Tennis News

INDIAN WELLS, CA, USA – Top seed Serena Williams powered through a tough, but decisive victory over 2015 BNP Paribas Open champion Simona Halep, 6-4, 6-3, to reach the semifinals.

Watch highlights, interviews and more video from Indian Wells right here on wtatennis.com!

With strong crowd support from her compatriots, Halep started strong with an early service break, but Williams proved undaunted throughout the 68-minute affair, putting down 28 winners and only 24 unforced errors, breaking serve four times to defeat the defending champion and reach her second straight Indian Wells semifinal.

“It’s a lot of love in this stadium, and a lot of Romanians,” Serena jokingly told Andrew Krasny during her on-court interview, offering her apologies to Halep’s unflappable fanbase. “Sorry guys, but there’s definitely a lot of love here.”

Williams and Halep had played two tricky matches in 2015, including a three setter almost exactly 52 weeks ago in the semifinals of the Miami Open; with the Romanian beginning to show signs of improvement after a slow start to the season, the American admitted to being on her guard coming into the match.

“She obviously has been in good form the past couple years,” she said during her post-match press conference. “So, yeah, I feel really good just to get under there and buckle down and to win that.”

Up next for the World No.1 is soon-to-be new World No.2 Agnieszka Radwanska, who eased past two-time Wimbledon winner Petra Kvitova, 6-2, 7-6(3). The two last played in the semifinals of the Australian Open, which Williams won in two emphatic sets.

“She knows how to play in big stadiums and big matches, big games. Obviously she does everything so well, including running, and this is a good surface for her because it’s a slow surface. I think I expect there will be a lot of long rallies. Honestly, I will be ready.

“I really like Aga on and off the court. I think she’s super exciting to watch on the court, and off the court I think she’s really one of the nicest people. Regardless, I think it will be a really good matchup. Whoever wins will go into the final.

“It’s unfortunate it can’t be a final, but we’ll see how it goes. I don’t think she’s won this tournament yet, but obviously she probably wants to. We will see how that goes.”

SAN ANTONIO, TX, USA – Alison Riske began 2016 with a final at the Shenzhen Open, and stands just one match away from a second of the season after nabbing a 6-4, 6-4 victory over top seed Daria Gavrilova at the WTA 125K Series event, the San Antonio Open.

Gavrilova had beaten Riske in their only prior meeting – closer to home for the Aussie in Brisbane – and got out to an early advantage before Riske, a wildcard entrant into the BNP Paribas Open last week, pulled back and ran away with the win in straight sets.

“I got off to a slow start but it was only because she was putting a lot of pressure on me,” a breathless Riske said after the match. “I felt like that could only hold up for so long. I felt like I got into a groove a bit, and it worked in my favor.

“But she’s an amazing competitor; she is where she is for a reason.”

Up next for Riske is Germany’s Anna-Lena Friedsam; Friedsam was a lucky loser in Indian Wells who fell to eventual quarterfinalist Daria Kasatkina, and has earned some much-needed match wins, Thursday’s being over young Croat star Ana Konjuh in three sets, 6-4, 4-6, 6-2.

Tsvetana Pironkova and Donna Vekic met just one week ago in Indian Wells, and the Bulgarian went two-for-two against the Croat in San Antonion, needing only 51 minutes to dispatch Vekic, 6-1, 6-1.

The last match of the day headlined the night session between No.6 seed Misaki Doi – the only remaining seed in the draw – who defeated hot-shot American Samantha Crawford, who reached the semifinals of the Brisbane International back in January, 6-3, 6-3.

In doubles, top seed Casey Dellacqua’s continued comeback came to an early end in the semifinals in San Antonio; with partner Daria Jurak, the Aussie fell to No.3 seeds Klaudia Jans-Ignacik and Anastasia Rodionova, 6-4, 7-5. Jans-Ignack and Rodionova will play No.4 seeds Anna-Lena Groenefeld and Nicole Melichar, who defeated No.2 seeds Liang Chen and Chuang Chia-Jung, 3-6, 6-1, 10-6.

INDIAN WELLS, CA, USA – Karolina Pliskova ended Daria Kasatkina’s breakthrough run at the BNP Paribas Open with a brilliant display of controlled aggression on Thursday afternoon.

Watch highlights, interviews and more video from Indian Wells right here on wtatennis.com!

Kasatkina has been one of the fortnight’s feel-good stories, but the emotional and physical exertions finally caught up with her as Pliskova ran out a 6-3. 6-2 winner.

Pliskova, the No.18 seed, took full advantage of the friendly conditions, hitting winners at will past her weary teenage opponent. However, it was far from mindless ball-bashing from the Czech, who gave Kasatkina very little in the way of cheap points, coughing up 10 unforced errors during their hour on court.

Kasatkina held her own in the first set, withstanding the onslaught from the other end until the sixth game when Pliskova arrowed a forehand into the corner to break. With Pliskova’s own serve as dominant as ever, the set was soon in the bag.

Pliskova continued to turn the screw at the start of the second, another thumping forehand bringing an immediate break as she hurtled towards a maiden Indian Wells semifinal.

There she will face 2012 champion Victoria Azarenka, who downed Magdalena Rybarikova in a 6-0, 6-0 shutout.

While Kastakina was unable to replicate the tennis that accounted for No.12 seed Timea Bacsinszky a round earlier, it takes little away from a remarkable rise; this time last year, the teenager, then outside the Top 300, was slogging it out on the ITF Circuit.

“Now I’m Top 40,” she said in her post-match press conference. “Last year I was 340. Yeah, it was pretty fast!” 

INDIAN WELLS, CA, USA – For so long one of the game’s perennial bridesmaids, Agnieszka Radwanska is currently looking every inch the serial winner.

Last October, after countless near misses, the Pole finally enjoyed her own big day, defeating Petra Kvitova to lift the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global. This victory had been a long time coming; Radwanska and her entertaining brand of imaginative, all-court tennis had been wowing crowds since she arrived onto the scene in the mid-2000s.

Success in Singapore has imbued Radwanska with the confidence to take her game to the next level, winning more matches (17) this year than any other player. Number 17 came over Kvitova in Wednesday’s quarterfinals at the BNP Paribas Open, a result that guaranteed a rise to No.2 in the rankings.

She has been this high before, enjoying a brief stay after reaching the 2012 Wimbledon final, and this time hopes to continue the upward trajectory.

“There is always opportunity [to be No.1], but it’s not about one or two tournaments,” Radwanska said. “To be No.1 you really have to play the whole season very [well], and obviously catch Serena. But she is also playing very good tennis and she will want to play good and be there at No.1.

“It’s always a good feeling to be back in this position. I wasn’t long last time, but I think that was a few years ago. It’s always good to be back in that position.”

Radwanska could make inroads into Serena Williams’ sizeable lead atop the rankings with victory when the two meet on Friday evening. Williams has dominated their previous encounters, winning all nine, dropping just one set in the process. However, the American is taking nothing for granted when she takes on the new and improved Radwanska.

“She knows how to play in big stadiums and big matches, big games,” Williams said. “Obviously she does everything so well, including running, and this is a good surface for her because it’s a slow surface. I think I expect there will be a lot of long rallies.

“Honestly, I will be ready. I really like Aga on and off the court. I think she’s super exciting to watch on the court, and off the court I think she’s really one of the nicest people. Regardless, I think it will be a really good match-up.”

Radwanska has reached the final at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden once before, losing out to Flavia Pennetta in 2014 – an experience that still smarts: “Well, of course I was very disappointed, especially that I was feeling very good whole tournament and I was really playing great tennis.

“Obviously that was one of the worst moments in my career, that I wasn’t healthy in the final, the big event. But just that was past, so hopefully that will never happen again.”

INDIAN WELLS, CA, USA – What makes a rivalry? Is it a close head-to-head record? Is it compelling matches? Is it facing off time after time with big titles on the line? Or can it be as simple as star power vs. star power?

WTA Insider Senior Writer Courtney Nguyen and WTA Web Editor David Kane preview the BNP Paribas Open final in Indian Wells, which will see Serena Williams and Victoria Azarenka renew their rivalry for the 21st time. Can we call Vika a proper rival when she’s only won three of their matches? Courtney and David debate.

Kane: “I think the word rivalry is a loaded term because I think over the years – dating back to the days of Chris Evert and Martina Navritilova – we’ve see the definition of a rivalry take shape in the minds of tennis fans. I think what constitutes a rivalry is this idea of two players, ideally of the same generation but not necessarily, who have contrasting styles, who are high profile, who are top ranked and have won many major titles, who meet consistently in the latter rounds of tournaments but also major tournaments, and are players who are contesting for major titles. That gives a rivalry the gravitas because it’s not just two players competing for dominance over each other but it’s also two players competing for dominance on the biggest stages. So when you think of a rivalry you have to tick off as many of those boxes as possible. In some ways Serena and Azarenka do.”

Nguyen: “There is much to be said when you look at the matches, the scorelines, the situations Vika has been able to put herself in – winning positions – against Serena time and time again, that she is the closest of the rest of the field in terms of being someone who can consistently challenge Serena in big matches.”

Kane: “I think the tension could be from the outside, from everybody saying, ‘This is your biggest rival.’ I think that could get in Serena’s head a little bit. If everyone is coming to you saying, ‘This is your big rival,’ it does create a different dynamic for Serena because it’s the only player anyone really feels that way about coming into a match.”

Nguyen: “I absolutely agree with [Azarenka] when she says the big difference between her and the rest of the field is that she has no fear. She is full of belief, which is great. But I think that desire to win, she’s a hyper-competitive person, that can be her kryptonite in tight moments. When she feels it slipping away, when Serena has one of those [comeback] moments, Vika is so familiar with them because it’s happened to her so many times that she can feel it slipping away. You can sense moments of panic and stress because she wants it so badly.”

You can subscribe to the podcast on iTunes or any podcast app of your choice. Reviews are always helpful so if you like what you’re hearing leave us a review. You can also get new episode alerts by following us on Twitter @WTA_Insider and we will, of course, post the podcast on the WTA website at wtatennis.com.

Tennis players are a superstitious bunch. And so, too, it turns out are many coaches.

Among their number is Torben Beltz, coach to World No.1 Angelique Kerber. “I think I’m more superstitious than her maybe,” Beltz told CNN’s Open Court after his charge lifted the US Open title earlier this month.

The current ritual, which began during her New York run, leaves Beltz in danger of departing Asia looking even more hirsute than usual: “When she’s winning, I’m not shaving.”

And for this week’s Dongfeng Motor Wuhan Open, Beltz has upped the stakes, agreeing with the new World No.1 that he would sport a mustache for the remainder of the season should she lift any further silverware during the Asian leg of the tour.

“In the past when I was playing I didn’t shave, and I still keep on doing this as a coach,” Beltz said. “If she keeps on winning for two weeks like here it’s getting really big my beard.”

In the latest edition of Open Court, Kerber and Beltz discussed rising up the ranking, the secret behind their close bond and, of course, shaving habits…

INDIAN WELLS, CA, USA – Before capturing the BNP Paribas Open doubles title with fellow American Bethanie Mattek-Sands, native Californian CoCo Vandeweghe took CNN Open Court’s Pat Cash on a tour of the Indian Wells Tennis Garden.

Upsetting No.16 seed Svetlana Kuznetsova to reach the third round in singles, Vandeweghe won a thrilling match tie-break with Mattek-Sands to take out Julia Goerges and Karolina Pliskova, 4-6, 6-4, 10-6, at a tournament she has been visiting since birth.

“There’s great viewing access for the fans that come out,” the American explains. “So it’s really interesting in this tournament to have all the fans be close-knit and be able to watch you practice and pretty much do everything!”

Check out the full video below:

Quarterfinal action begins on Thursday in Wuhan with a pair of Top 10 clashes headlining the bill. Chris Oddo previews the matchups right here at wtatennis.com.

Thursday
Round of 16 and Quarterfinals

[4] Simona Halep (ROU #5) vs. [8] Madison Keys (USA #9)
Head-to-head: Halep leads, 3-1
Key Stat: Halep will qualify for a third straight appearance at the WTA Finals in Singapore with a win over Keys.

On Wednesday Simona Halep braved difficult conditions and cruised past hard-hitting Yaroslava Shvedova to reach the quarterfinals for the first time in Wuhan. On Thursday she’ll look to lock up a Singapore bid when she faces No.8-seeded Madison Keys for the third time this season. Halep has given the American nightmares in their 2016 meetings, forcing Keys into longer rallies and negating the American’s lethal serve. In their last match, Halep won 49 percent of the points against Keys’ first serve and broke the American five times. Halep comes in to the pair’s fifth overall meeting with confidence, having dropped just three of her last 23 matches. “I’ve played really well this year and I’m really happy with the way I played in the big tournaments,” she said on Wednesday. “I feel good here and that I have a chance to play until the end.” Keys wants to focus on her game and let the chips fall where they may against the Romanian. “I mean, she’s always tough,” the 21-year-old said of Halep after defeating Daria Kasatkina in three sets on Wednesday. “I definitely don’t think I played my best tennis in Montreal where we played last. I think I was thinking ‘I want to win this match,’ instead of doing what I needed to do process-wise. I think focusing a lot on just what I need to do, how I need to play, is going to be a big thing.” Keys, who improved to 15-6 in deciders this season with her win, can bolster her Singapore hopes with a victory as well. She began the tournament just one point out of the No.8 spot, which is currently held by Carla Suárez Navarro.

Pick: Halep in three

[14] Petra Kvitova (CZE #16) vs. [11] Johanna Konta (GBR #13)
Head-to-head: Tied, 1-1
Key Stat: Konta reached the quarterfinals as a qualifier last year at Wuhan.

Fresh off a grueling three hour and 20-minute victory over World No.1 Angelique Kerber, Petra Kvitova will hope for a quick recovery so that she may use some of the confidence gained from her biggest win of the season on Thursday when she meets Johanna Konta for a spot in the semifinals. Kvitova says the win over Kerber has given her clear proof that she still has that je ne sais quoi that once made her one of the most daunting power players in the game. “From Montreal I just feel better on the court,” Kvitova said on Wednesday after winning for the 17^th time in her last 22 matches. “I am just really trying to find myself. This match probably showed me a lot about how good I can play again and how I do feel inside and how I can still be strong mentally. I think these are very good signs.” If there’s one big advantage for British No.1 Johanna Konta on Thursday, it’s that she was able to conserve some energy during her straight-sets win over Carla Suárez Navarro on Wednesday. Konta saved six set points in the second set to notch her fifth Top 10 win of the season. “I was fully prepared to obviously play a third if need be,” said Konta after the match. Will Kvitova recover in time to avenge her loss (and third-set bagel) to Konta earlier this season at Eastbourne or will it be Konta who adds another impressive victory to her 2016 cache?

Pick: Kvitova in three

[3] Agnieszka Radwanska (POL #4) vs. [9] Svetlana Kuznetsova (RUS #10)
Head-to-head: Kuznetsova leads, 11-4
Key Stat: Kuznetsova owns a 16-6 record in three-set matches in 2016.

Svetlana Kuznetsova confidently knocked off defending champion Venus Williams in straight sets on Wednesday, and the Russian is looking very much like she is ready to make a run at qualifying for the 2016 BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global. The 31-year-old Russian, less than 400 points out of contention for the last Singapore slot, notched her third Top 10 win of the season and improved to 34-17 in 2016. She had pep in her step from start to finish on Wednesday and will head into her 16^th career meeting with Radwanska with burgeoning belief. “I’ve been confident and I’ve been playing well,” she said after defeating Williams in 70 minutes behind five of six break points saved. But the same could be said of her opponent on Thursday, World No.4 Agnieszka Radwanska. The Pole snapped Caroline Wozniacki’s seven-match win streak on Wednesday with a straight sets takedown, and Radwanska says she’s happy to be feeling fresh at a time when many other players are worn-down after a grueling Grand Slam season. “I didn’t play as much as the other years,” Radwanska said when describing how she has learned over time to pace herself for the WTA’s Asian swing. “That is really helping.” But Radwanska will need more than fitness to erase a rough run of form against Kuznetsova. She has lost six of seven against the Russian, and 11 of 15 overall.

Pick: Kuznetsova in three

Around the Grounds: Held over from Wednesday due to rain were two round of 16 matchups. No.5-seeded Karolina Pliskova will square off with No.10-seeded Dominika Cibulkova in the first match on Court 1, while Jelena Jankovic will face Barbora Strycova in the first match on Centre Court. The winner of these two matches will meet in Thursday’s fourth quarterfinal, which will be the final match of the night session. See Thursday’s complete order of play here.