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Notes & Netcords: September 26, 2016

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

THE WINNERS

2010 Toray Pan Pacific Open champion Caroline Wozniacki overcame injury and withstood a late charge from rising star Naomi Osaka, 7-5, 6-3 to win her first title of 2016.

“It’s the last match of the tournament, and I just wanted to go out and enjoy it,” Wozniacki said in her on-court interview. “It’s the final and both of us had great weeks. We both wanted to go out there and play well.”

Read match recap & watch highlights. | WTA Insider: Wozniacki on her Tokyo title.

 Lara Arruabarrena won a topsy-turvy Korea Open Tennis final against Monica Niculescu on Sunday to capture her second WTA title.

Four years on from her only other WTA silverware, on the clay of Bogotá, Arruabarrena mastered the cement – and Niculescu’s unorthodoxy – to triumph, 6-0, 2-6, 6-0, in just under two hours.

Read match recap.

Lesia Tsurenko edged past defending champion and No.2 seed Jelena Jankovic 6-4, 3-6, 6-4 to claim the title at the Guangzhou International Women’s Open.

Playing Guangzhou for the second time in her career, Tsurenko capped off her trip to the sprawling Chinese port city by taking home her second career title after a nearly two-hour-and-thirty-minute clash against Jankovic.

“I think today I played really good tennis, except maybe in the second set when I felt a little bit tired,” Tsurenko said in her post-match press conference. “But I said to myself that I have to give it all in the final set, and I was fighting for each point. I had to give 100 percent to win this title.”

Read match recap.

RANKING MOVERS:
Notable singles ranking movers for the week of September 26, 2016.

Lara Arruabarrena (ESP), +29 (No.90 to 61): Arruabarrena owns the week’s biggest ranking jump and rises to a career high of No.61 after claiming her second WTA title in Seoul.

Lesia Tsurenko (UKR), +27 (No.80 to 53): Tsurenko continued her career-best week at the US Open with another big move, taking home the title at Guangzhou and sitting just outside the Top 50.

Naomi Osaka (JPN), +19 (No.66 to 47): 18-year-old Osaka delighted her home crowd with a run to her first career final in Tokyo. She rises to No.47 – a career high – and becomes the youngest player ranked inside the Top 50.

Caroline Wozniacki (DEN), +6 (No. 28 to 22): Just a few weeks ago, Wozniacki entered the US Open ranked No.74. A lot can change in those few weeks, with Wozniacki now back within striking distance of the Top 20 after capturing her first title of the year in Tokyo.

UPCOMING TOURNAMENTS

2016 Dongfeng Motor Wuhan Open
Wuhan, China
Premier | $2,288,250 | Hard
Sunday, September 25 – Saturday, October 1
Defending champion: Venus Williams

Tashkent Open
Tashkent, Uzbekistan
International | $226,750 | Hard
Monday, September 26 – Saturday, October 1
Defending champion: Nao Hibino

China Open
Beijing, China
Premier Mandatory | $5,424394 | Hard
Saturday, October 1 – Sunday, October 9
Defending champion: Garbiñe Muguruza

TOP 20 PLAYER SCHEDULES
1. Angelique Kerber – Wuhan, Beijing
2. Serena Williams
3. Garbiñe Muguruza – Wuhan, Beijing
4. Agnieszka Radwanska – Wuhan, Beijing
5. Simona Halep- Wuhan, Beijing
6. Karolina Pliskova – Wuhan, Beijing
7. Venus Williams – Wuhan, Beijing
8. Carla Suárez Navarro – Wuhan, Beijing
9. Madison Keys – Wuhan, Beijing
10. Svetlana Kuznetsova – Wuhan, Beijing
11. Victoria Azarenka
12. Dominika Cibulkova – Wuhan, Beijing
13. Johanna Konta – Wuhan, Beijing
14. Timea Bacsinszky – Wuhan, Beijing
15. Roberta Vinci – Wuhan, Beijing
16. Petra Kvitova – Wuhan, Beijing
17. Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova – Wuhan, Beijing
18. Elina Svitolina – Wuhan, Beijing
19. Samantha Stosur – Wuhan, Beijing
20. Elena Vesnina – Beijing

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!
Best wishes to those celebrating birthdays this week:

Serena Williams (USA) – September 26, 1981
Simona Halep (ROU) – September 27, 1991
Monica Puig (PUR) – September 27, 1993
Cagla Buyukakcay (TUR) – September 28, 1989
Kimiko Date-Krumm (JPN) – September 28, 1970
Paula Ormaechea (ARG) – September 28, 1992
Martina Hingis (SUI) – September 30, 1980

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Wozniacki Wins First 2016 Title In Tokyo, Knocks Out Japanese Teen Osaka

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

TOKYO, Japan – 2010 Toray Pan Pacific Open champion Caroline Wozniacki overcame injury and withstood a late charge from rising star Naomi Osaka, 7-5, 6-3 to win her first title of 2016.

Watch live action from Tokyo this week on WTA Live powered by TennisTV!

“It’s the last match of the tournament, and I just wanted to go out and enjoy it,” Wozniacki said in her on-court interview. “It’s the final and both of us had great weeks. We both wanted to go out there and play well.”

Osaka was playing in the biggest final of her career, but acquitted herself well in the early stages of the match, twice leading the former No.1 by a break of serve.

“She’s going to be a great player, already rising in the rankings so fast. I’ve no doubt we’ll see her in many, many more finals.”

Wozniacki, by contrast, was playing in her second Tokyo final in the last three years and had a wealth of experience on which to draw, despite dealing with a tough season full of injuries and inconsistencies.

“I’m enjoying it at the moment. Injuries happen and you never know when you can be taken out of the game, so I’m just enjoying every minute.”

Despite needing a medical timeout after the seventh game, the former No.1 managed to pull off a stunning comeback, winning nine of the next 10 games to lead Osaka by a set and 5-0. The teenager and hometown favorite was struck with an injury concern of her own after the opening set, but nonetheless treated the crowd to a tense ending, nearly pulling level before Wozniacki served out the win.

A high-quality contest, Wozniacki and Osaka hit nearly 30 winners each (25 to 28), but it was the Dane’s trademark consistency that won the day, with just 16 unforced errors to Osaka’s 32. Clutch on the crucial points, she converted five of six break point opportunities and won an impressive 11 of 12 forays to the net.

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Begu Books Halep Date In Wuhan, Vinci Battles Past Puig

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

WUHAN, China – Irina-Camelia Begu was a point from elimination in the first round of the Dongfeng Motor Wuhan Open, but roared back to defeat Russia’s Elizaveta Kulichkova, 4-6, 7-6(4), 6-2.

Watch live action from Wuhan this week on WTA Live powered by TennisTV!

Kulichkova is one of a trio of young Russians who made waves in 2016, reaching the third round of the Australian Open alongside Daria Kasatkina and Margarita Gasparyan and reaching a career-high ranking of World No.87. Injuries have curtailed her progress since, but the 20-year-old appeared poised for a big upset over Begu after taking the opening set and serving for the match at 5-3.

Begu broke back and recovered from match point down a few games later to level the match in a tense tie-break. Saving a whopping seven break points in the first game of the decider, the Romanian took control from there to clinch a spot in the second round after two hours and 32 minutes.

Up next for the World No.23 is countrywoman Simona Halep, who narrowly defeated Begu in three sets at the Mutua Madrid Open. Halep is set to play her first match of the Asian Swing after a hamstring injury forced her out of the Toray Pan Pacific Open.

Later in the day, Olympic Gold medalist and Tokyo quarterfinalist Monica Puig took on No.13 seed Roberta Vinci, but fell to the 2015 US Open finalist, 6-3, 6-3. Puig turns 23 this week after a stellar season that saw her become Puerto Rico’s first-ever athlete to win gold at an Olympic Games.

Around the grounds, Yaroslava Shvedova continued her own second-half season resurgence by dropping just four points in the opening set of a 6-0, 6-3 win over China’s own Zheng Saisai. Shvedova and partner Timea Babos could become the fourth team to qualify for the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global should they win the title in Wuhan.

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Arruabarrena Masters Niculescu In Seoul Final

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

SEOUL, South Korea – Lara Arruabarrena won a topsy-turvy Korea Open Tennis final against Monica Niculescu on Sunday to capture her second WTA title.

Four years on from her only other WTA silverware, on the clay of Bogotá, Arruabarrena mastered the cement – and Niculescu’s unorthodoxy – to triumph, 6-0, 2-6, 6-0, in just under two hours.

Arruabarrena came out on the losing side in the pair’s only previous hardcourt encounter, last summer in Washington DC. But attacking Niculescu’s slice with gusto, she dominated the rematch from the outset.

Yet after racing through the first set the Spaniard handed Niculescu a lifeline, double faulting twice to surrender her serve in the fourth game of the second. It was an opportunity Niculescu grasped with both hands, producing some gloriously inventive tennis – and the odd head-scratching miss – to level the match.

When Arruabarrena then snatched at a routine volley in her opening service game of the decider, the contest looked in danger of slipping away. She found a way out of this hole and when she broke with a wonderful lob a few games later the match swung decisively in her favor.

Niculescu battled to the last, saving one match point. It was merely delaying the inevitable, Arruabarrena wrapping up victory at the second time of asking.

In the doubles final, No.2 seeds Kirsten Flipkens and Johanna Larsson had too much for Akiko Omae and Peangtarn Plipuech, running out 6-2, 6-3 winners in just over an hour.

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Champions Corner: Caroline Wozniacki Reflects On Tokyo Triumph

Champions Corner: Caroline Wozniacki Reflects On Tokyo Triumph

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

TOKYO, Japan – Caroline Wozniacki came to the Toray Pan Pacific Open having re-asserted her presence among the game’s elite at the US Open. Ranked No.74 in late August, the Dane roared into her first Grand Slam semifinal in exactly two years, and reminded fans and pundits that she was still one to watch.

Backing up that run in New York might have been tough for some, but Wozniacki’s week in Tokyo was arguably more impressive, earning two more Top 10 victories – including a thrilling win over No.2 seed Agnieszka Radwanska – to take her first title of 2016. Can she keep up her exciting start to the WTA’s Asian Swing?

WTA Insider caught up with Wozniacki after withstanding the charge from Japanese teenager, Naomi Osaka:

WTA Insider: Take me through the week and how you were able to maintain your form from the US Open with some great wins. What was the key for you this week in Tokyo?
Wozniacki: It’s been a great week, and I think the court really suits me. It’s kind of fast; the ball is a little heavy, but I’ve played well here in the past, and I think grinding and fighting for every point was key. I had some tough three-set matches here this week, and I managed to pull those off. I’m just really happy to be here at the end of the tournament.

WTA Insider: Going back to maybe a few days after the US Open, and you’re thinking about the rest of the season. What’s going through your mind as you know you’re playing well and have a great opportunity in Asia. What’s your motivation or your thought process before heading to Tokyo?
Wozniacki: Honestly, I took some days off and relaxed after enjoying a good US Open run. I had some sponsor commitments, and had a few hits, or actually one hit before I left for Tokyo. I practiced with a few of the girls here before my first match. I felt good, like I was hitting the ball well. I knew I’d face a few tough opponents, but I was feeling confident and hitting the ball well. That combination is good for me.

Caroline Wozniacki

WTA Insider: Did you think you had a level of confidence heading to Tokyo that you hadn’t had the rest of the year?
Wozniacki: I just felt like I played well at the US Open, and if I could keep that up, I would be tough to beat. But you never know; it’s a new week, new tournament, and I was just coming in here trying to take one match at a time – I know that’s a cliché – and go from there. I know that, when I’m healthy, I can play well, so hopefully I can carry this on into the rest of the year.

WTA Insider: Flashback to Zhuhai, and maybe again when we spoke in Eastbourne. Your injuries were creeping up and had obviously derailed your season for several months. You kept saying that if you kept working, surely luck has to break your way somehow. Do you feel like that’s what has happened over the past four weeks?
Wozniacki: It’s been a great few weeks. I’m just happy that I’ve managed to get some great wins under my belt. It hasn’t been about getting easy draws, but I’ve gotten some breaks to win the tight matches. I’ve been healthy for a little bit now, which is huge for me. Hopefully I can build on that moving forward.

WTA Insider: Talking about the final a little bit: you fell behind the early break, and was able to turn things around. Was there a leg issue as well?
Wozniacki: I don’t know; hopefully it’ll feel better tomorrow. I got some treatment on it, got it taped up. Right now, I’m going to try and enjoy this win for as long as I can. It was a tough match; Naomi’s a great player, and really young, so she has lots of potential. I think we’ll see lots of her in the future.

WTA Insider: You were talking about the ability to turn things around and play better tennis in New York, and you’re playing much more offensively, getting to the net. That seems like a change; is that something you’ve put into your mind about shortening points?
Wozniacki: I think I’m maybe moving a little bit faster. I’ve been able to work on my fitness, so that means that I can get to the ball faster and take it earlier. That gets my opponent out of position, and that makes it easier to get to net, when the opportunity is there.

Caroline Wozniacki

WTA Insider: You’re going to board a plane fairly quickly to head over to China. There’s lots of points in Wuhan and Beijing. How much does getting back into the Top 20 or other possible ranking goals play on your mind?
Wozniacki: Not really. I’m playing well; obviously, being in the Top 10 is a goal. But everything else, I’m just happy to have won here and I’m going to do my best to deal with this really quick turnaround. We’ll have to see how I can do that, go out there and fight.

WTA Insider: The semifinal you played against Aga was one of the most riveting matches of the year. You had your back against the all and were able to pull that out. How much do those wins over top players mean to you right now?
Wozniacki: It was such a great fight. Aga and I know each other so well, and we know each other’s games so well. We always know we’re going to have long rallies, and it’s going to be a fun match for both of us. I had my back against the wall and she was playing really well, but I somehow managed to fight and stay aggressive. I went for my shots and they went in at the right moments. It was a grueling match, but a fun one and I really enjoyed it. It definitely means a lot beating a top player, and feeling like I’m back where I want to be.

WTA Insider: Do you fee like you are? Are you there, or are you getting there? Where is Caroline right now?
Wozniacki: I think I’m feeling good. Obviously, you can always improve and always play better. But I feel like I’m hitting the ball well; I’ve beaten four Top 10 players in the last couple of weeks, and it’s been good. I’m just enjoying it and hopefully I can carry this momentum forward to the rest of the year.

All photos courtesy of Getty Images.

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