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Strycova Back Into Birmingham Final

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

BIMRINGHAM, Great Britain – 2014 finalist Barbora Strycova came back from a set and a break down to snap CoCo Vandeweghe’s grass court winning streak, defeating the American 2-6, 6-4, 6-3 to reach the final of the Aegon Classic Birmingham.

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Both players had a rough road to the semifinals, having to play their second round and quarterfinal matches on the same day due to the rain delays that wreaked havoc on the schedule earlier in the week.

Strycova, who’s also in the semifinals of doubles, perhaps faced a tougher task than most.

“I had three matches yesterday and I won all of them,” the Czech said after the match. “Physically it wasn’t easy. But it was the same for [Vandeweghe], she played two matches yesterday. Mentally it wasn’t easy as well, but I just managed to be a little bit better.”

Vandeweghe, who had been on an eight-match winning streak on grass, started off the match in top form and raced ahead to a 5-0 lead. She grabbed the first set 6-2, then earned an early break in the second set.

Staring down the barrel of Vandeweghe’s booming serve, Strycova dug her heels in and scratched out a break back to erase the American’s lead. From then, the Czech peppered her game with everything to frustrate Vandeweghe – hitting more drop shots and attacking the second serve – and turned the match completely around.

Vandeweghe’s most trusted weapon – her powerful serve – seemed to abandon her late in the match and she struck a double fault to go down a break once more in the third set.

After two hours and nine minutes, Strycova sealed her fourth match point with an ace, booking her spot in the final.

“It was a rollercoaster I have to say,” Strycova said. “Coco was playing really well in the first set and really fast, and I had to just hang in there.

“In the second set I just tried to win as many serves as I could and then it turned a little bit. I tried to fight every point I could and it turned to my side.”

Earlier in the day, Madison Keys, Strycova’s opponent in the final, clinched her debut into the WTA’s Top 10 by virtue of her win over Carla Suárez Navarro. However, Keys isn’t the only one who made a big ranking move today. Strycova moved up two spots to No.28 with her semifinal run, projected to reach No.22 if she takes home the title.

But first she’ll have to turn around a losing head to head record – it’s been almost two years since Strycova’s scored a win over Keys.

“In the last three weeks I lost to [Keys] twice, so I’ll just try to play the best tennis that I can and try to do something different to the previous matches,” Strycova added.

“It’s going to be such a different match though because it’s on grass.”

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Garcia, Sevastova Into Mallorca Final

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

MALLORCA, Spain – No.6 seed Caroline Garcia overcame a mid-match wobble against Kirsten Flipkens to make her way to the inaugural Mallorca Open final where she’s set to face Anastasija Sevastova for the title.

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It’s been an incredible few weeks for the on-the-rise Frenchwoman; she grabbed her first title of the year at Strasbourg, win the French Open doubles title with Kristina Mladenovic, and now here on the Spanish grass she’s into her second final of the year.

“When I arrived here I wasn’t expecting much because it’s normally very hard to reach the final in your first grass tournament of the year,” Garcia said. “I’ve just taken it match by match and slowly getting more confidence on the grass, even though still there’s things in the game that I want to improve.”

Garcia started out the match digging herself out of a 2-4 hole against Flipkens, whose game favors the faster surfaces. The Frenchwoman fired off four games in a row to snatch the first set away from the Belgian.

Despite Flipkens coming back to win the second 6-4, Garcia was in nearly impeccable form in the third. She rattled off five games in a row to take the match and advance 6-4, 4-6, 6-1.

“Every final is a new experience, but definitely the results give me more confidence,” Garcia said. “There is always tension and emotion but with experience I can manage it better and do my best tomorrow.”

Garcia’s opponent in the final had a dicy road to the inaugural Mallorca Open final. AnastasijaSevastova spent the night after her first-round win waylaid in the hospital after suffering a health scare.

“I had a stomach virus and after my first round, I started cramping and became dehydrated,” Sevastova told press ahead of her semifinal match. “I was fine during my match and for a little bit afterward. Then suddenly I started cramping and couldn’t stop.”

Sevastova spent the night in the hospital and was cleared to play the next day; she went on to beat Eugenie Bouchard and set up her semifinal clash with No.2 seed Jelena Jankovic.

Fully recovered from her opening round scare, Sevastova survived another one against Jankovic, who put her in a one-set deficit after 35 minutes. She settled her nerves and unleashed her flat groundstrokes and drop shots – aided in part by Jankovic’s own injury woes – to overturn the deficit and seal her comeback 4-6, 6-1, 6-2.

With the win, Sevastova makes her way into her first WTA final since 2010 at Oeiras.

“I don’t know really how to feel, I’m quite tired but I’m very happy,” Sevastova said. “It’s sinking in right now, but we’ll see how it goes. Tomorrow is another match – you can’t stop, you have to go on.”

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Suárez Navarro Stuns Kerber In Brum

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

BIRMINGHAM, Great Britain – A handful of points from elimination to start the day, No.6 seed Carla Suárez Navarro won back-to-back matches on Friday to roar into her first career Premier-level grass court semifinal at the Aegon Classic, narrowly defeating No.2 seed and reigning Australian Open champion Angelique Kerber, 6-4, 1-6, 7-5.

Watch live action from Birmingham and Mallorca this week on WTA Live powered by TennisTV!

“It was really tough,” an exhausted Suárez Navarro said in her on-court interview. “Angie was fighting all the time, til the end. Every point was very tough; we had to fight five, six balls to win each point. But I’m really happy with the way I finished the match.”

Suárez Navarro began the day forced to resume her rain-delayed second round encounter with Andrea Petkovic, who had won the first set on Thursday. The Spaniard turned the tables on the former French Open semifinalist in dramatic fashion, winning a pair of tie-breaks to dispatch the German veteran, but her day wasn’t over yet as Kerber loomed later in the afternoon.

“When I play really aggressive, I can go into the net and finish the point. It’s much easier for me. Today, I was very good with my backhand and finished a lot of points at the net. I will try to play like this tomorrow!”

A solid doubles player, the Spaniard noted that she’s no stranger to doubling up during the week.

“When you play singles and doubles, sometimes you have to play two matches,” she said in her post-match press conference. “You spend a lot of time in the club. But a long time ago, I don’t remember that I play two singles in the same day.”

On her weakest surface, Suárez Navarro took it to the 2012 Wimbledon semifinalist, hitting 33 winners to just 23 unforced errors, and emerged victorious in a 36-minute opening set.

“All the time I go on court on grass I try to play aggressive, try to think that I can play good on grass.

“I’ve have good matches here, try to have also good matches in Eastbourne. Then the final test is Wimbledon, you know. Try to be ready for Wimbledon.

“At Wimbledon, all the players are there. The best players, you know. Women’s tennis right now is really close. All the matches are difficult.”

Kerber, who hit 38 winners and 25 unforced errors in her second match of the day (after defeating Australia’s Daria Gavrilova), was hoping to defend a title for the second time in 2016, and raced through the second as the Spaniard began to fade.

But Suárez Navarro held her nerve in an epic deciding set, serving out a titanic final game that forced her to save three break points that, had Kerber converted, led to her second final set tie-break of the day.

“I had to fight and play my best tennis to beat the best players. But I really enjoyed the match-up today.”

A disconsolate Kerber looked for a silver lining following the disappointing defeat.

“I had few matches before Wimbledon. That was my goal. Of course, it was not the score I would like to have after this tough match, but still I think I’m finding my rhythm.

“I’m playing good tennis. Today was a close match, just one or two points decided the match. Carla won at the end. It’s always tough to play against her. We always have tough matches.

“That’s all I can say. I just take positive things from the week. I’m feeling good on grass. This is the positive thing I will take into Wimbledon now.”

Saturday’s semifinal between Suárez Navarro and Madison Keys not only determines who will reach the championship match, but also who reaches the Top 10. Keys won their only previous match back in 2013, but the American needed three sets to defeat the wily veteran.

“She serves really good and has a lot of confidence, so I’ll try to enjoy my game tomorrow and enjoy the match.”

When asked what she planned to do at the end of a long day, the Spaniard admitted she’ll be taking in some football and root for her home team.

“I have my physio here with me, so I’ll have a really good massage. I’ll also watch the Spanish team at the Euro Cup, so I’ll relax a little bit tonight!”

Earlier in the day, CoCo Vandeweghe won her eighth straight match with a 6-4, 6-2 win over Yanina Wickmayer, while Barbora Strycova won an entertaining two-setter against former Wimbledon semifinalist Tsvetana Pironkova, 6-2, 7-5.

“Playing two matches today isn’t easy,” Vandeweghe said after her quarterfinal win. “We had a two-hour break and then to go out and compete again, because we both had full matches to play.

“We were facing the same conditions, which is good when you’re playing an opponent that is in the same predicament as you are instead of a fresh opponent that hasn’t played a match that day.

“I think I definitely have the confidence. There’s no reason I shouldn’t. I haven’t lost a match yet. That definitely helps in the big moments. I’m not panicking.”

Playing some of her best tennis of the year on grass, the American shrugs off notions that this is her best surface, pointing to the quantity of grass court tournaments – or lack, thereof.

“I’m not immune to social media. I’ve seen the stats, the SAP stats and whatever of me on grass versus other surfaces, so I only have one comment to that.

“They take a grass court season, that’s so small, there’s only three tournaments, excluding Wimbledon, to play, four if you include Wimbledon. So four tournaments out of the year I’m playing, those stats are taking off hard court that’s two-fourths of the year, and then clay that’s one forth of the year. I think those stats aren’t quite where I’d — I kind the scoffed at them a little bit.

“My stats would probably, if you took my best four hard court tournaments, I think they’d be up there as well.”

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Kerber Battles Through In Birmingham

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

BIRMINGHAM, England – Defending champion Angelique Kerber battled back to defeat Daria Gavrilova and book a belated place in the quarterfinals of the Aegon Classic Birmingham.

Watch live action from Birmingham and Mallorca this week on WTA Live powered by TennisTV!

The match was one of the many to fall victim to Thursday’s biblical thunderstorms, Gavrilova leading 6-5 when the heavens opened. Kerber made a disastrous start to the restart, losing her serve and with it the set. However, as the match wore on the German began to find her rhythm and in the end ran out a comfortable 5-7, 6-2, 6-2 winner.

“It’s good to turn around the match after the rain delay, but it’s always tough to play against her so I’m really happy I played my game from the first point and found my rhythm again and won the match after losing the first set,” Kerber said.

“It was a new day, a new match, trying to just play aggressive tennis and get used to the grass. It was a good preparation for Wimbledon.”

Kerber did not take long to get over the disappointment of losing the opening set, outmaneuvering her young opponent to manufacture a couple of break points in the opening game of the second. Only one was required, and with the German now in her groove Gavrilova never looked like wresting back the initiative.

While Kerber’s unforced error count was as miserly as ever – she committed 21 in the match – Gavrilova struggled in vain for consistency. There was no masking the Australian’s frustration as she dropped the second then slipped 5-1 behind in the decider, Kerber closing out the contest in style, crouching down to uncork her 27th winner of the match. 

It will be a busy day for Kerber, who will return later to take on Carla Suárez Navarro in the last eight. Suárez Navarro booked her place with a rollercoaster win over Andrea Petkovic, frittering away a 5-2 final set lead before recomposing herself to complete a 4-6, 7-6(5), 7-6(5) victory.

There was disappointment for the home nation, as Heather Watson and Johanna Konta both slipped to defeat. British No.1 Konta made a bright start, breaking in the opening game but was up against it from then on as an impressive Yanina Wickmayer eased to a 6-3, 6-3 win. Watson lost to former finalist Barbora Strycova, 7-5, 6-4. 

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Keys One Win Away From Top 10 Debut

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

BIRMINGHAM, Great Britain – 21-year-old Madison Keys is one win away from reaching the Top 10 for the first time in her young career, ousting teenager Jelena Ostapenko, 6-7(1), 6-4, 6-2, to reach her first semifinal at the Aegon Classic.

Watch live action from Birmingham and Mallorca this week on WTA Live powered by TennisTV!

“I think I’ve been playing pretty well this week,” Keys said during her on-court interview. “I had a bit of a slow start in the first set, but I’m happy to be coming back tomorrow.”

Keys is coming off a career-best clay court season, one that saw her reach her first red clay final at the Internazionali BNL d’italia and the second week of the French Open. Back on her beloved grass courts, the American has gone from strength to strength, weathering the storm from a streaky Ostapenko to secure victory in just under two hours.

Ostapenko defeated two-time Wimbledon winner Petra Kvitova in the previous round, and was on course to back up the upset early on, edging ahead by a break and eventually taking the first set in a tie-break.

“It’s tough being on the tour for this long and being at the old age of 21; these 19 year olds are tough!” she said with a laugh.

Falling behind a break of serve to start the second, Keys rebounded in style, hitting 43 winners to 30 from the young Latvian, and only 21 unforced errors in the three-set thriller.

“I think I just took a breath and took time away from her a little bit better. At that point, it’s either change tactics or go on to the next tournament.”

The American later elaborated in her post-match press conference.

“This year, I’ve settled into my emotions a little bit more and have been able to play a lot calmer, which I think has helped me make smarter decisions, which in turn maybe makes me look a little bit more mature.”

Breaking serve six times, the 2015 Wimbledon quarterfinalist raced out to a double break advantage in the decider and held her nerve to book a semifinal encounter with Carla Suárez Navarro, who pusted reigning Australian Open champion, 6-4, 1-6, 7-5.

Should Keys reach the final, she will be assured of a Top 10 debut, becoming the first American to do so since Serena Williams in 1999. The last time three Americans were ranked inside the Top 10 was all the way back in September of 2005, when the Williams sisters were joined by then-No.2 Lindsay Davenport.

“Both are tough. I’ve obviously played Angelique quite a few times. I don’t think I’ve played Carla as many. But no matter what it’ll be a tough match, so definitely looking forward to it.

“Right now I’m just focused on the semis, and if things go well, maybe I can add to my title count!”

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