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Kvitova Eases Past Vesnina

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

MADRID, Spain – Defending champion Petra Kvitova had little trouble advancing to the third round of the Mutua Madrid Open with a straightforward win over Charleston finalist Elena Vesnina 6-3, 6-3.

Watch live action from Madrid this week on WTA Live powered by TennisTV!

Earlier in the year, Vesnina put a tough 2015 season behind her at the green clay courts of Charleston – last year she recorded 13 first-round losses (across all levels), but in 2016 she has come up from the qualifying rounds to score consistent main draw wins.

Despite reaching the final at the Volvo Car Open, Vesnina played through the qualifying rounds to book her second round meeting with the two-time Madrid champion Kvitova on Court Manolo Santana.

“It was nice to be on center court again definitely,” Kvitova said. “It’s a beautiful court, and even I have it to warm up this morning. Felt very special, very great that I could play again on and win it.”

The No.5 seeded Czech had little trouble adjusting to the conditions in Madrid – the high altitude gives many players trouble – and she swept past local Lara Arruabarrena in the first round, and continued the romp against Vesnina.

Vesnina kept pace with the two-time Grand Slam champion early in the set, but couldn’t take the only break point that came her way at 2-1. Kvitova relied on her heavy lefty forehand to dictate pace and bail her out of trouble. Vesnina made the majority of her nine unforced errors in the final few games of the opening set, allowing Kvitova to accelerate past her and grab the lead in just over half an hour.

The pattern repeated in the final set: Vesnina and Kvitova stayed toe to toe for the first few games, and Kvitova dashed away a Vesnina break opportunity. The Czech rattled off four consecutive games to take the match and book her spot in the round of 16.

“Definitely the start it’s always kind of difficult and tricky, and I’m glad that I had two matches with only two sets,” Kvitova said. “I didn’t really lost my serve so far, which is unbelievable.”

Awaiting Kvitova in the next round is the big hitting Australian Daria Gavrilova. The 22-year-old dealt No.12 seed Elina Svitolina a straight-sets upset, sending her packing 6-2, 7-6(4). Though their head to head is tied at 1-1, the last time Kvitova and Gavrilova faced each other was at this year’s Australian Open, where the unseeded Gavrilova upset Kvitova in the second round.

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News | WTA Tennis English

News | WTA Tennis English

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

February was defined by four breakthrough players who brought some impressive performances on and off the court. Which one soared the highest?

Have a look at the nominees for February’s Breakthrough of the Month and cast your vote before Thursday at 11:59pm ET! The winner will be announced Friday, March 10.

February 2017 WTA Breakthrough of the Month Finalists:

Elina Svitolina: Svitolina surged up the rankings and into the upper echelons of the women’s game in February, debuting in the Top 10 and winning the biggest title of her career at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships. Along the way, she also won the Taiwan Open and amassed a 13-match winning streak, one that’s yet to be broken heading into the BNP Paribas Open.

Kristina Mladenovic: The Frenchwoman took home her first career title on one of the game’s biggest stages, surviving Yulia Putintseva to win a Premier title at the St. Petersburg Ladies Trophy. Mladenovic capped off the month with a win over Karolina Pliskova and another run to a WTA final at the Abierto Mexicano Telcel.

CiCi Bellis: The young American made waves in Dubai, stunning former World No.2 Agnieszka Radwanska to become the youngest quarterfinalist at the Premier 5 event since Lina Krasnoroutskaya in 2001.

Ashleigh Barty: Barty continued her impressive comeback by winning the singles and doubles titles at the Ayla WTA Malaysian Open; the former was her first career singles title and helped her make her Top 100 debut on Monday’s rankings.

BTOM

2017 Winners:

January: CoCo Vandeweghe

How it works:

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

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Vote: April's Player Of The Month

Vote: April's Player Of The Month

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

It’s time to vote for April’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, May 6.

April 2016 WTA Player Of The Month Finalists

Angelique Kerber: Defending a title for the first time in her career, Kerber stood up to the pressure of playing at home in emphatic style to win the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix for the second year in a row. Playing in Germany for only the second time since winning her maiden Grand Slam at the Australian Open, the World No.3 survived a tough three-setter against compatriot Annika Beck, and another thriller against Petra Kvitova in the semifinals before coming out on top in the first all-German final in Stuttgart’s history. Earlier in the month, she narrowly missed out on the chance to defend her title at the Volvo Car Open in Charleston before a viral illness halted her campaign in the semifinals.

Sloane Stephens: Stephens continued her head-turning season with a third title in 2016 at the Volvo Car Open. Knocking out four Top 50 players en route to the finals – saving a match point against Daria Kasatkina in the quarterfinals – she overcame a tough challenge from 2011 Charleston finalist Elena Vesnina to drive off with the trophy and a new car. Backing up her wins in Auckland and Acapulco, the young American increased her record in WTA finals to 4-0, having captured her first title just last summer at the Citi Open.

Laura Siegemund: Siegemund entered the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix hoping just to reach the main draw, and left with so much more. After qualifying, she racked up big win after big win, including three Top 10 wins over Simona Halep, Roberta Vinci, and World No.2 Agnieszka Radwanska to win seven matches and reach the championship match, where she fell to Kerber in straight sets. The result vaulted her up to a career-high ranking of No.42, and put her into the Top 4 in her country, an auspicious stat as only four from each country may qualify for the Summer Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.

April WTA Player of The Month 

2016 Winners

January: Angelique Kerber
February: Carla Suárez Navarro
March: Victoria Azarenka

How it works:

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

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News | WTA Tennis English

News | WTA Tennis English

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

 INDIAN WELLS, CA, USA – As one might expect, there are plenty of players working hard on the practice court as Indian Wells gets under way – and they’re certainly enjoying the views.

Lara Arruabarrena is soaking in the sights as well.

Simona Halep is toiling away under the sun and watchful eye of coach Darren Cahill – and taking on the tough task of two opponents at once.

 

There was still time for a bit of fun, though. For starters, WTA Insider Courtney Nguyen was out and about with players in a most unorthodox way – riding around on a golf cart.

Elina Svitolina shared her excitement for the week ahead.

 Timea Bacsinszky confessed her “blonde moment”. 

And Barbora Strycova talked about suffering from jetlag.

Lauren Davis took some time out to try out a relaxing yoga session.

Lauren Davis tries out yoga

And Zhang Shuai smiled for the cameras in a photo shoot for the Tennis Channel.

Zhang Shuai in her Tennis Channel shoot

And there’s no better way than to end the day having dinner with your best girls in Indian Wells – and Kristina Mladenovic got her posse of famous friends to synchronize their footwork.

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News | WTA Tennis English

News | WTA Tennis English

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

The boldest decision Karolina Pliskova ever made came at a very young age.

She was 12 – and she made the choice to focus on tennis rather than education.

“I decided to start with tennis and quit with school,” she said in an exclusive WTA interview. “I didn’t study at all, I just put everything into the tennis and it worked.”

Karolina Pliskova

It proved a wise decision for the 24-year-old, who turned pro just five years later, in 2009. After reaching her maiden Grand Slam final at the US Open in 2016, she has taken her game to a new level this year and has two 2017 titles to her name already, at the Brisbane International in January and the Qatar Total Open in Doha last month. Her success in Brisbane saw her reach a career-high No.3 in the WTA rankings on January 30.

Pliskova’s comments mark 2017 International Women’s Day, the theme of which is ‘Be Bold For Change’.

International Women’s Day falls on March 8 every year, and celebrates women’s achievements in culture, the economy, politics and society.

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Halep Avoids Madrid Upset Bug

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

MADRID, Spain – No.6 seed Simona Halep avoided the upset bug sweeping through the Mutua Madrid Open draw, easing past Karin Knapp and into the third round.

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

Over the opening three days of competition, 10 of the 16 seeds have bitten the dust, and Halep made in inauspicious start against Knapp, dropping serve in the opening game when her forehand missed its mark.

However, from that point onwards it was one-way traffic. Knapp has struggled for fitness recently – she underwent knee surgery last September and her recovery has been compromised by ankle problems – and Halep exposed her movement to take control with a run of eight straight games.

After little over an hour on court the Romanian arrived at match point, launching herself into a forehand return to emphatically close out a 6-1, 6-1 victory.

“We shouldn’t forget that she was injured, she had knee surgery, so she’s coming back and it wasn’t her best day,” Halep said. “But still I played some good tennis and I tried to just stick to my game.”

Halep reached the final in the Spanish capital two years ago, falling to Maria Sharapova in three dramatic sets. Since then, the Romanian’s form has fluctuated, and she entered this clay court campaign with relatively few matches under her belt.

“I just want to get better and better every day and I want to see how good I can be. I want to see how many matches I can win because I really need to win matches now, I just want to be relaxed now – I’m not thinking about the results.”

These relative struggles have enabled Halep to enter the tournament without the weight of expectation that has followed for much of the past few seasons: “Sometimes people around you expect better results, and that’s why you start to feel frustrated and nervous. Now I feel good, I have no points to defend – I’m free!”

No.10 seed Timea Bacsinszky awaits next after she edged past Ekaterina Makarova, 6-4, 5-7, 6-4. Halep has won two of their three meetings on tour, although did taste defeat earlier this year in Miami.

“Bacsinszky is revenge! It’s going to be hard, it’s going to be difficult, a tough match for sure. I just want to go on court relaxed and play my game. It’s a good tournament, good people around me, so I am in a good place mentally and physically.”

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Back Injury Forces Azarenka Out

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

MADRID, Spain – No.4 seed Victoria Azarenka has joined the Mutua Madrid Open casualty list, pulling out of her third-round meeting with Louisa Chirico because of a back injury.

Following the exits of Agnieszka Radwanska, Angelique Kerber and Garbiñe Muguruza, Azarenka was the highest seed left in the draw. However, after aggravating her lower back during morning practice the Belarusian elected to err on the side of caution.

“Unfortunately in my first match I think I tweaked my back a little bit. It was really cold, and, I don’t know, I think it’s much easier to get a little bit hurt when it’s that cold,” Azarenka said during a press conference. “And the second match obviously I was in a lot of discomfort. Having a day off I thought it was going to get better. Today before my warm-up it did feel better, but once I started hitting it came back.

“I don’t feel that I’m able to compete today. I’m just trying to make the smart decision and see the big picture.”

Azarenka’s now faces a race against time to be fit for next week’s Internazionali BNL d’Italia – her last chance to fine-tune her clay court game ahead of the French Open.

“We’ll see how it goes. Really going to take it day by day and make sure my body is ready,” she said when asked about her chances of playing in the Italian capital. “I don’t know. I don’t really have a particular answer why it happened. There could have been couple of things. I was really sick the week before that.

“I’m just trying to make the test, make sure there is nothing serious, and try to treat it as best as possible. My plan is to be ready for Rome, so hopefully I’ll be able to do that.”

Chirico, the youngest player remaining in the tournament, advances to her first quarterfinal at a WTA Premier event where she will face fellow surprise package, Daria Gavrilova.

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News | WTA Tennis English

News | WTA Tennis English

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

The lower half of the singles draw will kick into action on Thursday at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden. Chris Oddo takes a look at the compelling matchups right here at wtatennis.com.

Thursday
First round

Eugenie Bouchard (CAN # 53) vs. Annika Beck (GER # 61)
Head-to-head: Tied, 1-1
Key Stat: Bouchard saved all five break points she faced in her straight sets win over Beck last year at New Haven.

A pair of 23-year-olds with tons of potential will look to kick their 2017 campaigns into high gear on Thursday when Eugenie Bouchard and Annika Beck meet for the third time. Bouchard started the year promisingly by reaching the semifinals at Sydney, but she has not won since falling in a tight three-setter in the third round of the Australian Open to CoCo Vandeweghe. Bouchard has been solid in all of her main draw appearances at Indian Wells, and owns a 6-3 record at this event. Is it time for some of the hard work that Bouchard has done under coach Thomas Hogstedt to pay off this week?

Meanwhile 2017 has been a struggle for Beck, whose ranking peaked at a career-high of 37 last July. She lost her first three matches of the season and only owns one Top 50 win. Beck has only been past the second round once at Indian Wells, and has lost three of her last four here.

Pick: Bouchard in two

Lesia Tsurenko

Peng Shuai (CHN # 41) vs. Lesia Tsurenko (UKR # 49)
Head-to-head: Peng leads, 1-0
Key Stat: Peng was ranked 768 in the world last year at Indian Wells.

Ukrainian Lesia Tsurenko comes into the BNP Paribas Open riding high, having won her third career title last weekend in Acapulco, but she’ll need to stay on guard on Thursday when she faces a tricky qualifier who is a former BNP Paribas Open quarterfinalist with 12 wins to her name. Peng Shuai was ranked well outside of the Top 700 when she visited Indian Wells last season, but this year she’s back inside the Top 50 after a 2016 full of victories on the ITF and WTA circuit. Peng’s story is characterized by determination and fortitude – she has battled through serious back issues to reemerge as a factor on tour. Tsurenko, who enters the main draw with an impressive 9-2 record on the season, is closing in on her peak ranking, just eight spots shy of the career-best No.33 ranking she achieved in 2015.

Pick: Tsurenko in three

Andrea Petkovic

Andrea Petkovic (GER #79) vs. Vania King (USA # 91)
Head-to-head: Petkovic leads, 3-0
Key Stat: Petkovic has lost her last four matches at Indian Wells; her last three in three sets.

Andrea Petkovic and Vania King will battle for the right to face Angelique Kerber in the second round, and while it is Petkovic that owns the decided edge in the pair’s head-to-head, King is a Southern California native who will relish the chance to knock off a few big names on home soil. King hasn’t had much traction thus far in 2017, but she does own eight career main draw wins at Indian Wells, including a Top 20 upset over Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in 2012.

Working in King’s favor is the fact that Petkovic, even when she has been playing her best tennis, has never been able to figure out the tricky desert conditions at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden. The German is 1-5 lifetime here, and has not won a main draw match since she defeated Lucie Safarova in 2011.

It’s been a long time for Petko. Will she be able to find her form against the lesser-ranked King, or will King come through with another big win in the Golden State?

Pick: King in three

Jelena Jankovic

Jelena Jankovic (SRB # 51) vs. Irina Falconi (USA # 96)
Head-to-head: Jankovic leads, 1-0
Key Stat: Jankovic has made more main draw appearances than any other player in BNP Paribas Open history.

2010 champion and 2015 BNP Paribas Open runner-up Jelena Jankovic will bid for her 26th main draw win at Indian Wells when she takes on feisty Irina Falconi for the second time and first on a hardcourt.

Jankovic, who lost in the round of 16 last year to eventual semifinalist Agnieszka Radwanska, comes into Thursday’s match on a four-match losing streak. But the Serb is back on her home soil. Falconi may play for the stars and stripes, but Jankovic now owns a home in San Diego and considers herself a California girl. Will a dose of the dreamy desert landscape do Jankovic good, or will it be Falconi who secures the upset and earns the right to face Venus Williams in the second round?

Pick: Jankovic in two

Ekaterina Makarova

Around the Grounds:

American wildcard Taylor Townsend has won four of five first-round encounters at Indian Wells. She’ll try to make it five of six on Thursday when she faces Polish qualifier Magda Linette (winner faces No.13-seeded Caroline Wozniacki).

Croatia’s Ajla Tomljanovic will continue her comeback at Indian Wells with a first-round battle with Germany’s Julia Goerges. After missing a full year due to a shoulder injury, Tomljanovic made her return at Acapulco last week, where she upset Eugenie Bouchard in her first match.

Russia’s Ekaterina Makarova will battle Spanish qualifier Sara Sorribes Tormo for the right to face Agnieszka Radwanska in the second round. The former World No.8 has never been past the third round in nine previous BNP Paribas Open appearances.

– Photos courtesy of Getty Images

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