Kotyza: Pliskova A Champ In The Making
WTA Insider Courtney Nguyen | In the latest WTA Insider Podcast, hear from famed coach David Kotyza on his work with Karolina Pliskova to start the 2017 season in Brisbane.
WTA Insider Courtney Nguyen | In the latest WTA Insider Podcast, hear from famed coach David Kotyza on his work with Karolina Pliskova to start the 2017 season in Brisbane.
MADRID Spain – On a maquee day in Madrid, all eight of the top seeds will be in attendance to play their first round at the Mutua Madrid Open. Which matches are must-sees?
Sunday, First Round
[1] Agnieszka Radwanska (POL #2) vs. Dominika Cibulkova (SVK #38)
Head-to-head: Radwanska leads 7-3
Key Stat: Two of their last three encounters have gone three sets.
Giant-killer Dominika Cibulkova has been in search of a big win to reassert her standing among the best players in the world after an Achilles injury took her off the tour last spring. Narrowly missing out on upset opportunities over Agnieszka Radwanska in Indian Wells (where she held a match point) and Garbiñe Muguruza in Madrid, she gets another crack at Radwanska on the World No.2’s least favorite surface. The Pole won their only clay court meeting, but that was back in 2006, when the two were fighting for a main draw spot in Budapest qualifying.
Showing some encouraging signs of consistency, Cibulkova battled her way to her first title of the season at the Katowice Open – Radwanska’s home tournament, from which she withdrew citing a right shoulder injury. As for Radwanska, the former Wimbledon finalist grew up on red clay, and acquitted herself well at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix before falling victim to Laura Siegemund’s miracle run in the semifinals.
Pick: Cibulkova in three
[WC] Lara Arruabarrena (ESP #76) vs. [5] Petra Kvitova (CZE #6)
Head-to-head: First meeting
Key Stat: Madrid is Kvitova’s most successful clay court tournament, winning it twice (2011, 2015)
Defending champion Petra Kvitova surprised many when she opted out of her country’s Fed Cup semifinal against Switzerland because it would interrupt her preparation for the clay court swing, but the two-time Wimbledon champion silenced doubters when she showed some of those much-needed improvements in Stuttgart, where she reached the finals and pushed eventual champion Angelique Kerber to three tough sets.
Her next big test comes in the form of dirtballer Lara Arruabarrena; the hometown favorite turned heads in a three-set thriller she played against Kerber in Charleston, and with her maddening consistency, is precisely the type of player to bother Kvitova on clay. The former World No.2 is hardly impervious, having narrowly avoided an early round loss to Monica Niculescu during her otherwise solid run in Stuttgart, but how much better will the Czech powerhouse look with two more weeks under the tutilege of new coach Frantisek Cermak?
Pick: Kvitova in three
Around the grounds: Top ranked Spaniards Carla Suárez Navarro and Garbiñe Muguruza will each be in action on Manolo Santana Court; Suarez Navarro takes on Rabat semifinalist Timea Babos while Muguruza looks to win a fourth straight match against Anna Karolina Schmiedlova – a player in the midst of a sophomore slump. Sunshine Double winner Victoria Azarenka will play her first WTA match since winning Miami against former British No.1 Laura Robson, who entered Madrid with a protected ranking. No.6 seed Simona Halep could have another long day on her hands as she takes on the always dangerous Misaki Doi to open the evening session, while No.2 seed Angelique Kerber takes on Barbora Strycova, against whom she only lost two games en route to the semifinals of the Miami Open.
Finally, there will be no rest for either of the Prague or Rabat finalists entered in Madrid; champions Lucie Safarova and Timea Bacsinszky both play their first rounds against CoCo Vandeweghe and Andrea Petkovic, respectively, while Prague runner-up Samantha Stosur takes on Spanish wildcard Sara Sorribes Tomo Sunday evening.
BRISBANE, Australia – For the second time in as many days, Garbiñe Muguruza came back from the brink to keep her hopes alive at the Brisbane International.
Muguruza entertained a record crowd at the Queensland Tennis Centre on Tuesday night, coming from match point down for to defeat the courageous Daria Kasatkina, 7-5, 3-6, 7-6(7), in one minute shy of three hours.
“What a match! It was terrible, I was suffering until last moment, but I think we were both playing amazing,” Muguruza said in her on-court interview. “The tie break is just a few points where it will be decided. I don’t know how I won but I’m glad I did it.
Another huge moment!@DKasatkina breaks back after this phenomenal challenge! pic.twitter.com/wWC8Oa8tNG
— WTA (@WTA) January 3, 2017
In a match that ebbed and flowed until the last, Kasatkina came roaring back from 4-1 down in the deciding set only to stumble when she was then presented with the opportunity to serve for it. Muguruza, somehow maintained her composure in the subsequent tie-break, wiping out a match point at 6-7 with a pin-point forehand before eventually making her weary limbs across the finishing line.
The previous evening, the Spaniard had been involved in an equally dramatic contest against home favorite Samantha Stosur. By her own admission, it is an atmosphere she revels in.
“I love to play in this type of court when the crowd is so into the match. I like to make them enjoy and suffer like me!”
This match?? @BrisbaneTennis
— Elena Vesnina (@EVesnina001) January 3, 2017
In the quarterfinals, Muguruza will face either Svetlana Kuznetsova or Destanee Aiava.
Another seed put through the ringer was Elina Svitolina, who eventually saw off Shelby Rogers, 7-5, 2-6, 7-5.
An interview with Eugenie Bouchard after her quarterfinal win at the Apia International Sydney.
HOBART, Australia – Kiki Bertens recovered from a second-set break to defeat Galina Voskoboeva, 6-1, 6-4, to reach the quarterfinals of the Hobart International.
“It’s always tough to get some matches at the beginning of the season, so I’m happy I won two matches here and I hope to go even farther,” Bertens said in her post-match press conference.
Voskoboeva spent two years off the tour nursing persistent foot injuries, and had just won her first WTA main draw match since 2014 ahead of her clash with Bertens. The top seed, by contrast, is in the midst of a career-best 12 months, having reached the semifinals of the French Open to qualify for her first Olympic tennis event.
“It was an OK match today; she helped me a lot in the beginning with a lot of mistakes, but in the second she played really well. I had to fight for it and there were some tough conditions with the wind, but I’m happy I got through.
“I really need some matches; my body needs matches to play better. You saw what happened last year in Paris: I won a tournament the week before and was in the semis the week after!”
Bertens rushed out to a 4-0 lead to start the match, serving out the opening set before things got complicated in the second. The Kazakh pushed Bertens to the brink on multiple occasions, leading by a late break in the sixth game. But the Dutch star roared back, winning the last three games to book an encounter with qualifier Elise Mertens.
“I know her well; she’s a great young player with a good run last year. I’ll have to be more aggressive than today but hopefully I can get the win.”
Earlier in the day, another qualifier got a big win over former World No.5, Lucie Safarova. Risa Ozaki came back from a set down to defeat the 2015 French Open finalist, 2-6, 6-3, 7-5.
“In the first set, she played well and I couldn’t hit a strong ball,” she explained after the match. “After that, I tried to focus on my forehand and things got better from there.”
Safarova won a titanic sixth game in the first set and broke to start the second, but the 22-year-old won six of the last seven games to level the match.
“I started the match really well,” Safarova echoed in her post-match press conference. “I had some game points to go 3-0, but things started going the other way. It wasn’t easy conditions with the wind; she started to pressure me more and make fewer mistakes. I lost my rhythm; I tried to hang in there but it was always tough serving in this wind.”
The Czech veteran showed signs of life late in the match, breaking Ozaki as she served for the upset, but the Japanese youngster broke serve one last time, reaching her third career WTA quarterfinal in two hours, 22 minutes.
“These conditions don’t really suit my game because I like to be aggressive, but I was making too many mistakes. She was putting a lot of balls back; she ran and served well, especially at the end. This isn’t the result I would have liked, but it’s tennis and things happen. It’s good that I got an extra two matches before Melbourne. Hopefully I’ll peak there.”
As Serena Williams readies to pursue a record-breaking 23rd Grand Slam title at the Australian Open, espnW presents the story of how the former No.1 won her first 22.
Belgian qualifier Elise Mertens is through to her first career WTA final after a 6-4, 6-0 win over Jana Fett at the Hobart International.
Johanna Konta takes on Agnieszka Radwanska in the final of the Apia International Sydney.
Highlights from the finals action on Day 6 of the Apia International Sydney.
Irina-Camelia Begu takes on Victoria Azarenka in the second round of the Internazionali BNL d’Italia.