Kiki Bertens

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6 Grand Slam Champs, 3 Former #1 Players Highlight @VolvoCarOpen Player Field

Posted by Admin on March 10, 2021
Posted in: Charleston, Volvo Car Open, WTA. Tagged: , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment


6 Grand Slam Champs, 3 Former #1 Players Highlight @VolvoCarOpen Player Field

CHARLESTON, S.C. – The Volvo Car Open, to be held without fans April 3 – 11 on Daniel Island in Charleston, SC, has announced its preliminary player field for the 2021 tournament. The field for the premier women’s-only professional tennis tournament in North America is led by World No. 1 Ashleigh Barty and features some of the top players in the world.

The Volvo Car Open’s 56-player draw is made up of 43 direct entries into the tournament, five wild cards and eight qualifiers. Kim Clijsters has already accepted a wild card for the event. Four additional players will join the main draw via wild card entry, to be announced at a later date.

“The world of live sporting events has had to make many difficult decisions over the past year,” said Bob Moran, Tournament Director for the Volvo Car Open. “We wish we could host a stadium full of fans in 2021 to appreciate the world-class talent represented in our player field, from WTA’s top-ranked Ashleigh Barty and our defending champion Madison Keys, to next generation tennis stars like Sofia Kenin and Coco Gauff. We are grateful that our broadcast partner Tennis Channel will air first ball to last ball main draw matches, providing our fans with more than 70 hours of live tennis and an opportunity to watch the powerful and entertaining competition on our courts this year. We look forward to getting back to normal in 2022 with a newly renovated stadium and celebrating 50 years of professional women’s tennis.”

Highlights from the main draw include:

  • 21 countries represented in the international player field, including 10 Americans
  • Three past Volvo Car Open champions: Madison Keys (2019), Kiki Bertens (2018) and Sloane Stephens (2016)
  • Six Grand Slam champions: Sofia Kenin (2020 Australian Open), Ashleigh Barty (2019 French Open), Garbiñe Muguruza (2016 French Open and ‘17 Wimbledon), Sloane Stephens (2017 US Open), Jelena Ostapenko (2017 French Open) and Kim Clijsters (2005, ‘09 & ‘10 US Open and ‘11 Australian Open)
  • Three Former World No. 1 Ranked Players: Ashleigh Barty (current), Garbiñe Muguruza and Kim Clijsters
  • Debut player field appearance by Coco Gauff and Kim Clijsters
  • Charleston native Shelby Rogers to compete in hometown tournament again

At the top of the Volvo Car Open player field is current World No. 1 Ashleigh Barty. The 2021 Volvo Car Open will mark the Australian’s second time playing in Charleston. She has held the top WTA singles ranking for the past two seasons, stemming from winning her first Premier Mandatory title at the Miami Open, her first Grand Slam title at the French Open and her first WTA Finals title.

American Sofia Kenin celebrated her first Top 10 season in 2020. She earned her first Grand  Slam title at the 2020 Australian Open and ended the year as World No. 4. The 2021 Volvo Car Open will be the 22-year-old’s fourth time competing in Charleston.

2018 Volvo Car Open champion Kiki Bertens will play the Volvo Car Open for the fifth time. The Dutch player finished 2020 in the top 10 for the third year in a row and has amassed 10 career WTA titles.

Rounding out the top-four in Charleston’s player field is Garbiñe Muguruza. Since her last appearance at the Volvo Car Open in 2013, the Spanish player has captured seven career titles, including the 2017 Wimbledon and 2016 Roland-Garros titles, and reached the World No. 1 ranking.

Current Volvo Car Open champion Madison Keys will also return two years later to defend her title. Keys defeated Caroline Wozniacki in the 2019 Volvo Car Open final to capture her fourth career WTA title and her first on clay.

The 2021 Volvo Car Open will be held without fans due to the ongoing pandemic. The tournament has partnered with the WTA and the Medical University of South Carolina to develop its health and safety protocols for the event, which will allow the team to create a safe atmosphere for players, essential staff and operational partners. Both Tennis Channel and WTA Media have agreed to broadcast the 2021 Volvo Car Open, providing a full week of coverage and more than 70+ hours of live tennis for fans both in the U.S. and abroad.

The Volvo Car Open was canceled in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic. Since 1973, the tournament has been a pioneer in women’s professional sports, paving the path for female tennis players to receive equal recognition, respect and pay in the sport. Originally held on Hilton Head Island, the event moved to Charleston in 2001 and is now played on Daniel Island at the LTP Daniel Island tennis center, home to the Volvo Car Stadium.

Charleston Tennis, LLC, which manages the Volvo Car Stadium under a lease from the City of Charleston, recently announced plans to renovate and modernize the 20-year-old Volvo Car Stadium. The city-owned facility will undergo upgrades to enhance the stadium experience for patrons, performers, tennis players and event management, allowing the venue to attract world-class athletes and talent to Daniel Island.

For more information on the Volvo Car Open, visit volvocaropen.com or call 843.856.7900.

—A. Alpino, Volvo Car Open

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Angelique Kerber edges Halep in Eastbourne

Posted by Admin on June 27, 2019
Posted in: ATP, Eastbourne, LTA, On Site, WTA. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

Angelique Kerber edges Halep in Eastbourne
Eric Han for Tennis Atlantic

Embed from Getty Images

Quarterfinal day here at the Eastbourne International gave the fans plenty of excitement as it not only featured the top seeds of the tournament, but also home crowd favourites Kyle Edmund and Dan Evans. The marquee match arguably was on the women’s as two former world no.1’s, Angelique Kerber and Simona Halep, battled it out for a place in the semifinals tomorrow.

 

Eventually, the current reigning Wimbledon champion, Kerber, defeated Halep comfortably in straight sets 6-4 5-3.

 

After the match, Simona Halep commented on how good Kerber played today: “She played really well today. I didn’t play bad. I think that I missed a little bit too much in some points, important points, and I didn’t take my chances. Also, in the second set, first game, I had 40-15 on my serve and I couldn’t take the game. But in my opinion, it was a good match.

 

When asked about her expectations about looking forward to Wimbledon: “Expectations are pretty okay in my head, but I don’t put pressure. Just match by match, and we will see how good I can be on grass this year.

 

Meanwhile, the battle of the Brits took place as British no.1 Kyle Edmund played his countryman Dan Evans. After dropping the first set 6-1, Edmund upped his intensity and won the subsequent two sets 6-3 6-4 and booked his place in the semifinals.

Embed from Getty Images

In his press conference after his match, Edmund said: “A poor start in terms of getting in the match. Like, you could say, yeah, credit to Dan for sort of putting his stamp on it. But also, I think I could have done a lot better and a lot more to stop that or put a bit more of my stamp on it.”

 

“But the best thing from that is to react to it, and I did. Just got more engaged. Put my sort of personality and engagement into the match and my game almost. I have good ability to be aggressive and take control of rallies and games, so it was really good for me, obviously not playing a lot of matches”

 

Other notable results worthy of mention are the third seed Kiki Bertens beating the eighth seed Belarusian, Aryna Sabalenka,  in a three-set thriller 6-4 3-6 6-4. On the men’s side, two youngsters battled it out as Taylor Fritz beat Hubert Hurkacz of Poland 6-4 7-6.

 

Tomorrow’s semifinal on the men’s side will be Brit Kyle Edmund taking on America’s Taylor Fritz and qualifier Thomas Fabbiano playing America’s Sam Querrey.

 

On the women’s side, the two semifinal matches will be the defending Wimbledon champion, Angelique Kerber taking on Tunisia’s Ons Jabeur and Czech’s Karolina Pliskova playing Kiki Bertens of Netherlands.

 

 

Top Tenner @KikiBertens Signs With @FilaTennis

Posted by Admin on January 2, 2019
Posted in: Volvo Car Open, WTA. Tagged: , , , . Leave a comment

2019 BRISBANE INTERNATIONAL Kiki Bertens (NED)

FILA Signs Sponsorship Agreement with WTA Top Ten Ranked Player Kiki Bertens

January 2, 2019–FILA announced today that it has signed a sponsorship agreement with Kiki Bertens, the WTA No. 9 ranked singles player in the world. Bertens, who just capped off her best professional season to date, will join the company’s roster of endorsed WTA and ATP World Tour players who wear the FILA® brand on-court.

The 27-year-old Dutch star owns seven career WTA singles titles and ten doubles titles – four of which came in 2018. After capturing the doubles title at Brisbane in January, she won three singles titles at Charleston, Cincinnati and Seoul before qualifying for the WTA Finals, where she reached the semifinals and achieved her career-high ranking of World No. 9.
“I am so grateful for the opportunity to represent FILA both on and off the court,” said Bertens. “FILA has a long history of sponsoring the best tennis players in the world and it is such an honor to be a part of that family.”

Kiki Bertens (Photo: Tony Callaio)

Kiki Bertens (Photo: Tony Callaio)

“We believe that Kiki Bertens is on the rise, has tremendous potential, and is a great fit for FILA,” said Gene Yoon, Global Chairman at FILA. “She consistently won against some of the best players in the world this past year, and was extremely competitive every time she stepped on court. We look forward to supporting her and helping her to achieve more career-defining results.”

Kontaveit Beats Lucky Loser @ConnecticutOpen, Lucky Loser @BelindaBencic Seizes Opportunity

Posted by Admin on August 21, 2018
Posted in: Connecticut Open, WTA. Tagged: , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

Anett Kontaveit, 2018 Connecticut Open (Photo: Mike Renz for Tennis Atlantic)

Anett Kontaveit, 2018 Connecticut Open (Photo: Mike Renz for Tennis Atlantic)

Kontaveit Beats Lucky Loser @ConnecticutOpen, Lucky Loser @BelindaBencic Seizes Opportunity
Steve Fogleman, Tennis Atlantic

It was a light day session on tap at the Connecticut Open. Johanna Konta withdrew from the tournament and Carlo Suarez Navarro entered the round of 16.

Once the matches began, Annet Kontaveit got off to a slow start in New Haven this morning. Her opponent was replaced an hour before the match as Kiki Bertens pulled out with a ‘viral illness’-veiled injury that likely signals exhaustion on the part of the Western & Southern champion. Pauline Parmentier was lucky losered-in to face Kontaveit and the young Estonian promptly dropped the first set, 6-3. She came back from 2-2 in the second set to win four straight games for 6-2 and took that momentum into the third set for a 3-6, 6-2, 6-2 victory to become the last woman to enter the round of 16 at the Connecticut Open.  It was the fifth time this year that Kontaveit has come back from a set down to win and her reward is a match with Monica Puig in the round of 16 tomorrow.

Anett Kontaveit, 2018 Connecticut Open (Photo: Mike Renz for Tennis Atlantic)

Anett Kontaveit, 2018 Connecticut Open (Photo: Mike Renz for Tennis Atlantic)

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They say everyone deserves a second chance and Belinda Bencic made the most of her opportunity to stand in as a lucky loser for Simona Halep, which conveniently came with a first round bye. In an error-filled first set by both players, it was ironic that Bencic had no trouble serving it out for 6-4. Bencic got the early break in the second set and almost never looked back. She’ll play the Wednesday winner of Sabalenka vs. Gavrilova.

MZR_4433

2018 @WTA @InteBNLdItalia Preview, Predictions

Posted by Admin on May 14, 2018
Posted in: Niall Clarke, Roland Garros, Rome, WTA. Tagged: , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

Muguruza (Photo courtesy of Mallorca Open)

Muguruza

2018 @WTA @InteBNLdItalia Preview, Predictions
Niall Clarke, Tennis Atlantic

After a great tournament in Madrid, the tour heads to Rome for the second Premier tournament in as many weeks. Elina Svitolina is the defending champion on the last major stop to Roland Garros. Let’s get to it.

Top Quarter:
Simona Halep’s winning run in Madrid came to an end at the hands of Karolina Pliskova, so the Romanian will be keen to regain some ranking points in Rome. She enters as the top seed so gets a BYE into round two where she will face the winner of Victoria Azarenka vs Naomi Osaka–a brutal draw. Madison Keys is also in this section, but her struggles on clay may give Carla Suarez Navarro or Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova a chance to make the round of 16.

Caroline Garcia had a good run to the Madrid semi finals, but a 2 & 2 defeat to Kiki Bertens ended it on a sour note. The Frenchwoman looks to have found some form though and she should be safe to make the last 16 with a declining Sara Errani or Timea Babos waiting in round two. Sloane Stephens will likely meet her there, but she herself has a tough opener against Barbora Strycova.

I expect the seeds to advance to the quarter finals here despite some tough matches along the way. Both Garcia and Halep prefer the courts of Madrid, but in Rome I would give the Romanian the edge.

Prediction: Halep def. Garcia

Second Quarter:
Rome has been quite a good pit-stop to Roland Garros for Garbine Muguruza, so despite her indifferent form the Spaniard is a dangerous player here. She will open against the winner of Daria Gavrilova vs Cici Bellis which will be an interesting second round match with both those players presenting a challenge. Ashleigh Barty is the other seed here, but the Aussie prefers faster surfaces and has Maria Sharapova as an opening round opponent. Francesca Schiavone will play her last Rome tournament this week and opens against Dominika Cibulkova.

Jelena Ostapenko disappointed in Madrid but the thing with the Latvian is that she can hit form at any time. She has a relatively soft draw after Petra Kvitova’s withdrawal, so that means that Magdalena Rybarikova is the other seed in this section. She plays Johanna Konta in round one. Mihaela Buzarnescu might be the biggest challenge in this section for Ostapenko as she has form on her side this clay season.

It could all lead to a Muguruza vs Ostapenko quarter final which would be a titanic battle. Muguruza historically struggles with big hitters, but let’s face it–on clay she has the edge over the Latvian.

Prediction: Muguruza def. Ostapenko

Elina Sviotlina, New Haven

Third Quarter:
Elina Svitolina is the defending champion here and is one of the favourites as a result. She will be well rested after exiting Madrid early, but she herself as a tough draw ahead. Lesia Tsurenko and Petra Martic are dangerous floaters and we have seen how difficult Daria Kasatkina can be to beat. The Russian’s draw is quite a nice one so she could await Svitolina in the round of 16.

Karolina Pliskova, 2017 US Open

Karolina Pliskova, 2017 US Open

Karolina Pliskova has been a revelation on clay this season. It is usually a surface she struggles on, but a title win in Stuttgart followed by a semi final in Madrid has shown her improvements on the surface. Rome has slower conditions, though, that could hinder her, and the Kiki Bertens second round draw is brutal. Does the Dutchwoman have enough in the tank after her run in Madrid though? Maria Sakkari will be there to test that. You can also not count out Angelique Kerber, who is also in this section.

This is a difficult section with two very dangerous unseeded players in there. I think Svitolina will make it to the last eight, but it depends on how Bertens looks. If she continues her Madrid form I think the Dutchwoman will go far, but I expect the exhaustion to catch up to her when she makes the last eight.

Prediction: Svitolina def. Bertens

Bottom Quarter:
Caroline Wozniacki heads to Rome after a disappointing loss to Bertens in Madrid. Clay has not been her best surface despite having a game that suits it, but the draw is pretty kind to the Dane. Sam Stosur is a shadow of her former self, and whilst Kristina Mladenovic and Anastasija Sevastova are both capable here, they are not in the best of form themselves.

The other half of this section is really difficult to call. Venus Williams is the seeded player, but her difficulties on this surface are well documented. Coco Vandeweghe’s form came crashing down in Madrid and the Rome conditions do not suit her game at all, which could give Anett Kontaveit a chance to go deep. Svetlana Kuznetsova is the most natural clay courter here, but she is coming in off an injury and has no form behind her at all.

This is the weakest quarter of the draw and by the sheer lack of form and clay court prowess here, I have to go with Wozniacki defeating Kontaveit in the quarter finals.

Prediction: Wozniacki def. Kontaveit

Semi Finals/Finals Prediction:
Muguruza def. Halep
Svitolina def. Wozniacki
Muguruza def. Svitolina

There is no player who stands out above the rest at the moment, making this a difficult call. Muguruza usually comes alive here, so I am going with the Spaniard.

Big Guns Out Tuesday after Monday Action at @CincyTennis #CincyTennis

Posted by Admin on August 15, 2017
Posted in: ATP, Cincinnati, Western & Southern Open. Tagged: , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

Big Guns Out Tuesday after Monday Action at @CincyTennis
Steve Fogleman, Tennis Atlantic

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Yesterday was press day at the Western & Southern Open, so that meant off-court distractions to hear words from the mouths of the elite of the sport. Nadal, Thiem, Pliskova, Halep and others sat down for round table chats with the media.

The action on court saw Petra Kvitova with a comeback win over Anett Kontaveit, 1-6, 7-6(2), 6-3. The crowd gasped in the first set, with the former Wimbledon champion struggling to find her form. And she did just enough to get through to Stephens or Safarova in the next round.

Tommy Paul had just another day at the office in his Summer of Tommy tour, relegating Donald Young to yet another first round loss in Cincinnati. The 6-4, 7-6(4) win earns Paul a match against Isner tonight.

Frances Tiafoe quickly ended the dream qualifying run by Germany’s Maximilian Marterer, 6-3, 7-6(2) and was in great spirits after the match, joking with fans and giving away $39 official tournament towels. Sascha Zverev awaits in Round 2.

Kiki Bertens had no trouble as she stormed past Oceane Dodin, 6-3, 6-0 on Grandstand yesterday in a sparsely-attended match. Up next for Bertens is a match against #7 seed Jo Konta.

Evening play saw lucky loser Ramkumar Ramanthan advance over Christopher Eubanks in three sets and Madison Keys winning a Stanford final rematch over Coco Vandeweghe in three sets.

Off court, Rafael Nadal revealed he’s still a little sore from that loss against Shapovalov in Montreal and when asked what advice he’d give Dominic Thiem, he replied, “I’d better not.”

Garbine Muguruza is easily the most genuine and emotive player in the top 10 of anything. She talked about the emotions that raced through her at Wimbledon this year, as well as avoiding social media due to trolls. “The ones who love me today will hate me tomorrow,” she said, following up with “I don’t have to read this.” Later, she spoke about the close rankings race and the need to compete every week on tour. “Shit. I gotta play. I’ll be #25 if I skip one,” she said to a room full of journalists enraptured by her refreshing honesty and affability.

We’re heating up today, with Muguruza, Simona Halep, Venus Williams, Jack Sock and Dominic Thiem lined up for a long day of tennis.

ORDER OF PLAY – TUESDAY, AUGUST 15, 2017
CENTER start 11:00 am
ATP – Juan Martin del Potro (Argentina) vs [10] Tomas Berdych (Czech Republic)
Not Before 1:00 pm
WTA – [9] Venus Williams (USA) vs Alison Riske (USA)
ATP – [13] Jack Sock (USA) vs Yuichi Sugita (Japan)
Night Session – start 7:00 pm
ATP – [14] John Isner (USA) vs [WC] Tommy Paul (USA)
Not Before 8:30 pm
WTA – [4] Garbiñe Muguruza (Spain) vs [Q] Beatriz Haddad Maia (Brazil)

GRANDSTAND start 11:00 am
WTA – Aana Konjuh (Croatia) vs [11] Dominika Cibulkova (Slovakia)
ATP – Steve Johnson (USA) vs David Ferrer (Spain)
Not Before 2:00 pm
WTA – [Q] Taylor Townsend (USA) vs [2] Simona Halep (Romania)
Not Before 7:00 pm
WTA – [WC] Sloane Stephens (USA) vs Lucie Safarova (Czech Republic)
ATP – [3] Dominic Thiem (Austria) vs Fabio Fognini (Italy)

STADIUM 3 start 11:00 am
ATP – [9] David Goffin (Begium) vs Nick Kyrgios (Australia)
Not Before 1:00 pm
WTA – Julia Goerges (Germany) vs [10] Agnieszka Radwanska (Poland)
ATP – [WC] Jared Donaldson (USA) vs [12] Roberto Bautista Agut (Spain)
WTA – [7] Johanna Konta (GBR) vs Kiki Bertens (Netherlands)
Not Before 7:00 pm
ATP – Ivo Karlovic (Croatia) vs [8] Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (France)

COURT 10 start 11:00 am
ATP – Kevin Anderson (South Africa) vs [Q] Alexadr Dolgopolov (Ukraine)
WTA – Alize Cornet (France) vs Catherine Bellis (USA)
ATP – [11] Pablo Carreno Busta (Spain) vs Paolo Lorenzi (Italy)
WTA – Elena Vesnina (Russia) vs Caroline Garcia (France)
WTA – Ekaterina Makarova (Russia) vs Barbora Strycova (Czech Republic)

COURT 4 start 11:00 am
WTA – [Q] Ashleigh Barty (Australia) vs [Q] Varvara Lepchenko (USA)
ATP – Albert Ramos-Vinolas (Spain) vs [Q] Mikhail Youzhny (RUS)
ATP – Robin Haase (Netherlands) vs Adrian Mannarino (France)
WTA – [Q] Francoise Abanda (CAN) vs [Q] Magda Linette (Poland)

COURT 7 start 11:00 am
WTA – Kristina Mladenovic (France) / Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (Russia) vs [6] Lucie Hradecka (Czech Republic) / Katerina Siniakova (Czech Republic)
WTA – [5] Timea Babos (Hungary) / Andrea Hlavackova (Czech Republic) vs Anna-Lena Groenefeld (Germany) / Kveta Peschke (Czech)
WTA – Daria Gavrilova (Australia) / Daria Kasatkina (Russia) vs Nadiia Kichenok (Ukraine) / Anastasia Rodionova (Australia)
WTA – [7] Ashleigh Barty (Australia) / Casey Dellacqua (Australia) vs [WC] Alexa Glatch (USA) / Catherine McNally (USA)
WTA – Chia-Jung Chuang (Chinese Tapei) / Renatal Voracova (Czech Republic) vs Raquel Atawo (USA) / CoCo Vandeweghe (USA)

COURT 8 start 11:00 am
ATP – Diego Schwartzman (Argentina) vs Karen Khachanov (Russia)
WTA – [12] Jelena Ostapenko (Latvia) vs [Q] Aleksandra Krunic (Serbia)
ATP – Nikoloz Basilashvili (Georgia) vs Borna Coric (Croatia)
ATP – Ryan Harrison (USA) / Michael Venus (NZL) vs [8] Oliver Marach (Austria) / Mate Pavic (Crotia)

COURT 11 start 11:00 am
WTA – [Q] Donna Vekic (Croatia) vs [LL] Natalia Vikhlyantseva (Russia)
WTA – [15] Anastasija Sevastova (Latvia) vs Shuai Peng (China)
ATP – Leander Paes (India) / Alexander Zverev (Germany) vs Feliciano Lopez (Spain) / Marc Lopez (ESP)
ATP – Nikola Mektic (Croatia) / Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi (Pakistan) vs Diego Schwartzman (Argentia) / Mischa Zverev (Germany)
WTA- After Suitable Rest – Gabriela Dabrowski (Canada) / Jelena Ostapenko (Latvia) vs Kiki Bertens (Netherlands) / Kristen Flipkens (Belgium)

2017 WTA Sydney and Hobart Preview and Predictions

Posted by Admin on January 7, 2017
Posted in: Hobart, Niall Clarke, Sydney, WTA. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

2017 WTA Sydney and Hobart Preview and Predictions
Niall Clarke, Tennis Atlantic

The final stop before the Australian open sees the WTA tour stop at Sydney and Hobart for a pair of events leading up to the first Grand Slam of the year. Here is a break down of the draws for this week’s tournaments.

WTA Sydney

Angelique Kerber and Agnieszka Radwanska look to put their disappointing opening weeks of the season in Sydney. The world number one and three are the top seeds in a stacked field with six of the worlds top ten competing.

Top Quarter:
Kerber lost out in a three set battle with Svitolina last week and is in search of form as she heads to Melbourne to defend her Australian Open crown. As the top seed, the German has a BYE into the second round where she will face either Daria Kasatkina or Timea Babos. Both present different challenges as the Russian is known more for her consistent baseline play whilst the Hungarian has a big serve and powerful ground strokes. Johanna Konta saw a potential title win slip from her fingers in Shezhen last week, but 2016’s most improved player will look to right that wrong in Sydney. She has a good path to the quarter final with Daria Gavrilova being the most difficult possible opponent. The Brit has what it takes to beat the world number one, but Kerber might prove to be a little too good like in the Australian Open last year.

Prediction: Kerber d. Konta

Second Quarter:
Dominika Cibulkova was another contender for the most improve player of 2016. Her excellent year saw the Slovak finish fifth in the world rankings and win the WTA Finals in Singapore. Cibulkova is a former finalist in Melbourne and a good run in Sydney will go a long way towards rekindling that form. Laura Siegemund is the opening opponent with the winner of Eugenie Bouchard vs Shuai Zhang awaiting in round two. It is a good draw to the quarter finals for the third seed where she could face Svetlana Kuznetsova. The Russian meets an out of sorts Irina Begu in the first round before facing either Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova or Sam Stosur in round two. A potential Kuznetsova vs Cibulkova match could be interesting as these two are dark horses for the Australian Open title.

Prediction: Kuznetsova d. Cibulkova

Third Quarter:
Karolina Pliskova was the player of the week as she crusied to the Brisbane title to kick start her 2017. That sort of hitting will make her one of the favourites for the Australian Open, but first she must tackle the Sydney field. The fourth seed faces Sloane Stephens in a difficult round one match-up. Fellow Czech Barbora Strycova or Ekaterina Makarova await in round two before a potential rematch with Elina Svitolina in the quarter finals. The Ukrainian will feel a little de-ja-vu where she meets Monica Puig in the first round. The second match could see a battle of the youngsters with Belinda Bencic who is still looking to re-climb the rankings after an injury filled 2016. The chances of a Pliskova-Svitolina rematch are fairly high, but a change in result is unlikely if their Brisbane match is anything to go by. Pliskova was fairly dominant in that match and Svitolina did not offer much resistance.

Prediction: Pliskova d. Svitolina

Fourth Quarter:
Radwanska’s main goal in 2017 will be the break her Grand Slam duck and it seems like this year might be her best chance yet with the dominance of Serena Williams no longer having a stronghold on the tour. The Pole needs to head into Melbourne with good confidence however, and winning Sydney will do that no harm. Radwanska gets a BYE into round two where she is scheduled to face either Roberta Vinci or a qualifier. A match with the Italian could be quite the slice-fest if it is to happen. Elena Vesnina will look to bounce back from her disappointing defeat in Brisbane in Sydney as she enters as the sixth seeded player. She faces big serving Coco Vandeweghe before likely meeting Caroline Wozniacki in round two, it could be another early exit for the Russian. It is hard to see past Radwanska making it through the section if playing well though. I can see her getting through Wozniacki in the quarter finals to set up a semi final clash with Pliskova.

Prediction: Radwanska def. Wozniacki

Semi Finals:
Cibulkova def. Kerber
Radwanska def. Pliskova

It is hard to predict events before Grand Slams because the top players are liable to withdraw if they feel any sort of knock or fatigue. Pliskova went all the way In Brisbane so it is hard to see her going too far here ahead of the Australian Open. Kerber will also have her sights set on defending the title there and could withdraw too.

Final:
Radwanska def. Cibulkova

Cibulkova has the power to hit through Radwanska but does she have the consistency to keep it up and in the match? The Pole is difficult to beat and I see her coming through this week.

Embed from Getty Images

WTA Hobart

Hobart rarely boasts the same calibre of players as Sydney, but it is seen as a good opportunity for a young title winner or a lower ranked player to claim WTA success. Kiki Bertens is the top seed here, let’s get to it.

Top Quarter:
The top seed faces Germany’s Annika Beck ion the opening round of Hobart. Beck is a consistent player from the baseline so the Dutch player will have to work for her victory. Galina Voskoboeva or Pauline Parmentier will await the winner. Kristina Mladenovic heads to Hobart off the back of a good Hopman cup run. The French woman struggled in 2016 so will like to kick off her first WTA tour action with a good run in Hobart. She faces qualifiers in her first two matches before likely meeting Bertens in the quarter finals.

Prediction: Bertens d. Mladenovic

Second Quarter:
Japan dominates the second quarter with the two seeded players in this section being from the land of the rising sun. Misaki Doi will be expected to get past Lizette Cabrera and set up a potential clash with Francesca Schiavone in round two. Naomi Osaka is the other seed and is involved in arguably the pick of the round one matches with Andrea Petkovic. The Japanese could see Hobart as a good chance at claiming a first WTA title and will be many peoples favourite to get out of the section providing she is fit enough after withdrawing from Brisbane last week.

Prediction: Doi d. Osaka

Third Quarter:
The third quarter is packed with former Grand Slam finalists and top ten players, but the top seed in the quarter is Monica Niculescu who faces Jelena Jankovic in the opening round. The winner will likely meet another tricky player Kirtsen Flipkens in the second round, but they will both feel confident they can overcome the Belgian. Speaking of former Grand Slam finalists, Sara Errani and Lucie Safarova are on a round two collision course. The winner is likely to face either Niculescu or Jankovic in the quarter finals.

Prediction: Safarova d. Jankovic

Fourth Quarter:
Alize Cornet started her 2017 season with a final run in Brisbane. The Frenchwoman is looking to re-find her top 20 form and defending her Hobart title will help achieve that goal. Cornet faces big serving twin of Karolina Pliskova, Kristyna in the opening round. Lesia Tsurenko or Johanna Larsson await the winner so it is a tough draw for the defending champion. Anastasija Sevastova’s run at the US Open was one of the stories of 2016, but the Latvian will not settle for that, she will look to kick on and win titles. As the second seed here she has a good chance of doing so, but first she must beat Shelby Rogers then Lara Arruabarrena or a qualifier before potentially meeting Cornet in the quarter finals.

Prediction: Cornet def. Sevastova

Semi Finals:

Bertens def. Doi
Safarova def. Cornet

Safarova will be keen to re-climb the rankings this year and a good run in Hobart is a good place to start. Cornet might be a little tired after a good run in Brisbane the week prior. Doi vs Bertens would be a close match but I see Bertens just edging that and making the final.

Final:
Safarova def. Bertens

On her day I feel that Safarova is just the better player, and given her wider big match experience I expect the Czech to win this final if it is to happen.

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Garcia, Bertens Complete Successful French Open Warm-Ups

Posted by Admin on May 23, 2016
Posted in: France, Niall Clarke, WTA. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

Garcia, Bertens Complete Successful French Open Warm-Ups
Niall Clarke, Tennis Atlantic
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Caroline Garcia and Kiki Bertens claimed titles in Strasbourg and Nurnberg respectively ahead of the French Open.

Garcia Sours to Strasbourg Success

Garcia overcame an in-form Mirjana Lucic-Baroni 6-4, 6-1 to claim her third WTA title and her second in France in Saturday’s final in Strasbourg.

The 22-year-old raced to a 5-1 lead in the opening set, but nerves began to set in as Lucic raised her level. The Croatian got both breaks back to get to 5-4, but Garcia (with the help of her dad and coach) collected herself to break again and seal the opener 6-4.

The second set looked much like the first. Garcia enjoys playing against big hitters and this final was no exception. The Frenchwoman raced to a 5-1 lead again, but this time she made no mistake. A clinical finish with an ace secured victory and the title for Garcia.

“I felt very confident going into the final. The first set I let her back into it. The first set is super important in tennis for momentum. Because you want to get off to a good start. And I got that today, which helped for the rest of the match,” Garcia said via wtatennis.com.

The world number 55 has often struggled to deal with the pressure of playing in front of her home fans, but after winning titles in Limoges and Strasbourg in the past year, Garcia may feel an extra bit of confidence ahead of the French open.

“Another title is great – it’s progress but every tournament is a new chance to develop,” she added. “But today is a great day for me, especially in front of home fans here in France.”

It was still a great week for Lucic-Baroni who made the final here 19 years a go. The Croatian came through qualifying and played great tennis all week, but she found the final a step too far.

“It was my seventh match. I was a bit slow. A bit tired. It was to be expected. I’m proud to get to the final though.”

Garcia’s victory moves her back into the top 40 and heavily boosts her chances of making the Olympics main draw cut off.

Brilliant Bertens Wins Nurnberg
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Kiki Bertens claimed her second WTA title with a 6-2,6-2 victory over Mariana Duque-Marino in Nurnberg.

The Dutchwoman outclassed her opponent in both sets to claim victory in just over an hour. It was a close start with the opening four games shared, but from there Bertens took control, winning the next four to claim the opening set.

In no mood to drag this out, Bertens raced through the second set to pick up her second WTA title and her second on clay.

“I think I played really well today – I was serving good and going for my shots. I had really good length to my shots and so she couldn’t do much from the baseline” Bertens said via wtatennis.com.

Bertens will now turn her attentions to the French Open, where she goes into her first round match with Angelique Kerber in fine form.

“I will fly to Paris in the morning. My family is here so for sure we will celebrate tonight!”