Tennis News

INDIAN WELLS, CA, USA – Serena Williams withstood a spirited challenge from Agnieszka Radwanska to reach the final of the BNP Paribas Open on Friday evening.

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

In stark contrast to their meeting at the same stage of this January’s Australian Open, Williams found herself In a real dogfight, responding magnificently by rattling off 11 of the final 12 points to complete a 6-4, 7-6(1) victory.

“I love tie-breakers and my whole aim is just to win the first seven points – if you do that you can’t lose,” Serena told Andrew Krasny immediately after the match.

No player has ever won three titles in Indian Wells, and 15 years after picking up her second Williams will go in search of the hat-trick when she takes on Victoria Azarenka in the final.

“What a career. I never expected to be here again in Indian Wells, let alone the final. It’s really unbelievable,” she added.

Perhaps inspired by her imminent rise to No.2 in the rankings, Radwanska committed to attacking Williams from the outset. The decision made for an entertaining spectacle and it was immediately apparent that there would be no repeat of the Melbourne whitewash, a smart backhand winner helping the Pole to a break in the opening game.

Radwanska continued to pile on the pressure as the set wore on, only for Williams to bail herself out of trouble with a series of pin-point serves. The failure to secure the insurance of a second break proved costly, as Williams’ own return game belatedly spluttered into life.

A vicious backhand proved the catalyst as the American converted her first break point to draw level at 4-4 before completing the turnaround a few games later some more ferocious returning.

At the start of the second set, Radwanska looked in danger of getting blown away, Williams moving through the gears to open up a 3-0 lead. To her credit, Radwanska did not let her head drop, pulling back the break and even threatening to force a decider. However, there was to be no comeback, the World No.1’s grandstand finish sending her would-be rival back the drawing board.

INDIAN WELLS, CA, USA – Former champion Victoria Azarenka returned to the final of the BNP Paribas Open after winning an absorbing Friday night shootout with Karolina Pliskova.

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

For two sets, Azarenka was fighting for dear life just to avoid getting overwhelmed by the barrage of winners coming from Pliskova’s racquet, but by the end she had weathered the worst of the storm, finishing strongly to close out a 7-6(1), 1-6, 6-2 victory.

In the final, Azarenka will renew rivalries with World No.1 Serena Wiilliams.

“It’s been a great week, I felt I improved so much. I’ve been working hard and it’s good to see that all that work is paying off,” Azarenka said. “I tried to apply what I’m working on – sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t – but it has put me in a position to play against the best players and these are the most priceless moments for me.”

Pliskova has struggled to make an impression at tennis’ flagship events in recent years, but this week has raised her game to new levels, and for much of the opening sets against Azarenka she was unplayable.

With her serve untouchable and winners flowing off either wing, the Czech cruised to a 5-3 lead. However, Azarenka clung stubbornly to her coattails and when a chance presented itself she grabbed it with both hands, breaking back with a delightful drop shot-volley combination. She completed the smash and grab by taking a one-sided tie-break.

Pliskova responded to the setback magnificently firing down 17 winners to race through a 34-minute second set. By the start of the decider, though, her game had lost some of its zip and Azarenka capitalized ruthlessly to close out victory.

Since lifting the title at Indian Wells four years ago, injuries – of varying severity – to feet, ankles and back have seen Azarenka spending as much time on the treatment table as the court. Now with a clean bill of help, the Belarusian is intent on enjoying the ride.

“For me it’s all fun. It doesn’t matter if it’s good or bad, it’s tennis and you’re not always going to be on the up. You have to play good and stay clam – it’s important what you do when you’re down, too. I think through the experience you learn to understand that better.”

INDIAN WELLS, CA, USA – Friday’s evening session at the BNP Paribas Open will see all four semifinalists in action. Read on to discover 10 need-to-know facts heading into the two showdowns.

(1) Serena Williams (USA #1) vs (3) Agnieszka Radwanska (POL #3)
H2H: Williams leads Radwanska, 9-0

1) Serena resumes desert domination.
Serena Williams has cruised through the draw this fortnight – she is the only player yet to drop a set – to improve her win-loss record at Indian Wells to 22-1 (.957). This winning percentage is second only to the great Martina Navratilova*:
Martina Navratilova 10-0 (1.000)
Serena Williams 22-1 (.957)
Steffi Graf 17-2 (.895)
Kim Clijsters 24-5 (.828)
* Minimum of five matches played at tournament

2) Chasing another record.
No player has won the title at Indian Wells more than two times. Serena is one of eight players to lift the title in Indian Wells twice (1999, 2001) and is attempting to add it to an impressive list of titles she has won on three or more occasions:
Eight – Miami
Six – Australian Open, US Open, Wimbledon
Five – WTA Finals
Three – Charleston, Roland Garros, Rome, Stanford, Toronto

3) Radwanska moving up in the world.
Agnieszka Radwanska will move to No.2 in the WTA Rankings on Monday. It will be her eighth week at No.2 having previously held this career-best ranking in July and August of 2012.

4) But she is still searching for an answer to Serena’s questions.
A runner-up finish at Wimbledon propelled Radwanska’s previous ascent to the No.2 spot. Denying her the title in a three-set thriller was Serena, who has dominated their rivalry ever since. In fact, the Pole’s solitary set in their nine meetings came that afternoon at the All England Club.

5) Radwanska on a roll since Flushing Meadows setback.
Since losing to Madison Keys in the third round of the US Open, no player on tour has won more matches than Radwanska. During that time she has posted a 34-6 record (Angelique Kerber is next with 25 wins), reaching the semifinals or better at eight of her previous nine tournaments and going on to lift the trophy four times.

(13) Victoria Azarenka (BLR #15) vs (18) Karolina Pliskova (CZE #19)
H2H: series tied, 1-1

6) Happy memories for Azarenka.
The last occasion Victoria Azarenka made the last four at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden she was in the midst of the most purple of purple patches. Rewind four years and Azarenka was busy compiling what would become the best start to a season since 1997, defeating Kerber and Maria Sharapova to add the Indian Wells trophy to the ones already picked up at Sydney, the Australian Open and Doha.

7) Top 10 beckons.
Should Azarenka head for Miami on Sunday evening with the trophy in her suitcase, she will return to the Top 10 (at No.8) for the first time since August 2014. If she reaches the final she will rise to No.11 and No.13 should she fall in the semifinals.

8) Pliskova no longer a flat track bully.
It is no secret that Karolina Pliskova has long been frustrated by her inability to make an impression at tennis’ flagship events. Prior to this fortnight, her best showing at a Grand Slam or Premier Mandatory tournament was a quarterfinal run last year in Miami.

9) Semifinal specialist.
While Azarenka may lord it over her in terms of big-match experience, Pliskova can draw confidence from her fine record at the business end of tournaments; of the 15 semifinals she has contested, she has come out on the winning side 12 times.

10) Long wait for a Czech finalist.
Should she make it 13 on Friday, Pliskova will become the first Czech finalist at the tournament since Helena Sukova in 1990. On that occasion Sukova lost out to former compatriot Navratilova**.

** Navratilova was born in Czechoslovakia but became a US citizen in 1981.

INDIAN WELLS, CA, USA – For so long one of the game’s perennial bridesmaids, Agnieszka Radwanska is currently looking every inch the serial winner.

Last October, after countless near misses, the Pole finally enjoyed her own big day, defeating Petra Kvitova to lift the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global. This victory had been a long time coming; Radwanska and her entertaining brand of imaginative, all-court tennis had been wowing crowds since she arrived onto the scene in the mid-2000s.

Success in Singapore has imbued Radwanska with the confidence to take her game to the next level, winning more matches (17) this year than any other player. Number 17 came over Kvitova in Wednesday’s quarterfinals at the BNP Paribas Open, a result that guaranteed a rise to No.2 in the rankings.

She has been this high before, enjoying a brief stay after reaching the 2012 Wimbledon final, and this time hopes to continue the upward trajectory.

“There is always opportunity [to be No.1], but it’s not about one or two tournaments,” Radwanska said. “To be No.1 you really have to play the whole season very [well], and obviously catch Serena. But she is also playing very good tennis and she will want to play good and be there at No.1.

“It’s always a good feeling to be back in this position. I wasn’t long last time, but I think that was a few years ago. It’s always good to be back in that position.”

Radwanska could make inroads into Serena Williams’ sizeable lead atop the rankings with victory when the two meet on Friday evening. Williams has dominated their previous encounters, winning all nine, dropping just one set in the process. However, the American is taking nothing for granted when she takes on the new and improved Radwanska.

“She knows how to play in big stadiums and big matches, big games,” Williams said. “Obviously she does everything so well, including running, and this is a good surface for her because it’s a slow surface. I think I expect there will be a lot of long rallies.

“Honestly, I will be ready. I really like Aga on and off the court. I think she’s super exciting to watch on the court, and off the court I think she’s really one of the nicest people. Regardless, I think it will be a really good match-up.”

Radwanska has reached the final at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden once before, losing out to Flavia Pennetta in 2014 – an experience that still smarts: “Well, of course I was very disappointed, especially that I was feeling very good whole tournament and I was really playing great tennis.

“Obviously that was one of the worst moments in my career, that I wasn’t healthy in the final, the big event. But just that was past, so hopefully that will never happen again.”

SAN ANTONIO, TX, USA – Anna-Lena Friedsam closed in on the second WTA 125K Series title of her career with a hard-fought victory over Alison Riske at the San Antonio Open on Friday.

After breezing through the first set and opening up an early lead in the second, Friedsam briefly looked like she might let Riske back into the semifinal before regrouping to close out a 6-3, 7-6(4) victory.

Friedsam saved a set point while serving to stay in the second set and credited Riske for bringing out her best tennis.

“I’m really happy with my game today. I played a really good set – really aggressive and consistent,” Friedsam said. “The second was not so good. She had a little more confidence, she pushed me from corner to corner and it was a little bit harder for me to put pressure on her.”

Eighteen months ago, Friedsam won the WTA 125K Series tournament in Suzhou, an achievement she has used as a springboard in her bid to reach the Top 50. Standing between her and a second title at this level will be Misaki Doi, a 6-4, 2-6, 6-4 winner over Tsvetana Pironkova in the day’s second semifinal.

In the doubles final, there was a popular winner as America’s Nicole Melichar teamed up with Anna-Lena Groenefeld to defeat Klaudia Jans-Ignacik and Anastasia Rodionova, 6-1, 6-3.

First @SanAntonioOpen doubles championship goes to Groenefeld/Melichar! A hometown champ!! #SAOpen #tennis pic.twitter.com/RtBnGOHggJ

— HY Lai (@HY_Lai) March 18, 2016