Shenzhen: Katerina Siniakova vs Johanna Konta
Katerina Siniakova takes on Johanna Konta in the semifinal of the Shenzhen Open.
Katerina Siniakova takes on Johanna Konta in the semifinal of the Shenzhen Open.
BRISBANE, Australia – The unseeded Alizé Cornet is through to the final at the Brisbane International after Garbiñe Muguruza was forced to retire due to injury.
“I was really focused on my match but I could tell [Garbiñe] was not playing like usual,” Cornet said in her post-match interview. “She was not running or hitting the ball as well as usual. But I was just trying to stay focused on what I had to do.”
The No.4 seeded Spaniard looked off from the start, her usually powerful groundstrokes lacking their bite. She struggled to hold serve in the opening game under Cornet’s all-court assault, fending off two break points.
But Muguruza was broken in her very next service game after a string of long rallies which saw her struggle to hit through the ball, and finally retired trailing Cornet 1-4, citing a right thigh injury.
.@GarbiMuguruza retires after being down 1-4.@AlizeCornet moves into the @BrisbaneTennis Final! pic.twitter.com/ydFI8tBXqA
— WTA (@WTA) January 6, 2017
“Of course, it’s not the way I wanted to get to the final but its part of the game,” Cornet explained. “We understand sometimes we have some physical issues. Tennis is more and more tough on the body.
“But well, it’s good for me because I will have a little bit of rest before the big final tomorrow.”
Aside from securing a spot into her second career Premier-level final, the win guarantees Cornet a seed at the Australian Open. The Frenchwoman’s ranking will rise as high as No.31 by virtue of reaching the final, and could go as high as No.26 should she take home the title.
Cornet awaits the winner between No.6 seed Elina Svitolina and No.3 seed Karolina Pliskova.
Alison Riske takes on Camila Giorgi in the semifinals of the Shenzhen Open.
Katerina Siniakova continued her giant-killing run at the Shenzhen Open, knocking out No.3 seed Johanna Konta to reach her third career WTA final.
Lauren Davis takes on Jelena Ostapenko in the semifinals of the ASB Classic.
Lauren Davis was the first into the ASB Classic final when No.7 seed Jelena Ostapenko was forced to retire due to a viral illness.
Angelique Kerber, Dominika Cibulkova, Agnieszka Radwanska and Caroline Wozniacki were all stunned as a day of upsets rocked the Brisbane International, Shenzhen Open and ASB Classic.
Karolina Pliskova produced a clinical display on Friday night, swatting aside Elina Svitolina to take her place in the final of the Brisbane International.
Here’s how Alizé Cornet reacted after pulling off a stunning upset over World No.5 Dominika Cibulkova in the quarterfinals of the Brisbane International.
SHENZHEN, China – Alison Riske exacted revenge for her defeat in last year’s final with victory over Agnieszka Radwanska at the Shenzhen Open on Thursday.
In a topsy-turvy encounter, Riske maintained her composure brilliantly to run out a 6-2, 3-6, 6-0 winner. In the semifinals she will face either Camila Giorgi or Wang Qiang.
.@Riske4rewards has done it!!
The American reaches the #ShenzhenOpen Semifinals with a 6-2, 3-6, 6-0 win over defending champion Radwanska! pic.twitter.com/MaLQcQVnT8
— WTA (@WTA) January 5, 2017
“I was just kind of focusing on one point at a time, and I know that’s what Aga does – she’s there for every single point – so I felt that I had to match her in that regard,” Riske said in her post-match press conference. “I also tried to keep my energy high, and I think that I did a good job of that today.”
Twelve months ago, Radwanska capped a dominant week with a masterful performance against Riske – then ranked just inside the Top 100 – in a one-sided final. Since then, the American has made steady progress, finishing last year with another final in China and a career-best ranking of No.39.
Her improvements were immediately apparent in the rematch, bossing the exchanges to surge into a 5-0 lead. Radwanska roused herself to register a couple of games before the set’s end, then harnessed this momentum to level the match with some typically cerebral tennis.
Riske, though, refused to be stymied for long, calmly dispatching an overhead to break at the start of the decider. From then on, it was one-way traffic as the No.8 seed calmly closed out the biggest win of her career.
“The ultimate goal is to go one better than last year, but I can only look to the next match and I feel if I keep focusing on myself, my game, then who knows what can happen.”