Tennis News

Madison Keys produced one of the most impressive performances of her young career to defuse Petra Kvitova in a thrilling quarterfinal shoot-out in Beijing. The result ends Kvitova’s slim chances of reaching the season-ending showpiece, but what does it mean for Keys and the other contenders? 

Matches to Watch in Beijing

Konta vs Keys (SF, Saturday): Keys moved up to No.7 on the RTS leaderboard by overcoming Kvitova and is now just two wins away from securing qualification for her first WTA Finals. If Keys lifts the title in the Chinese capital, she qualifies for Singapore.*

There is plenty on the line for her opponent, too. By reaching the last four, Konta moved into the first alternate position (RTS No.9). If she advances to the final, then Konta will move into the Top 8, 10 points ahead of Dominika Cibulkova.

Should Konta defeat Keys, then she will also make her Top 10 debut, becoming the first Briton to achieve this feat since Jo Durie in 1984.

* Keys had previously only needed to reach the final to qualify for Singapore. However, Karolina Pliskova’s withdrawal from Linz on Friday saw Garbiñe Muguruza take her place as a direct entry as a result of the Top 10 replacement rule. Keys and Dominika Cibulkova also accepted wildcards into the tournament, thus creating a possible scenario where Keys could be overtaken even if she reached the final in Beijing.

Heading To Zhuhai

While Kvitova is no longer is in contention of for a spot in Singapore – neither as a qualifier nor as an alternate – her late-season form has guaranteed her a place at the WTA Elite Trophy Zhuhai.

SINGLES:

Qualified: Angelique Kerber, Serena Williams, Simona Halep, Agnieszka Radwanska, Karolina Pliskova

Next In Line (Current Top 8):

Still in Contention – Currently No.9 to No.13 with points behind current projected cut-off (3352)

WHO IS PLAYING WHERE?
Muguruza: Linz
Cibulkova: Linz, Moscow
Keys: Linz
Suárez Navarro: Linz, Moscow
Konta: Hong Kong
Kuznetsova: Tianjin [will need to play Moscow to stay in contention, possible WC]

LINZ, Austria – Madison Keys made short work of Océane Dodin to sprint through to the semifinals of the Generali Ladies Linz.

She beat Dodin, 6-3, 6-3, in just under an hour – and will now face Garbiñe Muguruza.

“I’m not feeling great, but I’m happy I got the win today,” admitted Keys. “[Dodin] is a tough player, she can hit some really, really good shots.”

Earlier, Carla Suárez Navarro fought through against Denisa Allertova, winning 6-4, 4-6, 6-2.

In a match that lasted just under two hours, the Spaniard had moments when she looked a little nervy – and that led to her losing the second set as her opponent hit back. But she regrouped to take the decider to secure herself a match with Dominika Cibulkova.

“I think I played really good at the end of the match,” reflected Suárez Navarro afterwards. “I like the court – I like everything of the tournament.”

Linz, Austria – Dominika Cibulkova has bagged her third title of 2016 thanks to victory over Viktorija Golubic at the Generali Ladies Linz.

The Slovakian has now qualified for the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global for the first time in her career thanks to her 6-3, 7-5 win.

Cibulkova sidelined for 5mos last year w/ heel surgery. Fell out of Top 50, finished at No.38.

2016: 3 titles + 3 finals + Top 10 return.

— WTA Insider (@WTA_insider) October 16, 2016

Cibulkova had started the brighter of the two players, coming close to breaking in Golubic’s opening service game but squandering two break points.

The 27-year-old continued probing for the advantage, letting another two opportunities slip before finally going 5-3 ahead and serving out the first set.

It was Cibulkova who made all the running in the final set, taking a commanding lead by breaking to love in Golubic’s second service game before being unexpectedly pegged back by the World No.62, who converted her first break point.

For the first time, Golubic began to pose a threat to Cibulkova but failed to take any of her seven set points before losing her serve and allowing the No.2 seed to complete her victory.

SINGAPORE – In 2016, Madison Keys has continued her upward career trajectory, reaching the second week of all four majors and establishing herself in the Top 10. Next stop: Singapore.

1. Dazzling Debut.
Madison Keys is making her debut at BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global.

2. Peak Performance.
It is the culmination of a career-best season. She broke into the WTA Top 10 in June, becoming the first American to enter the elite ranking bracket since Serena Williams in 1999.

3. Hitting the Heights.
After a wonderful Asian Swing, Keys reached a career-high ranking of World No.7 on Monday, October 10 following her run to the semifinals at the China Open.

4. Tremendous on Tour.
It all follows terrific achievements on tour: a second WTA title, at the Aegon Classic Birmingham, runner-up slots at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia and Rogers Cup, plus quarterfinals at the Miami Open and Dongfeng Motor Wuhan Open.

5. Amazing Americans.
Keys is flying the flag for the USA at the pinnacle of women’s tennis – along with the Williams sisters. All three of them were top ten seeds at Wimbledon this year: the first time there had been three American women seeded at a Slam since the 2005 US Open. When she played Serena in Rome, it was the first all-American final there since 1970, and the first all-American clay-court WTA final since Roland Garros in 2002.

6. Slam Success.
She was one of just four players to reach the round of 16 at all of the Grand Slams this year – showing she is really getting to grips with the big occasions.

7. Going the Distance.
She’s also dramatically improved her record in matches that go the distance – in 2016 she’s 17-6 in three-setters. That’s a marked contrast to her record in 2015 (7-8) and 2014 (6-10).

8. Tying it Up.
Keys currently boasts an impressive 2016 track record in tie-breaks – winning 14 of them.

9. On the Climb.
Keys has been on a sharp upward trajectory – 2015 was her first season in the WTA Top 20 rankings. The two years previously had seen her in the top 40 – with 2014 including a win at Eastbourne.

10. Teenage Dream.
21-year-old Keys has been on the circuit since she was a teenager. In 2009 she played her first WTA event as a wildcard at Ponte Vedra Beach, reaching the second round, and in the process becoming the seventh-youngest player ever to win a WTA match at the age of 14 years and 48 days, beating Alla Kudryavtseva.