Tennis News

ACAPULCO, Mexico – No.2 seed Kristina Mladenovic made a winning start to her campaign at the Abierto Mexicano Telcel, racing past Varvara Lepchenko in straight sets.

Kicking off the opening day action on Cancha Central, the Frenchwoman needed just an hour an fifteen minutes to complete the 6-2, 6-3 victory.

“It felt great to play the first match on Central,” Mladenovic said after the victory. “I was actually really surprised at the schedule, you know, to open up the tournament on the center court.

“It was difficult for me, too, because I arrived just two days ago from Dubai. I’m still a bit jetlagged and it’s totally different conditions here, but I’m just very happy with the win.”

Mladenovic got off to a quick start against the No.91-ranked American, jumping ahead to a 3-0 lead in both sets. Mladenovic played aggressive, positive tennis to keep Lepchenko out of the rallies, hitting a serve out wide and following it up with a booming forehand. She closed out the set with a second break to the Lepchenko serve.

Well-executed drop shot from @KiKiMladenovic! #AMT2017 pic.twitter.com/9hXnzArzMf

— WTA (@WTA) February 27, 2017

But the American stood her ground heading into the second, mixing up her game plan to play more aggressively and earn a break back and level the score at 3-3.

Mladenovic stayed positive, and peppered her game with dropshots to grab another break and serve out the match, sealing it with another ace out wide – her fifth ace of the match.

“I was trying to stay tough in my head, just trying to work for every single point, every game. I was just trying to go for it, and Varvara is a tough player as well. Very happy with this first win.”

Up next in the second round Mladenovic will face Heather Watson, who edged past American wildcard Bethanie Mattek-Sands, 7-5, 6-3.

.@HeatherWatson92 beats Mattek-Sands 7-5, 6-3!

Sets @AbiertoTelcel Second round vs @KikiMladenovic! #AMT2017 pic.twitter.com/VbnOMMb5xA

— WTA (@WTA) February 28, 2017

Also through in Acapulco, No.8 Andrea Petkovic faced a tough battle against American qualifier Jamie Loeb, needing to come back from a set down in her 2-6, 6-1, 6-3 victory.

“I’ve been here for a week already so I’ve been practicing for a long time,” Petkovic said. “I don’t remember the last time I waited this long for a match. So at the beginning I was a bit tight, because also she had been through qualifying here”

“She was playing really fast, and I needed some time to get used to it. In the second and third set – after some rough patches – I think it was pretty good.”

Joining them in the second round will be Shelby Rogers, who moved past her American compatriot Louisa Chirico 6-2, 6-2, and Pauline Parmentier who survived a rollercoaster against Nicole Gibbs to advance 7-5, 6-7(6), 6-2.

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia – Magda Linette says she was surprised when fourth seed Peng Shuai was forced to retire from their third-round match at the Alya Malaysian Open – but she is now ready for her next opponent.

“You are always surprised when someone retires, you’re never ready for that,” the Polish player told reporters after the match. “You just need to be focused on your own game and just try to play your own tennis. I’m glad I stayed focused.”

The 25-year-old said she noticed Peng struggling with her serve before the fourth seed admitted she could not continue, 5-2 down with just 28 minutes of the match gone.

.@MagdaLinette is in control of the first set! #alyawtamalaysianopen pic.twitter.com/5TWC2jE0Hf

— WTA (@WTA) March 2, 2017

Nevertheless, Linette was satisfied with her performance.

“I was aggressive, that was the plan, to play my own game, and I realised that most of the time,” she said. “I’m pretty happy. It was short. It’s tough to judge, but I’m happy.”

Next up for the World No.93 is Duan Ying-Ying, one of only two seeds remaining in the draw, but Linette says that no quarterfinal match would be a straightforward one.

“Everyone plays good,” she said. “Qualifiers beat the third seed and second seed. So it’s not easier now, those players are good. Even the wildcard I played two days ago was a tough one, so obviously there are no easy players, it’s even tougher because the girls are so motivated to play. I’m lucky, I’m very happy and looking forward to tomorrow.”

LONDON, England – Five-time champion Venus Williams got her Wimbledon challenge underway with a hard-fought win over Donna Vekic on the opening Monday.

In a high-quality encounter, Williams held her nerve at the conclusion of both sets to run out a 7-6(3), 6-4 victory.

“The first round is never easy and she played amazing tennis today,” Williams said. “I expect players to feel free and go for it when they play me. In the first set there were some hairy moments but I guess that’s when experience sets in and I had the chance to win the important points.”

Vekic has endured a season to forget, failing to win a WTA main draw match since February. However, if she was short on confidence it did not show against Williams, trading on even terms with the World No.8 for much of their two hours on court.

She had her chances, too, particularly during an opening set, which she served for at 6-5. Perhaps undermined by memories of her recent run, the Croatian saw two sets points slip before Williams pinched it on the tie-break. The second set was just as closely contested, but once again it was the American that finished stronger, a forehand winner bringing her the solitary break in the ninth game.

Williams, who turned 36 a couple of weeks ago and is seeded No.8, is competing at a Grand Slam for a record-equaling 71st time, but still enjoys pitting herself against the new guard: “You got to enjoy the battle because that’s what it is every time you step on the court. You never know what will happen.”

Age is just a number…@Venuseswilliams kicks off her 19th #Wimbledon with a 7-6, 6-4 win over Donna Vekic ? https://t.co/86VTT9bcSG

— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) 27 June 2016

One member of the next generation expected to go far this fortnight is No.9 seed Madison Keys. A champion at both Birmingham and Eastbourne over the past few years, Keys is no stranger to success on grass, and displayed her nous to overpower Laura Siegemund, 6-3, 6-1.

The next challenge will be 2013 semifinalist Kirsten Flipkens, after she brushed aside Nicole Gibbs, 6-3, 6-1. Elsewhere, there were contrasting fortunes for another former semifinalist, Ana Ivanovic, who was bundled out by qualifier Ekaterina Alexandrova.

A few days on from squeaking past World No.446 Harriet Dart in the final round of qualifying, Alexandrova elevated her game to another level, surviving a late wobble to triumph, 6-2, 7-5.

Defending champion Serena Williams leads the charge as the top half of the draw takes to the grass on Day 2. We preview a busy slate at SW19 here on wtatennis.com, courtesy of contributor Chris Oddo.

Tuesday

First Round

[1] Serena Williams (USA #1) vs. [Q] Amra Sadikovic (SUI #148)
Head-to-head: First Meeting
Key Stat: Williams is the last women to have won Wimbledon after saving a match point (2009).

Having failed to come away with the title in each of the last three majors, Serena Williams has dusted herself off and is ready to pursue Grand Slam glory at one of her favorite stomping grounds. Her first test will be against Swiss qualifier Amra Sadikovic, a 27-year-old who has only played six tour-level matches in her career. After briefly retiring from tennis, the Swiss has recently returned to the tour with a renewed sense of purpose. Williams, on the other hand, is hoping to log more matches than six this Wimbledon fortnight. The six-time champion owns a 79-10 lifetime record at SW19 and despite the fact that she’s bidding for a historical 22nd major title for the fourth time, the 34-year-old refuses to be bothered by externalities. “Honestly, I don’t feel any pressure,” Williams told assembled press on Sunday during her champion’s press conference. “I feel good and confident.” Williams arrived in London on Monday to give herself plenty of time to get reacquainted with the grass that she has prowled so efficiently since she made her first Wimbledon appearance in 1998. Despite having made the trek 17 times now, Williams says it’s always special. “It’s a unique experience,” she said. “You know, it’s just that one time a year you just get to get on this amazing, beautiful surface. It feels really good.”

Pick: Williams in two

[13] Svetlana Kuznetsova (RUS #14) vs. Caroline Wozniacki (Den #45)
Head-to-head: Wozniacki leads 6-5
Key Stat: A three-time Wimbledon quarterfinalist, Kuznetsova has not reached that far at the All England Club since 2007.

Two longtime rivals will meet for the 12th time and the first at Wimbledon on Tuesday when Caroline Wozniacki and Svetlana Kuznetsova lock horns in a highly enticing first-rounder. They are six years apart in age, and 31 spots separate them in the rankings, but in truth there isn’t a whole lot that divides these two, talent-wise. Wozniacki has slipped in the rankings due to an ankle injury that forced her out for two months this spring, but the Dane has put three events under her belt and is feeling much better about her form after a productive three weeks on the grass. “I feel like I’m getting closer to where I want to be,” she told the WTA Insider Podcast at Eastbourne, where she won two matches before falling in a tight three-setter to Monica Puig. Kuznetsova has had her moments in 2016, most notable her upset of world No.1 Serena Williams in Miami, but the Russian has lost her only match on grass to date in 2016.

Pick: Wozniacki in three

[10] Petra Kvitova (CZE #10) vs. Sorana Cirstea (ROU #85)
Head-to-head: Kvitova leads, 4-2
Key Stat: Two-time champion Petra Kvitova is one of three former Wimbledon champions in the draw.

Typically a grass juggernaut, Petra Kvitova encountered some turbulence on her favorite surface this summer when she was knocked out of Birmingham and Eastbourne in the round of 16. But the 2011 and 2014 champion has more than proven herself at Wimbledon, where she owns a 29-6 lifetime record and has produced some of her most electrifying tennis. That means it will take an exceptional effort from Romania’s Sorana Cirstea to challenge the Czech on Tuesday in a place where Kvitova has always been at her menacing best. In their lone Wimbledon meeting Kvitova eased past Cirstea in straight sets, but the world No.85 does own two victories over Kvitova and has undergone a bit of a revival of late, producing her best tennis since her breakout season in 2013 in the last six months.

Pick: Kvitova in two.

[7] Belinda Bencic (SUI #13) vs. Tsvetana Pironkova (BUL #71)
Head-to-head: Bencic leads, 2-0
Key Stat: Pironkova is playing in her 43rd consecutive major at Wimbledon. It is the third-longest active streak behind Ana Ivanovic (47) and Jelena Jankovic (51).

Belinda Bencic loves playing on grass and excels on the surface; Tsvetana Pironkova loves playing on grass and also excels on the surface. What’s not to love about this highly anticipated first-round matchup between two talented players who win with touch and placement rather than power? Bencic defeated Pironkova in the first round at SW19 last year, and she will come in as the favorite on paper, but the Swiss has yet to find her top physical form after missing two months due to a back injury. After a semifinal in ‘s-Hertogenbosch, Bencic had to pull out of her first match at Birmingham with an injury before being defeated in her first match at Eastbourne by Elena Vesnina. Pironkova has two deep Wimbledon runs under her belt (semifinals in 2010, quarterfinals in 2011) and will surely be hungry to gain revenge on Bencic on Tuesday.

Pick: Pironkova in three

Around the Grounds: Third seed and 2012 runner-up Agnieszka Radwanska will begin her 11th Wimbledon campaign with a first-round battle with Kateryna Kozlova of the Ukraine, who is making her Wimbledon debut. Great Britain’s Johanna Konta defeated Monica Puig in a third-set tiebreaker last year at Nottingham. They’ll meet again in the first round on Tuesday with Konta looking to win for the first time in four tries at Wimbledon.

By the Numbers:

137 – Svetlana Kuznetsova’s win total at the Grand Slam level, which is fourth-most among active players.

31-5 – Caroline Wozniacki’s record in first round matches at majors. The Dane has not dropped a first-rounder since 2012 Wimbledon.