Tennis News

BRISBANE, Australia – Eugenie Bouchard came into her first match of the 2017 season having played just two matches since September. After taking a 6-2, 2-6, 6-1 loss to Shelby Rogers in the first round of the Brisbane International, the candid Canadian admitted to feeling a bit undercooked coming into the new season.

“I definitely feel kind of rusty, out of it,” Bouchard said. “I haven’t played in a match in a while. I haven’t won a match in a while. All those thoughts kind of go into your head a little bit when you’re on the court.”

Currently ranked No.46, Bouchard struggled with her rhythm early against Rogers, falling behind 0-4 in the first set as the American did well to hold her position on the baseline and match power for power off the ground. After losing the first set 6-2, Bouchard fired herself, played with more intensity in the second set, and her power game began to click.

After pocketing the second set 6-2, Bouchard invoked the 10-minute heat rule and both players went off court to cool down.

“I always find those breaks kind of weird. I did ask for it and I did want it, just to take a bit more time to try to cool down. I thought it was the smarter move. But it’s always weird kind of sitting in the locker room for like five minutes and then going back out.”

Hey old friend ? pic.twitter.com/RrXshwN8cN

— Genie Bouchard (@geniebouchard) December 30, 2016

Bouchard came out flat in the final set and Rogers steadied her game to earn her second straight win over the Canadian. It was a strong, powerful performance from Rogers and it left Bouchard back at the drawing board.

“I felt definitely not completely ready coming here. I felt I wanted maybe a bit more time before the season started, but everything always comes by so quick.

“So we were kind of coming in maybe knowing that a little bit, but it’s still time to go, and sometimes it’s also good for you to kind of just put yourself out there, throw yourself to the wolves and see what happens, and improve that way, learn that way instead of just another training week. So that was the choice. That was why we chose to come here.

“But, yeah, there is just lots of work to be done. It’s kind of getting used to playing a tennis match again, in a way. I know everyone feels like that at the beginning of the season, but the lack of matches I have played after the US Open makes it more. I just feel it more for my situation.”

Bouchard’s 2016 season started well, as she looked well on her way towards putting a disappointing 2015 season behind her. She made two finals in the first two months of the season. But after a heavy schedule over the summer, which saw her play seven tournaments between Wimbledon and the Coupe Banque Nationale, she felt burnt out and needed a break.

3rd Set!@GenieBouchard storms back to force a decider vs Rogers 2-6, 6-2! #BrisbaneTennis pic.twitter.com/UTJY8HxTrH

— WTA (@WTA) January 1, 2017

“Even though I wasn’t going far in each one, I was still, the mentality of going from tournament to tournament and always that stress of a tournament week after week after week. Especially after the Quebec City tournament, obviously which is at home and a lot more emotional and really tough to play in, I felt so burnt out. I didn’t even want to play the rest of the season.”

Bouchard skipped the Asian swing and returned to play Luxembourg and Linz, where she lost in the opening rounds to end her season. She says the experience taught her the importance of scheduling her season properly to keep her as fresh as possible.

“The thought process was because I was kind of losing earlier in tournaments, go try and play another one, go try and play another one, you always have that hope at least to plan to go play a match instead of practice, but I think after a point it actually becomes detrimental.

“Definitely going to be smarter with scheduling this year. We also had the Olympics, which is also very taxing physically, emotionally. A lot of things, obviously that’s how it happens. It’s a perfect storm of events, but, yeah, I definitely took a longer break at the end of this year than usual, and I really needed it, but I feel like it helped because I’m super motivated. I just need to get back into it.”

Bouchard is scheduled to play the Apia International Sydney next week.

Getting ready for NYE ? @BrisbaneTennis pic.twitter.com/pmS5aOWrPL

— Genie Bouchard (@geniebouchard) December 31, 2016

SHENZHEN, China – No.2 seed Simona Halep unveiled an aggressive gameplan that helped her emerge victorious in a three set tussle with former World No.1 Jelena Jankovic, 6-1, 3-6, 6-3, to advance into the second round of the Shenzhen Open.

Halep spent the off-season training in Australia with coach Darren Cahill, and appeared to be employing some of those improvements early on against Jankovic, launching into her forehand and looking to terminate rallies early and often.

Don't blink! ?@Simona_Halep flies through the opening set vs Jankovic 6-1! #ShenzhenOpen pic.twitter.com/Ik2jhlm5NA

— WTA (@WTA) January 2, 2017

Jankovic struggled through most of the 2016 season with various injuries, but has played some of her best tennis in China over the last few years, reaching a second straight final in Guangzhou last fall. The Serb took a 4-1 lead in the second set and didn’t look back, leveling the match at one set apiece.

Great anticipation from @Jelena_Jankovic! ? #ShenzhenOpen pic.twitter.com/nFHLAaYcqp

— WTA (@WTA) January 2, 2017

The pair exchanged breaks in the decider, and as Halep steadied she served out the match in just under two hours. Up next for the Romanian is either hometown favorite Peng Shuai or Katerina Siniakova.

.@Simona_Halep is moving on to the #ShenzhenOpen second round!

Battles past Jankovic 6-1, 3-6, 6-3! pic.twitter.com/4HtTgwLzwI

— WTA (@WTA) January 2, 2017

More to come…

PERTH, Australia – Eager to bounce back from a difficult 2016, Andrea Petkovic made some tough decisions during the off-season. And judging by her dominant victory over Kristina Mladenovic at the Hopman Cup on Monday, she is already reaping the rewards.

“Big applause to Kristina, she’s such a talented girl. I was really in full focus today,” Petkovic said during her on-match interview. “I worked really hard. I started earlier than normal. I normally love to spend Christmas at home with my family but this time I thought, ‘Andrea, it’s time to make a sacrifice.’ So I spent it in Melbourne watching Seinfeld and eating burgers in the hotel room. But apparently it paid off!”

.@andreapetkovic speaks about her preparation for the Australian summer of tennis. Who knew ? and ? could be such great preparation ? pic.twitter.com/afvYYww43i

— #7TENNIS (@7tennis) January 2, 2017

Unsurprisingly, Petkovic has been the life and soul of this year’s competition, charming the crowds and fellow competitors alike. Indeed, at the Hopman Cup ball Petkovic was first to pull shapes, ushering in the New Year alongside Roger Federer and company.

“Well everybody has a thing and my thing is to open up dance floors,” she added. “So the first song the band played I was out there with my fitness and physio coach. Later we danced and Roger came on and I said, ‘Roger remember this time.” And he was like, ‘What? Why?’ I’m like, ‘Remember the time you and me danced with a bunch of teenagers.'”

I took that. #justsayin https://t.co/XWh6E0x5iU

— Andrea Petkovic (@andreapetkovic) December 31, 2016

While the German has mixed up her pre-season preparations, that is as far as her 2017 resolutions go: “I don’t do resolutions because I once tried a detox diet and at 3pm in the afternoon I was eating cake, so that’s how my resolutions go.”

With the French Open officially in the books, how do the rankings stand as the tour heads into the third major tournament of the season?

Defending champion Serena Williams remains No.1 for a 174th straight week, a streak that began all the way back on February 18th, 2013, after reaching the final of the Qatar Total Open.

Garbiñe Muguruza is not too far behind at her career-high ranking of No.2, trailing the 21-time Grand Slam champion by 1564 points thanks to her maiden major title at Roland Garros, where she defeated Serena in the final.

Muguruza became the first Spanish woman ranked inside the Top 2 since Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario in December 1996; Sanchez-Vicario is also the first and most recent Spanish woman to be ranked No.1 back in 1995.

Ahead of the grass court season, Wimbledon finalists Serena and Muguruza have the greatest number of points to defend, with 2000 and 1356, respectively. World No.3 Agnieszka Radwanska fell to Muguruza in last year’s semifinal and is defending 1195 points, having also made the semifinals of Nottingham and the final of Eastbourne, where she lost to Belinda Bencic.

Bencic is making her return from a lower back injury, one which precluded her from nearly all of the clay court season. The Swiss star reached the fourth round of Wimbledon and the final of the Ricoh Open, and is defending 920 points. 

Who made the biggest leaps during the clay court season?

By reaching the second week of the French Open, Bertens rocketed up into Olympic contention, as did quarterfinalist Tsvetana Pironkova, who now has a chance to qualify for the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. Yulia Putintseva made her career-best ranking and Top 35 debut by reaching the last eight in Paris, pushing Serena to three sets. Venus Williams also made her return to the Top 10 on the back of her best French Open result since 2010, reaching the fourth round.