Wuhan: Shot Of The Day (Wednesday)
Agnieszka Radwanska has Wednesday’s shot of the day at the Dongfeng Motor Wuhan Open.
Agnieszka Radwanska has Wednesday’s shot of the day at the Dongfeng Motor Wuhan Open.
WUHAN, China – No.3 seed Agnieszka Radwanska scored an important win as the chase for the final six spots in the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global heats up, ousting friend and former No.1 Caroline Wozniacki, 6-4, 6-2, at the Dongfeng Motor Wuhan Open.
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“I’m just very glad to win this match in two sets,” she said during her on-court interview. “Obviously, it’s never easy against Caroline and, well, I was just playing very good tennis tonight and I’m very happy for the win.”
Radwanska and Wozniacki had met 13 times coming into Wednesday night’s encounter, and played a thrilling three-setter just last week at the Toray Pan Pacific Open, which Wozniacki won from a set down en route to the title.
But the Pole made no mistake tonight, skillfully converting on her one-set lead and recovering from a break down to win the final five games of the match. In all, the former World No.2 played flawless tennis, hitting 23 winners to just 12 unforced errors, while Wozniacki, who appeared to be dealing with physical issues in her eighth match in 10 days, hit 18 winners to 24 unforced.
While some of her fellow competitors dealt with lengthy rain delays, Radwanska’s match was only impeded by the late finish of Petra Kvitova’s exciting win over World No.1 Angelique Kerber.
“It’s great to have a roof here, especially when it’s raining. It was a long match before us, and I’m glad you all stayed with me,” she said, addressing the crowd.
Up next for Radwanska, who could book a return to Singapore with a title run in Wuhan, is another longtime rival in Svetlana Kuznetsova. The Russian knocked out defending champion Venus Williams in straight sets earlier in the day.
“We’ve played so many times against each other, everywhere and on every surface. We’ve known each other so long. It’s another great challenge because she’s in really great form right now, playing good tennis.
“I think I have nothing to lose, and hopefully I can play the same tennis I played today.”
Currently ranked No.4 on the WTA rankings, Radwanska is one win away from securing the No.3 ranking at the end of the week; Simona Halep is also in contention, but would not only have to win Wuhan, but Radwanska would also have to lose on Thursday to Kuznetsova.
Svetlana Kuznetsova takes on Venus Williams in the third round of the Dongfeng Motor Wuhan Open.
WUHAN, China – No.4 seed Simona Halep moved smoothly into the quarterfinals of the Dongfeng Motor Wuhan Open after a straight set win over Yaroslava Shvedova.
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On a gusty afternoon, Halep produced a tidy performance to complete a 6-3, 6-3 victory in an hour and 15 minutes.
“I felt the wind. It was really difficult to play against the wind. She’s very strong and could attack the ball very easily,” Halep said. “She came out very aggressive, but I blocked the ball well, returned well and I’m happy with the way I played and that I could win in two sets.”
Look how perfectly straight Simona hits this backhand!! ??#WuhanOpen @Simona_Halep pic.twitter.com/P3bh09VC19
— Tennis Captions (@tenniscaptions) September 27, 2016
On Tuesday, Halep celebrated her 25th birthday and Shvedova gave her a belated gift in the opening game, surrendering serve with three unforced errors. From this point on the Romanian was in control, breaking once more in the final game to take the set.
Showing no sign of the hamstring injury that ruled her out of Tokyo, Halep continued to impress in the second set, moving 3-1 ahead before confidently closing out victory to reach the quarterfinals for the first time. There she will face Madison Keys, a 6-1, 4-6, 6-4 winner over Daria Kasatkina.
“I’m really happy to be back in Wuhan. Last year was a little bit tough for me because I lost from 5-1 [ahead] in the third set,” Halep said. “I’m here to do my best, and give everything I have to try and win matches.
“I’ve played really well this year and I’m really happy with the way I played in the big tournaments. I feel good here and that I have a chance to play until the end. At this level, every match is going to be hard.
The result also moves Halep, who currently sits in third place on the leaderboard, withing touching distance of qualifying for the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global. Halep has appeared in the past two season finales, finishing runner up in 2014, and will guarantee her return with victory over Keys on Thursday.
Petra Kvitova takes on Angelique Kerber in the third round of the Dongfeng Motor Wuhan Open.
Tennis players are a superstitious bunch. And so, too, it turns out are many coaches.
Among their number is Torben Beltz, coach to World No.1 Angelique Kerber. “I think I’m more superstitious than her maybe,” Beltz told CNN’s Open Court after his charge lifted the US Open title earlier this month.
The current ritual, which began during her New York run, leaves Beltz in danger of departing Asia looking even more hirsute than usual: “When she’s winning, I’m not shaving.”
And for this week’s Dongfeng Motor Wuhan Open, Beltz has upped the stakes, agreeing with the new World No.1 that he would sport a mustache for the remainder of the season should she lift any further silverware during the Asian leg of the tour.
“In the past when I was playing I didn’t shave, and I still keep on doing this as a coach,” Beltz said. “If she keeps on winning for two weeks like here it’s getting really big my beard.”
In the latest edition of Open Court, Kerber and Beltz discussed rising up the ranking, the secret behind their close bond and, of course, shaving habits…
Agnieszka Radwanska takes on Caroline Wozniacki in the third round of the Dongfeng Motor Wuhan Open.
TASHKENT, Uzbekistan – Success is running in the Pliskova family these days as Karolina’s twin sister Kristyna took out No.5 seed Kurumi Nara, 6-2, 6-2, to reach the quarterfinals of the Tashkent Open.
“I expected a tough match,” she said after the match. “I served very well, and my ground stokes found the right angles. I was playing confidently today.”
The same week Karolina Pliskova made her major breakthrough at the US Open, Kristyna won a title of her own at the WTA 125K Challenger event in Dalian. The big-serving Czech has continued her solid form in Tashkent, dropping just four games to Nara to reach her first WTA quarterfinal of the season.
“I’m happy to break my jinx and move into the quarterfinals. This win here today will help me defend major points. I will have easy start to the year next year and also probably make it to my best ranking.”
She and sister Karolina had a solid result in doubles earlier in the year – reaching the semifinals in Nottingham, which Karolina won in singles – but Kristyna cites a coaching switch with helping her return to the Top 100.
“I have a new coach since Dalian and he has been very positive and changed my thinking. That has helped me. I have played good singles this year, and am currently I’m playing solid tennis.”
Karolina may be the ace leader for 2016, but Kristyna has a formidable delivery of her own, hitting a record 31 aces in a three-setter against Olympic Gold medalist Monica Puig at the Australian Open.
“I’m very confident about my service it’s my favorite shot. I like to serve hard and normally get speeds up to 180km/hr outdoors and 200km/hr indoors.”
Up next for Pliskova is a fellow former junior prodigy in Irina Khromacheva, who knocked out No.8 seed Naomi Broady, 6-2, 6-4; the extended stay in Tashkent has given her a chance to enjoy the city.
“I lost in the first round last year and didn’t have time to go around. But now that I’m here for four days, I have been moving around more. I feel it’s a great city to be in, and I will surely take back good memories of the city.”
Completing the quarterfinal line-up is No.2 seed Kirsten Flipkens, who edged past young Greek star Maria Sakkari, 7-6(0), 3-6, 7-6(4).
“It was great being out there,” Flipkens said in her post-match press conference. “It was tough to stay for nearly three hours and quite hot too, but I had good starts in the tie-breaks, which made the difference.
“Sakkari played very well. It was good match for both of us, and I’m very happy with the way I played.”
Simona Halep takes on Yaroslava Shvedova in the third round of the Dongfeng Motor Wuhan Open.
Serena Williams is a legend on the tennis court and a megastar off it, and with over seven million followers on Twitter she sits near the top of the list of most followed athletes on social media.
Now, Serena has vowed to use that reach to speak up about race relations and police-involved incidents in the United States, particularly on the allegations of increased police violence toward unarmed African Americans.
Serena took to social media to post a heartfelt and powerful message, candidly expressing her fears for the safety of her 18-year-old nephew.
“I had to take a look at me. What about my nephews? What if I have a son and what about my daughters?” Serena said in a lengthy post to her Facebook page. “As Dr. Martin Luther King said, ‘There comes a time when silence is betrayal.’ I Won’t Be Silent.”
It’s not the first time Serena has commented on the issue, previously speaking out about police brutality after her record-tying Wimbledon victory.
“I feel anyone in my color in particular is of concern. I do have nephews that I’m thinking, ‘do I have to call them and tell them, ‘Don’t go outside. If you get in your car, it might be the last time I see you?'” she told reporters back in July.
“I don’t think that the answer is to continue to shoot our young black men in the United States. It’s just unfortunate. No one deserves to lose their life, doesn’t matter what color they are, where they’re from. We’re all human.”