Rome: Konta Interview
An interview with Johanna Konta after her win in the second round of the Internazionali BNL d’Italia.
An interview with Johanna Konta after her win in the second round of the Internazionali BNL d’Italia.
Top seed Serena Williams and a pair of top Spaniards lead the top half of the draw as the field begins fighting for spots in the quarterfinals. Who will advance first into the final eight?
ROME, Italy – Madison Keys gritted through a tough opening set to battle past Timea Babos, 7-6(2), 6-3, to achieve a career-best result at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia.
Watch highlights, interviews and more video from Rome right here on wtatennis.com!
There was little between the two in the opening set, as the Hungarian forced a tie-break to conclude a run of 12 straight service holds.
“The first set was definitely back and forth, just big serving,” Keys said in her post-match press conference. “Neither one of us could kind of get a read on where the other person was serving. But there was a couple of points in the tiebreaker where I really kind of put the point together a little bit better.”
But Keys took the initiative from there, racing out to a 5-1 lead in the sudden death and didn’t look back, taking the match in 82 minutes behind 26 winners to 22 unforced errors.
“Then after that, I just got a little bit more rhythm and confidence, and then from there I was able to break early in the second. That definitely helped the momentum kind of go more towards my side.”
Great hands, @TimeaBabos! #ibi16 https://t.co/J3SnXQ15sM
— WTA (@WTA) May 12, 2016
Both had earned upsets during Wednesday’s night session, but Babos’ nearly three hour win over former No.1 Venus Williams seemed to take its toll in the second set, as the Hungarian could only muster 16 winners and 26 unforced errors, only engineering one break point opportunity in two sets.
“I usually don’t do great here,” Keys continued. “And so, you know, putting a couple wins together felt really good. I’m not going to jinx it,” she said, knocking on wood.
“It feels like I’m kind of figuring it out just a little bit better. From there, you know, I’m putting more points together and kind of putting it all together a little bit better than before.
Awaiting Keys in her first Premier 5 clay court quarterfinal is Barbora Strycova, who played a perfect match to dismantle Eugenie Bouchard, 6-1, 6-0.
“It’s easy to get ahead of yourself and overthink things and put yourself in a round before you’ve actually even played,” Keys said. “I think it happens to everyone at times.
“So just really being focused on each match and doing what you need to do in that match has been a big thing for me.”
Bouchard was coming off of her first Top 5 win since 2014, having upset World No.2 and reigning Australian Open champion Angelique Kerber in three sets. But Strycova, who won their most recent encounter at last year’s Mutua Madrid Open, played flawless tennis from start to finish, hitting 18 winners to only 15 unforced errors and breaking serve six times to take the match in just over an hour.
“I saw the ball like a football! I enjoyed the court; it was very nice, and the spectators stayed. It was a good evening,” an elated Strycova said after the match.
“I was playing my game very well; I was pretty confident on court, hitting the ball. It was pretty cold, so I had to get my body moving at the beginning.”
Going from strength to strength as the match wore on, Strycova’s confidence was evident with every winner she hit, several on the run and from defensive positions. Into her second Premier 5 quarterfinal of 2016, Strycova will look to avenge last week’s Madrid loss to Keys, who defeated her in straight sets.
“Clay isn’t my favorite surface, until now!” she said with a laugh. “I’m trying to like it; I was working hard before Prague. I’m enjoying myself, enjoying Rome.
“[Keys] is such a big hitter, and I’m so small, so I have to be ready to try to return her serves. I’ll have to run and catch some fast balls!”
.@BaraStrycova races through the opening set vs Bouchard 6-1! #ibi16 https://t.co/fWi0V9114i
— WTA (@WTA) May 12, 2016
A strong serving performance led Serena Williams to a 6-2 6-0 victory over Svetlana Kuznetsova in the Rome quarterfinals. According to SAP Tennis Analytics for Coaches, Williams exceeded her season averages in every serving category in her 51 minute victory Friday.
Six weeks ago, Kuznetsova defeated the World No.1 as Williams struggled with her service in Miami. In Rome, the Williams serve was vastly improved.
Williams put 78% of her first serves in play Friday, up considerably from her season average of 60%. The SAP Coaches View analytics also show that percentage was just 63% in the Miami match, which included a combined 56% in the final two sets, which Williams lost.
At 74%, Williams leads the WTA in first serve points won. On Friday, she did even better, winning 81% of first serve points. That is also a significant improvement over the Miami match in which she won only 60% of first serve points, and that dipped to 53% in her two losing sets.
She was also improved on second serves, winning 56 percent of those points, compared to her season percentage of 50%. In the Miami loss, Williams won only 39% of those points in total, and just 28% in the final two sets.
The SAP Coaches View combines scoring information direct from the chair umpire with tracking data from HawkEye to allow for an in depth look at five different aspects of a match. Each tracking option can be filtered to narrow the focus to specific situations within a match, such as break points. This information is available directly to coaches in real-time during a match on their SAP tablet and also available to them online after matches.
“Service” tracking shows the landing point for all serves. The display differentiates between first serves, second serves and aces. Additional data on the screen shows the percentage of overall service points won as well as looking specifically at first and second serves.
For Serena Williams on Friday, there were many positives to take from this data.
ROME, Italy – Martina Hingis and Sania Mirza moved confidently into their third consecutive clay court final with a straight set win over Irina-Camelia Begu and Monica Niculescu on Saturday evening.
For the first time since teaming up, Hingis and Mirza have found their status as the most talked about team on tour under threat in recent weeks. Defeats to emerging rivals Caroline Garcia and Kristina Mladenovic in Stuttgart and Madrid saw the World No.1s arrive in Rome with a point to prove.
At the Foro Italico, though, Hingis and Mirza have been faultless, negotiating a tricky draw with consummate ease. Against Begu and Niculescu they raced into a 4-0 lead, and while this level proved unsustainable the top seeds still ran out comfortable 6-3, 6-4 winners.
Standing between them and a fifth title of 2016 will be No.7 seeds Ekaterina Makarova and Elena Vesnina.
Form and fitness problems have seen the Russians slip down the rankings, but judging by performances this week they are rounding into form at just the right time. Against No.4 seeds Andrea Hlavackova and Lucie Hradecka they were particularly impressive, withstanding a late charge to run out 6-2, 7-5 winners.
Let's rewatch @mhingis and @MirzaSania's match point! They are going straight to the #ibi16 doubles final! #WTA pic.twitter.com/1Pg7ATVZZ7
— Internazionali Bnl (@InteBNLdItalia) May 14, 2016
The last Premier final before Roland Garros will feature two Americans at different stages of their career and with contrasting clay court pedigree – here are 10 Things To Know about the Internazionali BNL d’Italia final:
(1) Serena Williams (USA #1) vs Madison Keys (USA #24)
Head-To-Head: Williams leads, 2-0
1) Williams has a fine record against fellow Americans.
Since losing to her sister Venus at Montréal in 2014, Williams has won 15 straight matches against Americans, including two against Keys (at the 2015 Australian and US Opens). Her last loss to an American in a final came way back in 2008, against Venus at Wimbledon.
2) The Eternal wait is over.
The Foro Italico will host the first all-American final on tour in nearly four years (Serena d. Vandeweghe, 2012 Stanford), and the first in Rome since Billie Jean King defeated Julie Heldman in 1970.
3) Williams in unfamiliar territory.
For the first time since 1998, Williams is contesting this tournament without already having a won a title in the season to date. Keys has also endured a slightly below par start, failing to make it beyond the quarterfinals of an event until this week.
4) Keys could secure a French Open boost.
Keys will move back into the Top 20 by virtue of reaching the final. Should the American lift the title, she will guarantee herself a Top 16 seeding at Roland Garros, avoiding the big guns until at least the fourth round.
5) Good omen for Keys.
The last time Keys defeated two Top 10 players in the same week, she won the title (2014 Eastbourne – No.7 Jelena Jankovic, No.9 Angelique Kerber). In Rome she has already overcome No.9 Kvitova and No.4 Garbiñe Muguruza. Will lightning strike twice?
6) Williams has won her last 19 matches in Rome.
Williams loves the Foro Italico clay, winning her last 19 matches there. Her last loss* at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia came in a third set tie-break against Jankovic in 2010.
* Injury forced Williams to withdraw prior to her matches with Christina McHale in 2015 (elbow) and Li Na in 2012 (back)
7) Williams is trying to win her fourth Rome title – and 70th across all tournaments.
On Sunday afternoon, Williams hopes to lift the 70th title of her illustrious career, and the fourth in Rome. The other events she has won four or more times are the Australian Open (six), Wimbledon (six), US Open (six), WTA Finals (five) and Miami (eight). The only players to be crowned champion on four occasions in the Italian capital are Chris Evert (five), Gabriela Sabatini (four) and Conchita Martinez (four).
8) Keys is going for the biggest title of her career.
Perhaps surprisingly, Keys’ only WTA title to date came two years ago in Eastbourne. Despite her self-confessed preference for the tour’s faster surfaces, her only other final did come on the green clay of Charleston, ending in a three-set loss to Kerber last April.
9) Every underdog has its day.
World No.24 Keys is not the only unseeded player to make it to the final in Rome. In fact, in 2010, No.26 María José Martínez Sánchez managed the feat, defeating Jelena Jankovic to lift the title.
10) Williams is going for her 13th clay court title, the most of any active player.
Williams has the most WTA clay court titles among active players with 12. She still has quite some way to go to catch the all-time leader, Chris Evert, who lifted 66 trophies on the surface.
Keep up with daily updates on your favorite WTA players and tournaments by following us on snapchat, @wtatennis!
PARIS, France – The Roland Garros qualifying draw was released on Monday, and the race for 12 main draw spots in the second Grand Slam of 2016 will be tougher than ever once play begins Tuesday.
Louisa Chirico is the No.1 seed following her head-turning run to the Mutua Madrid Open semifinals; the American upset 2008 champion Ana Ivanovic and Daria Gavrilova and opens against Tereza Martincova in ther first round. Former junior star Irina Khromacheva is the highest ranked woman in her section, though former World No.58 Andrea Hlavackova and Amra Sadikovic could also pose some problems during the week.
TEB BNP Paribas Istanbul Cup champion Cagla Buyukakcay is the No.2 seed and will play Elitsa Kostova in her first round; the Turkish sensation became the first in her country’s history to ever reach a WTA semifinal, let alone title, and is projected to play No.22 seed and former Top 20 stalwart Klara Koukalova in the final round.
Romanians Sorana Cirstea and Patricia Maria Tig round out the Top 4 seeds, and each are coming off of some solid clay court results. Both Cirstea and Tig reached the quarterfinals in Madrid. Cirstea made her career breakthrough back at the 2009 French Open when she upset former No.1 Jelena Jankovic to reach the quarterfinals, and Tig burst onto the scene last summer when she reached her first WTA final in Baku.
Other names to watch in the draw include Vania King, Maria Sakkari, Petra Cetkovska, and a pair of former Top 30 players in Daniela Hantuchova and Tamira Paszek. A semifinalist at the 2008 Australian Open, Hantuchova was a former World No.5, while Paszek is most known for her back-to-back Wimbledon quarterfinals in 2011 and 2012.
Click here to check out the full qualifying draw and stay tuned to see who of your favorites will earn a coveted place in the Roland Garros main draw!
All photos courtesy of Getty Images.
ROME, Italy – Serena Williams set aside her 0-2 record in finals in 2016 to snag her first title of the season at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia on Sunday, defeating Madison Keys 7-6(5), 6-3. The title was Serena’s first since the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati last summer and her week in Rome proved dominant. She did not lose a set in her first tournament since Miami, and reasserted herself as the favorite as she seeks to defend her title at the French Open starting next week.
“I have tried to defend there once, twice, three times before,” Serena told reporters. “Didn’t quite work so well.
“But this year is different. I’m going to definitely go in there and I feel more calm and I don’t feel stress to have to win. I feel like I just am happy to be out here.”
In a clay court season that saw no single player dominate, stress or no stress, Serena goes into Paris with a full head of steam and the relief in knowing she finally managed her nerves and executed when it mattered in a final. The three-time French Open champion struggled through a tough tournament in Paris last year, losing the first set in four matches and needing five three-set wins to win the title. She described her 2015 win as a “miracle”.
“Obviously my major memory was probably that semifinal and the final, too, and the night before,” Serena said. “Just that whole last three, four rounds was extremely difficult for me.
“Honestly, just – I don’t even know the words for it. Courage is beyond anything I could describe. It was just honestly probably just a miracle.”
WTA Insider sat down with Serena after her triumph in Rome to discuss her week in the eternal city, how she plans to settle into Paris, and we take a slight detour into the world of the Williams Invitational, a private annual competition staged by Serena and Venus for family and friends in Florida.
Q: Congratulations on winning your title here in Rome. What is it about this city that stands out to you?
A: So much history in this city. You just think of it as a world power and you think of all the people who were here. That’s what stands out to me. Just seeing the Colosseum and all the history behind it is pretty cool. This is actually one of my favorite stops on the tour. This city is so awesome. Then to be able to play in Rome is really cool too.
Q: So 70 titles. I don’t know if you know if you know this but I’ve never won a WTA title. So I don’t know what it’s like to win one. I don’t what the emotion is that goes into it. What was the emotion winning Rome. Was it a sense of relief? A sense of triumph given everything that’s happened? What were you feeling?
A: I just felt really good. I wasn’t sure if I could win this tournament because I was dealing with, you know, a lot of things. Physically coming in here I wasn’t feeling my best and then I was like ok, will I be able to play long matches? And I was and it worked out. So I’m feeling really good.
Q: What was tougher for you these past couple of months, the physical side of things or the mental side of things?
A: It was just for me, obviously physical is always hard because you always want to make sure you’re injury free. You want to make sure that you are able to stay for a really long time because this is a really tough season especially with the Olympics this year. So there’s a lot of stuff going on. But I am just living each day as it comes and staying calm.
Q: Is it easy not to look forward? It is a packed schedule starting with here at the French Open, then grass, then the hard courts and Olympics, is it easy to stay one week at a time or can it get overwhelming?
A: I guess if you think about it it can get really overwhelming. But I don’t really think about it. I’m really good at staying in the moment. Honestly I can’t even imagine the Olympics yet because I can’t believe I’m going to be in another Olympics. It’s so cool.
Q: It’s so theoretical right now.
A: In a way I can’t believe I’m going to be in it again. It’s a super cool feeling. Wimbledon feels so far away. It’ll be here before you know it. Although Roland Garros seems like it snuck up. It’s here and I’m like Oh my gosh, it’s here.
Q: You mentioned in the press conference that this is just your fourth tournament of the season. So it hasn’t been like you haven’t been on the tour side of things even if you have been working in practice. Does that accelerate May? Paris is now here and you only have four tournaments under your belt?
A: Yeah, but it feels good. I’ve been playing for so many years. I think at my age I don’t need to play 12 tournaments. I’ve been in the final of three of the four. I don’t feel like I need to play every single week. I just need to focus on winning the tournaments I play or doing well at the tournaments I play and going from there.
Q: Do you think that’s an adjustment from a few years ago? You had that stretch of 18 months where you played non-stop and you were winning at a crazy clip. Now maybe it’s time to contract that a little bit and focus on the big tournaments?
A: Honestly it’s about how I feel. Right now I feel like I don’t need to play every week. Back then I felt like I did and I wanted to.
Q: Because you were trying to prove something?
A: I was trying to get that No.1 position back too and I felt like I needed to play more to get there. I wanted to work my way to that. Now I just feel like I never thought I’d be in this position so let me focus on the big tournaments and see what happens.
Q: You still have that apartment in Paris. Do you go straight to Paris and start practicing there and settle in? Or do you go somewhere else? What’s your gameplan.
A: I’m going to go to Paris. I’m going to go tomorrow. I wish I would go tonight but…
Q: You might as well get there…
A: Right? But I’ll just go tomorrow. I love Paris. I feel a little weird here because I don’t speak perfect Italian. I can understand everything but I can’t speak it. So it’s very difficult. At least in Paris I can understand all the French. So I feel like it’s such a relief because I can go somewhere and have conversations. I know my neighborhood, I know where to go. So I’m looking forward to that.
Q: Do you have a tradition when you get back to Paris?
A: I do for Rome. But for Paris all I can imagine is my bed. My kitchen, I love my kitchen. I can’t wait. My closet, which is pretty cool.
Q: You still have that shabby chic aesthetic?
A: No, I’m modern. I moved, so it’s modern now.
Q: You’re evolving all the time.
A: Too much!
Q: So I see you’re wearing the Kryptonians necklace…
A: Yes! YES!
Q: I have to ask. You’re fist-pumping like a champ right now. So I assume the Williams Invitational went well?
A: We did well! We won gold in dance, we won gold in dodgeball. We didn’t place in tennis, but our focus is definitely dance and dodgeball. So we did great! I’m a Kryptonian for life. Shout out to all the Kryptonians!
Q: How big were the teams this year?
A: Our teams grew. Our core team was like 25 people.
Q: So if dance and dodgeball are your strengths for the Kryptonians, what are your weaknesses?
A: We’re not great in tennis (Laughs). This is the second year in a row we didn’t place in tennis. Yeah, we need to work on our tennis game. But honestly what matters most is the dance. Everyone really goes all out for the dance.
Q: I did see an Instagram video. There was one.
A: There are a couple out there.
Q: You were droppin’ it.
A: We were werkin’ it.
Q: Well congratulations, Serena, on the title. And I guess I’ll see you in Paris.
A: Yes.
Listen to more from Serena in the latest episode of the WTA Insider Podcast:
Click here to keep up with WTA Insider’s pre-French Open coverage and follow along with the rest of the Insider RG Contenders.
All photos courtesy of Getty Images.
No.9 seed Venus Williams edged past a surging Anett Kontaveit for a spot in the second round of Roland Garros.