Tennis News

A blockbuster quarterfinal between former Grand Slam and Roland Garros champions headlines an enticing slate of quarterfinals in Rome on Friday. We preview the matchups right here at wtatennis.com.

Friday, Quarterfinals

[1] Serena Williams (USA #1) vs. [9] Svetlana Kuznetsova (RUS #19)
Head-to-head: Williams leads, 8-3
Key Stat: Williams has won 72 of her last 76 matches on clay.
Less than two months ago Svetlana Kuznetsova sent Serena Williams tumbling from the Miami draw in stunning fashion, winning 12 of the final 15 games to notch her seventh career victory over a reigning World No.1. That victory snapped Williams’ 20-match winning streak at Miami and put Kuznetsova into the quarterfinals at Key Biscayne for the first time since 2009. Here in Rome, Kuznetsova will try to do the unthinkable again. But three-time champion Williams, who owns a 13-match winning streak at Rome, is looking forward to the challenge of trying to make it 14 against one of the game’s hottest players. “I think right now she’s probably one of the best clay-court players,” Williams said of Kuznetsova on Thursday. “I couldn’t ask for a better match going into Roland Garros, so this is a big opportunity for me, win or lose, to see where I am.”

Pick: Williams in three

[3] Garbiñe Muguruza (ESP #4) vs. [11] Timea Bacsinszky (SUI #10)
Head-to-head: Muguruza leads, 3-0
Key Stat: Muguruza has lost just six games in two rounds in Rome.
Is Garbiñe Muguruza ready to put aside her early season frustrations and break out in a big way on the red clay of Rome? She’s been turning heads with lopsided victories in the last two days over Ekaterina Makarova and Jelena Ostapenko, and even the 22-year-old Spaniard has been impressed with her level of execution in Rome. “I’m thinking everything I tried, everything I did, was working,” Muguruza said after her second-round win on Wednesday. Things have been working pretty well for Timea Bacsinszky as well. The Swiss has won 15 of her last 17 on clay and she battled past last year’s runner-up Carla Suárez Navarro in three sets on Thursday to reach the quarterfinals. Bacsinszky likes to dirty it up and frustrate her opponents with death-defying defense, changes of pace and a wicked backhand. To keep rolling, Muguruza will have to patiently deal with those tactics, paint the lines and look to close at net.

Pick: Muguruza in three

Irina-Camelia Begu (ROU #35) vs. Misaki Doi (JPN #45)
Head-to-head: First meeting
Key Stat: Doi is the lowest-ranked quarterfinalist in Rome.
With three quarterfinals on her last four clay events, Irina-Camelia Begu is starting to look more and more like a Roland Garros dark horse every day. The 25-year-old Romanian has secured Top 10 wins in back-to-back weeks on the European clay, taking out Garbiñe Muguruza in Madrid and Victoria Azarenka in the second round here in Rome. On Friday she’ll face the week’s biggest surprise in Japan’s Misaki Doi. Japan’s No.1 had lost seven straight tour-level matches heading into Rome, but after three consecutive wins (including the two best wins of her career on the dirt rankings-wise) she has earned the best clay-court result of her career. Can she keep the dream alive against Begu or will it be the surging Romanian who moves on to the semis?

Pick: Begu in two

Madison Keys (USA #19) vs. Barbora Strycova (CZE #36)
Head-to-head: Tied, 1-1
Key Stat: Both Keys and Strycova have reached their first quarterfinal at Rome.
One immensely talented youngster is questing to live up to the hype in Rome, while a cagey veteran is playing some of her best clay-court tennis to date. Madison Keys and Barbora Strycova have each managed to play some scintillating tennis at the Foro Italico, and as a result they’ll meet for the second time in as many weeks with a spot in the semifinals on the line. 21-year-old Keys, who is in the early days of her relationship with new coach Thomas Hogstedt, defeated Strycova in straight sets last week in Madrid, and the pair have split their two previous meetings to date. Strycova, not known for her clay prowess, notched her first Top 5 win on the surface last week against Angelique Kerber and has not dropped a set thus far in Rome. Opportunity knocks for both Keys and Strycova in the Eternal City – who will answer the bell?

Pick: Keys in three

-Chris Oddo, wtatennis.com contributor

ACAPULCO, Mexico – No.4 seed Monica Puig is into the quarterfinals at the Abierto Mexicano Telcel for the second time after a victory over Daniela Hantuchova, 6-4, 6-4.

“Today I felt a lot better on court than I did yesterday,” Puig said after the match. “I’ve definitely seen an improvement in my game during the past few days.

“And that’s really my goal, to improve every match and not feel pressure, and just go out on court and play the best I can.”

Hantuchova is currently ranked No.244, a position which belies the quality the former World No.5 can produce, and she employed her all-court game against the Olympic champion.

? ? ?

Powerful backhand from @MonicaAce93! #AMT2017 pic.twitter.com/5HeWxwyEMu

— WTA (@WTA) March 1, 2017

Puig shook off a sluggish start in the opening set against Hantuchova, grabbing the lone break at 4-3. She had trouble closing out the set – a struggle she had yesterday against Francesca Schiavone as well. The Puerto Rican had two set points on Hantuchova’s serve, but was unable to convert. She fought off two breaks of her own before sending down a booming serve down the T to take the opening set.

“I’ve had a lot of matches these past few weeks, so having a bit of tension is normal,” Puig explained in her post-match press conference. “The body gets a bit tense after so many matches.”

The Puerto Rican’s big-hitting game clicked together in the final set, weathering five breaks of serve in the first six games to come away with the lead.

A trio of errors from Hantuchova gave Puig a look at three match points, but Hantuchova wasn’t ready to let go. She put together a massive effort to deny Puig five times with gutsy baseline play – and even earned a break point – but Puig took the match on the sixth time of asking for a spot in the Acapulco quarterfinals.

.@MonicaAce93 advances to @AbiertoTelcel Quarterfinals!

Tops Hantuchova 6-4, 6-4! #AMT2017 pic.twitter.com/GgL3uiJeQ9

— WTA (@WTA) March 1, 2017

Puig will take on Christina McHale for a spot in the semifinals after the American knocked out her countrywoman Taylor Townsend 6-1, 7-6(5) earlier in the day.

“Christina is a very good friend of mine, we train together a lot,” Puig said. “It’s going to be a tough match for sure. She’s been playing really well lately, and I expect a great match; I just hope to bring my best tennis.”

Also in action today, Kirsten Flipkens moved into the quarterfinals after her opponent Ajla Tomljanovic – author of yesterday’s stunner over No.6 seed Eugenie Bouchard – was forced to retire after the first set due to a right shoulder injury.

No.7 seed Lesia Tsurenko advanced in similar fashion; she was leading 6-1, 2-0 against Julia Goerges before the German was forced to retire due to heat illness.

ACAPULCO, Mexico – No.5 seed Christina McHale put on an emphatic display to defeat No.4 seed Monica Puig, 6-2, 6-2 to become the first semifinalist at the Abierto Mexicano Telcel.

“I knew it was going to be a tough match going in; she’s got a lot of power,” she said after the match. “I was just trying to defend well because she’s really tough when she’s in control of the points.

“I think I served well today, which helped a lot.”

McHale last played Puig in 2010, and the Puerto Rican star has grown by leaps and bounds since then, becoming the first from her country to claim a gold medal at the Olympic tennis event. But the American, herself fluent in Spanish, acquitted herself well on Thursday, converting all four of her break point opportunities and striking four aces to ease past Puig in just over an hour.

Beautiful backhand cross-court winner from @MonicaAce93! ? #AMT2017 pic.twitter.com/acfuPPQ1Ye

— WTA (@WTA) March 2, 2017

The No.5 seed is into her third semifinal in Acapulco – her best result coming in 2014, when she reached the final – and will play No.2 seed Kristina Mladenovic in the next round.

.@ChristinaMcHale races through the opening set vs Puig 6-2! #AMT2017 pic.twitter.com/MTPWENiZlL

— WTA (@WTA) March 2, 2017

Before she gets there, however, she is due back on court later today for a round of doubles; McHale is the No.4 seed with partner Chuang Chia-Jung and takes on Veronica Cepede Royg and Mariana Duque-Mariño to make two semifinals in the same week.

“I was just focusing on the match, and I’m really happy to be in another semifinal. This is one of my favorite tournaments. I’m excited to be back on court for doubles later.”

.@ChristinaMcHale is first through to the @AbiertoTelcel Semifinals!

Knocks out Puig 6-2, 6-2! #AMT2017 pic.twitter.com/iLFJfXBfeq

— WTA (@WTA) March 2, 2017

ROME, Italy – Serena Williams returned to the final of the Internazionali BNL d’Italia after a comfortable victory over the unseeded Irina-Camelia Begu on Saturday.

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

The Foro Italico has historically been a happy hunting ground for Williams, who has reached the semifinals or better on eight occasions. Three times she has gone on to lift the trophy at the famous old venue, and judging by her performances this week she is in the mood to add to this tally.

Following on from the World No.1’s awe-inspiring display against Svetlana Kuznetsova on Friday evening, few gave Begu much hope of springing an upset. However, the Romanian has been enjoying a fine clay court season and acquitted herself well early on, recovering from an early break to draw level at 4-4.

Unfortunately for Begu, this was as good as it got. Two games later, a sequence of smart returns gave Williams the set and from there she rarely looked like being caught, wrapping up victory after an hour and 26 minutes by ghosting in to punch away a smart volley.

Standing between Williams and her 70th WTA title is fellow American Madison Keys. Earlier in the day Keys maintained her composure after a lengthy rain delay to defeat No.3 seed Garbiñe Muguruza, 7-6(5), 6-4.

Since losing to her sister Venus at Montréal in 2014, Williams has won 15 straight matches against Americans. Her match against Keys will be the first all-American final at the Foro in 46 years.

“I think it will be wonderful because, like I said last time I was in here, I feel like Madison is one of the players that really can be great and she has that potential, and now she’s showing that on all surfaces,” Williams said.

“You know, we’re an all-American final on the clay. It’s been a minute since that’s happened. That’s just – it’s great. It’s really exciting.”

ROME, Italy – Serena Williams emerged victorious in the first all-American final since 2012 – the first on red clay since 2002 – defeating countrywoman Madison Keys, 7-6(5), 6-3, to snap a nine-month title drought and win the Internazionali BNL d’Italia for the fourth time in her illustrious career.

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

“I feel like it was important for me to just go out there like usual,” she said in her post-match press conference. “It’s a totally new match, it’s a different week, you know, and hopefully just win one. If not, hope for next time, next week.”

Playing in her third final of 2016, Williams had spent the season in search of her first title since the Western & Southern Open last summer, and was the heavy favorite to break that duck against Keys, who was playing the biggest final of her career on what had hitherto been her least favorite surface.

“I think no matter how many times you play Serena, you always go in and you can just feel her presence,” Keys said after the match. “That’s always an extra thing that you have to be worried about during the match.

“But for me today it really wasn’t so much about how big the tournament was or anything like that. It was really just wanting to go out and do my best and give my best performance.”

None of that seemed to matter from the outset as Keys unlocked the early break, leading 3-1 in the first set. Williams steadied from there, winning the next three games and later grabbing the opening set in a tie-break.

“I think she’s such a powerful player,” Williams said, backing up her praise of Keys at net, when she predicted her opponent could be a future World No.1. “Obviously going in, I knew that, but I was just trying. I think I was pretty much able to just get back what I could, you know, and that’s all I was trying to do was just to go out there and be consistent, and, yeah, make my shots.”

Serving for the match in the second, there would be one final momentum shift as the 21-time Grand Slam champion was broken one game from the win, but the break was swiftly repaid in kind and Williams was the winner of a 70th career title – the fifth woman to achieve such a total in singles after Martina Navratilova, Chris Evert, Steffi Graf, and Margaret Court. In all, she hit four fewer winners than Keys (13 to 17), but also eight fewer errors (24 to 32), and converted all but one of her six break point chances to seal the match in just under 90 minutes. 

“I'm so proud of you. You can get to World No.1.”@SerenaWilliams to @Madison_Keys #ibi16 pic.twitter.com/LA7lzmOcC3

— WTA (@WTA) May 15, 2016

Missing the Mutua Madrid Open due to illness, Williams was playing her first red clay event of the season; the win in Rome sets her up in good stead to defend her French Open title as she attempts to win her fourth crown there, as well.

“I have tried to defend there once, twice, three times before. 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, like, have to win. You know, I feel like I just am happy to be out here.”

For Keys, it was a breakthrough run; recently pairing with new coach Thomas Hogstedt, the 21-year-old is set to re-enter the Top 20 at No.17 – not too far from her career-high of No.16.

“I think having a couple of Top 10 wins this week was really big for me and playing people who have done very well in Roland Garros and just on clay in general. But I think the biggest thing is just how calm I have stayed on court and really, even in tough situations, stayed calm and collected and just really focused on my game, and I feel like I’m just playing much smarter tennis.”

INCREDIBLE court coverage @SerenaWilliams! ? #ibi16 https://t.co/aOYNs2ggSI

— WTA (@WTA) May 15, 2016

INDIAN WELLS, CA, USA – With less than one week to go until the season’s first WTA Premier Mandatory tournament gets underway, the BNP Paribas Open announced today the recipients for main draw wildcards:

Bethanie Mattek-Sands: won the 2016 BNP Paribas Open doubles title with CoCo Vandeweghe

Nicole Gibbs: advanced to the third round of the 2017 Australian Open

Taylor Townsend: advanced to the third round of the 2014 French Open

Danielle Collins: a two-time NCAA singles winner at the University of Virginia

Irina Falconi: earned her first WTA title in 2016 at Bogota

Kayla Day: 2016 US Open junior champion and USTA Girls’ 18s National winner

Jennifer Brady: made a tremendous run to the 2017 Australian Open Round of 16

Donna Vekic: won the title at Kuala Lumpur at the age of 17

Qualifying wildcards will be announced in the near future. Qualifying rounds will take place Monday and Tuesday, March 6 and 7, with main draw play beginning on Wednesday March 8.