Tennis News

 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.

Nice view from the office @BNPPARIBASOPEN ???Тренировка с видом??? #indianwells pic.twitter.com/TMq0WiI6R5

— Elena Vesnina (@EVesnina001) March 8, 2017

Lara Arruabarrena is soaking in the sights as well.

Not many places better than this one to play some tennis. Hello from the desert?? pic.twitter.com/ifBYwwcPHH

— Lara Arruabarrena (@laraarrua) March 8, 2017

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.

Double trouble for @Simona_Halep. That @darren_cahill forehand still has some stick. #BNPPO17 pic.twitter.com/INxQXpSs9b

— WTA Insider (@WTA_insider) March 7, 2017

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.

Golf carting with 13-match win-streaker @ElinaSvitolina @BNPPARIBASOPEN. pic.twitter.com/u0B9nLY0xN

— WTA Insider (@WTA_insider) March 7, 2017

 Timea Bacsinszky confessed her “blonde moment”. 

Golf carting with @TimeaOfficial, who explains why she had a bit of a “blonde moment” this morning. #creds #BNPPO17 pic.twitter.com/mXKbrpvyJA

— WTA Insider (@WTA_insider) March 7, 2017

And Barbora Strycova talked about suffering from jetlag.

Last golf cart of the day with @BaraStrycova talking about life, love, and home improvement. Get some sleep, Bara! pic.twitter.com/JELl5rRrrR

— WTA Insider (@WTA_insider) March 8, 2017

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

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

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.

Dinner with the girls in Indian Wells!? @DKasatkina @PutintsevaYulia @Daria_gav @BelindaBencic @anakonjuh pic.twitter.com/0y0ENFwEnZ

— Kristina Mladenovic (@KikiMladenovic) March 8, 2017

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.”

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.

AUCKLAND, New Zealand – Caroline Wozniacki took tournament favorite to a whole new level at the ASB Classic on Wednesday night, dropping just two games to round out the quarterfinal line-up.

Watch live action from Brisbane, Shenzhen & Auckland on WTA Live powered by TennisTV!

The highest seed left after No.1 seed Venus Williams and No.2 seed Ana Ivanovic both succumbed to inspired underdogs on Tuesday, the No.3-seeded Wozniacki powered through to the quarterfinals of the International-level tournament with a ruthless 6-0, 6-2 victory against Christina McHale.

“It was a better start than yesterday,” Wozniacki said, having dug out of an early 4-0 hole in her first round match on Tuesday. “I got a little nervous in the end. It was going a little too well – I know she’s a good player, and I’ve had trouble against her in the past, and I blew a few match points at 5-0 and 5-1. But I just kept focusing on every point and I’m glad that I was able to finish it off in the end.”

And what worked so well for the two-time US Open finalist and former World No.1?

“I think I served well, returned pretty well, I think I had patience but came to the net and mixed it up well,” the Dane said. “Defense offense, offense defense – I think overall I did pretty well today.”

Two more of Wozniacki’s fellow seeds fell on Wednesday as well, with No.4 seed Svetlana Kuznetsova falling to Austrian qualifier – and two-time Wimbledon quarterfinalist – Tamira Paszek, 6-2, 6-3, and No.7 seed Barbora Strycova losing out to fellow former Top 20 player Julia Goerges, 6-4, 7-6(7).

Sloane Stephens, the No.5 seed, managed to avoid the upset bug, though she did have a fight on her hands, rallying from a set down to outlast German up-and-comer Carina Witthoeft, 3-6, 6-1, 6-3.

Other winners were Alexandra Dulgheru, Nao Hibino, Belgian qualifier Kirsten Flipkens and British qualifier Naomi Broady, who had the most dramatic victory of the day, rallying from 5-2 down in the second set and 5-1 down in the third set to edge Latvian wildcard Jelena Ostapenko, 4-6, 7-6(4), 7-5.

Broady also saved two match points – one serving 2-5 second set, one serving 3-5 third set.

The big-serving Brit, who had taken out Ivanovic a day before, rifled 21 aces against Ostapenko.

???????#fight #stillrolling #2016 #letsgo #asbclassic #auckland https://t.co/Qt6fhbL8R2

— Naomi Broady (@NaomiBroady) January 6, 2016

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

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 (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 (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 26^th 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

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