Miami: Kerber Interview
An interview with Angelique Kerber after her win in the third round of the Miami Open.
An interview with Angelique Kerber after her win in the third round of the Miami Open.
Margarita Gasparyan and Monica Niculescu dealt Sania Mirza and Martina Hingis, the World No.1 doubles team, their most comprehensive loss of the year to advance to the quarterfinals in Miami.
An interview with Victoria Azarenka after her third round win at the Miami Open.
MIAMI, FL, USA – Who is the lowest-ranked player left in Miami? Whose famous footsteps is Serena Williams looking to follow? And how many hours has the indefatigable Irina-Camelia Begu spent on court?
With the field at the Miami Open now whittled down to 16, wtatennis.com and SAP thought it time to go looking for answers…
381 – Irina-Camelia Begu has spent 381 minutes on court thus far, more than any other player in the tournament.
69 – World No.69 Heather Watson is the only player left in the draw ranked outside the Top 50.
21 – At 21 years old, Madison Keys is the youngest player left in the draw. It is the first time in the tournament’s 32-year history a teenager has failed to make it to the fourth round.
20 – Serena Williams is on a 20-match winning streak going into her encounter with Svetlana Kuznetsova; her last loss came to Caroline Wozniacki in the 2012 quarterfinals.
15 – Fifteen of the 16 remaining in the draw have won a WTA singles title. The odd one out is Johanna Konta, who, at No.24, is also the highest-ranked player on tour not to have reached the winner’s circle.
11 – The number of different nationalities represented in the fourth round – Romania leads the way with three players.
10 – Ten of the remaining players have never reached the quarterfinals in Miami (Timea Babos, Timea Bacsinszky, Begu, Keys, Konta, Ekaterina Makarova, Garbiñe Muguruza, Monica Niculescu, Elina Svitolina, Watson)
9 – Eight-time Miami champion Serena Williams remains on course to become only the third player to lift the same WTA even nine times or more, after Martina Navratilova (Chicago, Eastbourne, Wimbledon, Washington, Dallas) and Steffi Graf (Berlin).
8 – Eight of the of leading 16 seeds reached their appointed fourth-round slots.
7 – Of the players left in the draw, seven have been ranked either No.1 or No.2.
5 – The No.1 seed has reached the quarterfinals (or better) in each of the past five years – Caroline Wozniacki was the last to fail, losing to Andrea Petkovic in the fourth round in 2011. The top seed has lifted the title on 13 occasions.
4 – Four former champions are still in contention: Williams (2002, 2003, 2004, 2007, 2008, 2013, 2014, 2015), Kuznetsova (2006), Victoria Azarenka (2009, 2011) and Agnieszka Radwanska (2012).
3 – For the third straight year, three unseeded players have made it through to the last 16: Babos, Begu and Watson.
2 – Azarenka remains on course to complete the Indian Wells-Miami double. Graf (1994, 1996) and Kim Clijsters (2005) are the only players to achieve the feat.
1 – Watson received one of the tournament’s eight wildcards; only once in the past five years has a wildcard failed to reach the last 16 in Miami.
0 – Konta and Watson are bidding to become the first British player to reach the quarterfinals in Miami. Jo Durie (1988) also reached the fourth round.
An interview with Madison Keys after her third round win at the Miami Open
It’s round of 16 time at the Miami Open. The matchups are set and the stakes are high. Who will get through? We preview the sweet sixteen here.
Monday, Round of 16
Top Half
[1] Serena Williams (USA #1) vs. [15] Svetlana Kuznetsova (RUS # 19)
Head-to-head: Williams leads, 8-2
Key Stat: The pair have gone the distance in half of their meetings to date.
Fancy an old-school throwdown between former Miami Open champions on manic Monday? Tennis fans will be treated to a battle between two of the more accomplished and entertaining champions in the tournament’s history as Serena Williams and Svetlana Kuznetsova square off for the eleventh time. It’s a matchup that has been controlled by Williams but Kuznetsova has had her moments in the rivalry, too. The pair met at the round of 16 here last year, with Williams rolling to a 6-2, 6-3 victory en route to her record eighth career title at Key Biscayne. Will Williams maintain her domination of her elite foe, or will the 2006 Miami Champion produce more magic at Crandon Park?
Pick: Williams in three
[3] Agnieszka Radwanska (POL #2) vs. [19] Timea Bacsinszky (SUI #20)
Head-to-head: Bacsinszky leads, 1-0
Key Stat: Radwanska has been to the quarterfinals or better five times in Miami.
Agnieszka Radwanska has been red-hot all season, and the World No.2 leads the WTA in wins with 19. Timea Bacsinszky has a spring in her step after an invigorating performance against Ana Ivanovic in the third round in Miami. There couldn’t be a better time for these two special talents to meet. It won’t be the first time. Bacsinszky claimed an important 6-1, 6-1 victory over Radwanska in Fed Cup last April, and the Swiss will likely take confidence in that fact into Monday’s tilt. “I think I just played a really solid match and I made her doubt on what she had to do,” Bacsinszky at the time of her triumph in Poland. That was then, but what about now, against arguably the hottest player in tennis?
Pick: Radwanska in three
[12] Elina Svitolina (UKR #16) vs. [30] Ekaterina Makarova (RUS #31)
Head-to-head: Makarova leads, 3-0
Key Stat: Makarova has reached the round of 16 at Miami four times, but never the quarterfinals.
Ekaterina Makarova displayed dazzling form in taking down Petra Kvitova in straight sets in the third round on Saturday. It was the type of tennis that fans have come to know the Russian for: Strong, aggressive and confident. Could Makarova finally be rounding into top physical form after a slow start in 2016? She was in the Top-10 for six months last year but struggled and eventually pulled the plug on her season due to a lower leg injury right after the U.S. Open. Now at 31 in the world, Makarova will bid for her first Miami quarterfinal against steely Ukrainian Elina Svitolina. The 21-year-old lost all three battles with Makarova in 2015, and has never taken a set from the Russian. Could Monday be the day?
Pick: Makarova in two
[5] Simona Halep (ROU #5) vs. Heather Watson (GBR #69)
Head-to-head: Halep leads, 2-0
Key Stat: Halep needs to reach the quarterfinals to remain in the Top 5 of next week’s WTA rankings.
Simona Halep has eight wins in 2016 and six of them have come at Indian Wells and Miami. That tells us two things: One, Halep has had a difficult start to the season and, two, the Romanian is catching fire in the U.S. With her health concerns from the winter finally behind her Halep has looked like an energized player in the last few weeks. On Monday she will look to reach back-to-back Miami quarterfinals when she faces Heather Watson for the third time. Halep has won the pair’s two previous meetings but the 23-year-old Brit is playing with confidence, having won the Monterrey title in February and reached the round of 16 her for the first time.
Pick: Halep in three
Bottom Half
[2] Angelique Kerber (GER #3) vs. Timea Babos (HUN #49)
Head-to-head: Kerber leads 3-0
Key Stat: Kerber is attempting to match her career-best Miami performance by reaching the quarterfinals (2014).
Now that Angelique Kerber has won back-to-back matches for the first time since winning the Australian Open title, can we assume that Kerber is ready to start battling for big titles again? If so, she’ll have to get by a blossoming Timea Babos on Monday. The Hungarian reached the round of 16 at Miami for the first time with a 7-5, 6-0 takedown of Japan’s Naomi Osaka, and the longtime doubles star says she is thrilled to be making strides on the singles court. “Since November, I jumped around 40 spots, so it’s been a consistent improvement and I’m really happy,” Babos told WTATennis.com on Sunday. Babos owns a 1-8 lifetime record against the Top 10, and has dropped all three previous encounters with Kerber, but with a win over Karolina Pliskova under her belt at Miami, she’ll come out confident in her big-match abilities.
Pick: Kerber in two
[4] Garbiñe Muguruza (ESP #4) vs. [13] Victoria Azarenka (BLR #8)
Head-to-head: First meeting
Key Stat: Azarenka is one of four former Miami champions in action on Monday.
The long-awaited maiden matchup of one of the game’s rising stars and one of its tried-and-true champions will take place tomorrow on Grandstand, as Victoria Azarenka and Garbiñe Muguruza will meet for the first time. Azarenka, fresh off the Indian Wells title, has won eight in a row and 18 of 19 in 2016, and hopes to become the first woman since Kim Clijsters to capture the Indian Wells-Miami “Sunshine” Double in 2005. Muguruza has struggled at times this season, but she played unencumbered tennis in cruising past Nicole Gibbs on Sunday night. The Spaniard will look to reach the quarterfinals for the first time against a two-time champion that appears motivated to prove that she’s an elite force to be reckoned with once again. Carve out a few hours, pop your popcorn and be prepared to be entertained!
Pick: Azarenka in three
[24] Johanna Konta (GBR #23) vs. [32] Monica Niculescu (ROU #33)
Head-to-head: Niculescu leads 1-0
Key Stat: Konta is the first British woman to reach the round of 16 in Miami since 1988 (Durie).
Johanna Konta notched her best career performance at a Premier Mandatory by making the round of 16 at Indian Wells two weeks ago. On Monday Great Britain’s No.1 will try to take it a step further when she meets Monica Niculescu for the first time. Konta, ranked No.151 in the world last year, has been on the rise ever since she road a 16-match winning streak into the second week of the US Open last summer. Now the 24-year-old is closing in on the Top 20. But standing in her way is the spin doctor Monica Niculescu. The Romanian will try to throw off Konta’s rhythm with a steady diet of slice and dice. Will her plan work, or will steady Konta keep on rising?
Pick: Konta in three
[22] Madison Keys (USA #24) vs. Irina-Camelia Begu (ROU #35)
Head-to-head: First meeting
Key Stat: Begu is one of three Romanians in the round of 16; Keys is one of two Americans.
With Mats Wilander sitting in her coaches’ box, Madison Keys put forth one of her most impressive efforts in recent memory in taking down No.9 seed Roberta Vinci in straight sets on Sunday. Keys’ first Top-10 win in over a year featured 41 winners and served to remind everybody watching why the 21-year-old American is so highly touted by peers and pundits alike. Can Keys back up that big win when she faces Romania’s Irina-Camelia Begu on Monday? The 25-year-old Romanian entered Miami with an underwhelming 1-4 record and was down 5-0 in the third set against Sabine Lisicki in the first round, but recovered to earn a career-best result here in Miami.
Pick: Keys in two
-Chris Oddo, wtennis.com contributor
An interview with Garbiñe Muguruza after her third round win at the Miami Open.
MIAMI, FL, USA – No.2 seed Angelique Kerber looked down and out in the third round of the Miami Open as former No.41 Kiki Bertens flew through the opening set, but the German held steady as the Dutch qualifier became visibly unwell, retiring from the contest just as the reigning Australian Open champion began playing her best tennis, 1-6, 6-2, 3-0, ret.
Watch live action from Miami this fortnight on WTA Live powered by TennisTV!
Despite breaking to start the encounter, the World No.3 struggled throughout the early stages as Bertens powered through the opening set in emphatic style.
“I think Kiki’s a great player,” Kerber told Nick McCarvel during her on-court interview. “She played very well in the first set and I was not finding my rhythm at the beginning.
“But I was trying to stay in the match, trying to fight and play my game. At the end, of course, it’s always sad when the opponent retires; I hope she gets very well very soon, but I’m happy to be in the next round.”
Bertens took a medical timeout early in the second set, suffering from a GI Illness that has caused several players problems through the first few rounds of the tournament. The 24-year-old nonetheless continued to push Kerber before the German broke away with back-to-back service breaks to level the match.
“For me, it’s not so easy,” Kerber admitted when asked about dealing with the knowledge that her opponent is under the weather. “But I’m trying to focus on my game, doing my stuff and not looking too much over the net.
“I think that helps me to stay in my rhythm and keep my focus.”
Up next for Kerber is another big-hitting youngster in Timea Babos; the Hungarian reached her first round of 16 at a Premier Mandatory with a 7-5, 6-0 win over Japanese wildcard Naomi Osaka.
Babos had enjoyed a solid start to the season but had lost back-to-back opening rounds in Monterrey and Indian Wells; a thrilling three-set victory over BNP Paribas Open semifinalist Karolina Pliskova propelled her to an even stronger level against Osaka, who rallied from 5-2 down in the opening set but was ultimately over-awed by her more experienced opponent, who made her WTA Finals debut in Singapore last fall.
“I had such a tough match against Karo Pliskova and it was good to have a day off yesterday and get ready for today’s match,” Babos said after the match. “I knew it would be a tricky one. She’s a big hitter. It was very difficult, especially in the first set. It was really powerful tennis and she was acing me a lot.
“But I guess at key moments, I was playing better, being more solid but aggressive at the same time. In the second set I found my game even more and I’m really happy to finish this way.”
Briefly the ace leader following a strong Australian summer and Middle East swing, Babos, now second behind Naomi Broady, credits a coaching change to Thomas Drouet – who helped Marion Bartoli to the Wimbledon title in 2013 – with her impressive rise in the rankings.
“Since November, I jumped around 40 spots, so it’s been a consistent improvement and I’m really happy. We’ve been working a lot in the two years since I changed coaches. Already, last year I had better results, but it’s also easier to start from the main draw and not be in qualifying all the time.
“I used to have to do a lot just to play big tournaments, where I’d be in main draw for doubles but qualies for singles. So now it also helps that I can be fresher, but now I have more belief and really enjoy playing.”
Babos has never beaten Kerber in three previous meetings, but their lone hardcourt encounter went to three sets back in 2012 – a mere weeks after Kerber herself had reached the final four at Wimbledon. Winning her first WTA main draw matches since the Australian Open, Kerber told the crowd about reuniting with childhood idol Steffi Graf when she practiced with her and husband Andre Agassi during a mid-match training week in Las Vegas.
It was a similar session 52 weeks ago that the former No.2 believes took her to new heights in 2015, culminating with her major title in Melbourne.
“I went there for a few days and practiced a few days there. It’s always an amazing feeling and an honor to be on court with both champions, to play with them and speak witht them. It’s always a great experience for me and I hope here I will play good and that it’ll help me a little bit for the next few tournaments.”
Point of the match!@AngeliqueKerber running ALL over the court!! #WTA https://t.co/m7fKUYPuar
— WTA (@WTA) March 27, 2016
MIAMI, FL, USA – No.4 seed Garbiñe Muguruza needed less than an hour to defeat American wildcard Nicole Gibbs, 6-1, 6-0, to reach the fourth round of the Miami Open.
Watch live action from Miami this fortnight on WTA Live powered by TennisTV!
The 2015 Wimbledon finalist, Muguruza has struggled to find consistency thus far this season – narrowly edging past Dominika Cibulkova on Friday – but the young Spaniard had none of those problems on Sunday night, hitting four aces and 20 winners – to only eight from the fast-rising Stanford All-American – and dropping just one game in the 57 minute match.
“I’m so happy about my match today; I felt great on court, so that’s amazing,” she told Andrew Krasny during her on-court interview.
“I tried to be very aggressive, but be very concentrated and just play my game.”
Clinical stuff from Muguruza combined with a slightly off Gibbs and it’s 61 to the Spaniard. #MiamiOpen
— WTA Insider (@WTA_insider) March 28, 2016
Muguruza first attracted notice when, as a wildcard, she burst onto the scene in 2012 when she upset then-World No.9 Vera Zvonareva, following up the upset with another big win over Flavia Pennetta en route to the fourth round. The Spaniard has since become a mainstay in the Top 10, pushing World No.1 Serena Williams through a high-octane Wimbledon final last summer and winning all three of her round robin matches at her BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global debut last fall.
“I have great memories. The Miami Open was my breakthrough and this is my second home with this amazing crowd that supports me. I don’t know what to say, it all feels great!”
Up next for Muguruza is former World No.1 Victoria Azarenka, whose hot streak continued against Magda Linette earlier in the day.
Also into the fourth round is No.26 seed Johanna Konta. The Brit became the highest ranked from her country since 1987 (Jo Durie) by cracking the Top 25 last week, and showed off all the grit and determination that has taken her so far, so fast with a 4-6, 6-1, 7-6(3) win over qualifier Elena Vesnina.
“I am very happy to be able to come back tomorrow to compete again,” Konta said after winning a match in which she hit a stunning 12 aces – six in the second set alone. “I knew going into the match that she was playing at a very good level so I knew there’d be very little in it, whichever way the match at the end. I’m very happy to be sitting here with a chance to play tomorrow.”
Vesnina was coming off of a big win over former No.1 Venus Williams, and though she fought hard throughout, Konta continued to play her best tennis when it matters most over the last 10 months.
“I really tried to play the same as I had throughout the whole match. There’s obviously ebbs and flows in a match – I was playing better in parts and not so good in parts – but I really just tried to stay offensive and have things end on my terms as much as possible, but also being humble enough to know that she was playing at a good level so not to get too disheartened or down on myself if she plays well too.”
Standing between Konta and a possible quarterfinal encounter with either Muguruza or Azarenka is No.32 seed Monica Niculescu, who eased past CoCo Vandeweghe, 6-4, 6-1.
“We’ve only played once before and that was last year in Nottingham. It was a very tough match there, and I know she’s one of the trickiest players on tour and one of the best competitors as well.
“At the end I think it’ll be a match where there’ll be very little in it and I’m just going to my best to fight every single point and hopefully be able to leave the court knowing that I did my best.”
“I have great memories here, the @MiamiOpen was my breakthrough and it's my second home.” -@GarbiMuguruza https://t.co/5sqBvtEGMM
— WTA (@WTA) March 28, 2016