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News | WTA Tennis English

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

MIAMI, FL, USA – Johanna Konta became the first British woman to reach the Miami Open semifinals after coming back from a set down to oust No.3 seed Simona Halep.

Putting an injury-plagued start of the season behind her, Halep came into the matchup after winning consecutive matches for the first time all season here in Miami. And in the quarterfinals, the Romanian even saved match point in her late-night thriller against Sam Stosur.

But she couldn’t pull off the escape once again against Konta, falling 3-6, 7-6(7), 6-2 after a rollercoaster two hours and thirty minutes.

The Brit had to overcome a slow start against Halep, though, as the Romanian came out of the gates firing and would take an early break in the opening set. Loose unforced errors during the initial exchanges cost Konta, and Halep didn’t allow her to settle into a rhythm with her changes of pace.

Dropping the first set only galvanized Konta, as the Brit notched an emphatic break to love and a 3-0 lead. But that’s when things got complicated, and Halep dodged a pair of break points and leveled the match a few games later.

She served for the match at 5-4, and was two points away from victory when Konta denied her, keeping her serve under pressure and rewarded with loose errors.

Into a tiebreaker, Halep once again saw her lead erased as Konta came roaring back from 5-3 down and edged through 9-7.

With the wind in her sails Konta grabbed the lead once again but this time didn’t allow Halep back in. She broke Halep twice to reel off the final five games and complete the comeback.

“It was a really tough match, very high level,” Halep told WTA Insider after the match. “I was so close to winning, I was two points away in the tiebreak, but she played very strong and deserved to win today.

“I’m happy to be here after the break that I had. I’m just disappointed I lost a match I had in my hands. But my confidence is there, the game is there – I just need to play matches.”

Konta be rewarded with a clash against the winner between World No.1 Angelique Kerber and Venus Williams for a chance to go even further and win a spot into her second career Premier Mandatory final.

Should she reach the final, she’s projected to return to the Top 10 after the WTA rankings are released on Monday.

“Whoever I’m playing, I’ll have a battle on my hands that’s for sure,” Konta said. “I’ve played Venus and Angie a few times. They’re going to have a tough battle tonight, and I’m looking forward to playing either of them. Either of them will be a great opportunity for different reasons.”

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WTA Player Of The Month: Kerber

WTA Player Of The Month: Kerber

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

Angelique Kerber came into the 2016 Australian Open having never surpassed the fourth round at the Happy Slam. Two weeks later she left with the title, the No.2 ranking, and a great big smile.

The German had one of the toughest roads to a Grand Slam title in recent memory; in her first Australian Open quarterfinal, she dismissed former No.1 and two-time Australian Open champion Victoria Azarenka in straight sets; Kerber had never beaten Azarenka in six previous attempts and had lost to her in the finals of the Brisbane International to start the season. From there, she ended Johanna Konta’s fairytale run into the semifinals and put on a comprehensive performance in the final against World No.1 Serena Williams. Looking to stop the 21-time Grand Slam champion from tying countrywoman Steffi Graf’s record of major titles, Kerber did one better and became the first German Grand Slam titlist since Graf herself at the 1999 French Open.

“I think in these two weeks, it changed a little bit when I won against Azarenka,” she explained to WTA Insider. “I felt, ‘Ok, I can believe in myself.’ This is actually the only way to win a Grand Slam.

“That was the change that I made in the last few days, to go for it and believe in myself and be aggressive and not hope that someone will give it to me. That was also the key to winning the Australian Open.”

A small shift in mindset took Kerber far from the dangerous floater she once was when she burst onto the scene in 2011 to reached the semifinals of the US Open; it took her all the way to a career-high ranking and helped her become January’s WTA Player of the Month!

Final Results for January’s WTA Player Of The Month

1. Angelique Kerber (41%)
2. Serena Williams (28%)
3. Agnieszka Radwanska (21%)
4. Victoria Azarenka (10%)

Angelique Kerber

2015 WTA Player of the Month Winners

October: Agnieszka Radwanska
September: Flavia Pennetta
August: Belinda Bencic
July: Samantha Stosur
June: Serena Williams
May: Serena Williams
April: Angelique Kerber
March: Serena Williams
February: Simona Halep
January: Serena Williams

How it works:

Four finalists are selected by wtatennis.com
Winner is then determined by a fan vote on wtatennis.com 

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Ivanovic Passes Gasparyan Test

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

ST. PETERSBURG, Russia – No.4 seed Ana Ivanovic faced stiff opposition in talented young Russian, Margarita Gasparyan, but the Serb overcame the challenge in her opening match at the St. Petersburg Ladies Trophy to reach the quarterfinals, 7-5, 6-2.

Gasparyan made a splash to start the 2016 season, reaching the fourth round of the Australian Open, and kept things close in the opening set against Ivanovic, who fell in the third round in Melbourne to 2015 semifinalist Madison Keys.

“It was a very tough match,” she told former WTA star Ksenia Pervak during her on-court interview. “She played very well, I thought. I knew she’s had a very good start of the year, so I expected a battle today, and it was. I really had to dig deep at the end of the first, and also the second set. But I’m really happy to have the victory.”

Ivanovic maintained controlled aggression throughout the 81-minute affair, striking 26 winners to 22 errors; Gasparyan did her best to stay with the former No.1, but was unable to dictate play in the crucial moments, hitting 16 winners to 18 unforced.

Earlier in the day, hometown favorite Daria Kasatkina overcame a tough three-setter from Kirsten Flipkens, and noted the slowness of the court after her 6-4, 5-7, 6-4 victory. But Ivanovic disagreed.

“I actually really enjoyed it,” said the Serb. “Sometimes the ball really skids so it’s not so slow at times. But I’m really happy with the way I played today, especially being my first match.”

Hoping to catch up on her sightseeing, Ivanovic joked about narrowly missing out on the visiting hours at the Hermitage museum on Tuesday.

“I’m going to train, do my recovery. But I’m going to visit the Hermitage; I went yesterday, but they really, truly closed the door in front of me! I wasn’t lucky but tomorrow might be a better chance.”

Kasatkina had to overcome nerves in her first round match against Flipkens, a 2013 Wimbledon semifinalist; serving for the match at 5-4 in the second set, the 18-year-old admitted nerves played a part in her going on to lose the final three games to force a decider.

“I was nervous, and started rushing, plus Flipkens is a very good player,” she said in her on-court interview.

In the end, Kasatkina played an even match, hitting 34 winners and the same number of erros, while Flipkens was far looser with a -8 differential (32 winners, 40 unforced). A former Roland Garros junior champion, Kasatkina next plays lucky loser Laura Siegemund, who upset No.7 seed Kristina Mladenovic, 1-6, 7-5, 6-1.

Elena Vesnina was another Russian to emerge victorious on Wednesday; the wildcard recovered from a set down to defeat lucky loser Patricia Maria Tig, 3-6, 6-3, 6-1. Dominika Cibulkova set up a second round encounter with former No.1 Caroline Wozniacki when she beat Evgeniya Rodina, 6-0, 6-3, and Annika Beck continued her winning ways from a successful Fed Cup debut when she beat Lucie Hradecka, 4-6, 7-5, 7-5.

No.2 seed Roberta Vinci and Yanina Wickmayer were the last match of the day on Sibur Arena; the 2015 US Open runner-up played a clean match to outsteady the up-and-down Belgian, hitting 17 winners to 10 errors – compared to 22 winners and 30 errors from Wickmayer – to join Ivanovic in the last eight, 6-2, 7-6(2).

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News | WTA Tennis English

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

CHARLESTON, SC, USA – Laura Siegemund outlasted an in-form Venus Williams, 6-4, 6-7(3), 7-5, to win her second three-setter in three days and sail into the third round of the Volvo Car Open.

“I have no idea!” she said during her on-court interview when asked how she pulled off the win over the 2004 champion. “It was a really good match; it was going up and down. I just tried to believe in my game, and if I was down, I told myself I was going to get more chances.”

Siegemund reached the quarterfinals last year in Charleston, kicking off an impressive clay court campaign that led her into the finals of the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix at home in Stuttgart.

Against Venus, the German veteran was hardly overawed by the five-time Wimbledon winner, who was coming off strong results at the BNP Paribas Open and the Miami Open, where she reached the quarterfinals and semifinals respectively.

Down match point in the second set, Venus fought back and broke Siegemund as she served for the match, eventually powering through the ensuing tiebreak to level the match.

“I had a hard time finding an aggressive game at the beginning of the third set, playing really short, and she plays really well when she can put pressure on you. It was an amazing performance from her as well,” said Siegemund.

Siegemund twice pulled back from a break in the third, and saved two match points of her own as Venus served for the match at 5-4, reeling off the final three games to reach the round of 16.

“I tried my best to think this could be the best match she’ll ever play in her life, honestly,” Venus said in her post-match press conference. “I basically won the match but still lost.

“I really played the best game I could. I pretty much hit winners, but she hit winners back on me, and I just didn’t have any answers for that. I don’t know much more that I could do. I mean, there were some errors I made in the beginning, but when push came to shove, I feel like I did the right things, but somehow inexplicably came up empty.”

In all, the two played phenomenal offense throughout, each hitting more winners than errors, with Siegemund leading Venus 52 to 45, and hitting 41 unforced errors to Venus’ 39.

“It gives me a lot of confidence, because I was pretty unlucky this year,” Siegemund said. “I’ve had a lot of these kinds of matches, but I was losing them, and you start to doubt.

“Now, I feel very confident on clay, and I think I showed I still have some good tennis in my hands.”

Up next for Siegemund will be the winner of the match between doubles partners Lucie Safarova and Bethanie Mattek-Sands.

 

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Streaking Santina Hit St Petersburg

Streaking Santina Hit St Petersburg

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

Top-ranked doubles team and WTA co-No.1s Martina Hingis and Sania Mirza brought their 36-match winning streak to the St. Petersburg Ladies Tophy, adding to their total with a first round win over Jelena Ostapenko and Evgeniya Rodina, 7-5, 7-5.

“We didn’t know how to play them that well in the beginning,” Hingis said in their post-match press conference. “We lost an opportunity at 3-2, 40-0 to go up and close out the match, and they came back to play a couple of really good games – especially Ostapenko, who hit some really great shots.

“I think it was great experience for them to play a match like that, and also for us to get into the tournament. I’m definitely happy we didn’t have to play a deciding set. It’s always nice to close out in straight sets; it makes us that much stronger.”

Hingis and Mirza haven’t lost a match since last August at the Western & Southern Opent, their now-37-match winning streak having taken them to titles at the US Open, BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global, and the Australian Open – with only the French Open standing between them and a possible “Santina Slam.”

“The streak that we’re on is amazing,” Mirza said. “To be honest, we knew we could play good, but not this good. We’re surprising ourselves as well, and we just want to keep going.

Asked about the media’s fascination with their streak, the longest since Jana Novotna and Helena Sukova won 44 straight matches in 1990, Mirza didn’t mince words.

“We’re counting, also.”

“Yes, we are,” Hingis added.

For Hingis, the partnership with Mirza marks her second to truly capture the imagination of the tennis world, the first being her late-90s domination with Russia’s own Anna Kournikova – still a popular topic in the St. Petersburg press room.

Martina Hingis, Anna Kournikova

“She was a great player, a team player, and we had great times for those two years,” Hingis said, speaking about their two Australian Open victories in 1999 and 2002.

“She kind of was the one who started this Russian Armada – or Russian generation – along with Elena Likhovtseva. She was definitely the one who you could aim for and be like, go around the world and live the ‘Russian-American dream.’ I loved playing with her.

“We stay in touch, especially during the Miami event; we always try to see each other. I follow what she’s doing; she follows me.”

Mirza too fondly remembers the ‘Spice Girls’ of the women’s doubles circuit.

“At that time I think TV was not as evolved as it is today, combined with the computer, so it was not so easy to get to see matches all the time. But everybody knew Martina Hingis, everybody knew Anna Kournikova, and everybody knew that this partnership was winning a lot, and probably was one of the best doubles teams to play.

“She’s not that much older than me,” she added with a laugh. “Only five years; it’s just that she’s been around for such a long time!”

Another partnership Hingis looks forward to exploring involves fellow Swiss Roger Federer, who agreed to play mixed doubles with her at the upcoming Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.

“I waited 10 months, and maybe after winning a lot with Sania, and becoming No.1 again and winning three mixed titles, I was hoping that would be persuasion enough to partner up.”

‘SanTina’ next face an all-Russian pair for a spot in the quarterfinals and Win number 38: rising Russian star Daria Kasatkina and Elena Vesnina, Mirza’s former doubles partner.

“We played together for a long time; she’s a very good friend of mine, and we’ve known each other since we were 13 years old.

“I have a feeling that the crowd will be behind them because she’s quite popular here, but hopefully there will be some people supporting us.”

Asked if they foresaw their partnership transcending to other endeavors, Hingis said they planned to let their racquets do the talking.

“We’ll stick to tennis; that’s what we do best.”

All photos courtesy of Getty Images.

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