Wuhan: Pliskova vs. Safarova
Karolina Pliskova takes on Lucie Safarova in the second round of the Dongfeng Motor Wuhan Open.
Karolina Pliskova takes on Lucie Safarova in the second round of the Dongfeng Motor Wuhan Open.
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.
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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.
“Tennis Dance” performed in opening ceremony of the Wuhan Open, a WTA tournament of 2.4-million-dollar prize money pic.twitter.com/6o7TJXkeH7
— Xinhua Sports (@XHSports) September 25, 2016
The story of the tournament from the Toray Pan Pacific Open.
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.
Highlights from final round action at the Toray Pan Pacific Open.
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.
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.
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.
Caroline Wozniacki had Sunday’s shot of the day at the Toray Pan Pacific Open.
WUHAN, China – Simona Halep is aiming to end her hex in China this week at the Dongfeng Motor Wuhan Open. The World No.5 was forced to withdraw from last week’s Toray Pan Pacific Open due to a hamstring injury and she’s now struggling with every tennis player’s worst enemy: jet lag.
“I practiced two times already here,” Halep told reporters at WTA All-Access Hour on Sunday. “I feel good. On the court I feel a little bit tired. I cannot sleep like I do always.”
“Last night I slept four hours, so I am much better than the first night,” she said with a laugh.
Coming off a strong summer swing that saw her win two titles (Bucharest and Montréal) and suffer just three losses since the French Open – all to either No.1 Angelique Kerber or No.2 Serena Williams – Halep comes into the Asian swing looking to qualify for the WTA Finals for a third consecutive year. Currently No.3 in the Road to Singapore, the 24-year-old is in good position to lock it up sooner rather than later. But to do so she’ll need to break her sub-par trend of results in China at this time of year.
Although Halep won in Shenzhen two Januarys ago, she is just 6-6 on Chinese soil during the fall swing, with her best result coming in 2014, when she made the quarterfinals of the China Open. That also happens to be the only instance in four appearances that she made it past the first round there. In her two appearances in Wuhan, her best result came last year in the third round, where she lost to Johanna Konta.
“I don’t feel that it’s tough to find the motivation and the energy,” Halep said when asked about the Asian swing, who added that though her hamstring may not be healed, she’s been able to practice pain-free for two days. “I feel okay. But here everything is different: food, people, the country is different. It’s not easy to adapt so quickly.”
Halep will be without her coach Darren Cahill in Wuhan. He plans to rejoin the team next week in Beijing.
“I’m not tired mentally,” Halep said. “I’m confident. But you never know here. Every match is difficult at this level. I just want to give my best, to do as much as I can to this end of the season. It’s important, because last years, previous years, I didn’t play that good. So I want to change it.”
Halep will play her opening match against her countrywoman Irina-Camelia Begu on Monday.
Photos courtesy of Getty Images.
Caroline Wozniacki takes on Naomi Osaka in the final of the Toray Pan Pacific Open.
WUHAN, China – In 2015 Garbiñe Muguruza arrived in China in the midst of a slump. She was compiling a breakthrough season, having made her first Slam final at Wimbledon a few months earlier, but the letdown during the North American hardcourt summer was severe.
China proved to be fertile ground for the Spaniard. It was this time last year that she hired coach Sam Sumyk after a disappointing exit at the US Open and the two went on to make the final at the Dongfeng Motor Wuhan Open, where she retired with a foot injury to Venus Williams, and then win her biggest title at the time at the China Open. That run served as a springboard for Singapore, where she romped to the semifinals in her BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global debut.
Muguruza’s 2016 season has seen similar, albeit with heightened patterns. In a season that saw her win her first major title at Roland Garros in May, the 22-year-old has struggled with her consistency ever since. She looked to be building momentum over the summer with a strong run to the semifinals of the Western & Southern Open, but a surprising opening round loss to Anastasija Sevastova in New York sent her back to the drawing board once again.
“That loss was tough for me,” Muguruza told reporters during Wuhan’s WTA All-Access Hour on Sunday. “I was sad about that match because I’m always very happy to be in a Grand Slam. That’s the tournament where I like to play and I’m really motivated there, but I played bad.
“I was too nervous. I wanted too much to win. I wanted [it] too much.”
Muguruza has worked hard over the last 12 months to control her negative emotions on court and has come to master an intimidating poker face. But don’t let it fool you. She’s roiling underneath the surface. “Sometimes I feel like there’s certain days where I look like she doesn’t look like maybe is super happy, but it’s because I want [it] too much, and it’s actually going the other way. So I think it’s as bad to want it too much than not to want it too much. It was tough for me.”
To the extent an early exit at a major can have a silver lining, Muguruza said the loss gave her more time to hit the practice court before the Asian swing. Now to see if it pays off. Ranked No.3 on the WTA rankings, Muguruza could face a tough opening test on Tuesday against either Guangzhou finalist Jelena Jankovic or the always dangerous Daria Gavrilova.
“This year I want to do everything I can so I can go on holiday happy,” Muguruza said. “I don’t want to have this on the back of my mind.”
“I feel nothing can be sad this year after winning a Grand Slam. No matter what happens for me, [it] is an incredible year already.”
Ni Hao Wuhan! ?? pic.twitter.com/WtUGbOzwQ5
— Garbiñe Muguruza (@GarbiMuguruza) September 25, 2016
All photos courtesy of Getty Images.