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News | WTA Tennis English

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

INDIAN WELLS, CA, USA – Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova will bring up an all-Russian quarterfinal battle against Svetlana Kuznetsova after downing Dominika Cibulkova in straight sets at the BNP Paribas Open.

She needed just over two hours to tamp down a Cibulkova comeback bid and win 6-4, 3-6, 6-2, making her way into the Indian Wells quarterfinals for the first time since 2009.

“I always like to get revenges. Feels amazing, especially we just recently played in Doha and also three-set match,” Pavlyuchenkova explained in her post-match press conference. “I was [also] really disappointed, though, even though it was really good level from the first till the last point.

“I thought I just didn’t convert my chances, and so really happy with the way I finished.”

Pavlyuchenkova finished with 35 winners to 23 unforced errors, keeping Cibulkova’s normally aggressive game stifled at just 15 and 14, respectively. She had Cibulkova’s serve under pressure throughout, pouncing on the vulnerable second serve and causing her problems on the return.

The Russian edged ahead in the opening set after trading breaks to start. Cibulkova was playing her high-octane aggressive game but leaking too many unforced errors that left her unable to capitalize on a break opportunity. Instead Pavlyuchenkova soared ahead, beating her with pace and narrowly taking the opening set.

Cibulkova didn’t stay down too long, though, and regrouped in the second to mount another of her famous comebacks. She raised her level and started to dictate the points, flipping the momentum against an increasingly frustrated Pavlyuchenkova. The Slovak earned a decisive break late in the set to level the score and force a decider.

Pavlyuchenkova did well to put her disappointment behind her in the final set; she broke straightaway and built up a 3-0 lead. Despite Cibulkova keeping herself fighting for every point, Pavlyuchenkova was just too solid, and the Russian tamped down a late upset bid to take the match after two hours and seven minutes.

“The key was to, of course, be aggressive, which is my game, but at the same time, find the balance between being aggressive and not giving her a lot of easy shots,” Pavlyuchenkova said. “Because she’s great fighter, and she’s always there.

“I know when she’s down in the score, she’s going for the shots.” 

With the victory Pavlyuchenkova brings up a quarterfinal matchup with her countrywoman Kuznetsova. She’ll head into the match trailing 3-5 in the pair’s head-to-head record, but bolstered by the fact that she’s won both of their most recent encounters at Sydney and Melbourne earlier this year.

“Yeah, I know her pretty well, and I think these conditions suit her well,” she said. “She’s playing kind of this mix up a little bit of Spanish tennis, which I think is pretty good on these courts.

“I kind of feel very good, as well.Yeah, let’s see.” 

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News | WTA Tennis English

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

INDIAN WELLS, CA, USA – It’s hard to believe eight years have passed since a 17-year-old Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova blasted her way into the semifinals of the 2009 BNP Paribas Open in her tournament debut.

Ranked No.42 at the time, the teenage prodigy beat No.1 Jelena Jankovic and No.10 Agnieszka Radwanska before losing to Ana Ivanovic. It was the breakout tournament for the former junior No.1, who was the last woman to win three junior Slam titles, having won the 2006 Australian Open, US Open, and 2007 Australian Open. Her talent was prodigious and obvious, but since 2009 Pavlyuchenkova has never made it past the third round in Indian Wells, a fact that she can only laugh about now.

“I’m making fun of this, really,” Pavlyuchenkova told WTA Insider. “After this, I was like a tourist. I had a bye and I was going straight to the prize money office to get my prize money for the second or third round.

“I maybe regret that in the past I wasn’t fit enough and wasn’t doing the right things. I was 17 and everything was new. I wasn’t in good shape. I couldn’t handle the pressure after. When you’re 17 and you’re Top 30… I just think 17 is too early to take all that pressure. It was tough. So I was struggling for a couple of years because I was expecting so much from myself. Let’s face it, it was one tournament, right? It can happen.

“Nowadays when you’re 17 it’s impossible to do this. Tennis is different. Everything changed a lot.”

Over the last eight years, Pavlyuchenkova has consistently held a Top 30 position, but her results have been erratic. Spurts of fantastic play would be followed by a string of early losses. To her credit, the candid 25-year-old puts the blame at her own feet. A lack of fitness and wavering work ethic over the last few years left her wanting on court. Asked whether her innate talent – she’s one of the best ball-strikers in the game – contributed to her work ethic, Pavlyuchenkova said no.

“I never really think of myself as a talented player,” she said. “Really, I’m totally cool with this. A lot of coaches before, they told me, ‘Yeah, you’re talented. That’s why you think you don’t need to work.’ I never thought I was super-talented or something. I just like to enjoy life, as well.

“I’m a moody person, and I hate routines. I think that was the main issue I had. Let’s say, for two, three weeks [practice is the same]. I’m like, seriously? Same exercise? Can you mix it up? The coach is like, ‘You have to do it.’ I’m like, ‘Yeah, I’m so tired of playing cross-court drills. Can we do something else? It gets annoying. Let’s warm up again. Can we do something else or can we go and change?’

“I was always moody and there was no consistency in anything before.”

Now Pavlyuchenkova is committed to change that. She’s put in the hard work over the last 12 months and the results have become much more steady.

“I just decided, for once, can you just start doing the hard work? Or can you finally start practicing and be serious with this? “

Of course, consistency of hard work [is important] as well, because in the past I could have done good work for a couple of weeks or months, but then it was like that all the time (indicating up and down) a lot of changes. I was going through a lot of changes with coaches, the training base, the cities, everything. I think now I’m more consistent and more serious with that, as well.

“I’m 25. I’ll be 26 in July. The time is going quick. Tennis life is kind of short. I feel like if it’s not now, then after it’s too late. I have an older brother who was really good, and I would say much more talented than me, who regrets a lot now, because he was doing a lot of bad choices and stuff. So that also shows me that I don’t want to end up like that.

“I’m just gonna take my chances, try my best, work hard consistently, and see where it can bring me. You never know. Maybe I will never achieve something good, or maybe I will achieve really good things.”

After the Miami Open last year, Pavlyuchenkova began working with Dieter Kindlmann, who had served as Maria Sharapova’s hitting partner. It was the first step towards recommitting to her career and the physical work they put in paid off when she made the Wimbledon quarterfinal over the summer.

This year Pavlyuchenkova is working with Simon Goffin, and she has now made three quarterfinals in five tournaments. In Indian Wells she knocked out No.5 Dominika Cibulkova 6-4, 3-6, 6-2 to advance to the quarterfinals, where she faces Svetlana Kuznetsova. It was her first Top 5 win since beating Agnieszka Radwanska last year at the Rogers Cup.

“Probably last year or couple years ago, I would definitely lose this match,” Pavlyuchenkova told reporters after the match. “Maybe not two sets but three sets, for sure. I wouldn’t be able to hold this level in two, three sets under this heat. “Before, I would probably tire. After one set, I would be so tired even if I won the set. I think today it shows that I have improved and I feel much fitter, so the third set kind of was consistent for me.

“I’ve been working really hard. After Dubai, I went straight to France to the academy, and since the first practice I was full on. But again, you don’t know when it’s going to pay off. You can get unlucky, you can lose the first match. And you can think, ‘Oh gosh, I was working so hard. Why? Where is it?’ But it can come later.

“I’m just trying to play match by match. Everyone is tough. I’m trying hard to go deeper and be consistent, and balance between wanting to go deep and having perspective.”

Pavlyuchenkova was asked whether her change in attitude was triggered by a desire to play the rest of her career without any regrets. The thoughtful Russian dismissed that idea. This was more about taking control.

“I don’t want to [have regrets], but I will have it, anyways,” she said. “I think that’s impossible. Either it’s tennis or life, you always look back and you go, ‘Oh, I could have done this better.’ I think it’s how life is.

“But I just feel like if I can change it, I should change it. Like, okay, maybe I have regrets, let’s say, [the loss to Venus Williams at the Australian Open]. Next time I play her, let’s change it. Don’t at least repeat the same thing. I think that’s what’s important.”

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Brisbane Final Preview: Angie Vs Vika

Brisbane Final Preview: Angie Vs Vika

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

BRISBANE, Australia – No matter who wins Saturday’s final at the Brisbane International, one player will walk away with a drought-busting win. No.22 Victoria Azarenka is in her first final since Doha and aiming for her first title since Cincinnati in 2013, nearly two and a half years ago. Looking to stop her is No.10 Angelique Kerber, who will try and snag her first win in six tries over Azarenka.

The first week of the year began with much hand-wringing over the withdrawals and retirements of the Top 3 seeds in the tournament, with defending champion Maria Sharapova, World No.2 Simona Halep, and No.3 Garbiñe Muguruza exiting the tournament under a cloud of injury. It will end with a rematch of the best women’s match of 2015, when Azarenka got the better of Kerber in the third round of the US Open, winning 7-5, 2-6, 6-4 in a grueling match.

“We always bring the best out of each other, I think,” Azarenka said. “I mean, I hope we do. It was a pretty amazing match, so I hope we can put on a good show. I think the final deserves that.”

Azarenka has been in blistering form all week. She has dropped just 13 games in four matches, posting two bagel sets along the way. Her run in Brisbane most assuredly puts her on the shortlist of favorites at the Australian Open – she is, after all, a two-time champion in Melbourne – but Azarenka doesn’t want to get ahead of herself.

“I’m feeling pretty good right now,” she said. “I’m not saying anything besides that. It’s irrelevant. Tomorrow is a match. I’m looking forward to that. I never jump ahead. It can seem so close, yet so far. Done those mistakes before, and I’ll stick to being present.”

Kerber has looked just as sharp this week. Aside from dropping the first set of her tournament to Camila Giorgi, Kerber has been untouchable, notching wins over Giorgi, Madison Brengle, Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, and Carla Suárez Navarro. Most notably Kerber has unveiled a more aggressive gamestyle. A change of strings during the off-season – she now uses a Yonex hybrid and natural gut – has given her more pop on her groundstrokes.

“I was working a lot in the last few weeks on this, so I’m trying to transform it to the matches,” Kerber said of her newfound aggression. “It works good right now. Of course I must take the decision and just go for it and not hope that the other one will miss. I will try to make the points by myself.”

Looking towards Saturday’s final, the big focus point will be Kerber’s serve. Azarenka is one of, if not *the* best returner in the game when she’s at her best. Much of her 5-0 record against the German is a result of her ability to dominate Kerber’s second serve. Kerber hopes her off-season work on her serve will pay off now.

“I worked a lot in my off-season on my serve, and I’m feeling that the serve is also a little bit faster,” she said. “Also I’m trying to go for it with my second serve, not only pushing the ball. Of course that needs time. I think I’m on the good way. I’m feeling better on my serve.”

So will we see another three-set epic on Saturday? Kerber’s 2015 was defined by her participation in the year’s best matches. Earlier in the week Kerber’s compatriot and doubles partner Andrea Petkovic – the two are into the doubles final against Martina Hingis and Sania Mirza – was asked why her friend always finds herself embroiled in dramatic matches against the game’s best.

“I think one part of her game style is that she plays fast but just not too fast to make the other girls play well,” Petkovic said. “She’s too good for the lower-ranked players, but for the top players I think she [hits] exactly the pace they need to play really well.

“But Angie is somebody, when she gets challenged, she gets the best out of her as well. So I think these two things coming together just make for Hollywood, popcorn, great movie nights.”

Come back on Saturday as WTA Insider live blogs the final from Brisbane. The final begins at 7:30pm local time, 9:30am GMT.

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News | WTA Tennis English

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

The last two semifinal spots at the 2017 BNP Paribas Open are on offer today at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden. We preview both mouthwatering quarterfinal matchups right here at wtatennis.com.

Thursday

Quarterfinals

[14] Elena Vesnina (RUS #15) vs. [12] Venus Williams (USA #13)
Head-to-head: Vesnina leads, 3-2
Key Stat: Venus Williams has a career record of 111-46 in WTA quarterfinals.

Though she is a tried-and-true veteran, 36-year-old Venus Williams is somewhat of a newbie at this stage of the BNP Paribas Open. Last year Williams dropped her first match in her return from a 14-year absence at Indian Wells, but this year Williams has marched into the quarterfinals, and has her sights set on her first trip to the semifinals at Indian Wells since 2001. Standing in her way will be a Russian on the rise who knows a thing or two about her legendary quarterfinal opponent. “I have so much respect for Venus and Serena; they’re great champions,” Elena Vesnina said after waltzing past Angelique Kerber for the first Top 2 win of her career on Tuesday. “I hope it’s going to be a great match because it’s always an honor to play against her.”

Vesnina owns a 3-2 lifetime edge over Williams, and even owns a win over the American at Wimbledon. But she knows that a big battle lies ahead, regardless of how well she plays. “We’ve had some great battles in the past; she’s won, I’ve won. But it’s a totally different story; it’s Indian Wells and I’m really enjoying my time here.” Will surging Vesnina enjoy another big win or will it be the crowd favorite Williams who keeps her latest dream run alive with a trip to the last four?

Pick: Vesnina in three

[28] Kristina Mladenovic (FRA #26) vs. [13] Caroline Wozniacki (DEN #14)
Head-to-head: Wozniacki leads, 3-0
Key Stat: Mladenovic is the first French player to reach the last eight at Indian Wells since Marion Bartoli in 2012.

By winning the title at Indian Wells, Caroline Wozniacki would return to the Top 10 for the first time since 2015, but she’ll have her hands full just reaching the semis because she is facing a Frenchwoman who is blossoming into a premier singles player. And 23-year-old Kristina Mladenovic has a rankings reward to chase as well this week—if she defeats Wozniacki on Thursday she’ll make her Top 20 debut on Monday. The Saint-Pol-sur-Mer native, who knocked off No.4-seeded Simona Halep in the third round and has not dropped a set all tournament, says she feels like a different player this year because of her improved movement. “I’m more powerful, which means that maybe my groundstrokes are kind of heavier, faster,” she told reporters after easing past Lauren Davis on Tuesday. But Mladenovic knows that 2011 BNP Paribas Open champion Wozniacki will make her work for every ball. “She’s a former World No. 1,” Mladenovic said of the Dane. “She’s coming back in great shape. She has won lots of matches lately. She has great confidence, I’m sure.”

Wozniacki, who moved into third on the all-time BNP Paribas Open win list with her victory over Madison Keys on Tuesday night, is aware of Mladenovic’s rise. “It’s not going to be an easy one-I played a tough one against her in Hong Kong, in the final,” said Wozniacki at the prospect of facing Mladenovic. “I’m expecting another tricky one, but I’m looking forward to it.”

Pick: Wozniacki in three

By the Numbers:

30-9 – Wozniacki’s lifetime record at Indian Wells. Only Lindsay Davenport (47) and Maria Sharapova (38) have more wins than the Dane.

3 – Number of players that reached their first Indian Wells quarterfinal this year at Indian Wells (Muguruza, Vesnina, Mladenovic).

3 – Number of quarterfinalists that have earned double-digit WTA titles. Williams has 49, Wozniacki 25 and Svetlana Kuznetsova 17.

2 – Number of players that have yet to drop a set at Indian Wells (Wozniacki, Mladenovic).

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News | WTA Tennis English

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

INDIAN WELLS, CA, USA – No.14 seed Elena Vesnina served out a gutsy three-set win over five-time Wimbledon winner Venus Williams to win, 6-2, 4-6, 6-3, and reach her first-ever semifinal at the BNP Paribas Open.

“I’m in the semifinal of BNP Indian Wells tournament, one of the biggest tournaments. I guess I’m on fire,” Vesnina said in press, calling back to her on-court interview. “I’m enjoying myself on the court, and I’m really happy with my wins here.

“This win today against Venus really means a lot for me. It’s never easy to play against her. She’s a great champion and always fighting till the end.

“I’m really happy that I pulled it out.”

Venus was playing at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden for just the second time since 2001, and had shown tremendous heart through a pair of tough victories over rival Jelena Jankovic and Peng Shuai to reach the last eight.

On the other side of the net was Vesnina, already in the midst of a career-best run at a Premier Mandatory tournament, who lead the American in their overall head-to-head and beaten her in their last previous encounter at the Miami Open.

“I’ve played against Venus, I don’t know, four times. I kind of knew the way she’s playing, hitting, serving, and today was totally different story. Today she was playing totally different match.”

Taking advantage of the veteran’s slow start, the Russian raced out to a quick 3-0 lead and never looked back in the opening set, winning her sixth set over the former No.1 with the loss of two games or less.

“She looked tired and slow on the court. Then, all of a sudden, she started moving around, hitting great shots, winners from all over the place. And in this momentum, I kind of lost my rhythm, because I didn’t know what to expect.”

Things only got more tense from there, as Venus made up for a subpar serving day with phenomenal groundstrokes, pushing Vesnina farther back and drawing errors from last year’s Wimbledon semifinalist to help level the match at one set apiece.

“It was not easy. When she won the second set, I was thinking how I’d seen previous matches where she was down with match point or set point, and I was like, Uh-Oh, it’s happening again. I’m going to be another victim of Venus. I don’t want that. I want to win this. I want this match.”

Shaking off a frustrating first game in the decider, Vesnina buckled down and broke back, winning five of the next six games to tee the Indian Wells crowd up for the tensest of endings. Venus valiantly staved off three match points on her own serve, and held a whopping six break points in the hopes of clawing back even.

“I was actually very proud of myself, how I held my nerve. I was 0-40 down, but, like, I didn’t even think about that. It was point by point, trying to create a good rally, trying to move her around.

“I was struggling with the first-serve percentage in the end of the third set, so I started serving with a little bit less power, and a bit more pace.

“Couple of kind of big points she gave me unforced error, but I stuck to my game. I was like, ‘I’m never gonna lose this game.’ I was really fighting like it’s the last game of my life.

Vesnina displayed impressive mental fortitude to save all six – including three in a row at 0-40 – to convert her fourth match point and one of the biggest results of her career after two hours and 11 minutes on court.

“Maybe this kind of tactic helped me to win this last game. Because otherwise it would have been 5-4, she would serve for 5-5, and you never know. She could come back again.”

Employing solid aggression throughout, the Russian finished the match with seven more winners and nine fewer errors than her illustrious opponent, and made 15 charges to net, winning 10.

“I’m a little bit tired. Of course, it was not an easy match, especially mentally, because when you’re set up and then down with a break, it’s never easy coming back again.

Standing between her and the biggest final of her career is No.28 seed Kristina Mladenovic, who stunned another former No.1 in Caroline Wozniacki earlier in the day.

“Kiki is having a great season. She’s on fire. She won her first maiden title in St. Petersburg and then she made final in Acapulco. It’s going to be tough match. We played couple of times, but two, three years ago, and it’s totally different story now.

“I need to think how I need to play against her, because I have couple of thoughts on my mind. She’s a great doubles player, as well. She can come into the net. She’s using the dropshots, slices.

“So it’s going to be difficult match, but on the other hand, it’s very exciting to play the semifinal match here in Indian Wells.”

But first, the Russian has a doubles semifinal to take care of; the No.2 seed partners with Ekaterina Makarova to take on Czechs Lucie Hradecka and Katerina Siniakova after a suitable rest.

“I have doubles coming in few hours. So I need to win that match, and then tomorrow I will be ready for the semifinal. I know how to recover. I’m not the new player on the tour. I know that I need to recover, and how to recover right and fast for that.”

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Aga, Petra & Genie's First Matches Of 2016

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

The Shenzhen Open takes a look back at Agnieszka Radwanska, Petra Kvitova and Eugenie Bouchard’s first matches of the 2016 season – watch highlights and interviews from the WTA stars here.

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Falling Short Never Fun, Says Frustrated Venus

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

Venus Williams admitted that she was frustrated to fall short at the quarterfinal stage of the BNP Paribas Open, losing in three sets to Elena Vesnina – but said she had given her utmost to the cause. Carrie Dunn reports.

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News | WTA Tennis English

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

INDIAN WELLS, CA, USA – After the dust cleared from a thrilling fortnight at the BNP Paribas Open, it was two Russians who prevailed in the California desert. Svetlana Kuznetsova and Elena Vesnina are both vying for their first Indian Wells title, but which will come out on top on Sunday’s showdown?

Here’s 10 things to know before the championship match.

[8] Svetlana Kuznetsova (RUS #8) vs [14] Elena Vesnina (RUS #15)
Head-to-Head: Tied 1-1

1) “Thirty is the new twenty in tennis!”
Vesnina joked about it in her post-match interview, but now the players are starting to believe it.

At 31 years and 297 days old, Kuznetsova was the seventh oldest player ever to reach the Indian Wells final, while at 30 years and 231 days, Vesnina is the ninth oldest.

Also, it’s the second time this season that two players over 30 meet in a final. Last time it happened? Serena Williams vs Venus Williams in the Australian Open.

2) Vesnina is gaining momentum.
It’s been a bumpy road to the Indian Wells final for Vesnina. She opened the 2017 season with back to back first round exits, falling to Alizé Cornet at the Brisbane International and retiring against CoCo Vandeweghe at the Apia International Sydney.

She regrouped at the Australian Open, where she posted a third round appearance and backed it up with a quarterfinal run at the St. Petersburg Ladies Trophy. Now, she’s through to her first ever Premier Mandatory final at Indian Wells.

3) Kuznetsova keeps consistent.
On the other hand, consistency has been the name of Kuznetsova’s game.

The veteran Russian player has now reached the quarterfinals or better at six of her last eight tournaments: 2016 Tianjin Open (semifinals), 2016 Kremlin Cup in Moscow (champion), 2016 BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global (semifinals), 2017 Brisbane International (quarterfinals), 2017 St. Petersburg Ladies Trophy (quarterfinal) and now the 2017 BNP Paribas Open (final).

4) Russians ruling the desert.
With both Kuznetsova and Vesnina through to the final at Indian Wells, they’ve set the second all-Russian final in tournament history, and the first in over 10 years.

The last time two Russians met at this stage was back in 2006, when Maria Sharapova braved high winds to defeat Elena Dementieva 6-1, 6-2 and claim her 11th career title.

5) Third time’s the charm for Kuznetsova?
After a nine-year gap, Kuznetsova back into the Indian Wells final for the third time in her career. She posted back-to-back finals appearances, finishing as runner-up in 2007 (l. Daniela Hantuchova) and 2008 (l. Ana Ivanovic).

Will she finally go one better and take home the Premier Mandatory title?

6) Vesnina seeking new heights.
In addition to being the biggest title of Vesnina’s career, a win in the final would boost her ranking to No.13 – this would surpass her current career-high ranking of No.15, earned on February 6, 2017 following a run to the St. Petersburg quarterfinals.

7) Full circle moment for Vesnina.
A year ago, a No.86-ranked Vesnina fell in the first round of Indian Wells qualifying. A year later, she’s into the final.

“That was a big turnaround now for me, from first round of qualies and now being in the final. This is a dream,” Vesnina said in her post-match press conference.

“I hope it’s a great example for other players, you know, that everything can happen if you’re believe in yourself, you know that you have the game. Even when nothing is going your way and you’re losing in the first round of qualification, what can be worse?

“Don’t put yourself down and keep building these wins. Because last year, actually, I played a lot of tournaments from the quallies and it helps me. These kind of things give you belief that you’re almost there. Your ranking is not there, but your game is there. I think this is the most important.”

The last player to fall in Indian Wells qualifying then reach the final in their next appearance was Serena Williams (l. qualifying in 1997, won the title in 1999 – did not play in 1998).

8) Marathon woman Kuznetsova putting in the hours.
Kuznetsova has amassed an exhausting seven and a half hours on court throughout the fortnight, coming off a tight encounter with World No.3 Karolina Pliskova and earlier in the tournament posting wins over Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, Caroline Garcia, Roberta Vinci and Johanna Larsson.

If any of this sounds familiar, it’s because Kuznetsova has made a reputations of gritting through marathon matches throughout her career.

“I haven’t been worrying about two sets or three sets,” Kuznetsova said after her close, straight sets win over Pliskova. “I just feel great, you know, because I have been fighting for every ball.

“If she managed to win one of the sets and then we go for third, I would still be fighting and still playing every ball. If she manages to win me, I would say great job. But it doesn’t change my attempt in the match.”

9) But Vesnina’s got her beat.
After fighting past Shelby Rogers, Vesnina took down Budapest champion Timea Babos in three sets, before rallying to upset soon-to-be World No.1 Angelique Kerber and posting another three-setter against former World No.1 and Australian Open finalist Venus Williams.

Her heroics against arguably the tougher draw have accrued her almost nine hours on court – will she be able to recover in time to defeat her countrywoman?

10) Here’s where you can tune in.
Vesnina and Kuznetsova will battle it out on Sunday, March 19 at 11:00 am PST (14:00 EST, 18:00 GMT).

Click here to select your country and tune into the BNP Paribas Open final.

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