Australian Open: Svetlana Kuznetsova vs Jamiee Fourlis
Svetlana Kuznetsova takes on Jamiee Fourlis in the second round of the Australian Open.
Svetlana Kuznetsova takes on Jamiee Fourlis in the second round of the Australian Open.
DOHA, Qatar – Carla Suárez Navarro produced 62 minutes of immaculate tennis to swat aside No.3 seed Agnieszka Radwanska and take her place in the final of the Qatar Total Open.
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In one of the best performances of her career, Suárez Navarro outthought and outplayed the WTA’s resident magician to run out a surprisingly comfortable 6-2, 6-0 winner.
After an even start, Suárez Navarro laid down a marker in the fifth game, flashing winners off either wing to get her nose in front. A few games later she had the insurance break before calmly serving out the set.
A nasty tumble in the first game of the second set briefly halted the Spaniard’s charge. But after dusting herself down, normal service was immediately resumed: a whipped cross-court forehand and then a wonderful instinctive volley handing her the break.
In stark contrast, Radwanska cut a forlorn figure, the brilliance that decorated her three-set victory over Roberta Vinci the previous evening conspicuous by its absence. The Pole’s mood darkened in the following game when she netted a routine forehand to spurn a rare break opportunity.
With Suárez Navarro’s groundstrokes now in full flow, Radwanska was soon put out of her misery, the final four games flying by in a flurry of winners.
“Today I feel really, really good,” Suárez Navarro, who hit 20 winners and just eight unforced errors, said. “I think also she was a little tired from yesterday.”
Suárez Navarro is also hoping to reach the doubles final with partner Sara Errani, and was quick to dismiss any suggestion that her visit from the trainer would jeopardize their chances. “I’m running a lot, I fight a lot, and sometime I finish like that,” she said when asked about the after effects of her second set slip. “But now I feel good and I have doubles – I’m feeling better!”
By reaching the semifinals Suárez Navarro guaranteed a return to the Top 10 and her latest win will see her rise to a career-high No.6 in the new rankings.
“You work for a long time for this. And to be in the Top 10 is obviously good. I feel good, I feel happy and I think I’m ready for tomorrow.”
Carla Suárez Navarro will be away from the competition for a few weeks nursing a right shoulder injury, the Spaniard announced in a Facebook message to her fans.
Carla Suárez Navarro captured the biggest title of her career at the Qatar Total Open, charging back from a set down against 18-year-old Jelena Ostapenko to triumph, 1-6, 6-4, 6-4. By reaching the semifinals Suárez Navarro was guaranteed a return to the Top 10 and her win in the final sees her rise to a career-high No.6 in the new rankings.
“It’s amazing, a dream come true. I was in Top 10 last year but not No.6, so it’s a special number,” Suárez Navarro said after the win.
“This tournament was really tough. The best players in the world were here, and it’s so special. You have to play every day, and it’s not easy. But these wins give me a lot of confidence, the experience that I take from this. I’ve lost a lot of finals, so I’m really happy and excited about this tournament.”
In Acapulco, No.2 seed Sloane Stephens needed a final set tie-break against unseeded former Australian Open finalist and 2014 Abierto Mexicano Telcel champion Dominika Cibulkova, but the American finally got the job done against the Slovak, winning, 6-4, 4-6, 7-6(5). Having started the year with a title at the ASB Classic, Stephens now has three career WTA titles.
“I’m just in a different place,” Stephens said of her winning start to 2016. “I’ve played a lot of matches this year already and got some of the confidence going, built up some momentum. I’m just trying to keep that going here in Acapulco.”
Read the match recap here.
GAME, SET MATCH: WTA Insider
Game: Carla Suárez Navarro hits a new high.
Win the biggest title of your career, move up to a career-high No.6, and take over the No.2 ranking on the Road To Singapore standings. That’s a good week of work from the 28-year-old Spaniard, who came into the Qatar Total Open final having lost her last three finals. She has struggled to summon her best tennis in the big moments – and it looked like the trend would continue after losing a 26-minute first set – but this is a new Carla. After Jelena Ostapenko swatted her off court in that first set, Suárez Navarro kept her wits about her. She never panicked, instead she grew bolder, altered her tactics to drive the ball into the middle of the court and away from the teenager’s forehand, and increased the pressure. In the end, her experience in the big moments paid off.
Suárez Navarro said at the start of the year that her goal was to get back in the Top 10, hopefully the Top 5, and win a title. It’s March and she’s nearly ticked off all three boxes. Now to see if she can translate that success into two of the biggest tournaments of the season in Indian Wells and Miami, where she was a finalist last year.
WTA Insider Champion’s Corner: Suárez Navarro.
Set: Sloane Stephens outbattles, outcompetes Dominika Cibulkova.
Talk about a turnaround. Stephens was 0-6 in semifinals before winning her first title last summer at the Citi Open in Washington DC. She’s now won three titles in the last seven months, going 3-0 in finals during that span, and she has won every tournament at which she’s hit the semifinal stage. In Acapulco, Stephens nearly blew a set and break lead in the final against Cibulkova. But losing the second set simply set things up for a wild and tense third set, which saw both women save break points time and time again in front of a rowdy crowd. But in the end it was Stephens, who used her defense to hang close in the final frame before taking a handful of courageous cuts to win 6-4, 4-6 7-6(5) to become the first woman to two titles this season. It was a big statement win from a player who had to endure such criticism over her inability to get things done at the business end of tournaments.
Match: Teenage romp.
Another week, another teenager makes a run. February was all about the WTA trio of eighteen year-olds, who are putting their stamp on the tour. Three weeks ago it was Belinda Bencic and Daria Kasatkina making the St. Petersburg semifinals. Last week it was 18-year-old Jelena Ostapenko, who arrived in Doha thinking she would have to play the qualification tournament. Two withdrawals later, Ostapenko was into the main draw and she didn’t waste her chance. She ousted No.5 seed Petra Kvitova and came within a few games of winning her first title. She fell short but her performance throughout the week was notable. Ostapenko’s power and timing, particularly on the forehand, was impressive, as was her feisty competitiveness.
Ostapenko jumps from No.88 to No.41 on Monday, joining Bencic and Kasatkina in the Top 50. It’s the first time three 18-year-olds occupied the Top 50 since April of 2009, when Caroline Wozniacki, Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, and Sorana Cirstea matched the feat.
We kinda made it?✌?️☺️ @anakonjuh @DKasatkina @LizaKulichkova @jelenaostapenko https://t.co/jQNm2u67UY
— Belinda Bencic (@BelindaBencic) February 28, 2016
RANKING MOVERS
Notable singles ranking movers for the week of February 29, 2016.
Jelena Ostapenko (LAT), +47 (No.88 to 41): The 18-year-old Latvian made the biggest ranking jump of the week, and with good reason! She headed into the Qatar Total Open having won just one first main draw match all year and ended the week reaching her career first Premier-level final. With that result she jumped to a career high of No.41, joining fellow 18-year-olds Belinda Bencic and Daria Kasatkina in the Top 50. That makes this the first time since the week of April 6, 2009 that there are three players 18 or younger inside the Top 50.
Elena Vesnina (RUS), +29 (No.118 to 89): Elena Vesnina jumps 29 spots after her run to the Qatar Total Open quarterfinals, earning a spot back in the Top 100.
Zheng Saisai (CHN), +10 (No.73 to 63): Jumping up 10 spots to No.63, Zheng Saisai climbed to Chinese No.1, overtaking Zhang Shuai and improving her Olympic qualification bid.
Carla Suárez Navarro (ESP), +5 (No.11 to 6): After winning the biggest title of the week – and of her career – Carla Suárez Navarro is ranked a career-high No.6, putting her within striking distance of her 2016 goal.
UPCOMING TOURNAMENTS
Abierto Monterrey Afirme
Monterrey, Mexico
International | $226,750 | Hard, Outdoors
Monday, February 29 – Sunday, March 6
BMW Malaysian Open
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
International | $226,750 | Hard, Outdoors
Monday, February 29 – Sunday, March 6
BNP Paribas Open
Indian Wells, USA
Premier | $6,134,605 | Hard, Outdoors
Wednesday, March 9 – Sunday March 20
Miami Open
Miami, USA
Premier | $6,134,605 | Hard, Outdoors
Tuesday, March 22 – Sunday, April 3
TOP 2O PLAYER SCHEDULES
1. Serena Williams – Indian Wells, Miami
2. Angelique Kerber -Indian Wells, Miami
3. Agnieszka Radwanska – Indian Wells, Miami
4. Garbiñe Muguruza – Indian Wells, Miami
5. Simona Halep – Indian Wells, Miami
6. Carla Suárez Navarro – Indian Wells, Miami
7. Maria Sharapova – Indian Wells, Miami
8. Belinda Bencic – Indian Wells, Miami
9. Petra Kvitova – Indian Wells, Miami
10. Roberta Vinci – Kuala Lumpur, Indian Wells, Miami
11. Flavia Pennetta – (retired)
12. Venus Williams – Indian Wells, Miami
13. Lucie Safarova – Indian Wells, Miami
14. Timea Bacsinszky – Indian Wells, Miami
15. Victoria Azarenka – Indian Wells, Miami
16. Ana Ivanovic – Indian Wells, Miami
17. Sara Errani – Monterrey, Indian Wells, Miami
18. Svetlana Kuznetsova – Indian Wells, Miami
19. Elina Svitolina – Kuala Lumpur, Indian Wells, Miami
20. Karolina Pliskova – Indian Wells, Miami
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!
Best wishes to those celebrating birthdays this week:
Alexandra Panova (RUS) – March 2, 1989
Nicole Gibbs (USA) – March 3, 1993
Laura Siegemund (GER) – March 4, 1988
Daria Gavrilova (AUS) – March 5, 1994
Marina Erakovic (NZL) – March 6, 1988
Agnieszka Radwanska (POL) – March 6, 1989
MELBOURNE, Australia – No.2 seed Serena Williams put together some high-quality tennis against Lucie Safarova to make her way to the third round and avoid the upset bug sweeping through the Australian Open on Thursday night.
Even to her own high standards, her 6-3, 6-4 victory in the pair’s rematch of their French Open final was impressive, which explains why Serena didn’t have much patience for anyone finding fault in her performance.
Case in point, here’s an exchange between the six-time Australian Open champion and a reporter at her post-match press conference:
Q. Looked a little bit of a scrappy performance. A few more unforced errors, a few double-faults.
SERENA WILLIAMS: I think that’s a very negative thing to say. Are you serious?
Q. Just my observation.
SERENA WILLIAMS: Well, you should have been out there. That wasn’t very kind. You should apologize. Do you want to apologize?
Q. I do. I’m sorry.
SERENA WILLIAMS: Thank you very much. That was a great performance. I played well. She’s a former Top 10 player. The last time we played together was in the finals of a Grand Slam.
You know, it’s not an easy match. She’s a really good player. You have to go for more, which obviously makes a few more errors.
So, yeah, I think it was overall a really good match, on both of our ends.
Moral of the story: Don’t tell Serena Williams she played badly. Especially when she played great.
With the Abierto Monterrey Afirme in full swing, Caroline Wozniacki, Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova and Monica Puig kicked things off by taking a walk on the wild side at the player party.
MELBOURNE, Australia – Revenge is the name of the game on Day 5 at the Australian Open: No.7 seed Garbiñe Muguruza is set to face Anastasija Sevastova, who sent her crashing out in the second round of last year’s US Open. Also in action is World No.1 Angelique Kerber, taking on another big-serving Czech, while Svetlana Kuznetsova and Jelena Jankovic are facing off for the 14th time in their careers.
We preview all the day’s biggest matchups right here on wtatennis.com.
Friday, Third Round
[32] Anastasija Sevastova (LAT #33) vs [7] Garbiñe Muguruza (ESP #7)
Head-to-head: Series tied at 1-1
Key Stat: Muguruza (No.3) is the highest ranked player Sevastova has ever defeated
When Anastasija Sevastova had her big breakthrough at last year’s US Open, Garbiñe Muguruza was the first one to find out. Then ranked No.48, the Latvian stunned Muguruza in the second round en route to the quarterfinals, her best showing ever at a Grand Slam.
Though the Spaniard eventually got her revenge at the Toray Pan Pacific Open, seeing Sevastova’s name in her corner of the draw has to sting. But this time she comes into the matchup with building rhythm and a pair of hard-fought victories under her belt.
“Honestly, I think every match is completely different,” Muguruza told press after her straight-sets victory over Samantha Crawford. “For sure it helps [having two matches under my belt].
“But my next round is a tricky match, I look forward for it. It helped me, playing two matches. I’m going to try to use that.”
Jelena Jankovic (SRB #54) vs [8] Svetlana Kuznetsova (RUS #10)
Head-to-head: Jankovic leads 8-6
Key Stat: Jankovic holds the longest active streak for consecutive Grand Slam main draw appearances (53)
Svetlana Kuznetsova faces her first big test in this Australian Open in the form of long-time rival Jelena Jankovic. Having dropped a combined four games across her previous two matches, Kuznetsova has eased into the third round and conserved precious energy under the draining Aussie summer sun.
But that joyride will get much tougher against fellow WTA veteran and former World No.1 Jankovic as they square up for the 15th time in their careers. Jankovic holds the edge in their head-to-head record at 8-6, but their last match came in 2015 and with Kuznetsova now back inside the Top 10, the Russian is looking to narrow the gap between them.
“My career has been… too long!” Kuznetsova reflected in an on-court interview. “I’ve only been to Australia like 17 times, each January. I just enjoy the game, I have passion for it and still it’s great.”
[1] Angelique Kerber (GER #1) vs Kristyna Pliskova (CZE #58)
Head-to-head: First meeting
Key Stat: Kerber is bidding to be the first player to defend her Australian Open title since Azarenka in 2012-2013
Angelique Kerber is set to face down the booming Pliskova serve once again, but this time it’s not the one she’s used to seeing. Her third-round opponent is Kristyna Pliskova, twin sister of World No.5 Karolina Pliskova.
Apart from the famously powerful serve that runs in the family, it’ll be a whole different match for Kerber. For one, Kristyna is a lefty (Karolina is right-handed) and, ranked No.58, Kristyna has never reached the same heights that her twin has achieved in her career. Without that giant-killing experience under her belt, it’ll be a tough ask for the Czech to complete the huge upset on Rod Laver Arena.
“I don’t know if it’s weird,” Kerber contemplated the prospect of playing against twins. “I mean, [Karolina] is right and [Kristyna] is left-handed. So this is the difference.
“I know that she has a great serve, as well. So, yeah, will looking forward to play against her.”
Cast your vote now for February’s Breakthrough Performance of the Month – Jelena Ostapenko, Daria Kasatkina, Caroline Garcia, or Zheng Saisai?
Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova faced Elina Svitolina in the third round of the Australian Open, looking to pull off an upset.
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia – Eugenie Bouchard continued her recent resurgence with a dominant second-round win over Kurumi Nara at the BMW Malaysian Open on Wednesday.
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Following a difficult 2015, Bouchard has been quietly playing herself back into form with encouraging showings at Shenzhen, Hobart and Doha. Against Nara she impressed once again, breaking four times to wrap up a 6-1, 6-2 victory.
“No match is easy. I was focused on every single point and I just tried to stay aggressive and that worked well today,” Bouchard said.
Struggles on the court and injuries off it precipitated a slide down the rankings for Bouchard. However, with the help of new coach Thomas Hogstedt – whom she teamed up with last autumn – the Canadian is relishing the rebuilding process.
“I’m on the right path, but I’m not expecting it to come in one day,” she added. “I know it’s a long journey and I had a lot of time off because of injury. It’s going to take a least a few months to get back to where I was, but I’m just trying to stay positive and focused on one tournament at a time.
“This is an opportunity to get more matches and that’s what I need right now, so I’m happy I got two here already and I’m looking forward to a couple more, hopefully.”
Rather than instigate a complete overhaul, Hogstedt, whose previous charges include Maria Sharapova, Li Na and Tommy Haas, is tinkering with his new pupil’s game.
“He thinks highly of my game and he really believes in my style of play. We’ve been working a lot on trying to stay low during the point, the footwork a little bit – I play my best when I’m in position for each ball. Some basic things like that, but it’s important to make sure everything’s as good as it can be – if you can improve something 1% it’s important because against the top players it makes a difference.”
There were contrasting fortunes for the other two seeds hoping to join Bouchard in the quarterfinals. No.3 seed Sabine Lisicki overcame a slow start to defeat Barbora Krejcikova, 7-5, 6-3, while former champion and No.7 seed Hsieh Su-Wei went down to Kristina Kucova, 6-1, 3-6, 6-3.