Doha: Shot Of The Match (Radwanska)
Agnieszka Radwanska had a third shot of the match in the quarterfinals of the Qatar Total Open.
Agnieszka Radwanska had a third shot of the match in the quarterfinals of the Qatar Total Open.
Andrea Petkovic readies for Jelena Ostapenko: No one would have slated this semifinal when the draw came out. 18-year-old Ostapenko had won just on main draw match all year and came to the Qatar Total Open thinking she would have to play through qualifying. But she paved her own way, knocking out No.5 seed Petra Kvitova and then Zheng Saisai on Thursday to become the third 18-year-old to advance to a semifinal this year.
Watch live action from Doha & Acapulco this week on WTA Live powered by TennisTV!
Can Ostapenko go one further? She’s already into the Top 60 by virtue of her career-best run at a Premier tournament and could move into the Top 50 if she makes the final. She’ll face Andrea Petkovic, who played a top-notch match to beat No.3 Garbiñe Muguruza 6-1, 5-7, 6-2 for her first Top 5 win since 2013. It will be the first meeting between Petkovic and Ostapenko, but the German admitted to taking notice of Ostapenko late last year.
“I saw her playing qualifying in Linz last year, and I said to myself, Wow, this girl’s really talented,” Petkovic told reporters. “I think she’s going to do some damage on tour. It’s really nice to see I have a great [prediction skills].”
Agnieszka Radwanska and Roberta Vinci put on a clinic: Remember this match at the end of the year when you’re asked for the best WTA matches of the season. This will be on the short list.
Any fan thirsty for the days of all-court tennis need look no further than the shot-making extravaganza put on between Radwanska and Vinci. Radwanska came back from a set down to win 3-6, 6-2, 6-3 to advance to her third straight semifinal this season — she still has just one loss to her name, to Serena Williams at the Australian Open – but as stadium announcer Andy Taylor said, she broke the internet with her highlights. Catch up on all the happenings here.
Hope you enjoyed that one as much as me ?
— Aga Radwanska (@ARadwanska) February 25, 2016
One of the most notable trends of the day in Doha: Net play. Zheng Saisai started off the morning with some net-rushing – how great was it to see a Sneak Attack By Saisai? – Muguruza continued the trend with over 30 forays into the forecourt, and Radwanska and Vinci combined for over 100 net points between them.
Radwanska-Vinci final stats.
Look at the net numbers. pic.twitter.com/hVk4EmU1Gr
— WTA Insider (@WTA_insider) February 25, 2016
Carla Suárez Navarro returns to the Top 10: The Spaniard beat Elena Vesnina 6-3, 7-6(3) to advance to her second semifinal of the season (Brisbane). She’ll play Radwanska next, but Thursday’s win means Suárez Navarro will knock Flavia Pennetta out of the Top 10 on Monday, and she could move as high as No.6 if she wins on Friday.
Love means nothing: Few players give as thoughtful post-match interviews as Petkovic and she didn’t disappoint after her quarterfinal win. Here she is reflecting on her career so far:
“Tennis has always been a great love and hate story for me,” Petkovic said. “I love it so much that I hate it at the same time. I guess love and hate are very close together. It’s torn me apart, but it has also given me the most beautiful moments of my life. I wouldn’t want to miss anything of it.”
Garbiñe Muguruza makes progress: It was undoubtedly a disappointing and frustrating result for Muguruza, who looked to have the match back on her terms early in the third set before getting broken and letting her frustration get the best of her. But Muguruza played her best tennis of the year this week in Doha and there was a lot to like about how committed she was on her returns and getting herself at the net. The negatives? She picked up a left thigh injury during the match and Petkovic exposed her weak low volley.
Just win, baby: Petkovic is sharing her coach Jan de Witt with ATP veteran Gilles Simon. The two trained together during the off-season at de Witt’s academy in Halle and she says she’s trying to get over her penchant for perfectionism and just focus on winning.
“I actually learned quite a few things with Jan and Gilles, both of them, because men approach the game much differently than women,” she explained. “They are just less emotional and much more rational.
“I think girls — I don’t know, maybe I’m leaving myself out the window right now — but I think girls, they always want to play the perfect match. For example, I think especially Gilles Simon, because he’s also this type of player, he’s totally fine winning a match where the other guy has 65 unforced errors. He still sees his positives, what he did to the other guy that he did unforced errors.
“I think the girls, they win 6-2, 6-3, and the one missed a lot of balls, and they’re like, Yeah, I didn’t play so well. The other girl was bad. Putting so much pressure on this perfectionism that women I think a lot of time have.
“It’s really nice to get this other side, Yeah, I won, good for me. I think it’s good to have this attitude about just pushing through and winning matches no matter how ugly or how good they are.”
Called it: Earlier in the week, I highlighted the team of Elena Vesnina and Daria Kasatkina as a potential darkhorse Olympic doubles team. The two have already won a title in Moscow and made the quarterfinals two weeks ago in St. Petersburg. On Thursday they snapped Martina Hingis and Sania Mirza’s 41-match win streak, knocking out the Co-No.1s 2-6, 6-4, 10-5 to advance to the Doha semifinals.
Highlights from @EVesnina001/@DKasatkina post-match interview. DK over the moon, to say the least: pic.twitter.com/POjOr2vH06
— WTA Insider (@WTA_insider) February 25, 2016
Yanina Wickmayer? Yanina Wickmayer!: The Belgian announced on Facebook that she has a memoir coming out soon.
Yanina Wickmayer has a book coming out. https://t.co/Tsi1ORjz1J
— WTA Insider (@WTA_insider) February 25, 2016
She’s also into the Acapulco semifinals after beating No.3 seed Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 6-3, 7-6(3). Wickmayer will play No.2 seed Sloane Stephens, who held off a solid challenge from Naomi Osaka, winning 6-3, 7-5.
Petko jokes: Here’s exchange between Petkovic and the stadium announcer:
Petko: U look young, what did u do?
Me: Grew a beard.
Petko: Really?
Me: Yep.
Petko: I would totally do that if it made me look younger
— Andy Taylor (@StadiumAndy) February 25, 2016
Jelena Ostapenko takes on Zheng Saisai in the quarterfinals of the Qatar Total Open.
There are two sides to every comeback. Long layoffs may leave a player rusty and out of rhythm, but they have an undeniably refreshing quality that can sometimes lead to stretches of top-level tennis.
Out for over 22 months rehabbing multiple stress fractures and a bruised bone in her foot, former World No.42 Galina Voskoboeva makes her WTA return at this week’s Abierto Mexicano TELCEL unranked and in search of the form that made her last comeback so successful.
“This is my second comeback, so in the beginning it’s very difficult, but I didn’t expect it to be any other way,” she told WTA Insider from an ITF Challenger in Surprise, Arizona.
“The most difficult part of this comeback is not having a ranking; I’m playing small tournaments because I’m at zero, but it’s very difficult to even enter tournaments, and you’re always stressed because you don’t know if you’ll get in or not.”
If anyone knows how to come back, it’s the Kazakh, who made a major splash in 2011 following a seven-month shoulder injury. A qualifier at the Rogers Cup in Toronto, Voskoboeva reached the quarterfinals with wins over Marion Bartoli, Flavia Pennetta, and Maria Sharapova. She cruised into her first WTA final later that fall in Seoul en route to a career-high ranking in 2012.
“It does give me some more confidence because my last comeback was really good. It was very difficult in the beginning; I probably didn’t show my best tennis right away, but the second part of the year in 2011 was great.
“I don’t know if I can expect it to be that good this time, but of course I already have some ideas of how it will be. I know it’ll be very difficult in the beginning to show your game the way you used to play.”
Ranked just outside the Top 50 in the spring of 2014, Voskoboeva had recently won a doubles title – in Acapulco of all places – but was starting to feel a pain in her foot that would take her on two-year odyssey of rehab and recovery.
“I had a surgery where they had to take one bone out because it had three fractures; the bone was dead and couldn’t heal. Another bone was also fractured, but they left it in, because they can’t take out two bones!”
She laughs. before adding, “Well, they can, and you could still run, but not fast, and you can’t jump, so I definitely didn’t want that. I have one bone left, and it’s still fractured – it’s not going to heal.”
Arrived to Amsterdam! My next baby step is a start of rehab! Прилетела в Амстердам! Здесь я начну реабилитацию! pic.twitter.com/2XWXAmY9pd
— Galina Voskoboeva (@g_voskoboeva) May 7, 2014
She spent the summer doing physical therapy in Amsterdam, where the veteran took her time as a tourist in stride, enjoying the funny moments that occurred along the way.
“I came there one month after my surgery, when I was on crutches and in a cast. You can’t walk for a long time on crutches; I don’t have very strong arms, so it’d be like 10 minutes, and I’m dead! My mom bought me a wheelchair, and it was funny, because if we wanted to have a walk, I’d start on crutches and then move to the wheelchair! It was quite an adventure.
“I also got some benefits from that because there are a lot of good museums there, and there are huge lines. But when people saw me in a wheelchair, I was first in line and never had to wait!
“You should always take something good, even from the worst of days.”
I think this painting will look better in my room! Feel sorry for Van Gogh's museum but I'am stealing it!??? pic.twitter.com/eLwKyNbCQX
— Galina Voskoboeva (@g_voskoboeva) May 19, 2014
Voskoboeva returned to her base in Florida to train through the fall, initially aiming to return at the start of 2015.
“I didn’t expect to be away this long! I was thinking that it would be similar to the shoulder injury; this one was much, much longer and it was much more difficult.
“Everything was going well but suddenly I started feeling pain straight away during a practice and it swelled. I had another MRI, and we found there was a bruise on the bone. I don’t know how it happened; nobody can say – even the doctors! It could have been from jumping or running, but the result was a bruise on the bone, and I needed to have a rest.
“I had to start from the beginning, like I never did rehab before. I was very disappointed with that, and for a long time, the injury didn’t heal. I was working and working, but nothing was happening. I wasn’t sure if I’d even be able to come back after that.”
This second season away proved to be one of self-discovery for the Kazakh; she traveled to Indian Wells and Miami and enjoyed the game from afar, embracing the role of enthusiastic spectator.
Congrats to @AndreyRublev97 with his 1st win @MiamiOpenTennis It was nice to watch his 1st appearance on big tourney! pic.twitter.com/Hb1js0boie
— Galina Voskoboeva (@g_voskoboeva) March 27, 2015
“I wouldn’t like to watch tennis while I was participating in the tournament and, let’s say, I lost. I’d be frustrated and wouldn’t want to see more tennis. This time, I hadn’t seen it in so long that I took all the benefits from that. I found out that I’m a very active fan! I love to cheer and I was so relaxed.
“I could spend the whole day on-site; I saw so many friends there, talking, the things you can’t do as a player. I saw so many different matches. I cheered for the girls, and I could be loud as a spectator. When you’re participating as a player, you can’t spend many hours watching in the heat and you don’t want to get tired. This time, I could come from the beginning of the day and leave after the last match. I didn’t feel bad at all. I was a fan, and it’s really a cool part of the game.
“When you’re outside, you’re watching the player and ask, ‘Oh my god, why are they so nervous? They should be more relaxed; it’s just a game!’ But once you’re coming back on tour, those memories of why they’re so stressed come back very fast!”
She took classes in Moscow and also successfully completed the WTA/ATP Professionals Course in Miami, a career transitions course where she earned USPTA and PTR Coach Certifications in preparation for a future coaching career, one that felt closer to coming to pass the longer she spent off the court.
“I had a lot of good coaches, and I took the best things from each of them. It was a little bit difficult because I was still trying to come back and so I was still doing my rehab, so I couldn’t study full-time. In Russia, they have a new rule; before you could be a coach just by having been an athlete, but now you need a special education. In our group, I met another athlete. She was a retired runner, but I found out that we were at the same Olympic Games.
“There were good coaches and athletes in my group, and it was really interesting to be with them, learn something new by speaking with them. I’m still in touch with some of them, and it was a good time.”
Студенты!? #гцолифк #Москва #студенты #ученьесвет pic.twitter.com/YgfNCmIwCs
— Galina Voskoboeva (@g_voskoboeva) May 29, 2015
Voskoboeva retained her own international coaching team for this latest comeback, hoping the three of them can pick up where they left off.
“I have two coaches because neither of them can travel full time: Erwan Leridant – he used worked with Vania King. When I’m in Russia and that part of the world, I have a great coach there: Alexander Zlatoustsov. He used to work with Dinara Safina. I also have the same fitness coach, Liliya Nurutdinova.
“When the injury happened, I was in good shape and was very disappointed because my ranking at that time was No.64 but for a very long time – for maybe two-and-a-half or three months – I didn’t have any points to defend. I was in position to, with a good result, make my best ranking. That’s why I think there’s nothing to change because I played well and I was satisfied with my team.
“It was actually quite funny that I didn’t have any points to defend. At that time I was No.2 in Kazakhstan, Yaroslava Shvedova was No.1. After the surgery, I went to rehab one or two months later, and I logged onto the Internet and saw the headline: ‘Galina Voskoboeva became No.1 in Kazakhstan!’ So after two months and a surgery I became No.1; I said, ‘Ok, not bad. I should be in the cast longer!'”
Very nice congrats from the men's part of the team!)) Thank you for a lovely surprise!??????? #teamkazakhstan pic.twitter.com/WbRlzMOfJd
— Galina Voskoboeva (@g_voskoboeva) December 18, 2015
Out of the cast and back on the tennis court for a comeback she herself describes as a “miracle,” Voskoboeva quickly earned her first WTA win in exactly two years playing doubles with former partner Anastasia Rodionova in Acapulco. Aware she will have to hit the ground running in Indian Wells and Miami, she plans to make her full-fledged singles return with high spirits and a sense of humor.
“This level of tennis, for the last two years, I saw it only on TV! When I’m at that level, I can talk about goals, but for now I’m not there. I’ve played so few matches after two years, it’s like nothing, and every time, I realize something is missing: maybe a shot, or I’m not moving that fast, or in the wrong direction! There are a lot of things I have to improve. You can see them only when you compete; you can’t really see them in practice because it’s a completely different level of concentration.
“The main thing is to be healthy and to take care of my body, and not to be too crazy about playing everything in a row and forget that I was injured! I still have to remember to treat myself: my body, my foot. Between the foot and the shoulder, I have many parts of my body that I have to treat well!
“I came to Fed Cup, and hadn’t played doubles the whole two years. When our captain was asking, ‘Galina, are you ready?’ I said, ‘I don’t know because I have no idea how I will play!’ Can you imagine? I have no idea if the level that I played last time in 2014 will be there in Indian Wells. I know I will do my best and try to prepare.
“I feel like Scarlett from Gone With the Wind: I will think about this tomorrow!”
Follow Galina as she continues her comeback on Twitter @g_voskoboeva!
All photos courtesy of Getty Images.
Carla Suárez Navarro takes on Elena Vesnina in the quarterfinals of the Qatar Total Open.
ACAPULCO, Mexico – Dominika Cibulkova is back into the Abierto Mexicano Telcel final for a second time after a comfortable win over Christina McHale, 6-3, 6-3.
“This is the first time in my career that I’m in the final of a tournament that I’ve won before,” Cibulkova said. “I won this tournament two years ago. And now coming here this year, I’m in the final now. It’s a great feeling.”
Watch live action from Doha & Acapulco this week on WTA Live powered by TennisTV!
In a rematch of their 2014 final in Acapulco – which saw the Slovak raise the trophy after a fierce battle, 7-6(3), 4-6, 6-4 – Cibulkova took command early, dictating with her blistering forehand and not facing a break point all first set. She kept the heat on McHale, playing inside the court and returning well to force the first break of the match at 4-2, then breaking her again for the set at 6-3.
Cibulkova took advantage of a pair of McHale double faults to go up yet another break to start out the second set, but the American took it back a few games later, leaving them toe-to-toe at 3-3. After that McHale couldn’t find her way back into the match at all, and Cibulkova took the next three games to close out the match.
She’ll face Sloane Stephens in the next round, which will be her first final since 2014 and a major milestone on her road back from injury. Last year, she was sidelined for over four months due to an Achilles injury.
“It feels like everything is coming together now,” Cibulkova said after the match. “I’ve practiced really hard and I had some tough matches this year. Now I just feel like I’m playing well and finally I get to the final. I’m so happy it’s here in Acapulco again.
“I’m ready. I’m healthy, I’m ready, and I’m playing good tennis. So we’ll see what’s going to happen.”
Andrea Petkovic takes on Garbiñe Muguruza in the quarterfinals of the Qatar Total Open.
ACAPULCO, Mexico – Sloane Stephens needed just 54 minutes to cruise to her second WTA final of the year after an uncomplicated victory over No.8 seed Yanina Wickmayer at the Abierto Mexicano Telcel, 6-2, 6-0.
Watch live action from Doha & Acapulco this week on WTA Live powered by TennisTV!
The pair had faced off only once before, with Stephens coming out the victor of a straight forward 6-1, 6-3 match at the Miami Open. This encounter would prove to be no more difficult for the 22-year-old American.
“Obviously playing in the semifinals of any tournament is going to be tough,” Stephens said of her commanding victory. “Fortunately today I played some really solid tennis and played really well. It was a good day for me.”
Stephens set the pace early on, breaking and holding at love to give herself some breathing room at 4-1. The Belgian wasn’t displaying any of the form that saw her come back from two points away from defeat in the first round or upset Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in the quarterfinals. Wickmayer was spraying errors off both wings, finally shooting a forehand long to give Stephens set point, which she seal with a powerful forehand.
Stephens played a near perfect second set, overpowering the increasingly frustrated Wickmayer in a 6-0 shutout, not facing a single break point and winning every one of her first serve points.
“I’m feeling good and I’m excited to be back in another final,” Stephens said. “I’m playing well so I’m excited to get back on court tomorrow and compete.”
At this time last year, Stephens was facing a disappointing string of first and second round losses – including one in the first round here in Acapulco. Now in 2016, she’s already got a title under her belt and is into her second final of the year. What’s changed for the 22-year-old?
“I’m just in a different place,” Sloane said. “I’ve played a lot of matches this year already and got some of the confidence going, built up some momentum. I’m just trying to keep that going here in Acapulco.”
Stephens is set to play against 2014 Acapulco winner Dominika Cibulkova in tomorrow’s final. Their head to head is tied at 1-1, with Cibulkova coming away the winner of their most recent encounter at Toronto last year.
Agnieszka Radwanska takes on Roberta Vinci in the quarterfinals of the Qatar Total Open.
Hey, it’s Nicole, remember me?
No?
Hmm, maybe you know me by Gibbsy then.
Oh, still nothing?
…
Well then, let me tell you a little bit about myself. I’m currently ranked around No.100 in the world in the WTA rankings. I’m a rare breed of professional tennis player who took time away from the tour to get an (ultimately half-baked) college education at Stanford University. After winning four NCAA titles – twice in singles, once in doubles, and once with the team – I left a year before graduating, in 2013, to play full-time. I reached the third round of the US Open in 2014 and have reached the second round of the Australian Open in 2015 and 2016. I have won four professional singles titles, and two professional doubles titles, all in the “minor leagues” of tennis.
When ur small so u make up for it with rly scary faces. ? pic.twitter.com/eVuO39XXKr
— Nicole Gibbs (@Gibbsyyyy) January 27, 2016
In summary, I’m good. But I’m not “Serena good” or even “Sloane good.” Not yet anyway.
On the off chance that my name did ring a bell for you, one of the following probably applies to you:
1. You are an insatiable tennis fan and have literally heard of every player to have ever played at a professional level;
2. You are one of the 10-20,000 followers I have carefully cultivated on social media – you likely added me after a narcissistic-looking selfie or a photo of me in some badass New Balance gear. You hoped following me would lead to an abundance of NB discount codes; it did not;
3. You have physically met me, maybe through tennis, maybe during a yoga class – in which I was noticeably the least flexible;
4. You came across my moderately emo – yet evidently palatable – Facebook post about my year at the end of 2015;
5. You thought you knew who I was but then it turned out you were thinking of the other Nicole girl: Nicole Vaidisova. Isn’t she making another comeback..?
Always wanted to know what I'd look like with fake blue eyes in fake snow ?❄
Snapchat @gibbsyyyy pic.twitter.com/Jx2tvKKXSP
— Nicole Gibbs (@Gibbsyyyy) January 31, 2016
The point that I’m trying to make here is this: being Top 100 is only sometimes what it’s cracked up to be. Every tennis player with dreams of playing on tour wants to be in the Top 100, wants to play in the main draw of grand slams. As someone who’s played in the previous six major tournaments, I’m here to tell you that there are truly fantastic moments – moments where you feel like all the work has already paid off and you’ve made it; the glitz, the glamour, everything exactly as you imagined it.
I’ve had the chance to hold a koala bear at Melbourne Park, eat strawberries and cream in the players’ lounge at Wimbledon, and drink champagne at a private party atop of the Eiffel Tour. I don’t have to worry about hailing taxis in New York because a private Mercedes is waiting for me each morning outside of my apartment. These are moments and facets of life on tour that have surpassed my expectations – things I never even knew to hope for or want.
And then there is the other side of “barely Top 100” that very few actually see. There are the qualifying round losses where I actually lose money on the flights, hotel rooms, and coaching fees. I’m left wondering, “How long can I stay afloat like this?” There are the weeks where I’m defending points that will make or break my entry into the next Slam, and thus the next big paycheck. There are the tournaments where I win a 7-6 in the third thriller in front of a crowd of 11 people and remind myself that I’m not in it for the attention; I’m in it for the love of the sport.
One W down ? pic.twitter.com/T0pR14ihqy
— Nicole Gibbs (@Gibbsyyyy) January 14, 2016
There’s, “Maybe I just can’t handle the pressure…” and “Will anyone remember me after I retire…?” In order to emerge from near anonymity and step into the spotlight, some hard work, dedication from my support team, and self-belief will be required.
So, you might not know who I am yet, but I’m determined for more of you to know me in the future. I want to know the feeling of lifting the trophy on the biggest stages in tennis. I want to know what it feels like for thousands to learn my name.
But most of all, I want to know that I can take myself to the very top of a game that I have committed nearly every waking moment to since the age of three.
In tennis, we love to say “on any given week,” and who knows, maybe this week in Monterrey, Mexico will be mine. But in the meantime, knowing that I love my life as someone who often draws a crowd the size of an 8am college lecture, I figure I don’t have too much to lose. 😉
Forgot how much I love playing in Mexico ??????. Can't wait to get going at @Abierto_MTY on Saturday! pic.twitter.com/9v2ij3zvVR
— Nicole Gibbs (@Gibbsyyyy) February 25, 2016
To keep up with Gibbsy, you can follow her on Twitter @Gibbsyyyy and Instagram. Nicole Gibbs will feature as a regular columnist for WTA Insider. Check back regularly as she files a variety of dispatches from the road to give fans a glimpse of her life on tour.