No.11 on #RoadToSingapore Leaderboard. Can move to No.9 with title https://t.co/GZbcuGkWCF
— Kevin Fischer (@Kfish_WTA) September 30, 2016
The World No.1 qualified first for Singapore with former partner Martina Hingis back in May, but the results with Strycova put her new partnership up to No.11 on the Road to Singapore leaderboard; a win in the final over Mattek-Sands and Safarova would bump them up to No.9. Should Mirza qualify with both teams, the doubles threat could earn the right to play with either Strycova or Hingis – with whom she won the title last year.
Mattek-Sands and Safarova had to do double duty on Thursday, winning their second round and quarterfinal rounds in straight sets; the team was equally imperious on Friday against Christina McHale and Peng Shuai, winning, 6-4, 6-3. Playing their first tournament since winning their third Grand Slam title, team “Bucie” are on a nine-match winning streak and are currently in pole position make their second straight appearance in Singapore.
DOHA, Qatar – No.2 seed Karolina Pliskova put together a dominating performance over Caroline Wozniacki to take home her eighth career title – and her second of 2017 – at the Qatar Total Open.
The Dane went into their final matchup with a 3-0 lead in the pair’s head-to-head record, but Pliskova didn’t read the script and overpowered the former World No.1, 6-3, 6-4.
“I think I’m having a great start to the year, which is always important,” Pliskova said after the match.
“To beat players like Cibulkova and Wozniacki is something amazing. I’ve never beat them before, but I was trying really hard this week so I’m really happy with my wins here.”
Unbelievable tennis from @KaPliskova! ?? pic.twitter.com/S7zVMZ9F3W
— WTA (@WTA) February 18, 2017
The Czech was in charge from the start, not showing any signs of fatigue after playing two matches on the same day on Friday, where she set a personal record for most aces in a single match. She continued her momentum against Wozniacki, employing her trademark controlled aggression to surge ahead a double break and take a 4-0 lead.
Wozniacki changed up her strategy to get on board and halt her opponent’s momentum, stepping into the court and running Pliskova from side to side to target the Czech’s biggest weakness: her court movement. But after dropping three straight games, Pliskova got right back on track to reel off the final two and pocket the opening set.
The pair stayed on par in a tightly drawn final set, Pliskova brushing aside Wozniacki’s lone break chance to stay on course. The Czech finally got her chance in the final game, flicking over a short, low-floating forehand which Wozniacki buried into the net to give Pliskova the match.
.@KaPliskova captures @QatarTennis title!
Beats Wozniacki 6-3, 6-4! pic.twitter.com/28rO130GKX
— WTA (@WTA) February 18, 2017
Pliskova’s dominating performance is reflected in the numbers: despite Wozniacki hitting a meager five unforced errors during the entire match, she was only to hit nine winners – just a third of Pliskova’s 27. The Czech’s serve was in full swing too, winning 69% of first serve points and hitting four aces.
“It’s been a great week, despite the tough conditions for all of us,” Wozniacki reflected at the trophy ceremony. “To be here in the final is something to be really proud of, the way I’ve been playing this week.
“I’m very disappointed with the loss but Karolina was playing really well. She deserved this one, but I’m going to try to get my revenge next time.”
With the victory, Pliskova will jump to No.2 on the Road To Singapore Leaderboard, leapfrogging Australian Open finalist Venus Williams.
Highlights from semifinal action at the Dongfeng Motor Wuhan Open.
An interview with Caroline Wozniacki after her defeat in the final of the Qatar Total Open.
Highlights from final action at the Dongfeng Motor Wuhan Open.
An interview with Karolina Pliskova before her first round match at the China Open.
BEIJING, China – The BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global is just under three weeks away, and with just three of the Top 8 players have already been determined in singles – while four teams have qualified in doubles – the China Open will be a crucial battleground for those aiming to earn enough points to book their ticket to Singapore.
The conclusion of the Dongfeng Motor Wuhan Open saw Simona Halep become the third woman to qualify for Singapore after her run to the semifinals. For the Romanian, it marks the third straight year she has qualified for Singapore, having reached the final on her 2014 debut.
In doubles, darkhorses Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Lucie Safarova flipped the script in Wuhan by clinching their spot at the WTA Finals by winning the doubles event over a surging Sania Mirza and Barbora Strycova. Mirza and Strycova remain outside the Top 8 since forming at the Western & Southern Open, and will need a strong result in Beijing to have a hope of crashing a party the World No.1 herself is already set to attend with former partner, Martina Hingis.
As the China Open enters its third round, defending champion Agnieszka Radwanska is a win away from returning to Singapore and making her eighth WTA Finals appearance in the last nine years after knocking out Ekaterina Makarova in straight sets. Currently into the second round in Beijing, Karolina Pliskova could also make her WTA Finals debut by reaching the last eight.
2015 semifinalist Garbiñe Muguruza is very much in the hunt for a return to Singapore of her own, and could book her spot by reaching the final.
Click here to check out a full list of senarios, here for the updated Road to Singapore leaderboard and here to buy tickets for the WTA Finals!
If there’s one thing that Serena Williams probably loves more than winning, it’s tacos.
Despite holding a record-tying number of Grand Slam titles and consecutive weeks at the WTA’s top spot, it’s tacos – not trophies – that are on her mind all day, every day.
Good thing for Serena that there’s a whole holiday dedicated to her favorite food: National Taco Day. But if you’re Serena Williams, clearly every day is National Taco Day.
Her love for tacos runs deep, as USA Today’s Nick McCarvel uncovered earlier this year.
Before she had her first taste of Grand Slam victory, Serena had already developed a taste for the delicious Mexican dish.
“I’m from Compton and there is a big mixture of cultures there,” Serena said before the US Open. “I grew up next to all of these Mexican families and we were close with them when I was little, we were friends. I think that’s where my love for tacos comes from.”
Whenever she’s not eating or thinking about tacos, Serena spends her free time lovingly photographing them for her Instagram account.
Serena’s been around the world and obviously has tried many a taco, but the quest for finding the perfect one is lifelong.
Happy National Taco Day, Serena!
Taco Talk With Serena:
Q: What’s your favorite taco place?
I never thought I would say this. But I found the best tacos in West Palm. I can't stop thinking about them. ?
— Serena Williams (@serenawilliams) September 17, 2016
Q: Who makes the best taco?
“I make the best taco,” Serena claimed. “Or my sister Lyn. If you ever watch my Snapchat, you know I don’t talk about my taco recipes.”
“I don’t taco about it.”
Q: What’s your favorite kind of taco?
