Australian Open: Anastasija Sevastova vs Kristina Kucova
Anastasija Sevastova takes on Kristina Kucova in the second round of the Australian Open.
Anastasija Sevastova takes on Kristina Kucova in the second round of the Australian Open.
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.”
Jelana Jankovic takes on Julia Goerges in the second round of the Australian Open.
INDIAN WELLS, CA, USA – The 10th anniversary reunion of the WTA’s Alumnae & Friends Program was held on the sidelines of the BNP Paribas Open at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden on March 12, with more than 130 former players and other members of the tennis family in attendance.
With players-turned-broadcasters Mary Carillo and Pam Shriver presiding as co-emcees, greats in attendance included WTA founder Billie Jean King, Chris Evert and Tracy Austin, as well as Rosie Casals and Valerie Ziegenfuss, who were among those who stood with King in 1970 as members of the Original 9 trailblazers of women’s professional tennis.
“It’s really a privilege to be here, to be in this room with all the history and the legends of this game,” said Steve Simon, who was tournament director of the BNP Paribas Open before he became CEO of the WTA late last year. “The WTA needs to embrace and honor and continually remember the history and the legends that are in this room.”
Those reunited, in some cases for the first time in 30 years, included names such as Barbara Jordan, Ilana Kloss, Ceci Martinez, Pam Teeguarden, Pat Bostrom, Ros Fairbank Niedeffer, Anne White, Robin White, Sharon Walsh, Alycia Moulton, Peanut Louie Harper, Mary Lou Piatek, Andrea Leand, Debbie Graham and Marianne Werdel.
Simon added: “Everybody playing today, they need to understand what you did and what you sacrificed for the opportunity they enjoy today. That’s something I hope we never forget.”
Before the formalities got underway, Carillo asked for a moment of silence in honor of the legendary tennis historian and journalist Bud Collins, who passed away on March 4 at the age of 86. “If you don’t mind, while we’re all silent, we’re all smiling, too,” she said.
When Evert took the podium to introduce former WTA CEO Bart McGuire, she too acknowledged all the strong women from the 70s, 80s, 90s and 2000s who had helped build the game.
“I didn’t start any of this – I just followed in the footsteps of Billie Jean – she paved the way for our generation,” said the 18-time Grand Slam singles champion. “But to see everybody here who we’ve all played against, and who worked for tennis and who worked in tennis… it’s overwhelming. It’s powerful.”
McGuire, now the driving force behind the WTA Assistance Program (WTAAP), which provides financial support to members of the women’s professional tennis community facing serious illness, was honored for his longstanding contributions to the sport with a trip to Wimbledon.
“When I became involved in women’s tennis, former colleagues – men – would call me a feminist,” recalled McGuire. “It was probably meant as a joke but I took it seriously. Thank you all for helping me to be a feminist.”
Austin then welcomed Christopher Clouser to the stage, in recognition of his support of women’s tennis during his eight years as chairman of the board of directors of the International Tennis Hall of Fame. Having retired in 2015, the much-traveled Clouser was presented with a pair of dark sunglasses so that he could enjoy future visits to tennis tournaments ‘incognito’.
Former ATP World No.4 Todd Martin, who is now the Hall of Fame’s CEO, and Dianne Hayes, the HOF’s VP of International Affairs, also joined in the fun on the night.
Peachy Kellmeyer, the first director of the WTA, was thanked for organizing the reunion with the vital support and assistance of Lisa Grattan and the Women’s Tennis Benefit Association (WTBA) as well as Peggy Michel, a three-time Grand Slam doubles champion who is now Vice President of Sales for the BNP Paribas Open.
“This is spectacular,” said Michel, looking at the assembled group. “What a strong foundation that was started by Billie Jean and Rosie and everybody. It’s like a sorority.”
The first WTA Alumnae & Friends reunion was held at Indian Wells in 2009. Since then, gatherings have been held on three continents, from Melbourne to London to Miami.
From left to right: Chris Evert, Bart McGuire, Mary Carillo, Cindy McGuire, Steve Simon, Tracy Austin, Christopher Clouser, Billie Jean King, Pam Shriver, Lisa Grattan.
WUHAN, China – No.3 seed Agnieszka Radwanska skillfully defused Ekaterina Makarova on Tuesday to register her first win in three attempts at the Dongfeng Motor Wuhan Open.
Watch live action from Wuhan on WTA Live powered by TennisTV!
Makarova’s powerful game proved potent early on but was ultimately trumped by Radwanska’s consistency and court craft. The Pole, who ended with just five unforced errors, won eight of the last nine games to close out a 6-4, 6-1 victory.
As the Russian pressed the action, Radwanska seemed content to soak up the pressure and bide her time before striking with typical elan. After snatching the first set with a break in the ninth game, Radwanska took complete control by breaking to love at the start of the second.
How to break serve? Answer from @ARadwanska book 😀 pic.twitter.com/AlhjZosezX
— Aga Radwanska (@ARadwanskaLive) September 27, 2016
Over the past 24 months, Radwanska has been a serial winner in Asia, picking up silverware in Shenzhen, Tianjin, Tokyo and, famously, Singapore. Surprisingly, success in Wuhan has proven harder to come by. In fact her two visits have both ended at the first hurdle. “I just hope I can play some more great tennis in China and I hope I can win the next round,” Radwanska said.
Her opponent there will be Caroline Wozniacki, who last week produced a stunning comeback against the Pole en route to the Tokyo title. “We always play good matches, so I’m not expecting it to be easy. We just played three hours in Tokyo so we could have another battle in front of us,” Radwanska added.
While Makarova’s challenge was coming to an end compatriot Svetlana Kuznetsova, was safely making her way into the third round, dispatching Madison Brengle, 6-0, 6-4. Her reward is a clash against defending champion Venus Williams, an equally impressive 6-3, 6-2 victor over Yulia Putintseva.
Victory in Wuhan was a highlight of a brilliant end to 2015 for Williams, culminating in a return to the Top 10. She has hung onto this status ever since and against Putintseva looked a class apart, breaking seven times on her return to Wuhan’s Centre Court.
“I haven’t played in three weeks. When you have a lot of experience, the first match, you never feel like guns ready to go as you might feel in the finals,” Williams said. “At least you know what you’re doing well, what you need to improve. You’re ready to do it.
“I was really aggressive. So that was great. I still want to improve, but I felt like I got out there and it was straightforward. I want to just close those matches out like that.”
MELBOURNE, Australia – Angelique Kerber celebreated her 29th birthday with a win, but it was Australia’s comeback kid who stole hearts on Day 3 at the Australian Open.
Here’s what you need to know:
Ashleigh Barty emerges as the feel-good story of the first week.
Mention Ashleigh Barty’s name and you’ll get a big broad smile around these parts. The 20-year-old was a junior Wimbledon champion at 15 years old and a three-time Slam finalist in doubles before she was 18-years-old. But the attention and pressure from being the next great prospect from a tennis nation like Australia proved too much, and she stepped away from the sport at 17. After a brief stint playing professional cricket in Australia, Barty announced her intention to return the sport last February. As Barty put it then, “Tennis in the end, it just makes sense to me.”
Flash-forward 11 months and she’s into the third round of a Slam for the first time in her career. It’s no surprise that it came on home soil.
Gifted with incredible hands and preternatural tennis IQ, Barty returned to the tour with the one thing she lacked in her junior days: power. That power was on full display two weeks ago when she pushed World No.1 Angelique Kerber to three sets at the Brisbane International. On Wednesday night, Barty put on an arguably better performance, hitting just 11 unforced errors to 29 winners to beat No.52 Shelby Rogers 7-5, 6-1 to advance to the third round.
Round ☺️☺️☺️ pic.twitter.com/BrRb3XXz6x
— Ash Barty (@ashbar96) January 18, 2017
“Sometimes those things just click for you,” Barty said. “Tonight I felt great. I felt like I was in control, had full control of the ball off my racquet. It’s certainly nice when those things come together. It feels horrific when it doesn’t.”
Currently ranked No.223, Barty has shown she’s more than ready to eclipse her career-high ranking of No.129. That looks to be coming sooner rather than later, as her two wins in Melbourne have already pushed her up around the Top 150. Barty will play qualifier Mona Barthel, after the German knocked out No.29 seed Monica Puig in straight sets.
Regardless of the outcome, it’s great to have you back, Ash.
I ❤ Ash Barty. So natural. On and off court. Absolute gem. #AusOpen
— judy murray (@JudyMurray) January 18, 2017
Carina Witthoeft gets ahead of herself.
It’s only human. There was Carina Witthoeft, 21 years old, ranked No.82, German. Across the net was Angelique Kerber, 29 years old today (yes, it was her birthday), ranked No.1, German. And there was the scoreboard, which showed Witthoeft, who has recorded just one win over a Top 20 player in her career, up an early break in the decisive set. Was she really about to knock out the World No.1, the German No.1, and end her compatriot’s title defense?
Witthoeft was thinking the same thing. And she went on to lose six of the next seven games, as Kerber scored another resilient win, 6-2, 6-7(3), 6-2.
Plenty of ? on @RodLaverArena as No.1 #Kerber goes into a 3rd set v w/ fellow ??#Witthoeft.
? on the AO Live Blog: https://t.co/XqrMDgBLqQ pic.twitter.com/o8yFEJUSB1— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 18, 2017
“There are a lot of thoughts and sometimes they’re good and sometimes they’re worse and they bother you,” Witthoeft said. In the face of Kerber’s unrelenting defense, Witthoeft felt herself pressing, and the errors began to come.
“That’s Angie. If you go for too much the chances are there that you’ll lose the point because she’s running for every ball.”
You gotta Riske it to get the biscuit.
The young American upsets 2016 quarterfinalist Shuai Zhang 7-6(7) 4-6 6-1.#ausopen pic.twitter.com/qks800Ma73
— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 18, 2017
Keep an eye on Alison Riske.
The American is playing solid, steady tennis to start the season. She beat Agnieszka Radwanska to make the Shenzhen Open final and she’s into the third round of a Slam for the first time since 2014 Wimbledon (in fact, her first round win over Madison Brengle was her first win at a Slam since that same tournament).
She’s into the third round here with a solid 7-6(7), 4-6, 6-1 win over last year’s semifinalist and No.20 seed Zhang Shuai. Asked where she feels her early confidence translating on court, Riske pointed to a sense of calm.
“I think mostly it alleviates panic,” she said. I think in moments that are tough I don’t feel threatened by them. That’s the biggest thing. that’s what the top players do so well in the crucial moments. To get to where they are, that’s the biggest thing. In times of stress they’re able to stay cool and I think that’s the biggest thing for me too.”
Riske was recently engaged, and laughed when asked how the wedding planning was coming. “I’m definitely not planning. My fiance is a little uptight about that, the fact that I’m not planning. But he understands it, his family has been in the tennis business as well. He totally gets it and I’m really fortunate for that. First of all I’m not a party planner. Tennis will be my priority for the next few years so I’m not too worried about it.”
Riske plays Sorana Cirstea in the third round and is looking to make the second week at a Slam for the first time since the 2013 US Open.
#AusOpen Blue Room: Watch Live with @SvetlanaK27 ? https://t.co/Mzyq7LyrCu
— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 18, 2017
Svetlana Kuznetsova is resting her body, working her mind.
Kuznetsova isn’t playing doubles at the Australian Open, opting to focus on her singles instead. So far so good. She’s cruised into the third round and will face Jelena Jankovic. So with a full day off between matches, is Sveta getting bored? Not at all.
“When I have a day off I go to practice and then I try to read books. I’m reading a book about the history of Egypt and Athens. It’s very interesting. Something different. I want to develop myself not just as an athlete but it helps in the mentality and being a little bit smarter and wiser in life.”
As for Russian literature, “Pushkin, Dostoevsky, of course I read it all, but I can’t say I’m really into it. I believe all Russian poetry you gotta read it and feel it when you’re older. So I’d like to re-read it with time.”
“I just enjoy the game.” Svetlana #Kuznetsova through to 3R #AusOpen pic.twitter.com/TxcfAGlmhz
— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 18, 2017
Old habits die hard for Sorana Cirstea.
The Romanian is into the third round of a Slam for the first time since 2011 Wimbledon, beating a hampered No.10 seed Carla Suárez Navarro 7-6, 6-3. The Spaniard has been dealing with a right shoulder injury, which forced her to serve at three-quarter speed and struggle with her backhand.
Unfortunately for Cirstea, she won’t be able to celebrate her Melbourne success with her frequent dinner partner of the last few years. Ana Ivanovic was her best friend on tour, but I’m sure she’ll be getting a congratulatory message from England later today.
Asked @sorana_cirstea about her good friend @AnaIvanovic’s decision to retire. Turns out, old habits die hard. #AusOpen pic.twitter.com/aSBDSui666
— WTA Insider (@WTA_insider) January 18, 2017
Quote of the Day: “She’s No.1 so I guess she’s good.”
So…how many people do you think will get confused and call it a US Open final rematch? Karolina’s twin sister Kristyna Pliskova is into the third round at a Slam for the second time in her career, beating No.27 seed Irina-Camelia Begu 6-4, 7-6(8). Now she gets a crack at the World No.1.
“I never played her but she’s No.1 so I guess she’s good,” Pliskova said, laughing. “We will see on Friday.”
“I like big courts. I play better. I think it’s slower on big courts as well, which I like better.”
So will she get some tips from Karolina, who beat Kerber to win the Western & Southern Open last summer? “She’s off now but I asked her a couple of things. I hope she’s on her phone soon.”
It's #Venus into 3R singles. 1R doubles starts today with sister #Serena #AusOpen pic.twitter.com/FncGAoqXru
— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 18, 2017
Speed it up!
Venus Williams has played two solid matches to open her tournament, beating Stefanie Voegele 6-3, 6-2. She’ll play Duan Ying-Ying in the third round. After her match, Venus was asked about the speed of Rod Laver Arena and about the perceived preference for slower-paced courts recently.
“It may not be as slow as last year, but I think at the same time when the courts get too slow it creates the same kind of player, people who just never come in,” she said. “So I think the courts have to be not too slow, not too fast. It’s got to be playable. You don’t want every ball to come back. At some point there should be a winner. If you’re hitting through the court and the ball just sits, that’s not tennis. It should go through the court.”
Duan Ying-Ying on the rise.
The 27-year-old from — where else — Tianjin, has been on fire to start the season. Ranked No.87, Duan had match points on Radwanska in Shenzhen, beat CoCo Vandeweghe at the Apia International, and is into the third round of a Slam for the first time of her career. Duan came through a tough match against Varvara Lepchenko, winning 6-1, 3-6, 10-8, scoring her second win over the American this year.
Happy Birthday Angie! #Kerber continues her great run at Melbourne Park #AusOpen pic.twitter.com/T3SEV6DBdq
— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 18, 2017
Some enticing third-round matches set for the top half.
Here’s the full slate of third-round matches for the top half of the draw:
Kerber vs. Kr. Pliskova, Bouchard vs. Vandeweghe, Cirstea vs. Riske, Sevastova vs. Muguruza, Barty vs. Barthel, Duan vs. Venus, Svitolina vs. Pavlyuchenkova, and Jankovic vs. Kuznetsova.
Based on form and draw, Venus has a great look to make the quarterfinals. She can’t face a Top 80 player before then. The highest-ranked player Muguruza can play before the quarterfinals is Riske at No.42. And keep an eye on Bouchard. She’s playing very well, full of confidence, and she could play the spoiler to Kerber’s title defense.
Day 4 Matches to Watch:
Naomi Osaka vs. Johanna Konta (1st match, Rod Laver Arena)
Serena Williams vs. Lucie Safarova (1st night match, Rod Laver Arena)
Agnieszka Radwanska vs. Mirjana Lucic-Baroni (1st night match, Margaret Court Arena)
Daria Gavrilova vs. Ana Konjuh (NB 6:30pm, Hisense Arena)
Andrea Petkovic vs. Barbora Strycova (2nd match, Court 3)
#Putintseva celebrating her win. #AusOpen pic.twitter.com/9jxSSDCdYs
— Patrick (@RatedRHero) January 17, 2017
And if you know, then you know:
Jelena Ostapenko vs. Yulia Putintseva (1st match, Court 8)
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.”
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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…
No.9 seed Johanna Konta continued her own impressive form at the Australian Open, dismissing rising star Naomi Osaka in straight sets to reach the third round.
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: