Acapulco: Releasing The Sea Turtles
Kiki Bertens, Paula Goncalves and Lara Arruabarrena participated in a very special activity in Acapulco – they helped release sea turtle hatchlings into the ocean.
Kiki Bertens, Paula Goncalves and Lara Arruabarrena participated in a very special activity in Acapulco – they helped release sea turtle hatchlings into the ocean.
DOHA, Qatar – Second season syndrome is an ailment familiar to most sports fans. As the name suggests, it afflicts those sports men, women and teams that struggle to follow up a breakthrough season or notable triumph.
In the opening weeks of the season there were whispers in tennis circles that Garbiñe Muguruza could be the syndrome’s latest high-profile victim.
Last year, 41 wins (nine of them against Top 10 opponents), one title and a runner-up finish at Wimbledon saw Muguruza catapult herself from gifted prospect to one of the game’s elite.
But, having climbed to the very top of the game, how would she respond to the spotlight focused on its summit? How would her athletic game stand up to the rigors of another 60-match campaign? And how would she handle the prospect of defending all those ranking points accrued last time around?
The Spaniard made an inauspicious start, aggravated a long-standing foot injury during her first match, against Varvara Lepchenko at the Brisbane International. With that troublesome foot still bothering her, Muguruza managed to go a few rounds at the Australian Open, but looked a shadow of her magnificent best.
“I think it was an amazing year, an amazing end. I think the level was really high,” Muguruza said. “Obviously to keep that level all the time, every year, is going to be hard, especially when you did it once, and next year you’re like, ‘Hey, should I be doing the same? It’s hard to know what’s going to happen.”
At this week’s Qatar Total Open, however, the 22-year-old has finally began to find some form, blowing away Nao Hibino in her opening match, before defusing the big-serving Timea Babos on Wednesday evening.
And after seeing off Babos, she penned a message – ‘Muga’s back’ – to her WTA rivals on the lens of a nearby television camera.
#MuguIsBack pic.twitter.com/2kBcFof5Dh
— WTA (@WTA) February 24, 2016
“I wrote this because I had a lot of physical problems at the beginning of the year and I’m trying to practice and work really hard to get my level back again,” Muguruza said. “And I think playing and competing here is helping me go through this process.”
The next stage of her rehabilitation will come against Andrea Petkovic, a player she has never beaten: “It’s true it’s a big challenge for me; I think I’m like 2-0 down. So I think I’m going to speak with my team and find a way and a tactic to beat her.”
Having appeared in one major final already, Muguruza is viewed by many astute observers as the leader of the WTA’s new vanguard. Despite the soaring expectation levels, the World No.5 is setting no timeframe on the next breakthough.
“I don’t think there’s an age to reach the top. I think it’s great when you’re like playing good. But being young and also having success, it can be very good and it can be very bad,” she said.
“We’ve seen some cases you’re young and you’re like, ‘I’m playing good, I’m doing a lot of things.’ But it’s also hard because you’re not as mature. Angelique Kerber said in Australia, she can maybe handle more at her age or she’s used to it more. It’s a very thin line there keeping that balance. Just with time, you can deal better with that.”
All of the best shots of the third round at the Qatar Total Open.
ACAPULCO, Mexico – No.2 seeded Sloane Stephens booked her spot in the semifinals at the Abierto Mexicano Telcel with a commanding win over Naomi Osaka, 6-3, 7-5.
Watch live action from Doha & Acapulco this week on WTA Live powered by TennisTV!
It had been a dream week for Osaka in the Mexican paradise of Acapulco – the Japanese wildcard made her first ever WTA quarterfinal and in the last round ousted Mariana Duque-Mariño in straight sets after saving a set point in the second.
But lying in wait in the quarterfinal was big-hitting American Sloane Stephens, who already knew what to expect from the 18-year-old.
“I was playing a girl who is younger than me who’s been playing really well lately,” Stephens said. “I knew it was going to be tough going into it.”
Stephens got the first break of the tense first set at 4-3. Osaka almost hung on fiercely in the five-minute game, running around her backhand to blast her huge forehands and saving two break points, but to no avail. Stephens grabbed the next two games to close out the set at 6-3.
Osaka grabbed the first break of the final set, but Stephens broke back in reply, keeping them level until she broke Osaka at 5-3. The Japanese edged her way back after a nervy game from Stephens while she was serving for the match at 5-4 – Stephens was broken at love after a double fault on break point. She righted the ship when it counted, though, and broke for the match at 7-5.
With her title in Auckland earlier this year and a semifinal appearance here in Acapulco, this has been Stephens’ best start to the season since 2013.
“It’s only February, so there’s a lot of tennis to be played this year,” the American said. “I’m happy that I’ve had such a good start so I’m just trying to keep the momentum going.”
Awaiting Stephens in the next round is No.8 seed Yanina Wickmayer, who is into her first WTA semifinal of the year after a straight sets win over Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, 6-3, 7-6(3).
Though Yanina Wickmayer leads their head to head 2-1, the record hides just how their encounters have been – all of their previous matches have gone to three sets. This time, Pavlyuchenkova looked like she had an edge; she hasn’t lost a set here in Acapulco and was into her third quarterfinal of the year while Wickmayer had to come back from a set down in each of her previous matches.
The Belgian player is into her first WTA semifinal of the year and her first since winning the Tokyo International in 2015.
On the other side of the draw, Dominika Cibulkova faced her first big test at Acapulco against No.7 seed Johanna Larsson.
Cibulkova has had a smooth ride to the quarterfinals so far – she won her first round match in a 6-0, 6-0 beatdown and received a walkover in the last match as a result of Victoria Azarenka’s withdrawal. But it turned out to be a blessing in disguise for the Slovakian player.
“It helped me today to be more ready because yesterday I had the day off,” Cibulkova said.
“Today was really tough physically – I had the first match of the day and it was really humid and hot. So yeah, I think it really helped me to have yesterday off.”
Cibulkova was in trouble early on, still adjusting to the tough conditions and dropping the first set 6-3. It was just a matter of time before the former Top 10 Slovak got going, upping her serves and finding the lines with her booking groundstrokes to take the second 6-2. Larsson handed Cibulkova match point while she was serving to stay in the match at 5-3, then helped her seal the match burying a return into the net, 3-6, 6-2, 6-3.
Up next Cibulkova is set to face Christina McHale in a rematch of the 2014 Acapulco final. The unseeded American defeated Mirjana Lucic-Baroni 6-4, 6-7(6), 6-2.
“It’s going to be a really tough match,” Cibulkova said. “We are already in the semifinals and we’re all feeling the heat. The more ready player is going to win tomorrow.”
Carla Suárez Navarro takes on Timea Bacsinszky in the third round of the Qatar Total Open.
PALM BEACH GARDENS, USA – It had been building for a few years – she won her first two Grand Slams at Wimbledon and the US Open in 2000, and then repeated at both in 2001 – but it all came together for the first time as Venus Williams finally got to No.1 fourteen years ago today in February 25, 2002.
After a 12-month period that saw her win 56 of 61 matches and nine titles – Miami, Hamburg, Wimbledon, San Diego, New Haven and the US Open in 2001, and Gold Coast, Paris and Antwerp in 2002 – Williams rose from No.2 to No.1 on February 25, 2002, overtaking Jennifer Capriati.
She became the 11th player to hold the top spot on the WTA computer rankings, but the achievement was even more special as Williams was also the first ever African-American player – male or female – to rank No.1 in the world in tennis.
“When you’re on a professional tour, you don’t aspire to be No. 3 or No. 2,” Williams said 14 years ago when asked about the milestone. “Normally you do your best to become the best. At this point, I am the best in the world, so that’s exciting and it’s going to be mine at least a week.”
“I think the best part is that I’ve enjoyed myself along the way and that I have not limited myself just to playing tennis or made myself believe that that’s the only thing in life. I’ve always been doing things at the same time and having a career. For me, that’s the best part.”
She would eventually spend a total of non-consecutive 11 weeks at the top spot in 2002 and claim a whopping 49 WTA singles titles to date in her career, including the Taiwan Open earlier this year.
A few more throwbacks to February 25, 2002…
No.1 song on Billboard Hot 100 singles: Always On Time by Ja Rule & Ashanti
No.1 album on Billboard 200 albums: J To Tha L-O!: The Remixes by Jennifer Lopez
No.1 movie at US Box Office: Queen Of The Damned
No.1 men’s tennis player: Lleyton Hewitt
Jelena Ostapenko takes on Petra Kvitova in the third round of the Qatar Total Open.
DOHA, Qatar – Jelena Ostapenko sprung the latest shock at this year’s Qatar Total Open, battling back to knock out No.5 seed Petra Kvitova.
Watch live action from Doha & Acapulco this week on WTA Live powered by TennisTV!
Seeds have been falling like dominoes in the opening few rounds and Kvitova’s 5-7, 6-2, 6-1 defeat means that just four of the original 16 remain.
At last year’s Wimbledon, Ostapenko defeated Carla Suárez Navarro in a coming of age performance, imbuing her with the confidence to topple even bigger names. “It gave me kind of confidence that I can play at that level,” Ostapenko said when reminded afterwards of her win over the Spaniard. “Today, I’m just happy that I could play my best tennis.”
Kvitova started brightly enough, recovering from 3-1 down to take the opening set. But as the contest wore on, the Czech cut an increasingly passive figure on the court, spending more and more time pinned behind the baseline.
Ostapenko, meanwhile, continued to exhibit the fleet-footedness befitting a former ballroom dancer; at 2-2 in the second set she flew across the court to unleash a fizzing forehand that left Kvitova grounded and, more importantly, a break down.
The two-time Wimbledon champion did not win another game until midway through the decider and by that point the tide had well and truly turned. Showing no sign of nerves, the young Latvian confidently cruised to victory, breaking Kvitova for an eighth and final time.
Ostapenko’s positivity was born out in the numbers, outlanding the Czech 28 to 16 in the winners count. “I play more matches, get some wins and I think [confidence] comes from there,” Ostapenko added.
Her reward for this incredible performance is a meeting with another of the draw’s giant slayers, Zheng Saisai, who followed up her victory over top seed Angelique Kerber by knocking out Eugenie Bouchard, 7-6(1), 6-1.
“She’s had some really great wins this week,” Ostapenko said when asked about her quarterfinal foe. “I’m looking forward to it and hopefully we can have a great match.”
Agnieszka Radwanska takes on Monica Niculescu in the third round of the Qatar Total Open.
DOHA, Qatar – World No.3 Agnieszka Radwanska recovered from a double break down to see off Monica Niculescu, 7-5, 6-1.
“I think she has the best hands on tour, very tricky player and very uncomfortable to play against,” Radwanska said of her opponent during her on-court interview. “I knew it was going to be tough and a long one. What can I say? She really made me play my best tennis, so I’m very happy to win that match in two sets.”
Grabbing the opening set, Radwanska played impeccable tennis throughout, striking 31 winners to just 15 unforced; Niculescu wasn’t too far behind with 24 winners and 32 errors.
“I think when you play someone like Monica, you know there will be a lot of weird shots all around the court, and every shot is going to be different.
“She had a lot of highlights herself!”
In her six appearances at the Qatar Total Open, Radwanska has reached the quarterfinals or better five times, but is still looking for her first final in Doha.
Asked about the increasing parity that the WTA has seen in 2016, the reigning BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global champion theorized that the upsets are part of what makes her tour so fun to watch.
“I think this is women’s tennis; you never know what’s going to happen! Every day, we’re playing different, but it makes us interesting. We’re always fun to watch, a lot of different scores, a lot of surprises on the way to the final.
“That’s the way we play!”
Up next for Radwanska is the winner of the third round between No.9 seed Roberta Vinci and wildcard Cagla Buyakakcay, who upset defending champion Lucie Safarova in her opening match.
“Women's tennis is full of surprises. You never know what's going to happen!” ? -@ARadwanska #WTA https://t.co/7raBSZChE6
— WTA (@WTA) February 24, 2016