Tokyo: Muguruza Interview
An interview with Garbiñe Muguruza after her second-round match at the Toray Pan Pacific Open.
An interview with Garbiñe Muguruza after her second-round match at the Toray Pan Pacific Open.
SAP Tennis Analytics for Coaches powered by SAP HANA provides decisive real-time performance data. This analytical edge arms coaches and players with the insight necessary to implement crucial strategy changes during the course of the match.
“I can go on court and say to the player without any hesitation: ‘Okay, 100% of the time when they’re break point down, they’re serving here. You should look to do this,” said Nicole Pratt, coach of Daria Gavrilova.
“In Toronto, Nicole came out with the tablet and showed me a few different stats. When she showed me how far behind the baseline I was it helped a lot and I started to move back inside the court and be more aggressive. It helped me turn that match around.”
Watch the video above to hear how Angelique Kerber, Daria Gavrilova and their respective coaching teams use SAP Tennis Analytics during their matches.
An interview with Aliaksandra Sasnovich after her second-round match at the Toray Pan Pacific Open.
TOKYO, Japan – Garbiñe Muguruza exacted revenge on her shock US Open loss to Anastasija Sevastova with a straight set win in the second round of the Toray Pan Pacific Open.
Watch live action from Tokyo this week on WTA Live powered by TennisTV!
In her first match since that loss in Flushing Meadows, Muguruza broke five times to run out a 6-3, 6-3 winner. In the quarterfinals the top seed will face either Elina Svitolina or Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova.
More to follow…
TOKYO, Japan – World No.107 Aliaksandra Sasnovich caused the first major shock of this year’s Toray Pan Pacific Open, knocking out No.3 seed Karolina Pliskova in straight sets.
Watch live action from Tokyo this week on WTA Live powered by TennisTV!
Less than a fortnight after contesting the US Open final, Pliskova was brought down to earth with a bump, slipping to a 6-4, 6-2 defeat in little over an hour.
“I was expecting now to be going to Wuhan for the next tournament because I know Karolina is a really good player and I didn’t expect to win today,” Sasnovich said. “But you know it’s life and it’s tennis, the ball is round!”
Sasnovich’s reward for her maiden Top 10 win is a meeting with home favorite Naomi Osaka in the quarterfinals.
“I have a lot of emotion. It was my first win over a Top 10 player, I’m really happy with it and looking forward to the next round,” she added.
Joining her there will be fellow qualifier Magda Linette, who saved two match points to defeat Yulia Putintseva, 4-6, 6-3, 7-5.
More to follow…
GUANGZHOU, China – 23-year-old Swiss Viktorija Golubic is into the quarterfinals at the Guangzhou International Women’s Open after coming back from a set down to upset top seed Sara Errani, 6-7(7), 6-3 6-4.
Aside from reaching her fourth quarterfinal this year in what has become her breakthrough season, Golubic has also avenged her Bastad loss to Errani, where she lost to the Italian after taking her to a first-set tiebreaker.
“I’m very, very tired, it was such an exhausting match,” Golubic said. “We played each other on clay this year, and that was also very tough so I was prepared for that.”
“But still in the end I had to put all the energy together to come through, and I am very happy.”
Golubic held a 5-3 lead in the first set, as well as five set points in the tiebreak during a tight opening set. Errani fought off Golubic’s chances with her tricky forehand slices and dogged defense, roaring back from 2-6 down in the tiebreak to take the first set. Golubic stayed aggressive, and took advantage of Errani’s vulnerable serve to create more chances, outlasting the Italian after a three-hour marathon to advance to the quarterfinals.
“Sara is a very tricky player – she makes you think and she gives you the balls back, a very tough player,” Golubic said. “I was doing many good points, but I also missed a lot.”
“I tried to find the balance between aggressiveness and consistency, and it was hard work to do.”
Sabine Lisicki is also through to the quarterfinals after a 6-4, 6-1 victory over Chinese wildcard Peng Shuai.
Despite the match being a mostly one-sided affair during the hour-and-six-minute encounter, Lisicki admitted it was difficult to take on her good friend.
“It’s always so tough to play a friend,” Lisicki said in post-match press. “Shuai and I have played doubles together a few times, so we know each other quite well.”
“I thought I played very well. I knew that I had to play well and strong to beat her. I’m very happy with my game, but also wish her the best in her comeback.”
Joining Golubic and Lisicki in the quarterfinals at the Guangzhou International Women’s Open is No.3 seed Ana Konjuh, who weathered a late challenge from Georgian qualifier Sofia Shapatava to advance 6-1, 7-6(2).
“I’ve never played her before but I know her from Fed Cup, so I’ve seen her playing,” Konjuh said of her opponent. “I just had a tactic and just focused on myself more.
“In the second set she came back and fought for every point, so it was a bit harder.”
No.2 seed Jelena Jankovic also advanced in Guangzhou after Rebecca Peterson was forced to retire with a right thigh injury after trailing 6-1, 1-0.
SEOUL, South Korea – Kirsten Flipkens has hit her share of hot shots in the past; her tweener at the Connecticut Open was part of August’s Shot of the Month.
But the Belgian upped her flair and brought it to the Asian Swing; after a long rally with Dalian champion Kristyna Pliskova, Flipkens turned the tables on Karolina Pliskova’s twin sister with a behind-the-back backhand passing shot.
She went on to win the match, 5-7, 6-2, 6-2.
Check out the video right here on wtatennis.com!
A first time gold medalist, a new US Open winner, and – after three years – a brand new WTA World No.1. It’s been a hectic summer of tennis and CNN’s Pat Cash will catch up with the authors of the season’s biggest storylines: Angelique Kerber and Monica Puig.
Tune in on September 22 to catch the newest episode of CNN Open Court!
Last year, Agnieszka Radwanska capped off a red-hot Asian Swing by winning the WTA’s crown jewel event, the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global. Radwanska’s 2015 streak was impressive, but how does her overall Asian Swing haul compare to other late-season records in the past five years?
Get all the insights into the Asian Swing as SAP takes you Behind The Numbers.
The Toray Pan Pacific Open Kids’ Day kicked off with an appearance by two of the tournament’s biggest names: Dominika Cibulkova and Caroline Wozniacki.
Cibulkova and Wozniacki answered questions from the young fans…
…as well as taught them a thing or two on the tennis court!
Wozniacki and Cibulkova at Toray Pan Pacific Open Kids’ Day.
Wozniacki and Cibulkova at Toray Pan Pacific Open Kids’ Day.
We challenged Agnieszka Radwanska to show off her origami skills – and of course she made herself a trophy!
The No.2 seed talked to the media during All Access Hour…
…and signed lots of autographs.
Someone else who signed lots of autographs was Naomi Osaka – known as “Nao-chi” to her delighted Japanese fans.
Spain’s Carla Suárez Navarro manned the autograph booth for a bit…
…and of course, she kept signing autographs for her many fans even after she was done.
Japanese fan favorite Nao Hibino is enjoying her time on home soil.
Toray’s top seeds and biggest stars – Caroline Wozniacki, Petra Kvitova and Garbiñe Muguruza – held a Q&A session at the Fan Zone.
Monica Puig, Puerto Rico’s trailblazing gold medalist, was back to her winning ways in Japan.
Top seed Muguruza and Wozniacki left the tournament a memento and signed the autograph board at Toray.
During a rain delay, Radwanska, Puig and Australia’s Jessica Moore donned kimonos and played a round of hanetsuki.
Hanetsuki is a traditional Japanese game similar to badminton (but minus the net). Usually played by girls on New Year’s, players who lose a point get a mark on their forehead – like Puig and Moore!
Now the players are ready to take to the court at Toray!