Tennis News

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.

Eight-time champion Serena Williams will open accounts at the Miami Open on Thursday, as the seeds on the top half of the draw play their first matches of the week. Here’s a preview of what to watch.

Thursday, Second Round

[1] Serena Williams (USA #1) vs. Christina McHale (USA #56)
Head-to-head: First meeting
Key Stat: Williams owns a 64-5 record at Miami.
Though she’s been in dazzling form in 2016, Serena Williams has yet to hold a trophy aloft this season. After dropping finals at the Australian Open (Kerber) and Indian Wells (Azarenka) Williams has now lost back-to-back finals for the first time since 2004. Will a return to the scene of so many breathtaking triumphs provide Williams with the inspiration to claim her fourth consecutive title (ninth overall) at Crandon Park? Williams will open against compatriot and Fed Cup teammate Christina McHale in second-round action on Thursday. The 23-year-old New Jersey native knocked off Japan’s Misaki Doi in first-round action on Wednesday.

Pick: Williams in two

[3] Agnieszka Radwanska (POL #2) vs. Alizé Cornet (FRA #42)
Head-to-head: Radwanska leads, 6-1
Key Stat: Radwanska is one of five former champions in the Miami draw, along with Serena Williams, Victoria Azarenka, Venus Williams and Svetlana Kuznetsova.
Off the tour with a back injury for nearly two months, Alizé Cornet won her first tour-level match since the Australian Open on Wednesday when she defeated Galina Voskoboeva in straight sets. Before her injury, Cornet was making big strides against the WTA’s elite, and she’ll be tasked with picking up where she left off on Thursday. Though she enters Miami with a 9-38 lifetime record against the Top 10, Cornet has won seven of her last 13, and also owns four Top 2 victories. But the match-up could prove too difficult for the talented Frenchwoman on Thursday when she faces 2012 champion and current World No. 2 Agnieszka Radwanska. The Pole has been in scintillating form all season. She leads the WTA in wins with 17 and has reached at least the semifinal of all four events she has played in 2016.

Pick: Radwanska in two

[5] Simona Halep (ROU #5) vs. Daria Kasatkina (RUS #36)
Head-to-head: First meeting
Key Stat: Kasatkina is playing with a Top 40 ranking for the first time.
One of the more heavily anticipated match-ups of the second round pits fifth-seeded Simona Halep against rising Russian Daria Kasatkina. Both players are coming off quarterfinal appearances at Indian Wells, and though Halep will come in as the heavy favorite, all eyes will be on 18-year-old Kasatkina for two reasons: one, to see how the Russian will handle the challenge of backing up her breakout performance at Indian Wells, and two, to discover how Kasatkina matches up against one of the elite forces of the game in Halep. The Romanian was in good form at Indian Wells before falling to Serena Williams in the quarterfinals, and she has told reporters that she is feeling 100 percent healthy for the first time all season. Will her improving health mean another bump up in form for the Romanian?

Pick: Halep in two

[12] Elina Svitolina (UKR #16) vs. Zhang Shuai (CHN #68)
Head-to-head: First meeting
Key Stat: Zhang has already doubled her 2015 tour-level win total in 2016.
It’s been an incredible, emotional year for China’s Zhang Shuai, and the season isn’t even three months old. After qualifying for the Australian Open in January, Zhang went on a magical run to the quarterfinals, snapping her 0-for-14 streak at the majors by upsetting Halep in the first round. Zhang took a wild card into Indian Wells after winning a Challenger title in February and upset Caroline Wozniacki in the WTA’s longest match of the season (3:24) before falling to eventual champion Victoria Azarenka in the third round. China’s No.2 player will face a tough second-round test in No.12 seed Elina Svitolina on Thursday in Miami. The Ukrainian No.1, who recently hired seven-time major champion Justine Henin as a special consultant to her team, is seeking to reach the third round for the third consecutive year in Miami with a win.

Pick: Svitolina in three

[19] Timea Bacsinszky (SUI #20) vs. Margarita Gasparyan (RUS #41)
Head-to-head: First meeting
Key Stat: Gasparyan is making her main draw debut in Miami.
One of the bigger breakout performers of 2015 is in the process of rebuilding her game – and health – in 2016. Switzerland’s Timea Bacsinszky had to spend seven weeks without picking up a racquet this off-season after suffering a knee injury in her last event of the season in Luxembourg. Cheated out of a crucial training block during the winter, the 26-year-old has elected to build her fitness while playing events this season. The results have been mixed, but after a big win over Eugenie Bouchard last week at Indian Wells it appears that the Swiss is rounding into form. But she’ll be tested early in Miami when she faces Russia’s Margarita Gasparyan. The 21-year-old reached the second week at the Australian Open this winter, and has already notched eight wins on the season. She comes into Miami carrying a career-best ranking of No.41.

Pick: Bacsinszky in three

-Chris Oddo, wtatennis.com contributor

MIAMI, FL, USA – Former World No.41 and doubles threat Lucie Hradecka earned her second WTA main draw win of 2016 in emphatic style, striking 29 winners to outlast 2014 Wimbledon finalist Eugenie Bouchard, 6-4, 3-6, 6-2.

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Hradecka came into the match with a winning record over the Canadian, but Bouchard had won their most recent match at last year’s BNP Paribas Open. Winning 100% of her first serve points through the opening seven games, Hradecka nonetheless raced out to a 5-2 lead before nerves set in.

“I’m so happy,” she said after the match. “It was definitely a tough match. I started very well and then at the end of the first set, I started to be a little more nervy and tight.”

Hradecka held on for the first set, but Bouchard, who has already reached two WTA finals in 2016 (Hobart, Kuala Lumpur), was buoyed by the late momentum, breaking serve and withstanding pressure from the Czech veteran to level the match.

“When I had 5-4, I served well, but I made a lot of mistakes in the second set and my first serve was not there.”

Hradecka is no stranger to high stakes – especially in doubles, where she’s qualified twice for the WTA Finals with fellow Olympic Silver medalist Andrea Hlavackova.

“Sometimes it’s tough to combine singles and doubles, but for the moment, it’s combining easily!”

She survived serveral long games on serve in the decider before Bouchard buckled in the sixth game, double faulting on break point. The two-time Grand Slam champion made no mistake in converting her second 5-2 lead of the match, clinching the victory on her third match point.

Up next for Hradecka is No.9 seed Roberta Vinci, who reached the fourth round of the BNP Paribas Open before a left foot injury forced her to retire down a set and a break to Magdalena Rybarikova.

“I’ve played against her a few times, but never beaten her. It will be a little bit different because she plays more slice and is very tricky. I have to be consistent in my game, and we’ll see.”

Earlier in the afternoon, Caroline Garcia won a battle of big hitters against Mirjana Lucic Baroni, winning, 1-6, 6-2, 6-3. 2014 Australian Open finalist Dominika Cibulkova won her third straight match against Johanna Larsson, recovering from a set down to book a second round encounter with No.4 seed Garbiñe Muguruza, 4-6, 6-1, 6-2.

Christina McHale will be top seed Serena Williams’ opening round opponent; she withstood a tough battle against Misaki Doi, 6-2, 4-6, 7-5. Vania King’s comeback from a back injury continued when she pushed past a GI illness to defeat qualifier Lourdes Dominguez Lino, 6-4, 6-4, with former No.1 Caroline Wozniacki waiting in the next round. Irina Falconi and Yanina Wickmayer each earned two-set wins over Italians Francesca Schiavone and Karin Knapp, respectively, while big-serving Timea Babos eased past Anna Tatishvili, 7-6(2), 6-2.