Tennis News

ROME, Italy – Daria Gavrilova continues to save her best tennis for the Internazionali BNL d’Italia; looking to back up her run to last year’s semifinals, the Aussie outlasted Mutua Madrid Open winner Simona Halep, 6-3, 4-6, 6-3, to reach the third round.

Watch highlights, interviews and more video from Madrid right here on wtatennis.com!

“I played pretty well the whole match,” Gavrilova said after her win. “It was always going to be a tough battle because we’re pretty similar players.

“A few years back, I was watching her play thinking, ‘I could play like her,’ and beating her today was an unreal feeling. I was super happy. After the rain delay, I could reset and come out there playing very good!”

Halep needed three sets to defeat Gavrilova in their only previous encounter at the 2015 BNP Paribas Open, and the match was headed to another photo finish when a rain delay halted proceedings at one set apiece.

“Maybe if it wouldn’t rain, maybe I would have played better,” Halep said in her post-match press conference. “But that’s it. I cannot change anything. If it’s raining, it’s raining. If I lose, you lose. I won a lot of matches last week, so I don’t give up now that I lost one match.”

Play has been suspended due to rain ☔️ #ibi16 https://t.co/HBmfgHoqMu

— WTA (@WTA) May 11, 2016

Working her way through an even contest, the 2009 French Open junior finalist looked to be fading, but quickly caught fire after saving a break point in the fourth game.

Showing off the sort of boundless energy that has become her signature, the unseeded Aussie promptly broke serve in the next game and all but ran away with the match from there. Surviving a brief hiccup when serving for it, she broke once more at love to clinch the match in just under two hours, hitting 30 winners to 31 unforced errors.

The win was Gavrilova’s first over a Top 5 player this season, and second of her career – having previously defeated then-World No.2 Maria Sharapova in the second round of last year’s Miami Open ahead of her Roman run.

Though Halep didn’t display the form that took her to a second career Premier Mandatory title in Madrid, the Romanian nonetheless hit 29 winners of her own, but wasn’t able to make up for her 33 unforced errors hit over the course of three sets.

“It’s not a big drama that I lost today,” Halep said. “But it still was a loss and it’s not easy.

“I take just a positive from last week. Today was tough for me to adapt, but still I could play better, but that’s it. I’m still confident, but I have to keep working to go to French Open.”

Up next for Gavrilova is No.9 seed Svetlana Kuznetsova on Pietrangeli Court; the Russian eased past Madrid semifinalist Samantha Stosur, 6-4, 6-4, just before the rain delay. Growing uo in Russia, the 2009 French Open champion is a player she knows well.

“When I was little, my first coach was telling us about her childhood. She was our hero, as well as Maria. I have so much respect for her. It’s exciting, and I’m pretty sure she likes clay!”

.@Daria_Gav with the incredible volley passing shot! #ibi16 https://t.co/jk2NRBozGx

— WTA (@WTA) May 11, 2016

ROME, Italy – Madison Keys employed thoughtful aggression under the lights of Center Court, pulling off a 6-3, 6-4 upset of No.5 seed Petra Kvitova to advance to the third round of the Internazionali BNL d’Italia.

Watch highlights, interviews and more video from Madrid right here on wtatennis.com!

“I definitely didn’t want to start down 2-0 right off the bat,” Keys said of her initially slow start. “But I was able to recover from that, build some momentum and keep it going.”

Hitting eight aces in the 78 minute match, Keys maintained an even winner/unforced error differential against Kvitova, who had enjoyed a strong start to her clay court campaign with a run to the semifinals of the Porsche Grand Prix. The Czech star hit nine fewer winners compared with the American youngster (11 to 20) and six more errors (27 to 21), only managing to engineer one break point in the contest.

Keys, by contrast, broke serve  three times and maintained an impeccable 85% first serve percentage.

First set ? @Madison_Keys!

Grabs the opening set vs Kvitova 6-3! #ibi16 https://t.co/7KmpjBjio9

— WTA (@WTA) May 11, 2016

“It’s definitely more love than hate now,” the 21-year-old said of her relationship with clay. “The first couple of years were very difficult for me; I never really played on red clay growing up. I think every year is a little more experience, and I’m feeling more comfortable.”

Up next for the unseeded American is Hungary’s Timea Babos, who outlasted No.12 seed Venus Williams, 6-7(5), 7-5, 6-4, in just under three hours.

“I’ve played her on grass, and I think I got my butt kicked,’ Keys laughed. “So hopefully, it’ll be a little bit better for me next time. I haven’t really seen her play in the last couple of years, so I’ll definitely rely on my coach to help me figure that out.”

Babos led by a double break to start the match; by the final set, the 23-year-old thrice recovered from a break of serve – hitting 32 winners to 43 unforced errors during the two hour, 55 minute affair – to unseat the 35-year-old, who hit 48 winners to 56 unforced errors.

“I’m really happy to win,” she said after the match. “Venus is one of the biggest players in history and it’s the first time I’ve ever played her, so I just tried to think of my tennis and not about who was on the other side of the net.

“I started well, but then was a little more shaky, but I was fighting until the last moment.”

.@TimeaBabos makes 6-7(5), 7-5, 6-4 comeback win over Venus!

Sets @InteBNLdItalia Round of 16 vs Keys! #ibi16 pic.twitter.com/xiQwzhvAiI

— WTA (@WTA) May 11, 2016

ROME, Italy – Eugenie Bouchard scored her biggest victory of the year to battle past No.2 seed Angelique Kerber 6-1, 5-7, 7-5 at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia and claim her first win against a Top 10 player since 2014.

Watch highlights, interviews and more video from Rome right here on wtatennis.com!

Ahead of their second round clash, Bouchard showed her introspective side when asked about her 2016 campaign – she has reached two finals but also suffered two first-round losses.

“I think I’m still on that journey of trying to be the best player I can be,” she said in her press conference after defeating Jelena Jankovic. “I feel like I have been working hard every single day, and I feel like I have good guidance, I’m on the right path.

“So I think it’s just making sure I still continue to believe in myself, and, you know, trusting that if I do all the right things, if I work hard, if I have the talent, if I have good guidance, one day it has to come.”

The first big test of that mentality came in the form of Australian Open and Stuttgart champion Angelique Kerber, World No.2. Though Bouchard leads their head to head 2-1 – winning their two most recent encounters – the pair hadn’t faced each other since 2014, the year the Canadian rocketed up the rankings.

The top German came out of the gate playing uncharacteristically flat and error-prone, striking almost two per game in the first set alone. Bouchard took advantage of the free points, employing rock-solid defense to keep returning the ball back to Kerber to keep drawing out the errors.

Bouchard won eight games in a row to put the World No.2 down 6-1, 3-0. Kerber finally got a chance to break for 3-1 in the second set, aided by a costly double fault from the Canadian. That seemed to kick start her comeback into the match: Bouchard struck four errors in one game as Kerber rallied back to level the score at 4-4. A gutsy smash from the back of the court on break point gave Kerber the set.

The German carried her momentum into the decider, breaking early to go up 2-0, but Bouchard got the break right back and the pair were on even footing for most of the final set. A late break at 6-5 gave the Canadian the extra push she needed, and she took the match after two hours and twenty minutes.

“I did feel like I was playing better tennis today, especially at the beginning,” Bouchard said after the match. “That’s how I want to play. That gives me confidence knowing I can play that way against one of the best players in the world.

Despite her victory against No.2 Kerber being her first Top 10 win since her 2014 defeat of then-No.7 Caroline Wozniacki in Wuhan, Bouchard can still find learning moments from the match.

“For sure I’m happy to win, but at the same time I’m disappointed in myself having a lead like I had, you know. I feel like I could have done better in that second set,” she said.

“My goal next time is if I’m in a position like that is to really be more mentally disciplined and keep pushing. Because, you know, these players, if you give them a chance they will come back.”