Miami: Johanna Konta vs Pauline Parmentier
Highlights of the third-round clash between Johanna Konta and Pauline Parmentier at the Miami Open.
Highlights of the third-round clash between Johanna Konta and Pauline Parmentier at the Miami Open.
It’s time to vote for March’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, April 8.
March 2016 WTA Player Of The Month Finalists
Victoria Azarenka: Former No.1 Victoria Azarenka became the third woman in WTA history to capture the elusive Indian Wells-Miami “Sunshine” Double – joining Steffi Graf (1994, 1996) and Kim Clijsters). Azarenka showed grit and determination through the BNP Paribas Open, edging past Samantha Stosur and Karolina Pliskova in a pair of tight three-setters before stunning World No.1 Serena Williams in the final, defeating the 21-time Grand Slam champion for the first time since 2013 (Cincinnati). The two-time Australian Open champion backed up her two weeks in Indian Wells by a near-perfect display at the Miami Open, racing through six matches without dropping a set and avenging her Australian Open quarterfinal loss to Angelique Kerber in the semis. With two more titles under her belt for a tour-leading three in 2016, Azarenka is back in the Top 5 for the first time since 2014 and regains the top spot on the Road to Singapore leaderboard.
Serena Williams: Williams continued her solid start to the season with a run to the finals Indian Wells, her first since 2001. The American didn’t drop a set heading into a final but ran into an inspired Azarenka in the final; even then, the American nearly pulled off one of her signature second set comebacks in winning three straight games towards the end of the match. Her quest for a ninth Miami Open title ended in the fourth round at the hands of Svetlana Kuznetsova, who went on to reach the final. Her successful month of March ends with her still atop the WTA rankings and No.3 on the Road to Singapore leaderboard
Svetlana Kuznetsova: Kuznetsova has been another one of the in form players to start 2016. Having already won a title at the Apia International Sydney, Kuznetsova served out a third career victory over Serena Williams and won a total of four three-set matches to reach her first Miami final since she won the title in 2006. Her best match of the tournament, however, came in a two-set victory over Timea Bacsinszky when she overcame multiple break points to defeat the resurgent Swiss in the semifinals.
2016 Winners
January: Angelique Kerber
February: Carla Suárez Navarro
How it works:
Finalists are selected by wtatennis.com
Winner is then determined by a fan vote on wtatennis.com
Highlights from Madison Keys’ matchup with Lara Arruabarrena at the Miami Open.
KATOWICE, Poland – Kirsten Flipkens has only been in Katowice a few days but it has already been a highly productive stay.
At Sunday’s player party she took home the much-coveted Katowice Open frame juggling title, before getting back to the business in hand the following evening, booking a second-round spot with a brisk win over Donna Vekic.
However, not content, the Belgian spent her day off in search of another prize: the Ricoh camera on offer for the player who could hit the most ‘tweeners’ in 30 seconds.
After completing seven in the allotted time, Flipkens found herself tied for first place with Demi Schuurs. In the subsequent tie-break, things did not go entirely to plan…
Now you all know why they call me Flipper (the flippin' dolphin!) ???? https://t.co/k7pjYZ9f0e
— Kirsten Flipkens (@FlipperKF) April 5, 2016
Venus Williams won a battle of WTA veterans against Svetlana Kuznetsova, wrapping up the Monday night session and snatching the final Miami Open quarterfinal spot.
Tuesday
Quarterfinals
[2] Karolina Pliskova (CZE #3) vs. [26] Mirjana Lucic-Baroni (CRO #29)
Head-to-head: Tied, 3-3
Key Stat: Pliskova and Lucic-Baroni have played three-setters in each of their last three meetings.
Mirjana Lucic-Baroni has already matched her total of Top 10 wins from the previous four seasons by notching three in 2017 and, on Sunday, the 35-year-old will try to make it four when she meets No.2 seed Karolina Pliskova in her first Miami Open quarterfinal.
Pliskova, who is in the Miami quarterfinals for the second time, knows it will be a challenge. She was knocked off by Lucic-Baroni in January, falling 6-4, 3-6, 6-4 to the Croatian in the quarterfinals at the Australian Open, and their last three battles have all gone the distance.
“She’s always tough,” Pliskova told WTA Insider on Monday after easing past Barbora Strycova in straight sets. “She has a big game and it was close in Australia.”
The head-to-head points to a toss-up but Pliskova comes in as the favorite based on her ranking and the expectations she has set by becoming one of the most lethal players in the last 52 weeks. Now the No.1 Czech, Pliskova is expected to come through these types of matches and she certainly has the game to do it. But how can she keep her veteran opponent off balance so that her blistering groundstrokes don’t take over the match? It’s a task that has proved difficult for many this season and it will be interesting to see how Pliskova approaches playing Lucic-Baroni from a tactical perspective.
Lucic-Baroni, meanwhile, will approach the challenge of facing Pliskova’s game with no fear. She’s playing some of the best tennis of her life – why shouldn’t the fairytale continue?
“It’s always nice when you beat a top player and then beat them again not too long after, so it’s not a ‘fluke,'” Lucic-Baroni said last week in Miami after defeating No.5-seeded Agnieszka Radwanska for the second time this season. “I know people like to say stupid things sometimes. But I don’t pay attention to that. I know I can play some great tennis and that’s really all I care about doing.”
Pick: Pliskova in three
First #WTA Premier Mandatory Quarterfinal!
Mirjana Lucic-Baroni downs Mattek-Sands at @MiamiOpen! pic.twitter.com/h4SjEMPJj3
— WTA (@WTA) March 27, 2017
[12] Caroline Wozniacki (DEN #14) vs. Lucie Safarova (CZE #36)
Head-to-head: Wozniacki leads, 4-3
Key Stat: Wozniacki’s 21 victories in 2017 place her second on tour.
Caroline Wozniacki is back in the last eight of the Miami Open for the fifth time overall and the first time since 2014, and the Dane faces a former Top 10 player on the rise in Lucie Safarova. The Czech secured her first Top 10 win since 2015 when she defeated World No.4 Dominika Cibulkova on Monday in straight sets. If that doesn’t give you an idea of what type of form the 30-year-old Czech is in, consider this: Safarova’s 16 wins in the first three months of the season are already more than she had in all of 2016. She has yet to drop a set this week and has reached the Miami Open quarterfinals for the first time on her 12th career appearance.
Can the southpaw take it a step further and shut down Wozniacki on Tuesday? It will be a difficult task. Wozniacki has won three of her last four against Safarova and is running hot as she prepares to play her sixth quarterfinal of the season. The match will likely hinge on how well Wozniacki can implement her return tactics against Safarova’s serve. The Czech entered the tournament ranked fourth in percentage of service games won this season, while Wozniacki ranked No.6 in percentage of return games won.
Pick: Wozniacki in three
By the Numbers
4 – Number of wins that Lucic-Baroni notched at Miami from 1998 to 2016. She will try to win her fourth match of the 2017 tournament against Pliskova.
22 – Pliskova took over the WTA lead in wins for 2017 with her 22nd win on Monday.
9 – Number of times that Caroline Wozniacki has reached at least the quarterfinal in her last ten tournaments.
16 – Lucie Safarova’s 16 wins (16-6) in 2017 have already surpassed her win total for all of 2016 (15-18).
MADRID, Spain – All of the world’s best players have been confirmed to attend the 16th Mutua Madrid Open, which starts on May 6.
With the exception of the injured Petra Kvitova, the field is as strong as it possibly could be according to the WTA rankings – with the returning Maria Sharapova also granted a wildcard along with four other players, to be announced.
To complete the 64-player main draw for the Mutua Madrid Open, eight players will come through the qualifying stages.
Fifth seeded Simona Halep is the reigning champion in a recent roll of honour that has seen Serena Williams triumph twice (2012, 2013) and Sharapova in 2014. The tournament will mark Williams’ return to action, the former champion having struggled with a knee injury since winning the Australian Open.
The @WTA Stars ⭐️ are coming back to Madrid! ☺️. Complete list of players: https://t.co/npBfnToFP5 ?? pic.twitter.com/mYiZUTRz4x
— Mutua Madrid Open (@MutuaMadridOpen) March 28, 2017
Kvitova is also a two-time winner of the event and tournament director Manolo Santana used the announcement as an opportunity to dedicate a few words to the absent champion.
“I would like to send my best wishes and affection to Petra Kvitova, who is unable to play this year for reasons I am sure you are all aware of,” he said. “I have special admiration for Petra’s capacity to overcome adversity and I would love to see her back here fighting for her third title next year.”
The players registered for the Mutua Madrid Open are:
1. Angelique Kerber
2. Serena Williams
3. Karolina Pliskova
4. Dominika Cibulkova
5. Simona Halep
6. Garbiñe Muguruza
7. Svetlana Kuznetsova
8. Agnieszka Radwanska
9. Madison Keys
10. Elina Svitolina
11. Johanna Konta
12. Venus Williams
13. Elena Vesnina
14. Caroline Wozniacki
15. Timea Bacsinszky
16. Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova
17. Kristina Mladenovic
18. Samantha Stosur
19. Barbora Strycova
20. Kiki Bertens
21. Coco Vandeweghe
22. Caroline Garcia
23. Carla Suárez Navarro
24. Anastasija Sevastova
25. Daria Gavrilova
26. Timea Babos
27. Irina-Camelia Begu
28. Mirjana Lucic-Baroni
29. Roberta Vinci
30. Ana Konjuh
31. Yulia Putintseva
32. Zhang Shuai
33. Lauren Davis
34. Ekaterina Makarova
35. Lucie Safarova
36. Katerina Siniakova
37. Alison Riske
38. Laura Siegemund
39. Monica Puig
40. Lesia Tsurenko
41. Daria Kasatkina
42. Peng Shuai
43. Alizé Cornet
44. Monica Niculescu
45. Christina McHale
46. Julia Goerges
47. Naomi Osaka
48. Yaroslava Shvedova
49. Misaki Doi
50. Kristyna Pliskova
51. Viktorija Golubic
CHARLESTON, SC, USA – Top seed Angelique Kerber eased into the Volvo Car Open semifinal with a 6-2, 6-3 victory over Irina-Camelia Begu.
Watch highlights, interviews and more video from Charleston right here on wtatennis.com!
Kerber had lost two of her three encounters with the big-hitting Romanian in 2015, but Begu had a much tougher road to reach the quarterfinals, saving a match point to defeat Monica Puig in a third set tie-break on Thursday night.
“I think I was mentally there,” the Australian Open champion told Andrew Krasny during her on-court interview. “I was trying to focus on myself because it’s always tough to play against her. Sometimes you lose your rhythm against her, so that’s what I was focusing on: just trying to go for it, move good on clay and just win the match because I remember the last match against her, I lost! So I was trying my best to win the match.
“I feel the love. The people here are so nice, so I’m just feeling welcome here. You have the best food here and I have so many great memories from last year, so it gives me confidence to play good tennis.”
Begu tried her best to force in the issue in the second set, hitting 23 winners to 18 from Kerber overall, but 35 unforced errors proved her undoing as Kerber hit only nine through the 72 minute match – four in the second set alone.
“I’m feeling better and better on clay. I think I’m getting used to it and it’s just so great to be back in the semis. I love Charleston and I’ve had a great week so far, so I’m just enjoying it here and hoping to have two more matches!”
What an angle from @AngeliqueKerber ?? #VCO2016 https://t.co/iJfpIzPAwX
— WTA (@WTA) April 8, 2016
Kerber needs to defeat Sloane Stephens to hold onto the No.2 ranking – which she briefly lost to WTA Finals champion Agnieszka Radwanska after Indian Wells – but the win over Begu has already guaranteed her return to the top of the Road To Singapore leaderboard, ousting Sunshine Double winner Victoria Azarenka.
“Sloane, she’s a great player, I know, and I played a few times against her already,” she said after the match. “I will just try to go out against her and try to take the challenge, playing a good match. So just enjoy it against her.”
Stephens won a marathon encounter with Kasatkina, who was in her first Premier level quarterfinal on clay courts. Rolling through the opening set, things were tight in the second as Kasatkina snuck away with a late break of serve to level the match. Down a match point, the young American caught fire once more, winning the final 11 points to book an ecounter with Kerber on her 37th winner.
“You guys were awesome,” she said after the match, addressing the crowd. “I’m so excited to be in the semis. it’s my best result in six years, so it’s about time I won some matches here!
“I was just fighting for every point. Obviously the conditions were really tough and I was playing a really good player. She’s had some really good results, so I knew from the beginning that it was going to be a battle. The wind and we’re on clay court were a lot of factors, so I’m happy I stayed calm and played my game.”
Semifinal for @SloaneStephens! Saves a match point to defeat Kasatkina, 6-1, 5-7, 7-5. #VCO2016 https://t.co/kXUmZidHaJ
— WTA (@WTA) April 8, 2016
Caroline Wozniacki’s excellent run of form continued as she overcame Madison Brengle 6-2, 6-2 in the first round of the BGL BNP Paribas Luxembourg Open.
The Dane, who has lost just three matches since the US Open and won the Toray Pan Pacific Open and the Hong Kong Open in recent months, suffered a slow start to the match, dropping serve in the opening game.
However, Brengle’s lead was short-lived, with Wozniacki finding her range and winning six games in a row to take the set. She carried her good form into the second set, skipping into a 5-0 lead and though she dropped serve and was unable to complete the bagel, she recovered to book her place in the next round.
Top seed Petra Kvitova also cruised through her opening encounter, beating Su-Wei Hsieh 7-5, 6-0.
The two-time Wimbledon champion went ahead early, breaking the World No.81 in her second game but she was unable to consolidate her advantage. Hsieh had the chance to serve for the set at 5-4, but was broken to love and lost serve again when trying to force a tiebreak.
From then on, Kvitova was well on top and did not lose a single game in the second set.
Kristyna Pliskova had to battle from a set behind to beat Oceane Dodin 3-6, 6-3, 6-4.
The Czech broke in the opening game of the match but her advantage was short-lived as she saved seven break points before eventually succumbing to the pressure on the eighth. Dodin subsequently broke to love to move ahead and was able to serve out the set.
In a tight second set, Pliskova eventually went ahead in the penultimate game and held her nerve to level the match. After being broken in the first game of the decider, Dodin failed to get back on level terms and exited the tournament.
Meanwhile, Misaki Doi’s defence of her Luxembourg title came to a premature end at the hands of American qualifier Lauren Davis, who emerged with a highly creditable 6-1, 6-2 victory.
The No.6 seed never found her feet and slipped to a 4-0 deficit before she won her only game of the first set.
She began the second in better form, moving a break up in the first game but she soon four successive games. Davis made no mistake from there and the World No.85 emerged from the match with a famous scalp.
Kiki Bertens had no such problems in progressing, though she had to overcome a plucky Annika Beck to secure her 6-4, 6-4 victory.
The Dutchwoman had led 5-2 and seemed to be cruising in the first set but the German got back on terms, only to lose her serve once more. Bertens let a break slip again in the second set but, with Beck serving to stay in the match, the No.3 seed broke to book her place in the second round.
Meanwhile, Mona Barthel cruised past Carina Witthoeft 6-1, 6-4, Johanna Larsson brushed Pauline Parmentier aside 6-4, 6-2, Tereza Smitkova defeated Sorana Cirstea 6-3, 6-3 and Andrea Petkovic survived a scare to defeat Mandy Minella 1-6, 7-5, 6-4.
As we reach the business end of the Miami Open, there’s plenty going on – on court and on social media. Lucie Safarova, Sorana Cirstea and more have been posting their pics!