Serena Surges Into Second Round
World No.1 Serena Williams raced through the first match in her title defense at Roland Garros, dropping just two games to Magdalena Rybarikova.
World No.1 Serena Williams raced through the first match in her title defense at Roland Garros, dropping just two games to Magdalena Rybarikova.
DUBAI, UAE – Last week, historic rainfall wreaked havoc on the Qatar Total Open schedule, where former No.1 Caroline Wozniacki reached the final.
Now it’s looking like the bad weather has followed her across the Gulf all the way to Dubai, where it delayed the start of her quarterfinal against CiCi Bellis.
Wozniacki, whose nickname is “Sunshine,” has figured out the culprit behind all of Dubai’s weather woes:
“At this point, I was just, it’s me. I’m bringing the rain,” she laughed in her post-match press conference.
“You know, even in Doha and in Dubai, I come and it’s raining. I step on the court and it’s raining. I was, like, this is deja vu from Doha last week!”
But Wozniacki probably doesn’t mind the rain too much. After all, it’s bringing out some of her best tennis.
“I have a winning record with this rain. Just bring it on. I’m ready for it.”
Waiting for the rain to stop… ?☔️ pic.twitter.com/t04KiqURvx
— WTA (@WTA) February 23, 2017
Watch Lauren Davis hit the practice court ahead of the quarterfinals of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships.
DUBAI, UAE – No.10 seed Caroline Wozniacki willed her way past surprise semifinalist Anastasija Sevastova, dispatching the Latvian, 6-3, 6-4, to reach her first final at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships since winning the event in 2011.
“I really love coming back here and playing on this court,” she said on court after earning a 22nd career match win in Dubai – the most of any at this event. “It’s amazing. The crowd is always supporting me; you guys are amazing and make this tournament special.
“Being an ambassador for Dubai Duty Free just makes it all the more sweet, playing well here every year. I’m just thrilled to be in another final.”
.@CaroWozniacki's backhand ? #DDFTennis pic.twitter.com/H9FMS4qVuW
— WTA (@WTA) February 24, 2017
Coming off a run to the final of a particularly rainy Qatar Total Open, Wozniacki dealt with a few more delays in her semifinal to advance into back-to-back finals for the first time since 2014, when she finished runner-up at both the US Open and the Toray Pan Pacific Open.
? @CaroWozniacki!
What a way to save break point! #DDFTennis pic.twitter.com/Bawyuqd7OW
— WTA (@WTA) February 24, 2017
“I’m kind of used to the rain by now; for the last two weeks it’s been on and off, but I thought we played good quality tennis so I’m extremely happy to be through.
“It’s been a good couple of weeks for me,” she later explained in her post-match press conference. “Very happy with how I have been playing. Very happy how I have managed to get through these two weeks, because it’s been very tiring mentally. The fact that I have just been staying in there and keep grinding, I’m kind of proud of that.”
Wozniacki and Sevastova last met in the quarterfinals of the US Open, where Sevastova earned a career-best Grand Slam result but twisted her ankle early on, allowing the Dane to ease into her first major semifinal in exactly two years. Sevastova was far fitter on Friday night, pushing the former World No.1 through two tough sets, each of which came down to the wire.
“She definitely was a tricky opponent. I knew going into it that she was going to be difficult. She mixes the pace up. She really tries to break your rhythm.
“I was really pleased with how I was playing. I tried to stay aggressive and tried to mix it up, as well.”
Sevastova claims this 30-shot rally with a lob! ? pic.twitter.com/Cq1f0ekYzY
— WTA (@WTA) February 24, 2017
By match’s end, the Dane had struck 17 winners to 20 from the resurgent Latvian, but almost half as many unforced errors – 17 to 31 – and maintained an impressive 70% first serve percentage to clinch victory after one hour and 26 minutes on court.
Up next for Wozniacki is the winner of the second semifinal between top seed Angelique Kerber and her nemesis, No.7 seed Elina Svitolina.
Second Final in two weeks!@CaroWozniacki defeats Sevastova 6-3, 6-4 for a spot in @DDFTennis Final! pic.twitter.com/q7Wx2vkHuM
— WTA (@WTA) February 24, 2017
“I’m just happy to play against either. They’re both great competitors and great opponents. I lost to both of them the last time we’ve played so it’s not going to be easy but I’m just thrilled to be in the final and I’m going to give it a good battle.”
A preview of the final between Caroline Wozniacki and Elina Svitolina at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships.
DUBAI, UAE – After securing the biggest title of her career at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships on Saturday night, Elina Svitolina is set to receive an even bigger reward come Monday.
Svitolina will rise from World No.13 to a career-high No.10, making her the first Ukrainian player ever to break the WTA Top 10.
“I’ve dreamed for all my life to be in Top 10,” Svitolina said after the final, where she defeated Caroline Wozniacki in straight sets. “It’s a very amazing feeling to enter Top 10, and do it by winning the tournament! I’m very excited for the season and very excited I could win this tournament.”
The Ukrainian came into the final in Dubai knowing a victory would clinch her Top 10 debut – and the 22-year-old didn’t let the pressure of the occasion overwhelm her.
“It’s big relief that I could win this match, because I knew that if I win this match, I’m gonna be Top 10,” Svitolina told press after the match.
“There was extra pressure. When I was warming up, added even more pressure because they announce it. It didn’t help!”
Svitolina’s milestone comes as no surprise for fans who’ve followed her career: she’s fresh off a title at the Taiwan Open earlier in the season, and with back-to-back Fed Cup wins Svitolina is in the midst of a 12-match winning streak. Last season, Svitolina took home a title at Kuala Lumpur and reached the final at New Haven and the WTA Elite Trophy Zhuhai.
Svitolina is the 120th player to make her Top 10 debut since the WTA Rankings were introduced on November 3, 1975.
PARIS, France – No.9 seed Venus Williams survived a second set surge from Alizé Cornet to win a sixth straight match against the Frenchwoman, 7-6(5), 1-6, 6-0, to reach the second week of Roland Garros for the first time in six years.
The 2002 finalist came into Paris having won just two matches in her last four French Open appearances, but heads into the second week having dropped just one set in her first three matches, though this marked her toughest test yet against Cornet, who played her best match against the American in her career.
Williams and Cornet emerged on Court Suzanne Lenglen from a brief rain delay to resume the first set, and though Cornet led by a late break, the former No.1 reclaimed the initiative and served out a tense tie-break with some fiercesome serving.
“After the break I felt a lot more clear about what I wanted to accomplish,” she said in her post-match press conference. “It’s never easy to play in France against a French player. Probably not easy for them either. So that’s the extra pressure against you.
“Honestly, she played really well. In the third I was able to capitalize on a couple of her errors, play some good points, and go on to the next match, literally,” referring to her doubles match with sister Serena, which was suspended due to darkness after they took the first set from Vitalia Diatchenko and Galina Voskoboeva.
Undaunted, Cornet rode her building momentum and the support of the French crowd to her first set over the elder Williams sister, roaring through the second set to force a decider.
“She’s a great competitor and it’s always a tough match,” Williams said in her on-court interview.
The turning point for the World No.11 came a game into the final set; with Cornet serving up 30-0, Venus clawed back to break serve and it was one-way traffic from then on, clinching the match in just over two hours.
“I had some luck in the end on the important points, and I’m so excited to be in the next round.
“I’ve had some issues in the past, but what can you do? Every year is different, and I’m trying to make this year my best yet.
“I love tennis, and today I was just telling myself to enjoy the battle and to compete. With Alizé, it’s always a battle and you always have to compete.
“What can I say? I’m doing what I love every day and I couldn’t ask for more.”
Standing between Williams and a spot in her first French Open quarterfinal in 10 years is No.8 seed Tima Bacsinszky. The 2015 French Open semifinalist has never beaten the American in their two previous encounters, but the two haven’t played since the 2014 US Open, and neither encounter came on clay.
No9 seed Venus Williams remains undefeated against Cornet, d. the Frenchwoman 7-6(5) 1-6 6-0. Next up: Bacsinszky. pic.twitter.com/46PmrZGBoL
— Roland Garros (@rolandgarros) May 28, 2016
An interview with Monica Puig before the start of the Abierto Mexicano Telcel.
Serena Williams’ fierce competitive streak is what sets up apart and puts her on track to become the greatest female tennis player of all time, according to Roger Federer.
Speaking to Sport360 earlier in the week, the 18-time Grand Slam champion spoke of his admiration for his fellow Australian Open champion’s longevity.
“I admire everything she’s doing and has done,” he said. “I thought she was ready to check out there for a while. But she’s hung on and she’s found new ways of doing things. She’s gotten healthy again as well, she was very unfortunate on a few occasions.”
Serena’s success at the Rod Laver Arena was her 23rd Grand Slam success, which took her past the Open Era record of 22 she had previously held with Stefanie Graf and to within one of Margaret Court’s all-time record. Federer’s victory in the men’s tournament meant that both trophies were won by 35-year-olds.
“People who have done it for a long time and who are older now but are still super eager and super willing and Serena is exactly like that,” said the Swiss. “She’s a fierce competitor and on the way to becoming the greatest of all time. It’s wonderful to see her do it for sure.”
Federer’s comments come little more than two weeks after Andy Roddick called Serena one of the greatest athletes of all time. The American, who grew up training alongside Williams in Florida, described her as “not just one of the greatest women athletes of all time but one of the greatest athletes of all time.”
He added: “We need to enter her into the conversation with [Michael] Jordan and [Muhammad] Ali. I think that’s where the respect lies and where the conversation needs to go after the acknowledgement of what she’s done for women in sports.”
Kirsten Flipkens had Thursday’s shot of the day at the Abierto Mexicano Telcel.