Tennis News

KATOWICE, Poland – 2014 champion Alizé Cornet faced an unexpected challenge in the form of Bulgarian qualifier Isabella Shiniakova on her way to the second round of the Katowice Open, advancing after a 6-2, 6-7(6), 6-3 battle.

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“It was a very tough match,” Cornet said after the win. “Really happy I won as she played really good and moved so well.”

After quickly taking the first set, the Frenchwoman found herself unable to convert on any of the handful of break points that came her way. The match got even more complicated as Shinikova sent it to a tiebreaker and eventually took a set off the No.4 seed.

Cornet shook off the mid-match wobble and got back to work in the deciding set – she cruised to a quick win, despite a spell of dizziness at 4-2 up saw her have to call the trainer.

“In the third set I had trouble. I felt bad at that moment, but dug deep,” Cornet said of the mid-set scare. “I called the doctor just to double check it was nothing more serious. I don’t think it will be a big deal for rest of tournament.”

Earlier in the season, the Frenchwoman was facing up to six months out of action due to a back injury she sustained in the Australian Open. She ended up making her comeback to the tour in Miami after about two months off. Cornet appreciates these tough matches as a way to get back to her pre-layoff form.

“I’m not at the same level I was, so these sort of matches are good for me.”

Later in the day, No.8 seed Dominika Cibulkova came back from a set down to survive a tricky opening round challenge from Carina Witthoeft, prevailing 6-7(6), 6-4, 7-6(3) after a three-hour battle. Two-time Katowice finalist Camila Giorgi is also through, as well as Francesca Schiavone, Naomi Broady, and Jelena Ostapenko.

On this episode of the WTA Insider Podcast, we recap last week’s action at the Volvo Car Open and Katowice Open, which saw Sloane Stephens grow her title collection with her third title of the season and Dominika Cibulkova end her title drought. Then we debut the Coach’s Corner, a recurring feature that puts the spotlight on the hard working men and women sweating away in the players’ box.

David Taylor may have started as “just” a hitting partner for Martina Hingis, but he’s now one of the premier coaches in professional tennis. He has coached Australia’s two best prospects in the modern era into the Top 10, taking Alicia Molik and Sam Stosur into the upper echelons of the game and he was there, heart in his throat, when Stosur fired that inside-out forehand return on match point to win the 2011 US Open. He’s seen the highs and he’s lived the lows, and he was happy to talk about it all.

On being Hingis’ traveling hitting partner: “You could see the way Martina practiced was just translated into what she had to do. It was very specific. That was a time when the Williamses were coming onto the scene and she was definitely the Queen of that time and the other ones were coming. It was an interesting time. A lot of things were constructed on how to deal with the power of Davenport, Serena and Venus, and Capriati.”

On how the game has changed: “The skill has gone down but the striking of the ball has gone way up. So the ability to hit the ball amazingly fast and with power has increased. That’s what tennis is about. But a lot of the skill, because it’s so fast, has gone out of the game now. It’s interesting. It’s not better or worse. It’s just what it is.”

On conflicts of interest: “It’s a funny set up in tennis because the player is paying the coach, while in other professional sports they’re paid for by an outside body. Like basketball, the players don’t pay their coach. They all work for the organization, coach included. In tennis it’s very personal. I don’t think it’s that great a set up. I don’t see the alternative though.”

On the need for weapons: “I believe to be a great player you have to be able to win points on your own terms. And that’s reflective of any great player that we’ve had in recent times. That’s where we’re at. That doesn’t mean there isn’t a market for all types of players. Being aggressive doesn’t have to be cracking the ball hard. It can be playing from a very aggressive court position. Halep’s an aggressive player. She doesn’t hit a tremendous amount of winners, but she’s an aggressive player. It’s not just hitting the ball hard. It’s where you play from, your mentality, what you can do under pressure.”

Subscribe to the podcast on iTunes or on any podcast app of your choice and reviews are always helpful, so if you like what you’ve heard so far, leave us one. You can also get new episode alerts by following us on Twitter @WTA_Insider.

BOGOTÁ, Colombia – Lara Arruabarrena closed in on her first WTA final since 2012 with a quick-fire win over Sachia Vickery at the Claro Open Colsanitas on Friday.

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In a tidy display, No.4 seed Arruabarrena broke five times to wrap up a 6-2, 6-0 victory in exactly an hour. Meeting her for a place in the final is the tournaments only other remaining seed, Irina Falconi, a 6-1, 6-4 winner over Catalina Pella.

Four years ago, Arruabarrena lifted her first and to date only WTA title in the Colombian capital and she has looked like a woman on a mission in the early rounds – dropping a grand total of five games in three matches.

In the top half of the draw, another Spaniard, Sílvia Soler-Espinosa takes on Paula Cristina Goncalves.

Soler-Espinosa secured a hard-fought 6-4, 6-4 win over Arma Sadikovic, while Goncalves defeated Elina Svitolina’s conqueror, Alexandra Panova, 6-4, 6-3.

STUTTGART, Germany – Former No.1 Ana Ivanovic recovered from an early deficit to dismantle talented youngster Carina Witthoeft, roaring into the second round of the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix with a 7-6(3), 6-0 victory.

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“She played really well, deep, heavy; she was not missing,” Ivanovic said of her opponent after the match. “So, I started a little bit to find my rhythm, but I was always a step too far in.

“Then when my coach came on court, he actually asked me to step in a little more and be more aggressive. I felt that made the difference and once I was aggressive, she started to aim for more and also I could get more free points.

“So, I think that was the key.”

The 2014 finalist fell behind 5-3 in the opening set to the hometown favorite – who had already won two matches in qualifiying to make her second main draw appearance in Stuttgart – but successfully broke serve in the tenth game to level the affair, ultimately running away with the match in the second set.

“I’ve been practicing really hard the last couple of weeks,” she said after the match. “I’ve been putting in a lot of work, a lot of hours on court and in the gym. So, it’s nice to see. That actually helped me to go through today. Also my serve is improving.

“Overall, I’m just so happy to actually be healthy and consistent. Hopefully, I can keep the level and raise it.”

Finishing the match with a positive winner-to-unforced error differential (32 to 28), Ivanovic acquitted herself well in her first clay court match of the season and sets herself up in good stead for her second round encounter against either Karolina Pliskova or No.8 seed Lucie Safarova.

“I feel like I built that relationship throughout the tournament in 2014. I really had a great week here and getting very interactive also with the people. It is a very warm court to play on. And I feel like since then it has even better than before. So, I was very happy to have a victory today in front of the crowd.”

The last match of the day was between No.7 seed Carla Suárez Navarro, who won the last 11 games of her match against Oceane Dodin to join Ivanovic in the second round, 6-3, 6-0. Dodin came out firing after qualifying for the main draw, but Suárez Navarro proved the steadier overall, easing past her opponent in just over an hour – hittin 17 winners and only 11 unforced errors.

Up next for the Spanish veteran is Germany’s Anna-Lena Friedsam, who dispatched Johanna Konta in straight sets on Monday.

In doubles, No.2 seeds Caroline Garcia and Kristina Mladenovic overcame an inspired Laura Siegemund partnered with Johanna Konta to repeat their Fed Cup heroics, 3-6, 6-3, 10-7. Top seeds Martina Hingis and Sania Mirza play their first round match against Eri Hozumi and Miyu Kato on Wednesday.