Tennis News

NEW HAVEN, CT, USA – No.6 seed Petra Kvitova is back into the Connecticut Open semifinals for the fifth year in a row after defeating Ekaterina Makarova 6-3, 6-1 in exactly one hour.

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Kvitova and Makarova are quickly building up a fierce rivalry in 2016, with this match being their fourth encounter in 2016 alone.

Decidedly quicker than the last several matches they’ve played, which both went almost two hours long. In fact, it went a little more like the last time they played in New Haven, back in 2014, when Kvitova stomped past Makarova in straight sets in just 49 minutes.

“Maybe the court helped me,” Kvitova said. “Maybe, I don’t know, I was ready to battle again. Just knew that I had to be really focusing on each point.

“I think I played better here. I served better, for sure. I just think it was really, you know, helpful for me today. Couple of the matches which we played before today was always a little bit tricky. I think in each of them that I had chances to win it, but I didn’t really take it. Today I just played good match again.”

Kvitova and Makarova stayed toe to toe during the tightly drawn first set, with the lone break at 4-2 going the way of the Czech. She held on to the slight lead to take the opening set, then found an extra gear in the second, breaking three times and reeling off six games in a row to close out the match in exactly an hour.

With the win Kvitova is back in the semifinals of the Connecticut Open for the fifth consecutive time.

Despite the fact that New Haven has become her happiest of hunting grounds outside of her favored Wimbledon – winning three titles and reaching four finals in her last four appearances – Kvitova still can’t say what it is about this tournament that she loves so much. She just likes it here.

“I don’t know. I always looking forward to be here,” Kvitova mused in press. “I’m here. I just feel so relaxed. We always have our kind of restaurants and breakfast shop where we are going every morning, having just easy time. It’s easy to get here, like 10 minutes, not that much.

“I don’t know. I just feel everything, it’s so easy. Even the court. Of course with a lot of success that I have here, it’s better to play.”

Kvitova is set to face Agnieszka Radwanska for a spot in the final.

NEW HAVEN, CT, USA – Top seed Agnieszka Radwanska ended lucky loser Kirsten Flipkens’ dream run at the Connecticut Open, winning 6-1, 6-4 to book a semifinal against defending champion Petra Kvitova.

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Flipkens became one of two lucky losers to reach the semifinals after replacing the ailing Lesia Tsurenko and powering past Belinda Bencic and Caroline Garcia, but she just didn’t have enough in her arsenal of slices and volleys to grab her first win over the World No.4.

Radwanska dug from her own bag of tricks against Flipkens, switching up the pace between line to line rallies and killer dropshots.

But the Belgian didn’t roll over, and produced some spectacular tennis – and razor sharp shot-making – to earn the break right back and level the match at 2-1.

This rally from @FlipperKF and @ARadwanska ? #CTOpen16 pic.twitter.com/DKSevPxqjk

— WTA (@WTA) August 25, 2016

 It was the last game Flipkens would win for a while, though, as Radwanska’s cerebral style of point construction kept her seemingly always a step ahead. She rattled off five games in a row to take the set and an early break in the second.

Finally finding her footing late in the match, Flipkens rallied to get the break back and began to meet Radwanska blow for blow, creating for some incredible rallies.

TWEENER SPOTTING! ?

But really, how AWESOME was that rally?! #CTOpen16 pic.twitter.com/PN5DPFqkoO

— WTA (@WTA) August 26, 2016

“It’s always entertaining for us, as well, playing rallies like this,” Radwanska said of the rally above. “Of course, she’s a very tricky opponent. You can really expect from her those kind of shots. Very good touch, very good hands. We had a lot of matches with rallies like this.”

Radwanska just stayed more consistent throughout and finally earned the decisive break at 5-4, taking the match after an hour and 22 minutes. The top seeded player hit 25 winners to 16 unforced errors – a high number for the usually tidy Radwanska – against Flipkens’ 21 winners and 27 unforced errors.

With the victory Radwanska is through to her first semifinal at the Connecticut Open, where three-time champion Petra Kvitova awaits across the net.  

“I’m just very happy to make the first semifinal,” Radwanska said. “Especially that it’s a very strong tournament. It means I had a couple of good matches, a couple of good wins.

“Well, I guess now I have really nothing to lose, especially I’m playing Petra next.”

NEW YORK, NY, USA – It has been an axiomatic to the point of cliché statement about Serena Williams’ prospects at any tournament, that if she is physically fit and motivated, she’s the overwhelming favorite at every tournament she enters.

But it’s true. This year there are no questions about motivation as she heads to the last Slam of the season. Once again she will be playing for history, but this year it will be history on two fronts.

Serena is aiming to break the record she currently holds with Stefanie Graf for the most major singles titles in the Open Era. She matched that record in July by winning her seventh Wimbledon title and 22nd major overall. A seventh US Open victory here would give Serena sole possession of the modern record.

“I’m cheering her on, yes,” Graf told CNN’s Open Court. “Because it’s great for the sport. Why not? She’s done so much for the sport. She’s out there working hard.”

Regardless of what happens over the next two weeks, Serena will also leave New York having tied Graf’s record for consecutive weeks at No.1 at 186 weeks. But with the top ranking under threat from No.2 Angelique Kerber, No.3 Garbiñe Muguruza, and No.4 Agnieszka Radwanska, Serena must make at least the semifinals to have a chance of remaining in the top spot on the Monday after the tournament. If she can secure the No.1 ranking after the US Open she will break Graf’s record outright and add to an era-defining resume that already spans the length of the new Arthur Ashe Stadium roof.

“I’m happy for her, I’m excited for her,” Graf said. “It’s cool that records are being broken, that’s what they’re there for. She’s been phenomenal for the sport of tennis, it has been great to watch. I hope she does break it.”

The questions concerning Serena surround the state of her right shoulder. She withdrew from the Rogers Cup earlier this month with shoulder inflammation and was clearly compromised in her third round loss to Elina Svitolina at the Olympic tennis event. For the first time since 2009, Serena heads to the US Open without a summer hard court title under her belt, having played just three singles matches since Wimbledon.

Her withdrawal from the Western & Southern Open last week was particularly worrisome. Serena was not originally entered in the event but took a late wildcard a few days before the tournament. She came to Cincinnati, cut her first practice short after less than an hour and subsequently withdrew, again citing shoulder inflammation.

Serena doesn’t lose often in New York, and a good draw that would give her time to play herself into form and confidence might be all that she needs. Since coming back from injury and illness in 2011, the World No.1 is 32-2, adding three more US Open titles to her major haul. Since returning to No.1 in 2013, Serena has never lost to a Top 10 player in New York, though the last time she faced a Top 10 player here was back in 2013, an indication of just how frequently the draw has been breaking the last two years.

To do it all Serena’s serve will need to be at the ready, and all eyes will be on that singular shot during the first week of the tournament. Notably, she will have a day’s rest between singles matches, which was not the case in Rio. If the scheduling breaks her way and she’s able to get the rest and recovery time she needs between matches, No.23 is well within striking distance.

NEW HAVEN, CT, USA – Lucky loser Johanna Larsson is through to her first WTA Premier-level semifinal at the Connecticut Open after a big upset over No.2 seed Roberta Vinci. She sets up a battle against No.10 seed Elina Svitolina, who powered past Elena Vesnina in straight sets.

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At this tournament last year Larsson fell in the qualifying rounds, but today she got her revenge against the same player who ousted her, defeating Vinci, 7-6(9), 6-1.

“Last year I had a tough loss against her in the finals of qualifying,” Larsson recalled after the match. “And I actually remember I was serving for the set in that match as well. I was in the same position today, and I messed it up a little bit, but I was lucky to win today in the tiebreak.”

Larsson was a point away from comfortably taking the opening set 6-4; she had just broken Vinci’s serve with a pair of aggressive forehand returns, and brought up two set points on serve in the next game. But Vinci rallied to break back and keep them level, sending the set into a tiebreaker. The momentum swung back and forth between the two – both of them held set points during the tiebreaker – but Larsson’s dogged defense eventually forced the critical error from Vinci.

The Swede took flight in the second set, breaking Vinci four times to reel off five consecutive games against the Italian, taking the match and a spot in her first Connecticut Open semifinal on her main draw debut.

After the match Vinci, who looked considerably more sluggish in the second set, admitted that a lingering injury played a role in the defeat.

“I’m injured a little bit. I have a little bit of pain of my tendon on left foot,” Vinci explained in press. “On the second set, I was not tired. But I thinking always about my pain, and I lost. But now I have two or three days off before New York to try to recover and stay better for the US Open.”

Larsson’s opponent in the semifinal will be No.10 seed Svitolina, who had all the answers against Vesnina and cruised to a 6-3, 6-1 victory.

Lucky Loser Johanna Larsson is first through to @ConnecticutOpen Semifinals!

Knocks out Vinci 7-6(9), 6-1! #CTOpen pic.twitter.com/rPw5aT8rOA

— WTA (@WTA) August 25, 2016

This year the US Open is looking to make rain delays a thing of the past, having finally unveiled a retractable roof over the world’s largest tennis venue, Arthur Ashe Stadium.

It was a massive undertaking requiring two years under construction, and it was inaugurated a few weeks ago just in time for this year’s final Grand Slam.

CNN Open Court gives you some fast facts on everything you need to know about Arthur Ashe Stadium’s new retractable roof.