Tennis News

MIAMI, FL, USA – Top seed Serena Williams nearly saw her quest for a ninth Miami Open title end in her opening match against Christina McHale, who saved a match point to force a deciding set; Williams nonetheless prevailed with her 12th ace, 6-3, 5-7, 6-2.

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Looking to shake off a runner-up finish at the BNP Paribas Open by playing in one of her favorite tournaments, Williams looked well in control through most of the match, taking a set and a break lead, serving for the match at 5-4 in the second set. But McHale – who has enjoyed a solid start to 2016, including a doubles title in Hobart and a singles win at an ITF Challenger in Maui – ended up saving a match point to break back and win four games in a row to level the match.

“She definitely started to fight harder, and is clearly capable of playing great tennis,” Serena told Andrew Krasny during her on-court interview. “She showed it today.”

Despite not playing her best tennis, the 21-time Grand Slam champion still managed 33 winners on the day and two more breaks of serve to clinch her spot in the third round, where she will play Kazakhstan’s Zarina Diyas, who took out No.31 seed Daria Gavrilova earlier in the day.

Before the start of the tournament, Williams penned an op-ed in the New York Times about how much she loves the Miami Open, which may yet move from its present location in Crandon Park. The American reaffirmed her love of what she considers a second home in front of an adoring crowd.

“Miami is such a special place for me. I live so close to here; in fact I was just home yesterday,” she said with a laugh. 

“When I was younger, I used to watch so many people play here. I know a lot of the kids have that same experience. I grew up wandering the grounds like everyone here, and now I’m playing here and it’s always such a special moment.”

Williams’ good friend and former No.1 Caroline Wozniacki earned a much-needed win over a resurgent Vania King, 7-5, 6-2, setting up a third round encounter with No.12 seed Elina Svitolina. Svitolina recently added 2016 International Tennis Hall Of Fame Inductee Justine Henin to her coaching staff, and earned a solid win over Australian Open quarterfinalist Zhang Shuai, who beat Wozniacki last week in Indian Wells, 6-3, 6-0.

Abierto Monterrey Afirme champion and wildcard Heather Watson allowed just four points from American Sloane Stephens in their second round match, winning 11 straight games to improve their head-to-head to 5-2 with a 6-3, 6-0 victory. France’s Caroline Garcia survived a topsy-turvy afair against No.21 seed Andrea Petkovic, earning the upset, 7-6(5), 3-6, 7-6(2).

MIAMI, FL, USA – No.3 seed Agnieszka Radwanska sailed into the third round of the Miami Open with a straight set win over Alizé Cornet on Thursday afternoon.

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In a typically polished display, Radwanska pulled out all the usual party pieces to wrap up a 6-0, 6-1 victory in 68 minutes.

“I’m just very happy with that win, maybe the score was not showing everything that was happening on the court,” Radwanska said. “But I think it was a great start and a couple of tight games at the beginning of both sets was the key.”

Cornet’s appearance at Crandon Park came as a surprise to most, having announced only last month that she was set for a lengthy spell on the sidelines. And Radwanska certainly gave the Frenchwoman’s fitness a thorough examination, pulling her to all corners of the court.

By the start of the second set, Cornet cut a beleaguered figure. When she ballooned a forehand long to drop serve early on, it was a case of damage limitation. Radwanska was in no mood for charity, racing through the final four games to register her 18th win of the season.

“The first match [of the tournament] is always tricky and it doesn’t matter who you’re playing, that’s why I’m very happy to have such a good first match. Here today the conditions were really hot and humid. We all have to prepare for that and it’s not going to be easy in the next few days,” Radwanska added.

In the third round the Pole will face Madison Brengle, after she upset No.28 seed Anna Karolina Schmiedlova, 7-5, 6-4. “I think we’ve never played before so that’s always a challenge. I saw a bit of her matches this year and last year – a couple of good results for her.”

Also advancing in their section were Ana Ivanovic, who eased past Teliana Pereira, 6-3, 6-0, and Timea Bacsinszky, a 6-3, 6-1 winner over Margarita Gasparyan.

MIAMI, FL, USA – Heather Watson rose to the occasion on Thursday afternoon, producing some sparking tennis to outclass Sloane Stephens and take her place in the third round of the Miami Open.

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Playing on Crandon Park’s cavernous main court, Watson displayed a few early nerves before settling into the task at hand. A couple of wayward forehands handed the No.20 seed an early break, but from that moment on the Briton was nearly flawless, coughing up just 12 unforced errors as she wrapped up a 6-3, 6-0 victory in a fraction over an hour.

“I thought I played very well today, actually,” Watson said in her on-court interview. “I knew I was playing well. I started off the first few games a little bit shaky but once I started to feel comfortable I played great, which I needed to because Sloane’s such a great player.”

Watson moved to Florida at 12 to train at the Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy and since then her career has been intertwined with that of Florida native Stephens. “I’ve played Sloane many times –  we came up through juniors together, kind of came up on tour together at the same time – I think I’ve played her more than any other player,” Watson, who has now won five of her seven career meetings with the American, added.

Since returning from a spell out with glandular fever in 2013, Watson has made a concerted effort to play a more aggressive brand of tennis. And her positivity, particularly in the second set, will have pleased the watching Diego Veronelli, whom Watson has recently reunited with.

In the third round, Watson will need to showcase her defensive qualities, too, when she takes on the mercurial Yanina Wickmayer. “Yanina’s a great player. I don’t think I’ve played her for a long time, I’m a very different player now so it should be an exciting match.”

MIAMI, FL, USA – No. 5 seed Simona Halep found her form in time to halt a late surge from Daria Kasatkina and book her spot in the third round of the Miami Open.

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Kasatkina’s run to last week’s Indian Wells quarterfinals turned heads, but on Thursday night against the dominant Romanian she just couldn’t come up with the same brand of giant-slaying tennis that has seen her climb up the rankings.

But right as it seemed like Halep would have a smooth path to victory, the Russian took advantage of her momentary lapse in the second set to begin to mount a comeback.

“I think I complicated it a bit in the end of the match,” Halep admitted afterwards. “I did a few mistakes and I was rushing a little bit.

“I did everything – I win and lose the points. That was it.”

With a 5-2 lead for Halep in the second set, a handful of unforced errors from the Romanian gifted Kasatkina a hold to stay in the match. The Russian took off from there, taking the next two games and looking ready to send the match into a deciding set.

Halep had other ideas though, and proved why she scored more hardcourt wins last year than any other player by finding another gear in time to stop the surge and clinch the victory, 6-3, 7-5. Halep’s 24 winners were too much for Kasatkina, who hit just 10 winners to 41 unforced errors.

Despite the near-scare, the Romanian had nothing but praise for her 18-year-old opponent:

“She’s a young player, she plays really well,” Halep said. “She has time to improve her game.”

Halep sets up a third round clash against Julia Goerges, who came back from a set down to upset the No.26 seeded Samantha Stosur, 3-6, 6-1, 6-4.

MIAMI, FL, USA – This episode comes to you from Miami, Florida where the Miami Open is already underway. Senior Writer Courtney Nguyen is joined by WTA Web Editor David Kane to discuss Victoria Azarenka’s big win over No. 1 Serena Williams at the BNP Paribas Open. What does the win mean for Vika and how well does it set her up for the rest of the season? You’ll also hear from Vika herself in our Champion’s Corner.

Then David and Courtney turn to the Miami Open and take a deep dive into the draw. Will Serena, who is 0-2 in finals this year, turn things around on familiar turf to win her 9th Miami title? Can Azarenka become the first woman since 2005 to complete the Sunshine Double and win both Indian Wells and Miami? Or is there a spoiler lurking in the draw?

You can subscribe to the podcast on iTunes or any podcast app of your choice. Reviews are always helpful so if you like what you’re hearing leave us a review. You can also get new episode alerts by following us on Twitter @WTA_Insider and we’ll of course post the podcast on the WTA website at wtatennis.com.