Tennis News

MADRID, Spain – No.6 seed Simona Halep is the highest ranked player left in Madrid, and the former World No.2 lived up to her billing in emphatic style on Wednesday, dispatching rival Timea Bacsinszky, 6-2, 6-3, to reach her second Mutua Madrid Open quarterfinal in the last three years.

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

Runner-up at the Premier Mandatory event back in 2014, Halep has had a up and down season thus far, but has largely been on an upward trend since reaching back-to-back quarterfinals in Indian Wells and Miami. Bacsinszky beat her in the last eight of the latter, going on to reach the semifinals of the Miami Open and capture her first title of 2016 at the GP SAR La Princesse Lalla Meryem last week. Dealing with a 24-hour turnaround from winning in Rabat, the Swiss star increased her winning streak to seven by reaching the third round of Madrid, but Halep proved too strong in the end, running away with the win in just over an hour.

“I like more to play on clay,” Halep said after the match when asked how she earned her revenge. “I changed tactics. I played less power today and I just tried to mix up the game, to be more creative on court, and to open the court better, to play more on her forehand.

“So I did a good job, and I think I adjusted my game very well to hers.”

The Romanian enjoyed another clean victory, hitting 19 winners to 18 unforced errors, and was the aggressor throughout – coming to net a whopping 19 times and winning 15 of those forays. Bacsinszky wasn’t able to step into the court in the same way that she has for much of the spring, but fatigue was largely a factor in what was her eighth match in nine days.

“I played the best I could today, but obviously against such a good player, it’s not enough,” Bacsinszky said after the match. “For sure, in these kinds of tournaments, you’re hoping not to play a player as fierce as Simona. She’s a great sportswoman and physically she’s always ready.

“Last time we met, I was doing really well physically and hadn’t played as many matches as I have here. Energy-wise, I was really on a high level in Miami and I had a lack of that today. Sadly, it’s tough to admit sometimes that you’re not better on the day; it was quite even at the beginning of the match. On the key points, you need to be fresh in your mind to make good decisions on the court, because it goes so quickly. Even if I’ve gained confidence from winning all those matches, when you have a lack of energy, it could make a huge gap between you and your opponent.”

Halep’s win guaranteed a Romanian woman in the semifinals as compatriot Irina-Camelia Begu backed up her stunning upset of Garbiñe Muguruza with yet another three-set thriller, this time recovering from a set down to defeat Christina McHale, 6-7(6), 6-4, 6-4.

“You know, I like playing for at least two hours!” Begu said with a laugh, having won her third three-setter in a row to reach the quarterfinals.

“It was a tough match; I started a little bit slower at the beginning. I had some chances, but I was too slow and she was trying to hit the ball a little bit faster. But even like this, I had a set point. I was a little disappointed after losing that set but I was trying to fight, but I’m in the quarterfinals again!”

With Romanian and former ATP player Ion Tiriac the owner of the tournament, Madrid has always been a special place for Halep, who credits the wildcard Tiriac offered her in 2013 with kickstarting her career.

“It’s a Romanian tournament, I can say,” she said with a smile. “I feel like home here. I feel good always. I have great memories from 2014. I just try to make it best tournament for myself. I try just to enjoy it, because I like it very much.

“Of course many Romanians are on the draw and they keep winning. It’s a good thing for our country.”

.@Simona_Halep making it look easy! ? #MMOPEN https://t.co/KQZ2lRWu40

— WTA (@WTA) May 4, 2016

MADRID, Spain – Samantha Stosur became the last woman into the semifinals of the Mutua Madrid Open on Wednesday night, ending a spirited challenge from qualifier Patricia Maria Tig, taking out the Romanian, 6-3, 6-4.

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

“I feel like I picked up well from last night,” Stosur said after the match, referring to her big three-set win over Carla Suárez Navarro on Wednesday.

“Obviously it was a different opponent, but I was able to combat that with my tennis.”

At 21 years of age, Tig earned a trio of impressive main draw wins to reach the last eight, defeating Daria Kasatkina, No.16 seed Sloane Stephens, and Madison Keys to set up the meeting with the 2011 US Open champion.

“I’m actually quite impressed with her game; she’s got a really good first serve and really goes after the ball. She moves well, slides, and hits the ball with a lot of pace – even when she’s behind the baseline. So she can be very tricky; all around, she has a really tidy game and aggressive style, so I think she’ll do quite well.”

Though the Romanian would finish the match with a positive winners to unforced error differential, the Aussie’s experience shone throught when it mattered, hitting 22 winners of her own and saving all six break points faced in the match – including three in a row at 0-40 in the final game.

“I don’t think I played really terribly for those three points to get myself in that deficit; nevertheless, it’s not the ideal start to trying to serve out a match. But I made a lot of first serves in that last game, and ended up getting through it.”

Stosur and Halep have split their six meetings. Halep has won the last three but haven’t played since 2013. pic.twitter.com/AkSSlUYQFr

— WTA Insider (@WTA_insider) May 5, 2016

Into to the semifinals of Madrid for the first time in her career, Stosur booked an encounter with No.6 seed and 2014 finalist Simona Halep, who is the highest ranked player in the draw. Stosur and Halep have an even head-to-head, but the top ranked Romanian has won their last three matches – all three coming in 2013.

“We haven’t played for a long time, but when we did, we went through a span of playing each other a lot and had some really close three-setters. I’ve got to expect a tough one; she’s going to make me play and make me work. I don’t think there’ll be too many easy points out there, so when I’m able to win the point, I’ll have to win it. It’ll have to be a balance of being aggressive and being patient. Winning, but not losing on my own racquet!”

One of the most consistent clay courters of the last six years, Stosur’s singles breakout first came at the French Open in 2009, when she reached the semifinals; the veteran backed up that run the very next year by reaching the final, going through a murderer’s row of Justine Henin, Serena Williams, and Jelena Jankovic along the way.

“If I can bring my best tennis, or close to my best tennis, I do feel like I’ve got a good shot against anyone. Over the course of my career, I’ve proved that, and that’s a really good thing to know. But you’ve got to be at your best level consistently to be at the top of the game. That’s where I was a few years ago; obviously I’ve dropped back a little bit now, so I’m really working towards trying to get back there now.

“These first couple of weeks on the red clay have been really good, and I’m happy with where things are going, so I’m hoping there’s still a little bit of room for improvement.”

ROME, Italy – World No.1 Serena Williams will have to run the gauntlet if she is to recapture the Internazionali BNL d’Italia, after Friday’s draw placed her in the same section as several title rivals.

After her last-minute withdrawal from Madrid because of flu, Williams will begin her clay court campaign at the Foro Italico, a venue that holds many fond memories; three times the American has been crowned champion in the Eternal City (2002, 2013 and 2014), and on the first two occasions she followed it up with French Open glory.

As one of the top eight seeds, Williams receives a first-round bye, before taking on either Anna Karolina Schmiedlova or Anna-Lena Friedsam in her clay court opener. Should she clear this opening hurdle, Williams is projected to meet Ana Ivanovic in the third round, Simona Halep in the quarterfinals, then Victoria Azarenka in the last four.

No.4 seed Azarenka is still nursing the back injury that forced her out of Madrid and will begin with the winner of Margarita Gasparyan and Irina-Camelia Begu. Also keeping her company in arguably the most open section of the draw are Roberta Vinci, Karolina Pliskova and Lucie Safarova.

Like Williams, No.2 seed Angelique Kerber has been placed in a tricky quarter. Awaiting her in the second round will be either Jelena Jankovic or Eugenie Bouchard, before a likely third-round date with one of the WTA’s finest clay courters, Sara Errani. Should she negotiate the treacherous path to the last eight, Petra Kvitova or Venus Williams could lie in wait.

Looking to bounce back from her Madrid disappointment, No.3 seed Garbiñe Muguruza will need to watch out for another banana skin; Ekaterina Makarova, Kristina Mladenovic and Elina Svitolina are all capable of scuppering her all-Spanish quarterfinal against Carla Suárez Navarro in the quarterfinals.

Click here to see the draw in full.

Notable 1Rs @InteBNLdItalia:

Keys-Petkovic (winner plays Kvitova)
Pliskova-Kasatkina
Venus-Vandeweghe
Jankovic-Bouchard
Gavrilova-Lisicki

— WTA Insider (@WTA_insider) 6 May 2016

MADRID, Spain – Simona Halep returned to the final of the Mutua Madrid Open after outclassing Samantha Stosur on Friday evening.

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

Fifty-one minutes was all it took for Halep to romp home, 6-2, 6-0, and advance to her first final since last summer. There she will face Dominika Cibulkova, who won an equally one-sided encounter against Louisa Chirico earlier in the day.

There was little in the opening quarter of an hour on court to suggest the emphatic scoreline that was to follow, the players splitting the first four games as they traded on equal terms from the back of the court.

When Stosur moved 30-0 ahead in the next game, another hold looked on the cards. However, a couple of wayward forehands left the door ajar for Halep to break and with it change the feel of the match.

Less than 10 minutes later, Halep was serving for the set, confidently closing it out to love. The Romanian was now the one dictating the points, expertly sliding to flick a crosscourt backhand in the opening game of the second set. This display of dexterity brought up break point and she converted with an equally confident forehand.

All facets of Halep’s game were now purring as she hurtled towards the finishing line, dropping only four more points before wrapping up victory with her fourth ace of the match.

The other statistics bore equally pleasant reading, as she finished with an 80% first serve percentage and did not face a single break point. “It looked like the perfect game,” Halep told the press after the match. “In the morning actually I was a little bit sore from all the matches this week. Then I warmed up and I felt really well.

“I knew how she would play – I’ve played many times against her – and her game suits mine very well.”

A tougher challenge is likely to await in the final. Cibulkova has come out on top in three of their four career meetings, most recently in a one-sided Australian Open quarterfinal in 2014.

“Her game is fast. She hits the balls. She is moving very well. Of course I think she really wants it tomorrow, to win. We are in the same position. Everyone will fight for it.

“But it’s a big challenge for me. Another match, another day, a different day as well, so we will see. I just want to stay focused like today and to do everything I have in my gameplan.”

Halep seals it with her fourth ace of the match. Outaced Stosur 4-1. 80% 1st serves, lost 7 pts on serve, 5/5 on BPs. Fantastic performance.

— WTA Insider (@WTA_insider) 6 May 2016