Miami: Garbiñe Muguruza vs Caroline Wozniacki
Highlights from the match between Garbiñe Muguruza and Caroline Wozniacki.
Highlights from the match between Garbiñe Muguruza and Caroline Wozniacki.
Same name, same game? Not if you’re Daria Gavrilova and Daria Kasatkina, two of the most impressive young risers of the 2016 season.
Each have earned career-high rankings this year despite a fire and ice on-court contrast. Gavrilova’s boundless energy and big cuts at the ball have earned her big wins over Petra Kvitova and Simona Halep. Kasatkina’s steadier rise and smoother swings helped her begin the season by beating Venus Williams and Timea Bacsinszky.
Off the court, the pair are completely in-sync, finishing each others sentences and joking about everything from their first meeting on the singles court at last year’s US Open to their decision to play doubles this summer. Celebrate the one-year friendaversary of “The Dashas” – or Dasha and DashKa – courtesy of a chat with WTA Insider, held after their first round win over Gabriela Dabrowski and María José Martínez Sánchez:
Huge thanks to @CincyTennis for giving @DKasatkina and I a WC into doubles! pic.twitter.com/4nKfFodQtV
— Daria Gavrilova (@Daria_gav) August 15, 2016
On how they met…
GAVRILOVA: Well, I was meant to play Maria Sharapova…
KASATKINA: It’s a nice story! I got lucky loser.
GAVRILOVA: She got a lucky loser, and I only found out two hours before I was going to bed, and I was like, ‘Who is this girl?’ I had no idea.
KASATKINA: I knew her for a lot of years, and she didn’t remember.
GAVRILOVA: She was telling me that she and her brother both knew me.
KASATKINA: Short memory; it’s ok, Dasha!
GAVRILOVA: They were watching me when I was younger.
KASATKINA: Oh yes, we were big fans!
GAVRILOVA: After the French Open this year, we decided to play doubles together.
KASATKINA: No! I think at the end of the year, we’d already started talking about it…
GAVRILOVA: But at the time, I was set with Svitolina and she was playing with Vesnina. So we were thinking, ‘What are we going to do?’
KASATKINA: We started at Wimbledon.
GAVRILOVA: We did all right there.
KASATKINA: We did two rounds!
On becoming friends…
GAVRILOVA: First, we said hello to each other last year. After I lost to her, I came up and said, ‘Hey Dasha, good luck tomorrow!’ But she was so scared of me. She was shy.
KASATKINA: Because after the match, you went off the court and you started to scream at your coach.
GAVRILOVA: She was 18 and super new on tour. She was scared of everything…
KASATKINA: …And she was so experienced already.
GAVRILOVA: Our match was a big battle, and I had a few tough calls there.
KASATKINA: It was such big motivation for me; I had to take my chances.
GAVRILOVA: But I went up to her after the match because I’m kind of normal, I guess.
KASATKINA: And I was still under pressure, saying, ‘Thank you.’
GAVRILOVA: Now we practice more together with the doubles and stuff. But Montréal was our first singles practice. In Indian Wells, we still didn’t really know each other much. I don’t know when we started hanging out.
KASATKINA: I’m not sure either. Little by little.
@DKasatkina was very keen for some sushi ???? pic.twitter.com/aSeleaXKNm
— Daria Gavrilova (@Daria_gav) July 23, 2016
On whether they talk tennis…
KASATKINA: This year, I asked her what it’s like to defend points, because of Rome.
GAVRILOVA: I did all right there.
KASATKINA: You made it pretty good.
GAVRILOVA: But her coach is experienced, so he gives good advice.
KASATKINA: My coach, he is. He is.
On doubles strategy…
GAVRILOVA: Well, we know we’re good from the baseline…
KASATKINA: You mean good from behind?
GAVRILOVA: And at Wimbledon, it really works, you know, to just grind on the grass.
KASATKINA: Yeah, it really works. Spin the ball, kick serve.
GAVRILOVA: We probably do a lot more of standing across from each other at the baseline, more than other doubles teams.
KASATKINA: But now we’re starting to play more of a doubles game. More normal.
On beating doubles specialists in their first round…
GAVRILOVA: I’d played them at the French Open with Elina, so I kind of knew what to expect. Our coaches studied them a little bit. We knew what was coming, so we played to our strengths. Yesterday we practiced for two hours…
KASATKINA: Only doubles.
GAVRILOVA: We didn’t really have a chance to practice doubles. Before Montréal, we got a wildcard and didn’t have to do anything.
KASATKINA: Montréal? Cincinnati!
GAVRILOVA: Oh, Cincinnati, yeah.
KASATKINA: Before the Olympics, we didn’t play doubles because of that. So I played with a Russian player. Dasha had to play with Australian player.
GAVRILOVA: So in our first match Cincinnati, we didn’t know what was happening, or what to do.
KASATKINA: We played not so good.
GAVRILOVA: But now that we’re doing some doubles training, we’ll get our stuff together.
Dasha squared… love them! pic.twitter.com/T3BYQXXYp0
— James Peeling (@Moo_Tennis) September 1, 2016
On doubles helping singles…
GAVRILOVA: Well, after losing in the first round, we were really excited to be playing doubles!
KASATKINA: Hey, our singles matches were very good!
GAVRILOVA: No, we saw each other in the locker room. I think I finished just before her…
KASATKINA: I came into the changing room, and she was sitting, talking on the phone. I looked at her; she looked at me.
GAVRILOVA: We just gave each other a big hug.
KASATKINA: And time stops!
GAVRILOVA: We hugged for like 10 minutes, sitting there like, ‘Oh, man…’
KASATKINA: It was so bad, asking each other what happened in our matches.
GAVRILOVA: We were complaining like, ‘I worked so hard,’ and she was saying, ‘I did too.’ We didn’t talk about doubles though.
KASATKINA: We forgot about doubles.
GAVRILOVA: But we had dinner together – actually, she’d already had dinner, but we hung out after for a little bit.
KASATKINA: We had a little lemonade!
GAVRILOVA: We ordered lemonade, asking like, ‘There is no alcohol, right?’ So we had to have two lemonades.
KASATKINA: The lady comes and asks us what we want to drink; they had Sprite, and the lemonade.
GAVRILOVA: She told us it was French, and I was like, ‘It’s not champagne, right?’ They said no, and we were like, ‘Great!’
Follow Dasha on Twitter @Daria_gav, and DashKa on Twitter @DKasatkina.
Stat of the day from Day 7 of the Miami Open, presented with SAP.
Carla Suárez Navarro won the biggest title of her career on Saturday, beating 18-year-old Jelena Ostapenko 1-6, 6-4, 6-4 to win the Qatar Total Open. The title was Suárez Navarro’s second in her career and boosts her up to a career-high No.6 in the rankings – and No.2 in the Road to Singapore standings.
It was a busy but successful week for the Spaniard in Doha, who also made the doubles final with Sara Errani. The 27-year-old has once again started the season well, having made the semifinals at the Brisbane International, quarterfinals at the Australian Open, and capping off the first two months of the season with the big win in Doha. En route to the title, Suárez Navarro stunned No.3 Agnieszka Radwanska in the semifinals, 6-2, 6-0, avenging a straight set loss in Melbourne, and then rallied from a set down to stop Ostapenko’s precocious charge towards her first title.
WTA Insider caught up with Suárez Navarro after a long day of back-to-back finals, to talk about her her renewed sense of calm and ambition in 2016.
WTA Insider: So be honest: how tired are you?
Suárez Navarro: I feel really tired. I played five days, two matches every day, long days. But I’m really really happy.
Insider: I wanted to talk first about your mentality. The first set went by very quickly. What were you telling yourself after losing the first set 6-1?
Suárez Navarro: I started a little bit nervous. She played really fast and with no pressure. But when I finished the first set I just tried to listen to my coach, what he said to me. I just believed, I fought until the end. I had a really good comeback in the end.
Insider: It was a similar match to when you beat Daria Gavrilova at the Australian Open, when you lost the first set 6-0 but went on to win. What improvements have you made mentally that has helped you get through matches like this?
Suárez Navarro: I want to learn about all these matches. I lost in some matches the first set so easy. Sometimes it’s because my opponent played good, but sometimes it’s because I don’t start with the focus, the intensity that the match needed. Then I have to come back. Sometimes it’s not easy. I have to work with my mind, with my mentality, to try and start better in these kinds of matches.
Insider: When you play against a player like Ostapenko, who was hitting so many winners, I thought you would get more defensive in the second set. But you actually got more aggressive.
Suárez Navarro: Yeah.
Insider: That was surprising.
Suárez Navarro: It was a combination of both. I was at the back of the court, but I was also playing aggressive. I had to be there running and taking the time a little bit because she was playing fast and it’s not easy when they play fast to me. I stayed a little bit more in the back of the court but when I had to play aggressive I hit some really good points.
Insider: You said in January that your big goal for this year was to be more aggressive. Was today an example of that?
Suárez Navarro: Not at the first set, but I think in the final set I played really aggressive. With my backhand I played more aggressive than with my forehand. I felt more confident today at the end of the match with my backhand. That helped me win the match.
Insider: Last year you were incredibly consistent in the first half of the year. This year you said you wanted to focus more on the big tournaments. How successful have you been with that?
Suárez Navarro: I started really good in Melbourne. I had good matches there. I lost to Aga. I want to take the experience of last year to play better in the Grand Slams. The Grand Slams are really important tournaments and when you are in the Top 20, you want to win good tournaments, big tournaments. You have to be there. I think the key is working and practicing really hard.
Insider: What does winning Doha, the biggest title of your career, mean to you?
Suárez Navarro: It’s special. I lost three finals the last year and it’s my second title. It’s a good feeling. I feel good, I feel happy.
Insider: At the start of the year you said your goal was to get into the Top 5. You’re up to No.6 now. Do you feel like a Top 5 player right now?
Suárez Navarro: I feel really, really close. I know all the top players, I know if you want to be in the Top 5 you have to have good tournaments like this or like Melbourne to take points. Also, at the tournaments where there are all the top players, I know I’m close. But I know the year is very long. I want to take the experience of last year where I start really good but I lost confidence a little bit and I couldn’t end the year inside the Top 10. But I know the key and I know the things I have to do to be there. But I’m really excited about No.6 and I’m really close to No.5.
Insider: Do you think that experience paid off today against Ostapenko?
Suárez Navarro: Yeah, for sure. She’s young. I was young in my years and I know how you feel when you have to finish the match, no? It’s not easy in the final. For sure the experience was one of the keys of the night.
Insider: Are you going to give your sports psychologist a bonus for some of the work you guys have done together? It seems mentally you’re playing much stronger this year.
Suárez Navarro: Yeah (laughs). You have to take the experience and be stronger every day and every tournament. This is the way, this is the key. To feel good, feel healthy and stronger.
Insider: What are you going to do to celebrate?
Suárez Navarro: I don’t know (laughs}. Here, it’s too late. I will go to the hotel and try and have dinner there. Tomorrow I fly back home but I leave in the morning and I arrive in the night. It’s not an easy flight. I will celebrate tonight, but I want to sleep. My celebration will be on my bed.
All photos courtesy of Getty Images.
After a long illness, Australian tennis journalist Alan Trengove passed away on Thursday night aged 87.
Trengove’s career began in 1945 as a Fleet Street copy boy, soon graduating to become a reporter at one of the city’s many local papers before accompanying his parents back to their native Australia in 1949.
Over the next 60 years, Trengove established himself as one of Australia’s most respected sports journalists, covering the tennis beat with particular distinction – attending over 130 Grand Slam tournaments. He was the founder of Australian Tennis Magazine and the author of 16 non-fiction books including half a dozen about tennis, among their number The Story of Australia and the Davis Cup and The Art of Tennis.
And his talents were not restricted to the field of sport, either. Indeed, the man known as ‘The White Knight’ of journalism’s subjects ranged from political leaders and business moguls to light entertainers.
In 1990, Trengove was inducted into the Sport Australia Hall of Fame. More recently, he was recognized for his contribution to the tennis at the 2005 Australian Sports Commission Media Awards, and at Wimbledon in 2008 collected the ATP’s Ron Bookman Award for Media Excellence.
He is survived by wife Joan, children Chris, Deborah and Kim, and his seven grandchildren, Eleanor, Megan, Laura, Anna, Jessy, Bede and Nathaniel.
Karolina Pliskova reflects on her performance against Mirjana Lucic-Baroni at the Miami Open.
It’s time to vote for February’s WTA Player of the Month!
Have a look at the nominees and cast your vote before Thursday at 11:59pm ET! The winner will be announced Friday, March 4.
February 2016 WTA Player Of The Month Finalists
Roberta Vinci: The 33-year-old Italian continued her career renaissance in February, all capped off when she became the oldest woman to make her Top 10 debut following a title run at the St. Petersburg Ladies Trophy. No.2 seed in St. Petersburg, Vinci earned back-to-back wins over former No.1 Ana Ivanovic and top seeded Belinda Bencic, who recently became the youngest new member of the Top 10 in six years. A finalist at last year’s US Open, Vinci played some spectacular tennis through the Middle Eastern Swing, as well, narrowly losing a classic to World No.3 Agnieszka Radwanska in Doha.
Sara Errani: Not to be outdone, Errani displayed vintage form through the Middle East Swing, winning the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships over Barbora Strycova in the final. Playing doubles with Carla Suárez Navarro, Errani also excelled on the doubles court, reaching the semis in Dubai and the final at the Qatar Total Open, losing to sisters Chan Hao-Ching and Chan Yung-Jan. Her run in Dubai brought her back into the Top 20 and her highest ranking since last August at No.17.
Carla Suárez Navarro: The Spaniard ended the Middle East Swing with a bang – and a win in Doha – defeating 18-year-old Jelena Ostapenko, 1-6, 6-4, 6-4 in the final. Along with her solid doubles results, Suárez Navarro dropped just two games against Radwanska in the semifinals, and rocketed up to a career-high ranking of No.6. The veteran declared a Top 5 ranking to be her goal in 2016, and has nearly accomplished that feat in two months following a strong start to the season that also saw her reach the quarterfinals of the Australian Open.
2016 Winners
January: Angelique Kerber
How it works:
Finalists are selected by wtatennis.com
Winner is then determined by a fan vote on wtatennis.com
NEW YORK, NY, USA – History is on the line on Saturday night as Angelique Kerber looks to mark her coronation as World No.1 by defeating Karolina Pliskova in the final of the US Open.
Before the two face off on Arthur Ashe Stadium, here are 10 points to ponder…
(2) Angelique Kerber (GER #2) vs (10) Karolina Pliskova (CZE #11)
Head-To-Head: Kerber leads Pliskova, 4-3
1) We meet again.
Kerber and Pliskova are making a habit of locking horns at the business end of tournaments. In fact, their past three encounters have all come with the silverware on the line. The most recent of these came just three weeks ago in the Cincinnati, where Pliskova played some brutal tennis to break down Kerber’s defenses for the loss of only four games. This gained a modicum of revenge for a couple of painfully close losses the previous summer in Birmingham and Stanford.
2) Mixed record in finals.
For all Kerber’s success in recent years, she still has a mixed record in finals. Although the German has broken the final hoodoo she suffered earlier in her career – between June 2012 and August 2014 she lost eight of nine – her overall win-loss record stands at 9-14. Pliskova, too, has a history of near misses, winning only six of the 15 she has contested
3) Kerber was eight years old the last time a German appeared in the US Open final.
Kerber is bidding to become the first German woman to win the US Open since her idol Steffi Graf won the last of her five titles, in 1996. The last Czech to reach the final was Helena Sukova, in 1993. Her conqueror? Graf. Hana Mandlikova, in 1985, is to date the only Czech player to go all the way at Flushing Meadows.*
* Czech-born Martina Navratilova won in 1983, 1984, 1986, 1987, but by that time was representing the United States
4) Breaking new ground.
In her 17 Grand Slam appearances prior to arriving in New York, Pliskova had never reached the second week. The last player to reach a major final having never previously been beyond the third round was Amélie Mauresmo at the 1999 Australian Open. Since 1988 Australian Open (when all majors switched to 128-draws) no player has won a Grand Slam on their first venture into the second week. The closest was Serena Williams, who reached the fourth round at Roland Garros in 1999 then won US Open later that same year.
5) Kerber is trying to win multiple majors.
Should Kerber prevail she will become the first player not named Serena to win multiple majors in a calendar year since Justine Henin did so in 2007.
6) On a roll.
Pliskova is currently on an 11-match winning streak. The only time in her career she has gone longer without tasting defeat came way back in 2011, when she won 12 on the spin on the ITF Circuit in the Far East.
This current run came within a point of ending against Venus Williams in the fourth round. Navratilova is the only woman in Open Era to win the US Open title having saved match point – in 1986 she saved three in her semifinal versus Graf.
7) Achieving the Serena-Venus double.
Pliskova is just the eighth woman to beat both Williams sisters at the same tournament, the fourth at a Grand Slam and third at the US Open. The two players to have done so at Flushing Meadows, Justine Henin (2007) and Kim Clijsters (2009) both went on to win the tournament.
8) Kerber not the only one on the rise.
Serena’s semifinal defeat ensured Kerber will become the 22nd player to reach No.1 in the rankings. Pliskova is also on the march too, guaranteeing herself a career-high ranking of No.6 by reaching the final (she would go to No.5 with the title).
Meanwhile, the results in the Big Apple have caused a slight reshuffle on the Road To Singapore leaderboard, with Pliskova leapfrogging Simona Halep, Agnieszka Radwanska, Garbiñe Muguruza, Dominika Cibulkova and Carla Suárez Navarro and Madison Keys into third place; the top two, Kerber and Williams, have both already secured qualification for the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global.
9) Kerber’s unblemished record.
Kerber has not dropped a set on her way to the final. The last player to win a major without losing a set was Serena at the 2014 US Open.
10) The exclusive leftie club.
Kerber is attempting to become just the third left-hander to win the title. The other three were Evelyn Sears (1907) Navratilova (1983, 1984, 1986, 1987) and Monica Seles (1991, 1992).
MIAMI, FL, USA – Nearly two decades after her first Indian Wells/Miami “Sunshine Double,” former World No.1 Martina Hingis is on the precipice of a third with new partner and fellow top doubles star, Chan Yung-Jan.
Hingis’ first double came with two different partners back in 1999, winning the BNP Paribas Open with Anna Kournikova and the Miami Open with Jana Novotna; the Swiss Miss followed that up at long last with Sania Mirza in 2015, kickstarting what became the most dominant partnership of the last decade, foreshadowing a 41-match winning streak and a run through three straight major titles at Wimbledon, the US Open, and Australian Open.
The idea to partner with Chan first came about Down Under, when Hingis was still playing with CoCo Vandeweghe and the Taiwanese No.1 was one half of a sister act with Chan Hao-Ching.
on to the semis! @YungJan_Chan pic.twitter.com/NBuIhmUKJm
— Martina Hingis (@mhingis) March 29, 2017
“It started at a practice in Melbourne, when we were sharing a court,” Chan, who also goes by Latisha, told WTA Insider after their straight-set win over Andreja Klepac and María José Martínez Sánchez. “I was hitting with Angel, my sister. Martina and I stayed on the same side of court and played some points together.
“At one point, she said that if Angel can’t play with me because of injuries or some other reason, to give her a call, and she’d be happy to play with me. I was so flattered! But I didn’t tell her that.”
The sisters split after defending their home title in Chinese Taipei, and she found herself back on the same side as Hingis by the start of the Middle East Swing.
“My sister and I didn’t do well at the Australian Open and we started to talk about splitting up, and I think it was great timing.
“We still practice together and watch her matches. It’s kind of like three against two because we have Angel behind us against the other teams.”
great 2 weeks in Indian Wells! thanks to everyone for their support! see you in Miami next! #firsttitletogether pic.twitter.com/fU2qzt3Wcc
— Martina Hingis (@mhingis) March 19, 2017
The pair stuck through tough losses at the Qatar Total Open and the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships, the former for which Hingis takes full responsibility.
“When we started in Doha, I wasn’t quite up to it in the super tie-break, and wasn’t much of a help,” Hingis said. “Otherwise, I think we could have done better there. But Doha and Dubai helped us get a feel for each other and to trust each other, so we know what to do on the court.”
On an eight-match winning streak since winning in Indian Wells, it was clear the duo were already in sync.
“It’s not fair for her to say she wasn’t playing well at the beginning,” Chan immediately disagrees. “I had a similar partner like her, a net player. For me it was easier to adapt, but for her, I might be a little bit different than her previous partners, so she needed more time to understand and get a rhythm.”
“It was good to know that there was actually some consistency from somebody,” Hingis banters back. “I could trust with her, that she was going to put the ball in!”
celebrating our win with a cheesecake! @YungJan_Chan pic.twitter.com/UlOuzL4DPP
— Martina Hingis (@mhingis) March 19, 2017
Both agreed that the fortnight in the California desert was key for their confidence, winning the title without dropping a set against tough teams like Mirza and Barbora Strycova, and World No.1 Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Lucie Safarova.
“In Indian Wells, we got two weeks to practice and be together, having cheesecake and going shopping!” Hingis laughed. “That helped a lot with our communication, and that brought us closer together. That’s why we won and that’s why we’re in the semifinals here.”
Standing between them and a second straight final is Mirza and Strycova in a rematch of last week’s quarterfinal.
“Playing them, it’s one of the best teams out there. We have to take it seriously, and I know they’ll probably want to get back at us from Indian Wells…” Hingis started.
“Everyone around here is going to give you a tough match, and they’re very strong,” Chan finished.
“We’ll just try to play our best tennis and we’ll see how it goes.”
The winning wiggle ????????? pic.twitter.com/db1AYkhLfL
— 詹詠然～YungJan Chan (@YungJan_Chan) March 19, 2017
All photos courtesy of Getty Images.
An action-packed fortnight at the US Open concluded with a final clash between Angelique Kerber and Karolina Pliskova.
After setting the stage with an impressive show and fighter-jet flyover, it was time for the finalists to take to the court at Arthur Ashe Stadium.
Angelique Kerber walked out with the knowledge that when the new rankings came out on Monday, she’d be the new WTA World No.1.
But she had some business to take care of first, in the form of No.10 seed Karolina Pliskova.
Kerber was in search of a second Grand Slam title, after claiming the Australian Open and reaching the Wimbledon final earlier this year.
But Pliskova was on an 11-match winning streak, including wins over Serena Williams and Venus Williams earlier in the Open.
Kerber took the lead in the first set…
…But Pliskova roared back in the second.
Pliskova led by a break in the third set, but the World No.1 fought it off and secured a 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 victory.
Kerber collapsed to the ground in elation, becoming the first German since Steffi Graf to win the US Open title.
After a show of good sportsmanship at the net…
…Kerber ran into the stands to celebrate with her team, including her coach Torben Beltz.
Pliskova had previously won against Kerber in the Cincinnati final, but couldn’t do it again at the US Open.
The finalists were presented with their trophies…
And Kerber’s childhood dream of winning the US Open trophy came true.
It was a great performance from Pliskova, who’d previously never been past the third round of a Slam.
And it was a great fortnight for the new World No.1, who’s getting used to posing with trophies at the end of Grand Slams.
Congratulations Angelique Kerber on a second Grand Slam title!