Tennis News

From around the world

Romania Rules In Madrid

Romania Rules In Madrid

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

MADRID, Spain – When the quarterfinals begin at the Mutua Madrid Open on Thursday, half of the tournament’s final eight will be flying the Romanian flag with pride. While it’s no surprise to see 2014 finalist Simona Halep in the mix, Romania’s alpha is joined by Irina-Camelia Begu, qualifier Patricia Maria Tig, and wildcard Sorana Cirstea in a tournament owned and operated by Romanian legend Ion Tiriac.

It seems the Bucharest Open has come a couple of months early.

“It’s a Romanian tournament, I can say,” Halep said with a laugh after her strong 6-2, 6-3 win over Timea Bacsinszky. “I feel [at] 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.”

Halep is the only seed left in the draw and will face Begu on Thursday, ensuring Romania will have a representative in the semifinals. Begu has never been further than the quarterfinal stage at a Premier Mandatory, while Halep made back-to-back quarterfinals in March in Indian Wells and Miami. The two have played three times with Halep winning all six sets, but they have not squared off in over four years.

“I expect a tough match,” Halep said. “She plays well on clay. Last year she did quarterfinals here, so [that] means that she likes the court.

“I know her pretty well, since long time ago, but officially we didn’t play too many matches. It’s a big challenge for me tomorrow.”

Irina-Camelia Begu

The big surprises in the draw were Cirstea and Tig. Cirstea has made good on a wildcard into the tournament to make her first Premier Mandatory quarterfinal. The former No.21 has not lost a set in three matches, beating Jelena Jankovic, Danka Kovinic, and Laura Siegemund to join her compatriots among Madrid’s Elite Eight.

“I think that’s amazing,” Cirstea said. “Four girls in the quarterfinals means half of the girls are Romanians, which I think is impressive coming from a country like Romania. I think everyone knows we don’t have a system or anything. We were each separate and trying to find a way. I think it’s amazing that we are one of the biggest forces now in tennis.”

At 26 years old, Cirstea is the oldest of the bunch. “We grew up together,” she said. “I played Simona when I was eight years old. “We both had short hair, we were very boyish. Our parents were there [pushed up] against the fence [watching]. It’s funny how we all grew up together and now to be all here is really impressive.”

“Patricia is younger but I remember her skinny legs when she was 14 when we went to a winter camp together. She was this quiet girl. We’ve known each other for a very long time. I’m happy to see all of us here and all of us succeeding and having a good run.

“I think it shows if you really have character and if you really want this and you work hard, you can do it.”

Sorana Cirstea

With her run to the quarterfinals, Cirstea will return to the Top 100 for the first time since January 2015 (read more about her journey back here). Not bad for a player who was ranked No.248 last November and has played ITFs for most of the year. On Thursday she’ll play Dominika Cibulkova, who got past Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in three sets.

Last but most assuredly not least is 21-year-old Tig, the most improbable quarterfinalist of them all. Ranked No.134, Tig has racked up an impressive list of wins this week as a qualifier, beating Nicole Gibbs and Maria Sakkari in qualifying, and then Daria Kasatkina, Sloane Stephens, and Madison Keys for the biggest result of her career.

“I’m feeling unbelievably happy,” Tig told WTA Insider. “It was a great week for me. I didn’t expect this to happen. But since I was working so hard, I think sometimes you don’t know when you get rewarded.”

Before this week, Tig’s best result came last year when she made the final in Baku. Her successful qualifying campaign here put her into the main draw of a Premier Mandatory for the first time in her career and she’s on the verge of breaking into the Top 100.

Patricia Maria Tig

“Actually when I first came here I felt so good being here. I had a feeling that everything was going to be fine. I had a first practice which was going good. I thought, “OK I just have to go on the court and play the best I can for every point and don’t expect anything.'”

Tig’s straight-set win over Gibbs in the first round of qualifying gave her the belief that she could compete with the top quality field in Madrid. On Thursday she’ll find out how her game stacks up against a Slam champion in Sam Stosur, who defeated Carla Suárez Navarro in three sets to make the quarterfinals.

“I mean I was watching her for 10 years playing on TV,” Tig said. “I really like her and her game. She’s a really top player. She’s going to make me do some stupid things but I’m going to try not do them,” she said with a laugh.

“I cannot say anything about the match because I’m not expecting anything. I just want to go on court and just play the best I can and whatever is going to happen I will be so happy with it anyway.”

All photos courtesy of Getty Images and Mutua Madrid Open.

Source link

Stosur Thwarts Tig Hopes In Madrid

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

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.”

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.”

Source link

WTA Shot Of The Month: Niculescu

WTA Shot Of The Month: Niculescu

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

April was packed with plenty of amazing shots – we narrowed it down to the five best.

In the end it was Monica Niculescu who, ironically enough, was on the wrong end of last month’s honors when Agnieszka Radwanska hit her shot of the month at the BNP Paribas Open. This time, it’s the Romanian veteran who got to shine in her thrilling three-setter against Petra Kvitova at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart.

Showing off her signature slice forehand, Niculescu sets up the point brilliantly before striking a stab backhand down the line against the two-time Wimbledon winner – taking home this month’s top votes.

Click here to watch all of April’s finalists.

Final Results for April’s WTA Shot Of The Month

1. Monica Niculescu (79%)
2. Angelique Kerber (9%)
3. Sara Errani (5%)
4. Laura Siegemund (5%)
5. Caroline Garcia (2%)

 Monica Niculescu

2016 WTA Shot of the Month Winners

January: Caroline Wozniacki
February: Agnieszka Radwanska
March: Agnieszka Radwanska


How it works:

Five shots are selected by wtatennis.com
Winner is then determined by a fan vote on wtatennis.com
 

Source link

Serena Faces Challenging Rome Draw

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

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.

Source link

Halep Returns To Madrid Final

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

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.”

Source link

Gavrilova Stuns Halep In Rome

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

ROME, Italy – Daria Gavrilova continues to save her best tennis for the Internazionali BNL d’Italia; looking to back up her run to last year’s semifinals, the Aussie outlasted Mutua Madrid Open winner Simona Halep, 6-3, 4-6, 6-3, to reach the third round.

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

“I played pretty well the whole match,” Gavrilova said after her win. “It was always going to be a tough battle because we’re pretty similar players.

“A few years back, I was watching her play thinking, ‘I could play like her,’ and beating her today was an unreal feeling. I was super happy. After the rain delay, I could reset and come out there playing very good!”

Halep needed three sets to defeat Gavrilova in their only previous encounter at the 2015 BNP Paribas Open, and the match was headed to another photo finish when a rain delay halted proceedings at one set apiece.

“Maybe if it wouldn’t rain, maybe I would have played better,” Halep said in her post-match press conference. “But that’s it. I cannot change anything. If it’s raining, it’s raining. If I lose, you lose. I won a lot of matches last week, so I don’t give up now that I lost one match.”

Play has been suspended due to rain ☔️ #ibi16 https://t.co/HBmfgHoqMu

Working her way through an even contest, the 2009 French Open junior finalist looked to be fading, but quickly caught fire after saving a break point in the fourth game.

Showing off the sort of boundless energy that has become her signature, the unseeded Aussie promptly broke serve in the next game and all but ran away with the match from there. Surviving a brief hiccup when serving for it, she broke once more at love to clinch the match in just under two hours, hitting 30 winners to 31 unforced errors.

The win was Gavrilova’s first over a Top 5 player this season, and second of her career – having previously defeated then-World No.2 Maria Sharapova in the second round of last year’s Miami Open ahead of her Roman run.

Though Halep didn’t display the form that took her to a second career Premier Mandatory title in Madrid, the Romanian nonetheless hit 29 winners of her own, but wasn’t able to make up for her 33 unforced errors hit over the course of three sets.

“It’s not a big drama that I lost today,” Halep said. “But it still was a loss and it’s not easy.

“I take just a positive from last week. Today was tough for me to adapt, but still I could play better, but that’s it. I’m still confident, but I have to keep working to go to French Open.”

Up next for Gavrilova is No.9 seed Svetlana Kuznetsova on Pietrangeli Court; the Russian eased past Madrid semifinalist Samantha Stosur, 6-4, 6-4, just before the rain delay. Growing uo in Russia, the 2009 French Open champion is a player she knows well.

“When I was little, my first coach was telling us about her childhood. She was our hero, as well as Maria. I have so much respect for her. It’s exciting, and I’m pretty sure she likes clay!”

Source link