Tennis News

Every week wtatennis.com brings you 10 Things To Know about the week – who is playing, where and much more. This week the Road To Singapore goes through Monterrey and Kuala Lumpur…

1) Dubai champion Sara Errani is in search of her second title of 2016…
Errani endured a tough start to the season, losing in the first round of the Australian Open to rising Russian Margarita Gasparyan and both Fed Cup rubbers to Caroline Garcia and Kristina Mladenovic. But it all came together for the Italian veteran in Dubai, as she captured the biggest title of her career and her first on hardcourts since 2008. Top seed at the Abierto Monterrey Afirme, Errani will look to shake off an early loss at the Qatar Total Open to the big-serving Timea Babos and maintain her momentum heading into Indian Wells and Miami.

2) …provided she can get past unseeded and looming Dominika Cibulkova.
The 2014 Australian Open finalist has been trying to return to form since an ankle injury ruled her out for much of last spring. Ranked outside the Top 60 since failing to defend quarterfinal points from 2015, Cibulkova roared into the finals of last week’s Abierto Mexicano Telcel – dropping just one set along the way and narrowly losing an epic three-setter to Sloane Stephens. Back up to No.57, Cibulkova could play Errani in the second round, and leads her 5-3 in overall head-to-head (though they haven’t played since 2013).

3) Can Caroline Wozniacki kickstart her season?
Seeded No.2 in Mexico, Caroline Wozniacki began her season in solid form at the ASB Classic, where she reached the semifinals and fell to eventual champion Stephens. Since then, the Dane has won just two matches, losing in three-sets to Elena Vesnina for only the second time in eight meetings at the Qatar Total Open. Playing Olga Govortsova in the first round, Wozniacki could face big-hitters like Mirjana Lucic-Baroni and Babos early; how will the former No.1 fare?

4) Johanna Konta looks to build on Melbourne momentum.
Australian Open semifinalist Johanna Konta has only won one match outside Melbourne, a first round against Anett Kontaveit in Acapulco. Down 5-1 in the final set to Lucic-Baroni in the next round, the Brit rebounded to 5-5 only to lose, 4-6, 6-2, 7-5. Seeded No.4 in Monterrey and in the Errani half of the draw, Konta is projected to face No.6 seed Alison Van Uytvanck in the quarterfinals, but wildcard and Rio Open winner Francesca Schiavone also looms in her bracket.

5) Might Caroline Garcia go one better in Monterrey?
No.5 seed Caroline Garcia opens against a qualifier, and must have good memories of this tournament in Mexico, having reached the final here 12 months ago – losing to Timea Bacinszky in three sets. Garcia is coming off of a breakthrough run at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships – her best-ever result at a WTA Premier event. Though she dropped her opener against Elena Vesnina in Doha, the Russian went on to upset Simona Halep and Wozniacki en route to the quarterfinals; can the Frenchwoman pick up from where she left off?

6) Medina Garrigues and Parra Santonja are in position for a Mexian sweep.
Anabel Medina Garrigues and Arantxa Parra Santonja have been a force to be reckoned with on the doubles court, reaching the semifinals or better at all but one of their events entered thus far in 2016. Their biggest result came last week when they captured the title in Acapulco, defeating No.2 seeds Kiki Bertens and Johanna Larsson, 6-0, 6-4. Top seeds for a second straight week, can the Spaniards cement their status as Olympic darkhorses with a second title?

7) Red-hot Roberta Vinci is the top seed in Kuala Lumpur.
Roberta Vinci became the oldest woman in WTA history to make her Top 10 debut last week, and played up to her rank in a thrilling quarterfinal encounter with World No.3 Agnieszka Radwanska. Taking a wildcard into the BMW Malaysian Open, Vinci opens against Chang Kai-Chen, with No.6 seed Eugenie Bouchard a potential quarterfinal opponent. In their only prior meeting, Vinci bounced the Canadian, 6-1, 6-0, and has been playing top-flight tennis ever since, reaching the US Open final and winning her first title of the season at the St. Petersburg Ladies Trophy.

8) Elina Svitolina aims to continue climbing with Henin in her corner.
The Ukrainian youngster recently added former No.1 Justine Henin to her coaching team, and the results were immediate; unseeded in Dubai, she upset Garbiñe Muguruza in straight sets before reaching the semifinals. Another wildcard entrant in Kuala Lumpur, Svitolina opens against qualifier Miyu Kato, but could play rising Russian Elizaveta Kulichkova, who took out Zarina Diyas to make the quarterfinals of the Taiwan Open.

9) Zheng Saisai is within striking distance of a career-high ranking.
China’s Zheng Saisai had a big week in Doha, eliminating top seed and reigning Australian Open champion Angelique Kerber and nearly ending the then-40-match winning streak of Martina Hingis and Sania Mirza in doubles – all in one day. Zheng backed up the win to reach the quarterfinals, a result that brought her up to No.63 to start this week – two away from her career-high of No.61. Seeded No.8 in Kuala Lumpur, Zheng could play No.3 seed Sabine Lisicki in the quarterfinals; the German has struggled to start the season, winning just two matches in three tournaments.

TAIPEI, Taiwan – Ashleigh Barty continued her impressive progress through the draw at the OEC Taipei WTA Challenger with a straight-set win over fellow qualifier Junri Namigata on Wednesday.

Fifty-four minutes was all it took for Barty to wrap up a 6-2, 6-3 victory and set up a quarterfinal against No.6 seed Evgeniya Rodina.

Despite only turning 20 earlier this year, Barty is embarking on her second ascent of the tennis ladder. After a glittering junior career, she enjoyed instant success in the senior ranks, reaching three major doubles finals alongside fellow Australian Casey Dellacqua.

However, the stresses of life on tour soon took its toll on her teenage mind and body, prompting a 17-month hiatus. She has played sparingly since returning – a bone stress injury disrupted the momentum from an encouraging grass court campaign – but looked in fine form against Namigata, two breaks in the opening three games setting her on course for a comfortable victory.

Rodina overcame a slow start against Dalila Jakupovic, eventually triumphing, 2-6, 6-4, 6-1. Also advancing to the last eight in Taiwan were Olga Govortsova and Vitalia Diatchenko. Govortsova saved two match points to defeat Julia Boserup, 5-7, 7-6(5), 7-5, while 2014 champion Diatchenko saw off Miyu Kato, 7-5, 6-4.

Elina Svitolina has announced a coaching shake-up, parting ways with coach Iain Hughes:

The 22-year-old Ukrainian has also been working with former No.1 Justine Henin since February, bringing the Hall of Famer on as a coaching consultant. Neither have confirmed whether that relationship will continue in 2017.

Svitolina’s announcement comes on the heels of her career-best season, after making the final of the WTA Elite Trophy Zhuhai to finish the season at her career-high ranking of No.14 and winning a fourth career title in Kuala Lumpur.

This season she became the only woman to beat both reigning No.1s this year, beating Serena Williams at the Olympics and Angelique Kerber at the China Open.