Venus Rounds Out Miami Quarterfinals With Win Over Kuznetsova
Venus Williams won a battle of WTA veterans against Svetlana Kuznetsova, wrapping up the Monday night session and snatching the final Miami Open quarterfinal spot.
Venus Williams won a battle of WTA veterans against Svetlana Kuznetsova, wrapping up the Monday night session and snatching the final Miami Open quarterfinal spot.
WUHAN, China – Former No.1 Caroline Wozniacki is set to continue her US Open resurgence into the WTA’s Asian swing, joining Serena Williams, Angelique Kerber, Simone Halep, Petra Kvitova and defending champion Venus Williams at the 2016 Dongfeng Motor Wuhan Open.
“I’m so excited to be coming back to Wuhan and seeing all my amazing Chinese fans again,” Wozniacki said. “Playing in China, where the crowds have such a passion for tennis, is always really special. There is a really strong line-up of players this year in Wuhan and it’s going to be fantastic to be part of it.”
The 2016 Dongfeng Motor Wuhan Open announced today a star-studded field, with all of the WTA’s Top 10 active players entered and Wozniacki receiving a wildcard into the 56-player main draw.
The WTA Premier 5 tournament, now entering its third year, has become one of the cornerstones of tennis’s autumn Asian swing. The tournament takes place between 23 September and 01 October 2016, and tickets are already available. Visit the tournament’s website, www.wuhanopen.org, or www.4008702014.com for more details.
Tuesday
Quarterfinals
[2] Karolina Pliskova (CZE #3) vs. [26] Mirjana Lucic-Baroni (CRO #29)
Head-to-head: Tied, 3-3
Key Stat: Pliskova and Lucic-Baroni have played three-setters in each of their last three meetings.
Mirjana Lucic-Baroni has already matched her total of Top 10 wins from the previous four seasons by notching three in 2017 and, on Sunday, the 35-year-old will try to make it four when she meets No.2 seed Karolina Pliskova in her first Miami Open quarterfinal.
Pliskova, who is in the Miami quarterfinals for the second time, knows it will be a challenge. She was knocked off by Lucic-Baroni in January, falling 6-4, 3-6, 6-4 to the Croatian in the quarterfinals at the Australian Open, and their last three battles have all gone the distance.
“She’s always tough,” Pliskova told WTA Insider on Monday after easing past Barbora Strycova in straight sets. “She has a big game and it was close in Australia.”
The head-to-head points to a toss-up but Pliskova comes in as the favorite based on her ranking and the expectations she has set by becoming one of the most lethal players in the last 52 weeks. Now the No.1 Czech, Pliskova is expected to come through these types of matches and she certainly has the game to do it. But how can she keep her veteran opponent off balance so that her blistering groundstrokes don’t take over the match? It’s a task that has proved difficult for many this season and it will be interesting to see how Pliskova approaches playing Lucic-Baroni from a tactical perspective.
Lucic-Baroni, meanwhile, will approach the challenge of facing Pliskova’s game with no fear. She’s playing some of the best tennis of her life – why shouldn’t the fairytale continue?
“It’s always nice when you beat a top player and then beat them again not too long after, so it’s not a ‘fluke,'” Lucic-Baroni said last week in Miami after defeating No.5-seeded Agnieszka Radwanska for the second time this season. “I know people like to say stupid things sometimes. But I don’t pay attention to that. I know I can play some great tennis and that’s really all I care about doing.”
Pick: Pliskova in three
First #WTA Premier Mandatory Quarterfinal!
Mirjana Lucic-Baroni downs Mattek-Sands at @MiamiOpen! pic.twitter.com/h4SjEMPJj3
— WTA (@WTA) March 27, 2017
[12] Caroline Wozniacki (DEN #14) vs. Lucie Safarova (CZE #36)
Head-to-head: Wozniacki leads, 4-3
Key Stat: Wozniacki’s 21 victories in 2017 place her second on tour.
Caroline Wozniacki is back in the last eight of the Miami Open for the fifth time overall and the first time since 2014, and the Dane faces a former Top 10 player on the rise in Lucie Safarova. The Czech secured her first Top 10 win since 2015 when she defeated World No.4 Dominika Cibulkova on Monday in straight sets. If that doesn’t give you an idea of what type of form the 30-year-old Czech is in, consider this: Safarova’s 16 wins in the first three months of the season are already more than she had in all of 2016. She has yet to drop a set this week and has reached the Miami Open quarterfinals for the first time on her 12th career appearance.
Can the southpaw take it a step further and shut down Wozniacki on Tuesday? It will be a difficult task. Wozniacki has won three of her last four against Safarova and is running hot as she prepares to play her sixth quarterfinal of the season. The match will likely hinge on how well Wozniacki can implement her return tactics against Safarova’s serve. The Czech entered the tournament ranked fourth in percentage of service games won this season, while Wozniacki ranked No.6 in percentage of return games won.
Pick: Wozniacki in three
By the Numbers
4 – Number of wins that Lucic-Baroni notched at Miami from 1998 to 2016. She will try to win her fourth match of the 2017 tournament against Pliskova.
22 – Pliskova took over the WTA lead in wins for 2017 with her 22nd win on Monday.
9 – Number of times that Caroline Wozniacki has reached at least the quarterfinal in her last ten tournaments.
16 – Lucie Safarova’s 16 wins (16-6) in 2017 have already surpassed her win total for all of 2016 (15-18).
The American flag flies over Arthur Ashe Stadium – and its brand new retractable roof.
Johanna Konta fought through the shadows under the new courts.
Simona Halep tore through the draw on the way to her second straight US Open quarterfinal.
Agnieszka Radwanska was one of four women who started the tournament with a shot at the WTA World No.1 ranking.
Caroline Wozniacki loves New York City, and the city loves her: the two-time finalist revitalized her season at the US Open.
Last year’s finalist Roberta Vinci is a big hit, too, signing autographs for fans after her match.
Players and fans wrote goodbye messages to Louis Armstrong Stadium, which hosted its last scheduled match this year after 39 years.
Venus Williams surprised fans at an on-site event, hitting a few tennis balls on court and answering fan questions.
She’s back! Caroline Wozniacki returned to the US Open semifinals after an emphatic win over Anastasija Sevastova.
As day turned to evening the grounds were packed in preparation for the US Open night session.
Inside the stadium, the stars were out in full force to support their favorite players, including Beyoncé, who was in Serena Williams’ box cheering on the No.1.
But with Garbiñe Muguruza and Agnieszka Radwanska bowing out early, Angelique Kerber has a big chance to dethrone Serena at the top spot.
Kerber zoomed past an ailing Roberta Vinci to reach the semifinals.
Anastasija Sevastova’s Cinderella run to the US Open quarterfinals made lots of headlines…
…as did 18-year-old Ana Konjuh’s.
Konjuh was the author of one of the biggest upsets of the tournament when she knocked out Radwanska in the fourth round.
Things move fast in New York City, and after almost two weeks of action we see familiar faces emerge among the surprises.
Steady as always, Serena marches in historic fashion, aiming for a record-breaking 23rd Grand Slam title.
But World No.2 Kerber has just one goal in mind, and she inches closer and closer to it with every win.
As the sun sets over Flushing Meadows, will we see a new WTA World No.1 at the end of the fornight?
MADRID, Spain – All of the world’s best players have been confirmed to attend the 16th Mutua Madrid Open, which starts on May 6.
With the exception of the injured Petra Kvitova, the field is as strong as it possibly could be according to the WTA rankings – with the returning Maria Sharapova also granted a wildcard along with four other players, to be announced.
To complete the 64-player main draw for the Mutua Madrid Open, eight players will come through the qualifying stages.
Fifth seeded Simona Halep is the reigning champion in a recent roll of honour that has seen Serena Williams triumph twice (2012, 2013) and Sharapova in 2014. The tournament will mark Williams’ return to action, the former champion having struggled with a knee injury since winning the Australian Open.
The @WTA Stars ⭐️ are coming back to Madrid! ☺️. Complete list of players: https://t.co/npBfnToFP5 ?? pic.twitter.com/mYiZUTRz4x
— Mutua Madrid Open (@MutuaMadridOpen) March 28, 2017
Kvitova is also a two-time winner of the event and tournament director Manolo Santana used the announcement as an opportunity to dedicate a few words to the absent champion.
“I would like to send my best wishes and affection to Petra Kvitova, who is unable to play this year for reasons I am sure you are all aware of,” he said. “I have special admiration for Petra’s capacity to overcome adversity and I would love to see her back here fighting for her third title next year.”
The players registered for the Mutua Madrid Open are:
1. Angelique Kerber
2. Serena Williams
3. Karolina Pliskova
4. Dominika Cibulkova
5. Simona Halep
6. Garbiñe Muguruza
7. Svetlana Kuznetsova
8. Agnieszka Radwanska
9. Madison Keys
10. Elina Svitolina
11. Johanna Konta
12. Venus Williams
13. Elena Vesnina
14. Caroline Wozniacki
15. Timea Bacsinszky
16. Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova
17. Kristina Mladenovic
18. Samantha Stosur
19. Barbora Strycova
20. Kiki Bertens
21. Coco Vandeweghe
22. Caroline Garcia
23. Carla Suárez Navarro
24. Anastasija Sevastova
25. Daria Gavrilova
26. Timea Babos
27. Irina-Camelia Begu
28. Mirjana Lucic-Baroni
29. Roberta Vinci
30. Ana Konjuh
31. Yulia Putintseva
32. Zhang Shuai
33. Lauren Davis
34. Ekaterina Makarova
35. Lucie Safarova
36. Katerina Siniakova
37. Alison Riske
38. Laura Siegemund
39. Monica Puig
40. Lesia Tsurenko
41. Daria Kasatkina
42. Peng Shuai
43. Alizé Cornet
44. Monica Niculescu
45. Christina McHale
46. Julia Goerges
47. Naomi Osaka
48. Yaroslava Shvedova
49. Misaki Doi
50. Kristyna Pliskova
51. Viktorija Golubic
An interview with Carla Suárez Navarro after her win in the semifinals of the Qatar Total Open.
NEW YORK, NY, USA – Who has enjoyed the smoothest passage to the final? What does Angelique Kerber need to do to top the rankings? And just how impressive has Serena Williams’ serving been?
These are just a few of the questions answered in a US Open semifinal edition of wtatennis.com’s By The Numbers.
439 – Karolina Pliskova’s three aces against Ana Konjuh took her tally for the year to a WTA leading 439 from 54 matches.
110 – The average rank of Pliskova’s opponent en route to the last four is 110 (No.243 Sofia Kenin, No.192 Montserrat González, No.92 Ana Konjuh, No.6 Venus Williams and No.18 Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova).
84 – Serena’s peerless delivery has helped her win 149 of 177 (84%) points on her first serve – the best percentage of any singles player this fortnight.
74 – Wozniacki is currently ranked No.74 – her lowest position since August 2007. Aside from unranked Kim Clijsters in 2009, Wozniacki is bidding to be the lowest-ranked finalist in US Open history.
60 – Serena has struck more aces, 60, than any other player in the tournament. Kerber, meanwhile, has hit just six.
52 – Kerber’s victory over Roberta Vinci in the quarterfinals was her 52nd of the year. This is the most by any player on tour (Simona Halep is her closest competition, with 40 wins).
48 – Wozniacki has won 48 of her 71 meetings with left-handers on tour. Seven of these defeats have come against Kerber, including four on hardcourts. The Dane has, however, won their only two meetings stateside, at Cincinnati (2014) and Indian Wells (2013).
34 – Williams will be aged 34 years and 350 days at the end of the tournament, making her the second-oldest US Open semifinalist in the Open Era, after Billie Jean King in 1979, who was 35 years, 291 days.
33 – Williams is appearing in her 33rd Grand Slam semifinal. For Pliskova it is her very first.
17 – In her 17 previous Grand Slam appearances Pliskova had never reached the second week. The last player to reach a major semifinal having never previously been beyond the third round was Madison Keys at the 2015 Australian Open.
10 – Wozniacki has defeated two Top 10 players (No.9 Madison Keys and No.10 Svetlana Kuznetsova) this fortnight – a feat she had never achieved in 36 previous majors.
7 – Wozniacki is the seventh unseeded player to make the US Open semifinals since the number of seeds was increased to 32 in 2001; the others were Clijsters (2009), Yanina Wickmayer (2009), Kerber (2011), Flavia Pennetta (2013), Peng Shuai (2014) and Vinci (2015).
6 – Pliskova is projected to reach a new career-high ranking of No.6 and could rise as high as No.5 by winning the title.
4 – Williams is bidding to reach all four major finals in the same year for the very first time. The last player to achieve this feat was Justine Henin in 2006.
2 – In her five matches Williams has dropped serve just twice – both coming during her quarterfinal against Halep.
1 – Williams needs to win her semifinal to have a chance of extending her 186-week stay as World No.1. If Kerber advances to the final, Williams will need to win the title to hold on to top spot.
0 – The number of sets Kerber has conceded en route to the semifinals. The last player to win a major without dropping a set was Serena at the 2014 US Open.
As we reach the business end of the Miami Open, there’s plenty going on – on court and on social media. Lucie Safarova, Sorana Cirstea and more have been posting their pics!
NEW YORK, NY, USA – Angelique Kerber will become the new WTA World No.1 when updated rankings are released on Monday, September 12.
“Congratulations to Angelique on this remarkable accomplishment of becoming the WTA World No.1,” said WTA CEO Steve Simon. “It is extremely difficult to reach the pinnacle of our sport, and Angelique has demonstrated amazing work ethic in the past year. Her outstanding results reflect this, and she truly deserves to be the new WTA World No.1.”
The 28-year-old becomes only the second German woman to achieve this historic milestone since computer rankings were introduced in 1975, and the first since Stefanie Graf spent the last of her record 377 weeks at No.1 in March 1997. She is also the oldest player to make her debut at No.1, a record previously held by Jennifer Capriati, who was 25 years, 200 days when she reached No.1 in October 2001.
Kerber’s rise to WTA World No.1 brings to an end the reign of Serena Williams, whose sixth stint in the top spot began more than three years ago, on February 18, 2013. At 186 consecutive weeks, the American’s most recent stay at No.1 ties the Open Era record for most consecutive weeks at No.1 held by Graf. This is the 88th time the No.1 ranking has changed hands over the past four decades.
This accomplishment is the latest in what has been a breakout year for the German, who began the season by defeating Serena Williams to win her maiden Grand Slam title at the Australian Open, and followed up by advancing to the Wimbledon final, capturing a silver medal in singles at the Rio Olympics, successfully defending her title at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart, and reaching the semifinals at the U.S. Open (ongoing). Kerber leads the WTA for most main draw match wins this season, at 52-14, and her other highlights include reaching two finals at the Brisbane International and the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati, and the semifinals at the Miami Open, Volvo Car Open in Charleston and Rogers Cup in Montreal.
Kerber will be presented with the WTA World No.1 Trophy, which was unveiled last year at the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global. The focal point of the trophy is a silver “star-map” tennis ball that represents the tennis universe and where all world No. 1s, past and present, are depicted by a diamond in the sky, representing each champion leaving their mark on the sport.
Kerber has also qualified for the 2016 BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global in October, and will be making her fourth appearance at the year-end finale.
WEEKS AT WORLD NO.1
|
PLAYER |
WEEKS AT No.1 |
DATE REACHED No.1 |
|
Steffi Graf (GER) |
377 |
August 17, 1987 |
|
Martina Navratilova (USA) |
332 |
July 10, 1978 |
|
Serena Williams (USA) |
306 |
July 8, 2002 |
|
Chris Evert (USA) |
260 |
November 3, 1975 |
|
Martina Hingis (SUI) |
209 |
March 31, 1997 |
|
Monica Seles (USA) |
178 |
March 11, 1991 |
|
Justine Henin (BEL) |
117 |
October 20, 2003 |
|
Lindsay Davenport (USA) |
98 |
October 12, 1998 |
|
Caroline Wozniacki (DEN) |
67 |
October 11, 2010 |
|
Victoria Azarenka (BLR) |
51 |
January 30, 2012 |
|
Amélie Mauresmo (FRA) |
39 |
September 13, 2004 |
|
Dinara Safina (RUS) |
26 |
April 20, 2009 |
|
Maria Sharapova (RUS) |
21 |
August 22, 2005 |
|
Tracy Austin (USA) |
21 |
April 7, 1980 |
|
Kim Clijsters (BEL) |
20 |
August 11, 2003 |
|
Jelena Jankovic (SRB) |
18 |
August 11, 2008 |
|
Jennifer Capriati (USA) |
17 |
October 15, 2001 |
|
Ana Ivanovic (SRB) |
12 |
June 9, 2008 |
|
Arantxa Sánchez-Vicario (ESP) |
12 |
February 6, 1995 |
|
Venus Williams (USA) |
11 |
February 25, 2002 |
|
Evonne Goolagong Cawley (AUS) |
2 |
April 26, 1976 |
|
Angelique Kerber (GER) |
1* |
September 12, 2016 |
*including week of September 12, 2016
Johanna Konta reflects on her performance at the Miami Open.