Indian Wells: Svetlana Kuznetsova vs Caroline Garcia
Svetlana Kuznetsova takes on Caroline Garcia in the fourth round of the BNP Paribas Open.
Svetlana Kuznetsova takes on Caroline Garcia in the fourth round of the BNP Paribas Open.
No.3 seed Karolina Pliskova is through to the final eight at the BNP Paribas Open after Timea Bacsinszky found herself forced to retire from their match, citing a left wrist injury.
Highlights from the fourth-round match at the BNP Paribas Open between Caroline Wozniacki and Madison Keys.
Eight quarterfinal spots are on the line on Tuesday at the BNP Paribas Open and we’re previewing each sweet sixteen matchup right here at wtaennis.com.
Tuesday
Round of 16
[2] Angelique Kerber (GER # 2) vs. [14] Elena Vesnina (RUS #15)
Head-to-head: Kerber leads, 3-1
Key Stat: Kerber will begin her 21st week at No.1 on the Monday after Indian Wells.
Angelique Kerber had her back against the wall on Monday as she fell behind in-form Frenchwoman Pauline Parmentier 4-1 in the deciding set. Was Kerber going to fall prey to the upset bug again? No way. The German mounted an inspiring rally to head off Parmentier at the pass, clinching a satisfying 7-5, 3-6, 7-5 victory. What made the difference for Kerber? “I was starting to believe in myself again and trying to taking this challenge and trying to playing point by point and not thinking what has happened before,” she told reporters. “Just going for it and trying to move in good, bring a lot of balls back, and going for it when I have the chance.” It was enough to get by Parmentier, but Kerber will need to be even better when she faces Russia’s Elena Vesnina for a spot in the quarterfinals on Tuesday. Will she be up for the challenge? “I’m still in the tournament,” she said. “That’s what counts.”
Pick: Kerber in three
[28] Kristina Mladenovic (FRA #26) vs. Lauren Davis (USA #38)
Head-to-head: Mladenovic leads, 1-0
Key Stat: Mladenovic is 4-1 in three-set matches thus far in 2017.
Is promising Frenchwoman Kristina Mladenovic ready to take her game to the next level in 2017? It’s starting to look that way. The 23-year-old knocked off No.4-seeded Simona Halep with a gritty display on Tuesday, saving 19 of 22 break points faced to improve to 3-1 lifetime against the Romanian. Mladenovic improves to 2-0 with the victory and 14-5 on the season. But she’ll have to be careful with her next opponent, because American Lauren Davis is playing some of the best tennis of her career. She’s 13-3 with a title in Auckland, and will certainly try to pull Mladenovic into another physical match. Will Mladenovic be up to the task or will it be the American who emerges as a surprise quarterfinalist?
Pick: Mladenovic in three
[12] Venus Williams (USA #13) vs. [Q] Peng Shuai (CHN #49)
Head-to-head: Williams leads, 2-1
Key Stat: Williams reached the quarterfinals as a qualifier at Indian Wells twenty years ago in 1997. It was her second main draw appearance here.
Another big event and another big surprise from 36-year-old Venus Williams. The American legend never ceases to amaze and wherever she goes there are legions of fans who are there to support her, just as they were two decades ago. She had the home crowd behind her today as she raced past Lucie Safarova, and she’ll have them with her on Tuesday when she faces qualifier Peng Shuai. Williams has won two of three against Shuai, but it was the Chinese, an inspirational figure herself, who came out on top when they met in Beijing last fall.
Pick: Williams in three
[9] Madison Keys (USA #9) vs. [13] Caroline Wozniacki (DEN #14)
Head-to-head: Wozniacki leads, 1-0
Key Stat: Keys is bidding for her first BNP Paribas Open quarterfinal.
She missed the first two months of the season to rehab from off-season wrist surgery, but for those who watched Madison Keys power through her first two matches at the BNP Paribas Open, it was hard to detect any lingering rust. Keys was in fab form on Monday when she sailed past Naomi Osaka on the strength of eight aces and four break points saved out of four. On Tuesday she’ll come up against a much sterner test in Caroline Wozniacki. The three-time finalist and 2011 BNP Paribas Open champion walloped Katerina Siniakova in straight sets to improve to 29-9 lifetime at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden.
Pick: Wozniacki in three
[3] Karolina Pliskova (CZE #3) vs. [15] Timea Bacsinszky (SUI #17)
Head-to-head: Bacsinszky leads, 2-1
Key Stat: Pliskova improved to 17-2 on the season with her third-round win over Irina-Camelia Begu.
Timea Bacsinszky is playing with house money after saving five match points to slip by Kiki Bertens in a three-hour and 22-minute marathon on Sunday. “She played her heart out,” Bacsinszky said after outlasting Bertens to book her third consecutive trip to the BNP Paribas Open’s round of 16. “I did too.” Next up for the talented, unconventional Swiss will be another supreme power player, Karolina Pliskova. The World No.3 edged Irina-Camelia Begu to keep her run of fine form alive at Indian Wells and she will bid to reach the quarterfinals for the second straight year. Contrasting styles will square off in a match that will depend on how well Pliskova can execute first strikes—and how cleverly Bacsinszky can combat them.
Pick: Pliskova in three
[10] Elina Svitolina (UKR #10) vs. [7] Garbiñe Muguruza (ESP #7)
Head-to-head: Tied, 2-2
Key Stat: Svitolina has won 15 consecutive matches in a career-best streak that has seen her win two titles.
Elina Svitolina has been unstoppable since the Australian Open, winning titles in Tapei and Dubai, and she doesn’t appear to have lost a step here in the desert. The Ukrainian has reached the round of 16 at Indian Wells for the second time in three years, but awaiting her is a formidable foe that has her eyes on the prize. Spain’s Garbiñe Muguruza has dropped two straight matches to Svitolina and she’d like nothing more than to turn the tide in their rivalry by notching a critical win on Tuesday. That said, the Spaniard knows she’ll be facing a player that becomes more dangerous with each passing season. “I think she’s playing very good,” Muguruza said. “She’s going to be a very tough opponent. She just got to the Top 10 as well. That’s a sign. It’s going to be difficult.”
Pick: Muguruza in three
[5] Dominika Cibulkova (SVK #5) vs. [19] Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (RUS #21)
Head-to-head: Cibulkova leads, 5-2
Key Stat: Pavlyuchenkova already has two Top 10 wins this season, but is 0-1 vs. Cibulkova in 2017.
Dominika Cibulkova has proven why she is one of the WTA’s ultimate warriors in her first two rounds. She scraped by Latvia’s Jelena Ostapenko in her first match and in an epic on Sunday night she battled from a set and break down to rally past Kristyna Pliskova, 2-6, 7-6(5), 7-6(4). The Slovakian showed tons of grit to book her spot in the round of 16 at Indian Wells for the third time, but it comes as no surprise to anyone who has watched the brave, boisterous Cibulkova ply her trade on the tour over these last few seasons. “This win means a lot,” she told WTA Insider on Sunday night. “I’m still processing that I won this match. I was down 1-4 after 15 minutes and I was feeling like this wasn’t my day because it was so hard to play her.” Cibulkova will need whatever energy she has left when she squares off with the powerful Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova on Tuesday. The Russian has not dropped a set in her first two rounds and will hope to stay hot and end a personal three-match losing streak against Cibulkova.
Pick: Pavlyuchenkova in two
[21] Caroline Garcia (FRA #25) vs. [8] Svetlana Kuznetsova (RUS #8)
Head-to-head: Kuznetsova leads, 2-1
Key Stat: Since reaching back-to-back BNP Paribas Open finals in 2007 and 2008, Kuznetsova has not reached the quarterfinals.
Svetlana Kuznetsova was one of the biggest comeback stories of the 2016 season. She broke the 40-win barrier for the first time since 2009, won two titles, upset World No.1 Serena Williams in Miami and climbed into the Top 10 for the first time since 2010. And, from the looks of things she hasn’t skipped a beat in 2017. Since reaching back-to-back finals at Indian Wells in 2007 and 2008, Kuznetsova had failed to get back into the round of 16—until this year. Now she’s gunning for the quarterfinals, but she’ll have to get past the talented Caroline Garcia to get there. The No.21-seeded Frenchwoman has dropped two in a row to Kuznetsova, but she’ll come in confident after pulling an upset on No.11-seeded Johanna Konta on Sunday.
Pick: Kuznetsova in three
By the Numbers:
29 – Number of lifetime wins amassed by Agnieszka Radwanska and Caroline Wozniacki at Indian Wells. Only Lindsay Davenport (47) and Maria Sharapova (38) have more.
6 – Caroline Wozniacki broke serve in six of seven return games in her third-round win over Katerina Siniakova.
3-3 – Kerber’s record in three-set matches this season. Last season it was 23-5.
Caroline Wozniacki reflects on her performance against Madison Keys at the BNP Paribas Open.
After a short lull in the post-Australian Open period, tennis fashion is again a hot topic as WTA players are freshly geared up for the BNP Paribas Open, the most attended tennis event in the world outside of the four Grand Slams. Marija Zivlak of Women’s Tennis Blog will present us the Top 5 new outfits that grace the courts at the state-of-the-art Indian Wells Tennis Garden in the Coachella Valley.
Garbiñe Muguruza has already launched the black-and-white designs prepared for the French Open and they’re nothing short of spectacular. While the Spaniard is set to work on her Paris title defense in the adidas Summer Stella McCartney Dress 2, this fortnight in Indian Wells she introduced the adidas Summer Stella McCartney Sleeveless Polo, unique for its updated pique fabric and prominent front slits, and the lightweight adidas Summer Stella McCartney Pleated Skirt, featuring integrated compression shorts.
The skirt’s contrast hem nicely matches the thin lining at the polo’s collar, while the pops of color at zipper and heat transfer logo are coordinated with Muguruza’s red Stella Barricade 2017 shoes.
There’s nothing more wonderful than an updated take on a retro look. Combining the historic trio of red, white and navy, with a refreshing touch of Fila’s archival green hue, the new Heritage collection shows the beauty of simplicity with its timeless silhouettes that have a contemporary aesthetic. The collection’s masterpiece is the Fila Spring Heritage II Racer Dress, looking gorgeous on the 2010 Indian Wells champion Jelena Jankovic. Since the tournament venue is known for its 354 days of sunshine a year, the dress’ UV 30 protection is more than welcome.
Once the most prominent representative of Yonex, Belinda Bencic made a fresh start at the 2017 BNP Paribas Open, exposing her new apparel sponsor Nike, winning her first match of the season, and showing her new blonder hairstyle. The Swiss rocked the Maria Sharapova line, in particular the color-block Nike Spring Premier Maria Tank and a simple white skirt, perfectly accessorizing the look with black-and-white wristbands, white nails, and green fluorescent visor that matches the tank’s contrast V-neck.
Always vibrant and youthful, New Balance opened this year’s Indian Wells tournament in style, as their representatives Heather Watson and Nicole Gibbs faced each other in the match kicking off main-draw play. A ballerina-style pleated New Balance Spring Heath Skirt, featuring orange compression shorts that can be seen through stretch tulle mesh, is nicely paired with a classic athletic look of the New Balance Spring Richmond Tank.
The 996v3 shoes ensured Watson’ and Gibbs’ stability by keeping their feet in optimal position even during sharp lateral movements.
At the Australian Open, Nike launched one of their most powerful separates ever and after the black-and-white combo we’re enjoying the lively green version of the look. Madison Keys and many other players are making a fashion statement in this curved-hem Spring Premier Slam Tank and Spring Print Power Spin Skirt whose innovative graphic exudes the sporting dominance we associate with Nike. The Zoom Vapor 9.5 Tour footwear give Keys ultimate comfort and support her quickness.
HONORABLE MENTIONS
Venus Williams is progressing through the Indian Wells draw in her EleVen Intrepid collection, which she describes as bold and smart and expects it to resonate strongly with the tennis and fitness community. The collection is centered around a graphic print in black and white, while colorful outfits can be created by combining pieces in limelight and berry.
After periods of flashy dresses, Lotto is again consistently catering to customers who appreciate utmost simplicity and sporty elegance. Agnieszka Radwanska‘s orange Lotto Spring Shela III Dress features textured mesh fabric and rounded skirt hem that brings a bit of softness to the cut.
Vote for your Indian Wells fashion favorites in the poll below!
Madison Keys takes on Naomi Osaka at the BNP Paribas Open.
A keen tennis fan as well as an outstanding sports journalist, Dan started working on a freelance basis with the WTA in January 2017 and quickly became a key member of the Editorial team in London.
News of his sudden death was announced by his partner Liz Aubrey on Monday and tributes have been paid on social media for his contributions to both sports and music journalism, his other passion.
It is with the greatest sadness I must tell you that my beloved @DanLucas86 has passed away suddenly. He was the best person in the world. pic.twitter.com/wkb21myghr
— Elizabeth Aubrey (@aubrey_writes) March 13, 2017
Dan Lucas (former Louder Than War editor) RIP – Louder Than War https://t.co/CFzKkWwCGu
— john robb (@johnrobb77) March 13, 2017
From Northampton in the English Midlands, Dan lived in London. He had also worked for the Guardian and Telegraph’s sports departments, and music websites Louder Than War and Drowned In Sound.
Carrie Dunn, a friend and fellow content producer at WTA Networks, said: “I first worked with Dan when we were both part of the team doing live online coverage for the 2014 Paralympics. He was a sports enthusiast in the best way – his love for sport extended across disciplines and his thirst for knowledge (and his innate professionalism) meant that, even when he was encountering a discipline he did not know particularly well, he would throw himself into finding out about it. He was also a music journalist and his love for (and strong opinions about) music was also well documented – his social media feeds are testament to that. He was a good man and a good friend. On a professional level, he was a great writer and a good colleague – reliable, assiduous and someone it was fun to work with.”
Reda Maher, Head of Editorial and Social Media at WTA Networks, said: “We are shocked and dismayed by this sad news, Dan was extremely well liked and highly talented, his zest for life and enthusiasm for his craft impressed all he worked with at the WTA. Dan had a big future as part of our team. We send condolences and our deepest sympathies to Liz and Dan’s family.”
Peng Shuai takes on Agnieszka Radwanska at the BNP Paribas Open.
INDIAN WELLS, CA, USA – Chinese qualifier Peng Shuai turned the tables on one of the most cerebral players in the game, using all the variety in her arsenal to upset No.6 Agnieszka Radwanska in straight sets at the BNP Paribas Open, 6-4, 6-4.
Peng came into the matchup with two wins over the World No.6, and needed an hour and twenty-six minutes to score another one, defeating Radwanska 6-4, 6-4 in her first Top 10 win since 2014.
“She’s a really good player and we’ve faced each other many times – sometimes I win, sometimes I lose, but I’m really happy I won today,” Peng said in her on-court interview.
“I’m really happy that I can come back and play this tournament again – after my back surgery [in 2015] I almost ended my career. But I spent a lot of time and fight hard to be here.”
The Chinese player had a long road to the third round; she made it through two rounds of qualifying to reach the main draw, then dispatched Lesia Tsurenko and ousted No.31 seed Ana Konjuh to bring up the matchup with Radwanska. She racked up a total of six hours and 20 minutes on court; Radwanska, by contrast, had spent just one hour and 43 minutes.
That battle-readiness showed for Peng as she kept pace with the 2014 finalist, trading breaks twice in the opening set. Peng gave Radwanska a taste of her own medicine, changing the pace and bringing out the variety that Radwanska herself is usually known for and drawing out the errors.
The pair wrestled with the momentum for much of the opening set before a late wobble from Radwanska gave Peng the opening. Radwanska’s first serves abandoned her at the worst time, and Peng broke to take the set.
She jumped out ahead to a 5-2 lead before Radwanska regained her footing; the Chinese player was a point away from bringing up match point on Radwanska’s serve when a netcord point breathed new life into the Pole’s game. She found her range to cut down on Peng’s lead, but it was too little too late as Peng broke again to take her spot into the BNP Paribas Open round of 16.
Peng will take on Venus Williams in the next round for a spot in the quarterfinals. She won the pair’s most recent encounter last year, beating the former World No.1 in straight sets at the China Open.
“I remember our last match in Beijing,” Peng said. “I had been back on the tour [from back injury] for half a year and then I beat her at the China Open.
“She’s an amazing player, so I just hope to keep going and try to fight and play some good tennis next round.”