Tennis News

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…

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.”

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.”

It’s time for the sweet 16 at the Dongfeng Motor Wuhan Open! Four of the top five seeds will be in action, and eight Top 10 players will take the court in total. Chris Oddo previews the action right here at wtatennis.com.

Wednesday
Round of 16

[1] Angelique Kerber (GER #1) vs. [14] Petra Kvitova (CZE #16)
Head-to-head: Kerber leads, 5-4
Key Stat: Kerber is one of four players to have won three titles this season (also Azarenka, Halep and Stephens).

Angelique Kerber stretched her current winning streak to eight matches on Tuesday with a three-set win over Kristina Mladenovic, and the German has won 20 of her last 23 since playing her first hardcourt match of the summer. It’s autumn now, but the World No.1 has shown no sign of slowing down. On Wednesday she’ll face Petra Kvitova for the tenth time, and Kerber won’t need to think too hard to remember their last meeting. Kerber defeated Kvitova for the third consecutive time in the round of 16 at the US Open. From there the 28-year-old went on to win her second major title and became the WTA’s 22^nd World No.1, while Kvitova has parted ways with coach Frantisek Cermak and continued to search for the missing ingredients in her game. Though she has not achieved the results she wanted in 2016 (she’s yet to reach a final), Kvitova did win the Bronze medal in Rio and has won 14 of her last 18 matches. Kvitova is a very dangerous player at the moment and she has proven that by trouncing Jelena Ostapenko and Elina Svitolina in back-to-back matches in Wuhan. Kerber will likely have to summon her best tennis to win on Wednesday, but it’s something the German has been able to do pretty much without fail in 2016.

Pick: Kerber in three

[3] Agnieszka Radwanska (POL #4) vs. Caroline Wozniacki (DEN #22)
Head-to-head: Wozniacki leads, 9-4
Key Stat: Wozniacki has won 12 of her last 13 matches.

Caroline Wozniacki keeps winning. And winning. The Dane notched her 500^th career WTA win on Tuesday, defeating Katerina Siniakova to make it 12 victories in her last 13 matches. Wozniacki’s run of form has been remarkable, but when one considers that she carried a 13-14 record into the US Open, it’s even more mind-boggling. Confidence breeds confidence and with each passing win Wozniacki becomes even tougher to defeat. “It’s been clicking for me, probably for about a month and a half now,” Wozniacki said in her post-match press conference on Tuesday. “Even before the US Open, for about a month, I felt really good during practice. It just took me a little bit to get that out when I was playing matches.” On Wednesday Wozniacki will battle it out with Agnieszka Radwanska for the second consecutive week. The Dane eked out a 4-6, 7-6, 6-4 win against Radwanska in the Tokyo semifinals, and she says there are no secrets when these two friends get together on court. “We’ve known each other for 15 years or something, so I’m pretty sure we know each other’s game by now,” she said. “If we don’t, then we have a problem. I think we know what to expect. It’s just who can execute best tomorrow.” Can Wozniacki keep this remarkable run going, or is it time for Radwanska to exact a little friendly revenge?

Pick: Radwanska in three

[6] Venus Williams (USA #7) vs. [9] Svetlana Kuznetsova (RUS #10)
Head-to-head: Tied, 4-4
Key Stat: Venus Williams has won 21 of her last 30 tiebreaks.

They last met nearly six years ago at the WTA Finals. Since then, Venus Williams and Svetlana Kuznetsova have had their ups and downs, but in 2016 it has been up, up, up, as is indicated by the pair’s current Top 10 rankings. That said, both Williams and Kuznetsova have their work cut out if they want to claim a coveted Singapore slot. Kuznetsova currently stands at 11^th in the Road to Singapore leaderboard standings and Williams is tied for 13^th. With very little wiggle room and precious points on the line, a victory today is crucial. Both players breezed through their second-round tilts in straight sets on Tuesday, so they should have plenty of energy left to let the fur fly when they meet for the ninth time in a matchup that promises to be intense from start to finish. The margins should be very thin—Williams and Kuznetsova have split their previous eight meetings and their previous two hardcourt meetings

Pick: Kuznetsova in three

[8] Madison Keys (USA #9) vs. [Q] Daria Kasatkina (RUS #28)
Head-to-head: Keys leads, 1-0
Key Stat: Keys is just one point behind No.8 Carla Suárez Navarro in the Road to Singapore standings.

One of the more intriguing battles of the round of 16 in Wuhan pits the two youngest players remaining in the draw against one another. But don’t let the age fool you—Madison Keys and Daria Kasatkina can compete at the elite level. Keys, 21, is the more accomplished player with the bigger game, but Kasatkina is a tremendous athlete that plays a refreshingly diverse brand of tennis and possesses an impressive on-court demeanor. Keys rattled the cage of Kasatkina at this year’s Olympics, dropping just four games against the rising Russian, and it will be interesting to see what Kasatkina learned from the experience of dealing with Keys’ jaw-dropping power. Did the 19-year-old discover a way to more effectively attack the American? Or will it be more of the same on Wednesday in Wuhan?

Pick: Keys in three

Around the Grounds: With so much attention on World No.1 Angelique Kerber, not much is being said about No.5-seeded Karolina Pliskova.The US Open runner-up fell in her first match at Tokyo but recovered nicely by defeating Lucie Safarova in straight sets on Monday in Wuhan. As one of the biggest breakout stories of the summer, all eyes will be on Pliskova on Wednesday to see if she can handle the feisty attack of Dominika Cibulkova. Also slightly under the radar this week is No.4-seeded Simona Halep. The Romanian will bid to reach the quarterfinals at Wuhan for the first time when she meets the ever dangerous Yaroslava Shvedova in Wednesday’s first match on Centre Court.

Also in Action: Great Britain’s Johanna Konta will continue her push for the Top 10 when she takes on No.7-seeded Carla Suárez Navarro in a first-time meeting, and Jelena Jankovic will look to back up her upset of Garbiñe Muguruza when she faces the crafty Barbora Strycova for the first time since 2011.