Indian Wells: Williams vs. Bondarenko
Serena Williams takes on Kateryna Bondarenko in the fourth round of the BNP Paribas Open.
Serena Williams takes on Kateryna Bondarenko in the fourth round of the BNP Paribas Open.
– Top half of the draw holds up: Seeds may have fallen early but the projected quarterfinals held up in the top half. No.1 Serena Williams cruised to a 6-2, 6-2 win over Kateryna Bondarenko, while No.5 and defending champion Simona Halep advanced via a retirement from an ill Barbora Strycova, who pulled the plug down 6-3, 1-0. The two will face off for the first time since the 2015 Western & Southern Open final, which Serena won 6-3, 7-6(5). It will be the first real test for both women, as they’ve cruised through the early rounds without dropping a set.
“I really like her game,” Serena said. “I like how she’s aggressive. She’s a fighter. She killed me at one point, so I definitely have to be ready. It’ll be a really good match I think for both of us to kind of see where we want to be at this point in the year.”
“I’m happy that I am again in the quarterfinals,” Halep said. On Wednesday she’ll be playing her biggest quarterfinal since the US Open. Finally healthy after an injury and illness addled start to the season, Halep has found some of her best tennis in a long time here in the desert.
“I feel good here. I started to feel my game. I started to feel very well on court. I move well. It’s the most important thing. Of course the matches, it’s important to win a match, but it’s better to feel that you are like strong on court and then to think about winning a match.”
The day’s other quarterfinal sees No.3 Agnieszka Radwanska and No.8 seed Petra Kvitova face off for the first time since the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global final last fall, which Radwanska won, 6-2, 4-6, 6-3. A win on Wednesday would move Radwanska up to No.2 in the rankings.
“I just remember it was very, very tough match,” Radwanska said when asked to recall that Singapore match. “Long, tight, everything was tighter, every game, point by point. A little bit different surface, different conditions, definitely.
“I think always against her you really have to play good tennis and be careful definitely on her serve. She’s really using her left hand very good for that. Well, but I just hope we can play on the same level as we played in Singapore.”
Radwanska was able to move past Jelena Jankovic in straight sets to advance but Kvitova found herself once again mired in a long, grueling three set match, beating Nicole Gibbs, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4. It was the third consecutive three-set match she played this week. After skipping the tournament last year, Kvitova joked she was just trying to give fans more bang for their buck. She’s had an off day after each of her matches but will have less than 24 hours to recover for Wednesday’s quarterfinal.
“The last match we played in Singapore was different conditions, definitely, playing indoor compared here,” Kvitova said. “Weather should be very warm and outdoor. Aga is playing really good game. I just probably will need, you know, playing really good way, tactically well, playing aggressively, going for it.
“We’ll see. Like I [have to] catch a lot of balls and playing really smart. I have to be ready.”
– Victoria Azarenka the heavy favorite to make the final: In the more unpredictable bottom half of the draw, the 2012 champion held off Sam Stosur, 6-1, 4-6, 6-1, to advance to her third quarterfinal of the season. Azarenka is now 14-1 on the season, with that sole loss coming to Angelique Kerber at the Australian Open. A title run here would put her back in the Top 10 for the first time since August 2014, moving up as high as No.7.
Azarenka faces surprise quarterfinalist No.97 Magdalena Rybarikova, who advanced after Roberta Vinci retired with a left foot injury. Coming into Indian Wells, Rybarikova had not won back-to-back main draw matches since the Istanbul Cup last July. This week she’s beaten Laura Robson, Daria Gavrilova, Belinda Bencic, and now Vinci to make the quarterfinals. Azarenka is 2-0 against Rybarikova and has never dropped a set to her.
The last quarterfinal features two of the best young talents on tour, with 18-year-old Daria Kasatkina continuing to build on her blistering 2016 season against No.18 seed Karolina Pliskova. The two have never faced each other.
Playing in her Indian Wells debut, Kasatkina rolled past No.12 seed Timea Bacsinszky, 6-4, 6-2. Kasatkina broke down the Bacsinszky game with a healthy diet of heavy forehands to the Swiss’ forehand, breaking down the weaker wing time and time again. It was a smart, tactical match from the young Russian and the best match of her tournament so far.
Kasatkina on that jumping backhand: “From 12 I started playing like this. All the Russians, Safin, Kuznetsova play this shot! I like it.”
— WTA Insider (@WTA_insider) March 16, 2016
– Azarenka goes strength to strength: Azarenka has continued to build on her already stellar return game. She says her forehand return in particular has improved immensely and she’s now able to generate more pace and angle from that side. She’s also seeing her hard work in February pay off on the match court this week.
“I started to be more efficient on my movement, which is big part of my game, to be able to find angles, cut angles, and just overall placement of the ball,” Azarenka said. “I worked a lot on my serve to be able to create easier serving games and going for my shots, developing power speed, and now need to work a little bit more on accuracy.”
– Top 10 rankings watch: Radwanska can overtake Angelique Kerber and can climb to No.2 in if she is able to reach the semifinals…. Garbiñe Muguruza will maintain her current ranking at No.4…. Halep will fall between No.5 and No.7…. Vinci will reach a career-high ranking after Indian Wells…. Azarenka can return to the WTA Top 10 on Monday if she wins the title at Indian Wells (No.7).
– More rankings news: Konta will move into the Top 25 on Monday, the first Brit in the Top 25 since Jo Durie in 1987…. Jelena Jankovic will fall out of the Top 20 on Monday…. Kasatkina will make her Top 40 debut and overtake Margarita Gasparyan as the Russian No.5 and can even overtake the No.4, Ekaterina Makarova, if she makes the final.
– Chapeau, Gibbsy: Nicole Gibbs’ fantastic week finally came to an end against Kvitova but she’ll move up into the Top 80 on Monday and snag a new career-high ranking. Chin up.
Well… $h!+#keepingtheroutine #icebath #recovery #comingforyoumiami ? pic.twitter.com/Oz4RfO2prz
— Nicole Gibbs (@Gibbsyyyy) March 15, 2016
– Judy Murray steps down: The news broke this week that Judy Murray will step down as captain of Great Britain’s Fed Cup team after five years.
It won't be the same without you gorgeous @judmoo ?@FedCup pic.twitter.com/pGxT3vArQ6
— Heather Watson (@HeatherWatson92) March 15, 2016
All photos courtesy of Getty Images.
Magdalena Rybarikova takes on Roberta Vinci in the fourth round of the BNP Paribas Open.
SAN ANTONIO, TX, USA – Daria Gavrilova snatched victory from the jaws of defeat against Maria Sakkari on Wednesday to reach the quarterfinals of the San Antonio Open.
After a rocky start to the tournament, top seed Gavrilova continued to live dangerously, coming within two points of defeat against Sakkari before eventually prevailing, 4-6, 7-6(5), 6-3.
This January, Sakkari qualified for and then reached the second round of the Australian Open, where she lost in three sets to current World No.6 Carla Suárez Navarro.
Against Gavrilova, she once again proved herself capable of competing with the WTA’s very best. However, the Greek was unable to capitalize on her opportunities – she twice came within a game of victory and held a 5-3 lead in the second set tie-break – as Gavrilova finished strongly to dash hopes of a maiden Top 50 win.
“I think the match was pretty even and in the beginning I was just missing a few more balls than her and even sometimes I was a bit too passive,” Gavrilova said. “But I was just trying really hard and wanted to prove to myself that I could come back and win that match.
“I was fighting very hard. She’s playing well and probably having the best year of her life so I knew it was going to be pretty tough and I’m happy with the result.”
Up next for Gavrilova is Alison Riske after she overcame an erratic start to knock out No.7 seed Kirsten Flipkens, 7-5, 6-1.
“I got off to a bit of a rough start and I felt like I was spraying balls kind of everywhere,” Riske said. “So I knew when I could settle down a bit and start putting balls in the court, whether that be in the first or second [set], I felt like things could turn around to my advantage. I was very happy with the way I fought and obviously how it turned out!”
In the bottom half of the draw there were wins for Samantha Crawford, Donna Vekic and Misaki Doi.
Crawford followed up her first-round upset of No.2 seed Irina-Camelia Begu with an equally impressive 6-1, 6-3 victory over Carina Witthoeft. No.6 seed Doi was pushed rather harder, edging past Han Xinyun, 7-6(5), 7-6(4), while Vekic defeated Kiki Bertens, 7-6(3), 6-3.
An interview with Simona Halep after her win in the fourth round of the BNP Paribas Open.
Serena Williams will lead a distinguished field of four top-level talents in Wednesday’s top-half quarterfinal matches. We preview both must-see matches here.
Wednesday, Quarterfinals
[1] Serena Williams (USA # 1) vs. [5] Simona Halep (ROU # 5)
Head-to-head: Williams leads, 6-1
Key Stat: Williams and Halep are two of three former champions to have reached the quarterfinals here, along with Azarenka.
In four career appearances at the BNP Paribas Open, Serena Williams has won the title twice. Will she make it three out of five this weekend? To do so she’ll have to get past a recently rejuvenated defending champion in Simona Halep. Halep has all the respect in the world for Williams, but that doesn’t mean that she thinks she can’t win this high-stakes encounter. “I feel that I have the game to play against her,” Halep said on Tuesday, after getting past Barbora Strycova, 6-3, 1-0 (ret). “We will see tomorrow. It’s tough. She’s No. 1 in the world – it’s good experience for me to play against her and also big challenge.”
Williams eased past Kateryna Bondarenko, 6-2, 6-2 on Tuesday to improve her career record to 21-1 at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden. “I’m just happy to be in the quarters after three matches, so I feel all right,” Williams said. Though Williams has won six of seven against Halep, the World No.1 says she took her lopsided loss to Halep at the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global in 2014 as a sign that she better be on alert when facing the Romanian. “She killed me at one point, so I definitely have to be ready,” Williams told reporters on Tuesday.
Like Halep, Williams believes that Tuesday’s encounter will function as a good indicator of the current status of her game. “It will be a really good match I think for both of us to kind of see where we want to be at this point in the year,” she said.
Pick: Williams in three
[3] Agnieszka Radwanska (POL #3) vs. [8] Petra Kvitova (CZE #9)
Head-to-head: Kvitova leads, 6-3
Key Stat: Radwanska can take the No.2 ranking from Angelique Kerber with a trip to the semifinals at Indian Wells.
Two longtime rivals will get reacquainted on Stadium 1 on Tuesday as Petra Kvitova and Agnieszka Radwanska will meet for the tenth time with a spot in the BNP Paribas Open semifinals on the line. Of their ten meetings, nine have come on a hardcourt, but here at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden, Radwanska seems to have done a better job at adapting to the tricky playing conditions. She’s reached the quarterfinals six times – amassing a 27-9 career record at the event – but the Pole isn’t satisfied with those numbers whatsoever. “Definitely I want to do better than the quarters, obviously,” the 2014 runner-up said. “The goal is always to win.”
As far as facing Kvitova’s dangerous first-strike tactics and booming ground game, Radwanska knows she will have to have her feet moving from the get-go. “I just hope I can really play my good tennis against her, because otherwise I will be in big trouble,” she said. “But I think always against her you really have to play good tennis and be careful, definitely on her serve.”
Kvitova has had to battle through three tough three-setters this week, but the Czech says it is working in her favor to have more time on court. “I think every [match] is very important for me right now,” Kvitova said after taking out Nicole Gibbs in three sets on Tuesday. “Definitely this big fight which I had during this tournament helped me a lot. I just really need the matches. So probably two-and-a-half hours – it’s great practice for me, too.”
Pick: Radwanska in three
-Chris Oddo, wtatennis.com contributor
An interview with Magdalena Rybarikova after her win in the fourth round of the BNP Paribas Open.
INDIAN WELLS, CA, USA – No.3 seed Agnieszka Radwanska’s BNP Paribas Open campaign gathered further momentum on Tuesday with a polished victory over former champion Jelena Jankovic.
Watch highlights, interviews and more video from Indian Wells right here on wtatennis.com!
A contest between two of the game’s sprightliest movers produced no shortage of entertaining exchanges, but more often than not it was Radwanska having the final say. After reeling off the final four games of the first set, she repeated the trick in the second to close out a 6-3, 6-3 victory.
The result means Radwanska has now won all six of her meetings with Jankovic on cement, the last two of which have come at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden. And while the statistic will have surprised few inside Stadium 1, the Pole was not among their number.
“Well, to be honest, I never knew that,” Radwanska said when the extent of her dominance was unveiled by on-court interviewer Andrew Krasny. “We’ve played so many good matches before, and I just remember that it’s a lot of running, a lot of rallies and I really prepared for that today. With the conditions it was important for me to win that match in two sets.”
For all Jankovic’s huff and puff, the outcome never looked in doubt. It is arguable whether there is anyone in the game at present quite so adept at turning defense to attack as Radwanska, who dipped into her box of tricks to delight the crowd and keep the Serb at arm’s length.
Adopting the role of aggressor, Jankovic started well enough, a smart backhand giving her a break of serve in the opening game. However, the frustration at having to constantly find lines to win points soon began to take its toll. In the eighth game, a couple of double faults handed Radwanska a break and ultimately the set.
A similar story unfolded in the second, Radwanska finding an answer for whatever question the 2010 champion posed. Jankovic battled away gamely until the bitter end, saving a handful of match points in the final game before sending a forehand long to finally succumb.
Petra Kvitova, who earlier on fought back to end qualifier Nicole Gibbs’ run, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, will present an entirely different challenge in the quarterfinals. Radwanska has traditionally struggled with the Czech’s firepower, although did come out on top in their most recent match-up, at last year’s BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global.
“I just remember it was very, very tough match. Long, tight, everything was tighter, every game, point by point,” Radwanska said asked about their Singapore encounter.
“[Here it’s] a little bit different surface, different conditions, definitely… But I think always against her you really have to play good tennis and be careful, particularly on her serve.”
Highlights from the third round action at the BNP Paribas Open.
INDIAN WELLS, CA, USA – World No.5 Simona Halep had begun to find her form in the opening set of her match against unseeded and looming Barbora Strycova at the BNP Paribas Open, but after winning five games in a row, the Czech called the trainer to court for an upper respiratory illness, ultimately sending Halep into the quarterfinals, 6-3, 1-0, ret.
Watch highlights, interviews and more video from Indian Wells right here on wtatennis.com!
The pair had split their prior two meetings and Strycova, fresh off a run to the finals of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships, initially took advantage of an out-of-sorts Halep, who was playing her first day session match on Stadium Court 3.
Halep, however, has been in stellar form throughout her opening round matches, and with a little help from coach Darren Cahill, the former World No.2 slowly shifted into turbo as Strycova became overcome, calling the trainer on the set break.
“I feel sorry for her, being sick,” she said during her on-court interview. “I know how it is, and it’s tough to continue to play the match. It was a good start for me; I played a good first set, but the conditions are really difficult because I played two matches in the cold weather, and now it’s hot. I tried everything to keep things going in the right away, so I’m happy to be into the quarterfinals.
“I adjusted my game very well, just wanted to make fewer mistakes and keep the ball into the court. I moved better than I did in the beginning of the match, and I’m looking forward to the next one, where I hope to play better.”
Awaiting Halep in the quarterfinals will be the winner of World No.1 Serena Williams and qualifier Kateryna Bondarenko; the 2014 French Open finalist was set to play Williams in last year’s semifinal before the American was forced to pull out with a knee injury.
“I would like to play against her; I’m looking forward to it, and I know she’s the best player in the world, so I have nothing to lose. I want just to go and fight for my chance – I know that I have a chance.
“I will go with confidence, positivity and just fighting for the match.”