Berdych Beats Del Potro at BNP Paribas Open

Czech tennis player Tomas Berdych advances in second round of ATP BNP Paribas Open (Indian Wells) 2016. Tonight he defeats argentinian Juan Martin del Potro in straight sets (7-6; 6-2). Next round Berdych will meet winner of Borna Coric vs. Thomaz Belluci

WTA BNP Paribas Open (Indian Wells) Draw

WTA BNP Paribas Open (Indian Wells) Draw





Source: WTA Tennis

Rafael Nadal Switching Back to Old Strings

Over the offseason, Rafael Nadal changed strings. His results have now led the fourteen-time major champion to regret the decision and change back to his old strings.

Rafael Nadal’s string experiment has officially failed. The former wold number one has been using different strings on his racquet in 2016, with the intention of hitting with more top spin. However, Nadal’s results have been disastrous so far this season, so the Spaniard has abandoned the new strings and returned to familiar territory.

Gamble Gone Wrong

Over the last few years, Nadal’s level of play has steadily trailed off. He has struggled to keep up with the evolving game, getting left behind by players who are hitting the ball harder and more consistently. In an attempt to catch up, Nadal swapped to strings that were meant to give him more top spin on his strokes, the tactic that he used to use to dominate all challengers.

However, the experiment has failed mightily. Nadal seemed to be on the way back to the top last fall, when he finished 2015 playing some of his best tennis in years. Despite his good form, the world number five was not satisfied and began tinkering with his strings over the offseason.
After a strong start to the season, reaching the final in Doha, his results have been nothing short of disappointing. He lost in the first round of the Australian Open, and followed it up by back-to-back semifinal losses at clay court events in South America to lower-ranked opponents.

Back to Basics

Nadal will return to the strings that he has used on his racquet in the past. His ability to strike his ferocious forehand with unmatched top spin was clearly better with the old strings. He will be hoping that the return to the old strings will allow him to find the consistency that has been lacking for nearly two years.

During his cold streak in 2016, Nadal’s shots have lacked their usual bite which he had with the old strings. There was also a lack of consistency in his ground strokes, often missing routine shots. Nadal will need to refind his consistency and ability to hit with his trademark top spin if he hopes to contend for majors again. He will return to action this week in Indian Wells. 

Source: vavel.com

Murray Wins Five-Set Epic to Send Great Britain Through

BIRMINGHAM, GREAT BRITAIN: Andy Murray sealed a third successive Davis Cup by BNP Paribas quarterfinal and a 150th tie win for Great Britain as the world No. 2 staved off a comeback from Japan’s Kei Nishikori in a five-set thriler to clinch victory for the hosts.
Murray showed his trademark fight and determination to overcome Nishikori 75 76(6) 36 46 63 in a tense match lasting four hours and 54 minutes. It further extends his unbeaten streak in Davis Cup singles and doubles rubbers to 14.
Taking on world No. 6 Nishikori was, by ranking, Murray’s toughest test yet in Davis Cup as this was the first time he had taken on a top-10 player. Although Nishikori was on an 11-match singles win streak himself in the competition, Murray did have the psychological advantage of a 5-1 head-to-head record against the Japanese.
After being distracted by a balloon popping amongst the crowd at the Barclaycard Arena, Murray had to save a break point in a tense opening game before then claiming the break himself for 3-1 with a deep backhand return which forced the error from Nishikori.
Murray started to show signs of frustration as Nishikori reeled off three games in a row to level at 44. But Murray dug deep in the face of repeated clean ball striking from his opponent and broke for the opening set on his third set point as Nishikori dumped a forehand into the net at the end of a lengthy rally.
Nishikori looked despondent as he walked off court for a toilet break but produced the perfect response upon his return as he immediately broke in the first game of the second set. Murray broke back for 2-2 with a stunning backhand winner down the line and a tight set ensued as it went to the tiebreak.
Murray looked good for a two-set lead as he raced to a 4-0 lead but Nishikori fought back and moved 5-4 ahead with two serves for the set. Murray saved one set point with an ace out wide and then took the set himself thanks to some terrific defence which saw Nishikori net with a backhand.
Nishikori gave some hope to the Japanese fans of a comeback, though, in a quickfire 33-minute third set as he broke for 5-3 and then sealed the set with a stretch backhand winner which flew past an incoming Murray. It was only the third set in 15 that Nishikori had won against Murray in his career.
He did not have to wait too long for another either. Murray failed to take two break points in the early stages of the fourth set and Nishikori made him pay with the double break for 5-2. He could not serve out the set at the first time of asking but made no mistake the second time, taking the match to a deciding set with Murray looking fatigued.
Murray had only once in his career lost in the 134 times he had been two sets up in a best-of-five set match – at the age of 18 against David Nalbandian at Wimbledon in 2005 – but the British support were understandably quiet as Nishikori broke in the opening game of the fifth set with a forehand drive volley.
But despite lumbering around the court in between points, Murray often somehow finds a way and he fought back despite struggling on serve as Nishikori also found it difficult to hold with a total of five breaks in the first six games of the set, the last crucially being claimed by Murray as he hit a forehand winner to go 42 ahead and then held to move to within one game of victory.
Murray failed to convert two match points on the Nishikori serve but he then served out the victory to maintain his record of having never lost a Davis Cup singles match on a hard court (13-0).

Source: DavisCup.com

Goffin Fells Cilic to Force a Decider in Liege

LIEGE, BELGIUM: Who needs rest? Well, David Goffin does now after his incredibly strenuous efforts of the past three days.

The Belgian made a mockery of the idea that he would be too exhausted to beat Marin Cilic after digging deep once more in this tie to beat the Croatian world No. 12 64 64 36 75 and pull Belgium level at 2-2 in
this Davis Cup by BNP Paribas World Group first round tie.
Now it just needs young Kimmer Coppejans, with just one live rubber in his locker, to do the improbable by beating the prodigiously talented 19-year-old Borna Coric in the deciding rubber to pull off one of the most famous victories in Belgium’s history. If he does it would be arguably an even greater achievement than anything they managed on the journey to last year’s Final.
After his emotionally draining match against Coric in Friday’s singles Goffin looked jaded and error-prone in Saturday’s doubles, but a new day almost miraculously brought a new Goffin.
The Belgian won the first two sets with such ridiculous ease we wondered whether he would win without even raising a sweat. We should have known better. Goffin prefers to do it the hard way. With his contribution of three double faults in the sixth game of the third set he not only lost his serve for the first time since the start of the match but also gave Cilic hope where before there was none.
The Croatian raised his game, which couldn’t have been much lower, and made a real fight of it. He was in contention right up until the finish when with match point against him he served a double fault. He didn’t deserve that.
The decision to give Cilic the day off on Saturday looked a wise one when Croatia won the doubles in straight sets, but while they may not have needed him Cilic may have needed the workout. He is not a natural clay court player and perhaps the more practice he got on this surface at the Country Hall du Sart-Tilman the better for him.

For someone who has reached the fourth round of the French Open on three occasions he looked surprisingly ill at ease on it in those opening two sets.
Goffin, on the other hand, looked wonderfully at home and if he ever wins a Grand Slam it may well be on clay. It’s equally surprising that he has never been beyond the third round at Roland Garros.
He was demonstrably the better player in the first two sets in just about every facet of the game, occasionally even audaciously lobbing his 6ft 6in opponent. That triple double fault contribution, however, did wonderful things for Cilic’s confidence while bringing a slightly nervous edge to Goffin’s game.
Surprisingly, it was the first time these two have played each other and while no doubt Cilic will want his revenge at some time he certainly will not want to meet Goffin again on clay. The Croatian’s biggest weapon, his serve, wasn’t working at all well, but worse still his second serve was regularly being punished. At one stage in the first set he was winning less than 30 per cent of points on it.
But the big man bravely made a stand at the start of the third set, fending off three break points and five deuces in the opening game. He started to hit the ball more confidently and significantly eradicated the errors in his game.
Of course, the greater credit, though, has to go to Goffin for coming back the way he did in the fourth set just as he did in the fifth set of his match against Coric. He may have an angelic face but he’s a devilish fighter.

Source: DavisCup.com

Rosol Defeats Zverev as Czechs Beat Germany 3-2 in Davis Cup

HANNOVER, Germany (AP) — Lukas Rosol defeated 18-year-old Davis Cup debutant Alexander Zverev 6-2, 6-3, 6-1 to book a place for the Czech Republic in the quarterfinals with a 3-2 win over Germany on Sunday.
Rosol, ranked 50th in the world, had 13 aces and converted half of his 12 break points to win in 1 hour, 38 minutes.
Earlier, Philipp Kohlschreiber leveled the first-round tie at 2-2 after Tomas Berdych retired due to a right thigh injury with the German leading 6-3, 7-5.

Berdych, ranked 7th in the world, retired after 1 hour, 41 minutes against Germany's top player. Berdych had received lengthy treatment after the fifth game of the first set. Kohlschreiber converted three of his five break points while Berdych failed on any of his eight chances.
The Czech Republic next faces Canada or France in July's quarterfinals.

Source: DavisCup.com

Mayer Secures Quarterfinal Spot for Argentina

GDANSK, POLAND: Argentina can start planning their next Davis Cup by BNP Paribas adventure - a quarterfinal trip to Italy - after finishing off World Group newcomers Poland 3-1 in Gdansk on Sunday.
The visitors needed one more point to get past an injury-ravaged Polish side and one-man Davis Cup wrecking ball Leonardo Mayer stepped up and delivered once more, fighting his way past a stubborn Michal Przysiezny 67(4) 76(4) 62 63 to notch up his 11th successive victory in his country’s colours.
World No. 41 Mayer had gone into the fourth rubber of the weekend as hot favourite against a player who only started hitting balls around a week ago before playing his first match since early November on Friday after a lengthy injury lay-off.
But Przysiezny - the stand-in Polish No.1 with the hosts’ highest ranked player Jerzy Janowicz out with a long-term knee injury - put up a brave fight inside a noisy Ergo Arena.
The lightning-fast indoor hard court played into the Polish world No. 318’s hands and a serve-dominated opening set went his way when he hustled a minibreak midway through the shootout.
Przysiezny scrambled back a Mayer overhead at 4-4 only for the Argentine to fluff a low backhand volley. That gave Przysiezny a 5-4 advantage and he nervelessly served out the next two points. Incredibly, Mayer had lost only two points on serve during the opening set.
The second was just as tight and again it came down to a single point that ultimately decided the set. This time it was Przysiezny who blinked when he missed a backhand volley on the opening point of the tiebreak. Try as he might, Przysiezny couldn’t get back on level terms and Mayer closed out the breaker 7-4 with an ace up the ‘T’.
In hindsight, maybe that missed backhand volley turned the match. The first break of the day finally went to Mayer in the second game of the third set when the Argentine converted his third break point with a ripper of a cross-court forehand to go up 2-0.
Mayer defended that single break - only dropping a measly seven points on serve during the first three sets - and Przysiezny buckled again when serving to stay in it at 2-5, the second break of the match coming courtesy of a double fault on set point.
Mayer’s only real test thereafter came in the third game of the fourth when he saved two break points from 15-40. The first was dealt with thanks to a crisp backhand volley and the second with an ace that clipped the edge of the line. Another ace saw him through the game and that, in truth, was the last chance Przysiezny had to turn the tie around.
Another inconsistent game on serve left Przysiezny at 0-40 moments later and Mayer converted the second of his three chances when the Pole threw in another costly double fault.
Not long afterwards the Argentine celebrations began as Mayer put the finishing touches to another nerveless display for his country.

Source: DavisCup.com

Serena Williams Announces Schedule for Remainder of 2016

World number one Serena Williams has announced her schedule for the remainder of 2016, which most notably includes her skipping Cincinnati, where she is the defending champion.21-time Grand Slam champion Serena Williams has announced her schedule for the remainder of 2016. The schedule includes the three remaining Grand Slam tournaments, the Olympics, and the four Premier Mandatories, but does not have the Premier 5 event in Cincinnati on the list. Williams is the defending champion in Cincinnati.

Williams' 2016 Schedule

First on Williams' list for her tournaments for the remainder of 2016 is Indian Wells and Miami. The American is making her second straight appearance in the California desert, after returningFrench Open champion will then play in Rome and in Paris for the French Open.

there last year after a fourteen year boycott due to racial slurs. Next, the world number one will look to defend her title in Miami, where she is an eight time champion. The American will begin her clay season at the Premier Mandatory event in Madrid, where Williams is a two-time champion. The three-time
For the second half of 2016, Williams will be playing at Wimbledon, where she is a six-time champion. The 21-time Grand Slam winner will then play at the Rogers Cup in Montreal, before making her way down to Rio for the Olympics. The American will not defend her title the week after Rio in Cincinnati, most likely aiming to rest up for the US Open. Williams will next play in New York at the final Grand Slam of the season, where she is going for her sixth title in the Big Apple. The American will then play at a Premier 5 event in Wuhan, before going to the final Premier Mandatory of the season in Beijing. Williams will finish her season at the WTA Finals in Singapore, should she qualify.

Williams' Prior Year Schedules

In prior years, Williams has played in Cincinnati before the US Open and occasionally in Bastad, Sweden after Wimbledon. Different to 2015, the world number one plans on playing the Asian swing at the end of the year, a part of the calendar the American skipped last year due to fatigue and a crushing semifinal loss at the US Open. Williams is also not playing in Premier events in Charleston and Stanford.

Williams' Disappointing Start to 2016

Though only playing one tournament so far in 2016, it has been a tough start to 2016 for the American. The world number one cruised through the draw at the Australian Open in Melbourne, not dropping a set on the way to the final. In the title match, Williams faced German lefty Angelique Kerber, who was going for her first ever Grand Slam title. Williams fell short in the final, losing in three tight sets to the German, which is the world number one's second straight crushing, Grand Slam loss. Though it was a great fortnight for the world number one, taking home the runner-up trophy was a major disappointment by her standards. Williams has not played since then, but will play an exhibition match this week in New York at Madison Square Garden before traveling to Indian Wells for the BNP Paribas Open.

Source: vavel.com

 

Kazakhstan Edge Ahead After Shock Doubles Win

Kazakhstan took a shock 2-1 lead against Serbia in their Davis Cup by BNP Paribas first round tie after Aleksandr Nedovyesov and Andrey Golubev beat home crowd favourites Nenad Zimonjic and Novak Djokovic 63 76(3) 75 in Saturday’s doubles.
The result set up a pair of fascinating clashes on Sunday, when Djokovic takes on Mikhail Kukushkin in the first of the day’s two reverse singles before Viktor Troicki faces Nedovyesov.
Reeling after Kukushkin brushed aside Troicki on Friday to cancel out Djokovic’s opening victory against Nedovyesov, the Serbians were undone by a spirited Kazakh doubles pair who were unfazed against their more illustrious opponents.
Djokovic, the world’s top-ranked singles player, and former doubles No.1 Zimonjic appeared to have taken control of the opening set when they broke Nedovyesov’s serve in the fifth game.
However, they totally imploded as the Kazakhs, again roared on by 150 loud away fans, took the next four to stun the home supporters, who were joined by a drummers’ band after Djokovic’s rallying cry on Friday for more passion from the terraces.
While Djokovic held his own more often than not, Zimonjic struggled and committed three successive double faults to hand the visitors a 5-3 lead before they held serve and closed out the opening set.
Games went with serve in the second as all four players showed remarkable composure, setting up a tie break in which Kazakhstan again showed nerves of steel to swing it their way.
Trailing 2-0 in the tiebreak, the Kazakhs capitalised on a flurry of unforced errors by the home team, as they also showed remarkable composure at the net to win it 7-3.
Sensing an upset was firmly on the cards, the home crowd got behind Serbia in full force but resolute Kazakhstan kept going at full throttle, as they held serve comfortably to nose 4-3 ahead in the third set.
Their volleying was simply impeccable and even a player of Djokovic’s class struggled to find chinks in what looked like a Kazakh wall in the other half of the court.
Golubev, for his part, rattled the Serbians with several breathtaking winners, notably a scorching cross-court backhand which left Zimonjic wrong-footed and rooted to the spot in the eight game of the third set.
As the proverbial axe drew closer to Serbia’s necks, Zimonjic somehow held serve to tie it at 4-4 when Nedovyesov slammed an easy forehand into the net.
With the set delicately balanced at 5-5, the Kazakhs saved a break point with yet another superb volley and piled more pressure on the Serbians, who looked totally bereft of ideas and running on empty.
Zimonjic again faltered in the final game, volleying a backhand into the net to give Kazakhstan a double match point and the visitors needed no second invitation, taking it in 2 hours 27 minutes to put themselves in the tie’s driving seat.
Serbian captain Bogdan Obradovic said: "Congratulations to Kazakhstan, they earned it all the way. We just couldn’t cope with the pressure at key moments, while they played at a very high level in every department. We’ve been here before and we now have to regroup in order to win Sunday’s reverse singles."
Novak Djokovic added: "They showed real quality today and deservedly won. They were constant throughout the match and had no lapses in concentration. The second and third sets were tight and we tried as hard as we could, but we lost to a better team.
"It is hardly surprising, given that they beat Switzerland’s Roger Federer and Stanislas Wawrinka last term. It’s not the first time we’ve been 2-1 down after the doubles and we know what we have to do if we are to force the final twist."

Source: DavisCup.com

Czech Dream Team on Fire Again in Hannover

The Czechs celebrate

Tomas Berdych and Radek Stepanek have given Czech Republic an all-important 2-1 lead over Germany in Hannover after combining superbly to clinch the all-important doubles point.
The Czech duo saw off the threat of Philipp Kohlschreiber and Philipp Petzscher in two hours and 43 minutes to edge a tight encounter 76(7) 75 64.
Berdych and Stepanek improve to 16-2 in Davis Cup doubles with the win, strengthening their status as Czech Republic’s most successful pair in the history of the team competition. It also brought up half a century of victories for Berdych in Davis Cup.
The scoreline at the end of play read three straight sets, but this was a match of fine margins with just two breaks - both on Petzschner’s serve - deciding the outcome.
Despite playing away from home the Czechs came into the match as the slight favourites. It had been 18 months since Berdych and Stepanek last teamed up but as captain Jaroslav Navratil explained on Friday night, “they just understand each other. Not just on the court, but privately too. They are very good friends.”
It didn’t take long for either team to settle into the occasion and why would it? With 168 combined rubbers played between them, the importance of today’s doubles point needed no explaining and the tennis was high quality from the start with the contrasting styles of all four players adding to the appeal.
Seven break points came and went in the first set - three for the Germans and four for the Czechs - and after 12 lengthy games a tiebreak was upon us. It seemed to swing in the Germans’ favour at 4-4 when Petzschner, superbly, picked up a deep Stepanek volley off his shoelaces, sending it back over the Czech’s head to go 5-4 up.
But it was a case of anything you can do we can do better, and back came the Czechs with Stepanek rising to the occasion. The veteran put up a stunning topspin lob, which left the Germans stranded, to go 8-7 up and they finally found the breakthrough on their third set point when Kohlschreiber sent a backhand crashing into the net.
The Czechs won 58 points to the Germans’ 57 in that first set and their tug-of-war battle continued until 5-5 in the second when Berdych lit up the TUI Arena with some spectacular tennis.
He ripped a backhand return winner for 0-30 before his exquisite lob evaded Kohlschreiber at the net. With three break points on their racket the visitors only needed one, and a delightful dipping return from Berdych onto Petzschner’s feet set up Stepanek to put away the volley for the break and essentially, the set.
At 1-1 in the third, the Czechs broke for the second time in the match to seize control. With Stepanek producing some wonderful touches around the net, the victors served out the rest of the set in style to seal a vital win.

Source: DavisCup.com

WTA Shot of the Month (February) - Agnieszka Radwanska

February was packed with plenty of amazing shots - we narrowed it down to the five best.
In the end it was Agnieszka Radwanska who, in a match full of highlights against Roberta Vinci at the Qatar Total Open, played one of those shots to rule them all in the quarterfinals. As Radwanska makes her way to net, you know something magical is about to happen; sure enough, the Pole taps a volley from behind the back to put an exclamation point on an already-entertaining rally in Doha - taking home this month's top votes.

Final Results for February's WTA Shot Of The Month
1. Agnieszka Radwanska (84%)
2. Jelena Jankovic (6%)
3. Elina Svitolina (4%)
4. Garbiñe Muguruza (3%)
5. Belinda Bencic (3%)

Source: WTA Tennis

WTA Breakthrough Performance of the Month (February) - Jelena Ostapenko

Jelena Ostapenko didn't enter the Qatar Total Open with high aspirations; two out of the main draw, the 18-year-old Latvian just wanted to win a match in qualifying before finding herself in the main draw.
"I was trying to improve," she said. "First, it was like second round of quallies, and I was just really happy that I got main draw.
"On the first match, I was just trying to play my best tennis. Match by match, I played better and better."
An understatement from the typically understated Ostapenko, who earned back-to-back wins over a pair of former World No.2s Svetlana Kuznetsova and Petra Kvitova en route to the second and biggest final of her career. Up a set against Carla Suárez Navarro, she showed off effortless power and gritty resilience through three sets, but ultimately fell to the experienced Spaniard.
Still, it was an impressive week for the Latvian, who jumps up to a career-high ranking of No.41 and joins fellow 18-year-olds Belinda Bencic (No.8) and Daria Kasatkina (No.46) to become the largest cohort of youngsters since April of 2009 (Caroline Wozniacki, Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, Sorana Cirstea).
"It's great but it's just the first step," she said during the trophy ceremony. "But my goal is to be even higher, so I hope I can make it."

Final Results for January's WTA Breakthrough Performance Of The Month
1. Jelena Ostapenko (50%)
2. Daria Kasatkina (23%)
3. Caroline Garcia (15%)
4. Zheng Saisai (12%)

Source: WTA Tennis

WTA Player of the Month (February) - Carla Suarez Navarro

Carla Suárez Navarro played some of the best tennis of her career at the Qatar Total Open to win her one spot away from her season goal of reaching the Top 5.
second career title and find herself
The Spanish veteran dropped two games in the semifinals against reigning WTA Finals champion Agnieszka Radwanska, and recovered from a set down to dispatch 18-year-old Jelena Ostapenko, 1-6, 6-4, 6-4.
"I think in the final set I played really aggressive," she told WTA Insider in the latest Champion's Corner. "With my backhand I played more aggressive than with my forehand. I felt more confident today at the end of the match with my backhand. That helped me win the match."
Suárez Navarro started the week ranked No.11,  but the title brought her ranking all the way up to a career-high of No.6.
"I feel really, really close. I know all the top players, I know if you want to be in the Top 5 you have to have good tournaments like this or like Melbourne to take points. Also, at the tournaments where there are all the top players, I know I'm close.
"But I know the year is very long. I want to take the experience of last year where I start really good but I lost confidence a little bit and I couldn't end the year inside the Top 10. But I know the key and I know the things I have to do to be there. But I'm really excited about No.6 and I'm really close to No.5."
 Starting the year well, Suárez Navarro reached the quarterfinals of the Australian Open for the first time since 2009 when she upset then-World No.6 Venus Williams in the second round.
"I started really good in Melbourne. I had good matches there. I lost to Aga. I want to take the experience of last year to play better in the Grand Slams. The Grand Slams are really important tournaments and when you are in the Top 20, you want to win good tournaments, big tournaments. You have to be there.
"I think the key is working and practicing really hard."
With plenty of hard work and momentum from the Middle East Swing, Suárez Navarro appears poised for a breakout spring as February's WTA Player Of The Month!
Final Results for February's WTA Player Of The Month
1. Carla Suárez Navarro (44%)
2. Roberta Vinci (40%)
3. Sara Errani (16%)

Source: WTA Tennis

Watson Downs Wozniacki in Monterrey Quarterfinals

Heather Watson produced her best tennis of the season to defeat Caroline Wozniacki and take a place in the semifinals of the Abierto Monterrey Afirme.
A battle between two of the WTA's sprightliest movers produced no shortage of entertaining exchanges, yet it was Watson, not the former No.1 on the other side of the net, setting the tone.
In a sparkling display, Watson took the game to Wozniacki from the off, eventually getting her reward with a break in the penultimate game of the opening set. Even a slow start to the second failed to discourage the Briton as she came roaring back, a couple of heavy-duty forehands kick-starting a run of four straight games.
Wozniacki, as ever, battled gamely to end, but she had no answer to her opponent's inspired tennis, spraying a forehand wide to slip to a 7-5, 6-4 defeat.
"I'm very happy with how I played today. I thought I played very well - I needed to against Caroline because she's a great player - and I had to fight to the end because I knew she would," Watson said during her on-court interview. "I just took it point by point and didn't look too far ahead.
"I think one of her main traits is that she is such a fighter. She makes a lot of balls and makes you really win it. I knew I was going to have to finish a lot of points today, come to net and not be too passive."
Meeting Watson for a place in the final will be either Caroline Garcia or Pauline Parmentier.
On the other side of the draw, hopes for an all-British final were dashed when Kirsten Flipkens upset No.4 seed Johanna Konta, 6-3, 6-7(2), 6-1. Her reward is a meeting with another unseeded player, Anett Kontaveit, a 6-1, 6-4 winner over Nicole Gibbs.

Source: WTA Tennis

Bouchard to meet Svitolina in Final of Malaysian Open

Canadian tennis female player, Eugenie Bouchard and ukrainian Elina Svitolina advance in the final of WTA BMW Malaysian Open (K.Lumpur) 2016. Bouchard beats Naomi Broady in straight sets (6-4; 6-3). On the other side, Elina Svitolina defeated chinese Lin Zhu with 2-0 in sets (6-3; 6-3). Tomorrow in final will face Bouchard vs. Svitolina for the no.1 spot in Malaysia.

Eugenie Bouchard Reaches Malaysian Open Semifinals

Eugenie Bouchard of Canada secured a spot in the Malaysian Open semifinals Friday.
The Westmount native beat 128nd-ranked Cagla Buyukakcay of Turkey in straight sets 6-1 and 6-4, in the Malaysian capital, Kuala Lumpur.
It took Bouchard, the sixth seed, under one hour and 31 minutes to defeat Buyukakcay.

Eugenie Bouchard continued serenely its course at the Kuala Lumpur tournament with a victory in straight sets against the Turkish Cagla Buyukakcay. Bouchard, the sixth seed, triumphed 6-1, 6-4 to reach the semifinals. 

The climate in the Malaysian capital represented a challenge for many players this week and they were a physical and mental test for Bouchard.

“It’s more difficult here. It is very humid in Malaysia,” she said. “Sometimes I saw four balls instead of one. I continued to fight, to take the points one at a time and, fortunately, I won in two sets.”

Bouchard will now face the Briton Naomi Broady, who caused a stir by eliminating German No. 3 Sabine Lisicki 7-6 (4), 1-6, 7-5. Bouchard won her only career duel against Broady in 2012 in Florida.

In the other half of the draw, Ukrainian Elina Svitolina will face China’s Zhu Lin. Svitolina recovered after a difficult start to defeat Slovak Kristina Kucova 1-6, 6-1, 6-1. Zhu, after qualifying, beat compatriot Wang Qiang 6-3, 6-4.

Source: WTA Tennis

Davis Cup: Kohlschreiber Gives Germany 1-0 Lead Over Czechs

Philipp Kohlschreiber defeated Lukas Rosol 3-6, 6-3, 6-4, 2-6, 6-3 to give Germany a 1-0 lead over the Czech Republic in their Davis Cup first-round tie on Friday.
German No. 1 Kohlschreiber, ranked 30th, converted his first match point to beat the 50th-ranked Czech in 2 hours, 57 minutes.
Tomas Berdych was aiming to level the tie against Germany's 18-year-old Davis Cup debutant, Alexander Zverev, later Friday.

Berdych was playing for the first time since the 2014 semifinals.
The Czech Republic is bidding to make up for its first-round loss last year — its first since 2011 — while Germany aims to improve on its 10-4 record against the visitors.
The winner faces Canada or France in July's quarterfinals.

Source: DailyMail

Davis Cup: Cilic Gives Croatia 1-0 Lead Over Belgium

Former U.S. Open champion Marin Cilic gave Croatia a 1-0 lead over Belgium in their first round Davis Cup tie with a 7-5, 6-3, 7-5 win over Kimmer Coppejans on Friday.
The 122th-ranked Coppejans offered a strong resistance in the first set but could not hold onto a 5-2 lead. He served for the set at 5-4 in the opener, and led 4-2 in the third set but Cilic, who hit 16 aces, used his greater experience to prevail on the red clay of the Country Hall.
David Goffin took on Borna Coric in the second singles.
Belgium reached its first final in 111 years last year, and ended as runner-up to Britain.
Croatia and Belgium have met once before, with the Croatians winning back in 2004.

Source: Davis Cup Website

Davis Cup: Djokovic Delivers for Serbia in Belgrade

World No. 1 Novak Djokovic gave Serbia an expected 1-0 lead against Kazakhstan in their Davis Cup by BNP Paribas first round tie, after making light work of a 61 62 63 win against Aleksandr Nedovyesov in the opening singles rubber on Friday.
Having shaken off an eye infection only a day or two before the tie, Djokovic breezed through the match to delight a noisy home crowd in Belgrade’s Aleksandar Nikolic Arena.
Playing for the first time against the world’s top-ranked player, Nedovyesov, who was brushed aside in the opening set, put up a brave fight early in the second, when he won the longest game of the match to take a brief 2-1 lead.
That spurred Djokovic into action and he won the next five games, while producing a barrage of sizzling shots, including a total of 12 forehand winners through the opening two sets.
The Serbian also conjured some spectacular net points, galvanising the home fans who were matched every bit for passion by a colourful and vociferous band of visiting Kazakhstan supporters.
Sporting a giant drum and several trumpets, the away fans played a crucial part in creating a superb atmosphere in the jam-packed venue, renamed recently after one of Serbia’s iconic basketball coaches.
Having had his left shoulder massaged by Serbia’s team doctor during breaks between games in the third set, Djokovic kept his foot on the gas pedal just enough to close out the match and put the competition’s 2010 winners in the driving seat.
Viktor Troicki takes on Kazakhstan’s top-ranked player Mikhail Kukushkin in Friday’s second singles rubber.

Source: Davis Cup Website

Wozniacki Reaches Quarterfinals

No.2 seed Caroline Wozniacki dodged a tough second-round challenge from Mirjana Lucic-Baroni, advancing to the quarterfinals of the Abierto Monterrey Afirme 6-4, 6-4.
No.2 seed Caroline Wozniacki dodged a stern second-round challenge from Mirjana Lucic-Baroni, advancing to the quarterfinals of the Abierto Monterrey Afirme 6-4, 6-4.
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"It was very tough," Wozniacki said after the match. "[Lucic-Baroni] plays really strong and really hard from the baseline and I didn't have much time to get ready for my shots. So yeah, I'm very happy to be through."
Wozniacki found herself in trouble early on - she quickly found herself down 4-2 in the first set, overpowered by Lucic-Baroni's heavy groundstrokes and returns. After a word with her coach, Wozniacki came back with more aggression, winning the next four games to take back the set 6-4.
The pair contested a tight second set, holding serves and trading breaks at 3-3, staying level until Wozniacki sealed the match with a final break to Lucic-Baroni's serve as the Croatian sent a forehand wide.
"I think I just kept my head cool and just got that extra ball back, try to get a little extra pop in my shots when she was attacking me," Wozniacki said of her first-set comeback. "I got a lot of returns back and I kept the ball deep."
Wozniacki is set to face Britain's Heather Watson in the Monterrey quarterfinals.
Earlier in the evening, No.1 seed Sara Errani was no match for the inspired performance of 20-year-old Anett Kontaveit, who sent her packing 6-1, 6-3.
Kontaveit's first-round win over Cibulkova - a former Australian Open finalist - fired a warning shot to her Monterrey rivals, and although Errani had never played against her she knew to expect a challenge.
"No, I have seen her on television in a couple of games but I don't know her," Errani said ahead of their match. "I have seen her play very well, hit the ball very hard, but let's see."
Errani was confounded by Kontaveit's short-angled forehands and pace, and once the Estonian found her footing in the match there was no looking back. After Errani's service hold in the first game of the set, Kontaveit won the next six to win the first set 6-1 in barely 22 minutes. Errani's troubles continued in the second set; though Errani broke Kontaveit's serve twice, the 20-year-old kept the pressure on and kept the points short, marching to a 6-1, 6-3 victory.
A pair of qualifiers also made their way to the quarterfinals. Nicole Gibbs is through to face Errani after a seesaw match against Christina McHale, who was forced to retire at 7-6(5), 6-7(4), 3-0 due to dizziness. Pauline Parmentier defeated Monica Puig 6-3, 6-4 and she's set to face the No.5 seed and Fed Cup teammate Caroline Garcia in the next round.
"It's going to be a funny match because we are really good friends," Parmentier said of the all-French quarterfinal. "We played the Fed Cup together a few weeks ago and we are close.
"I hope it's going to be a good match because sometimes when you play a player from your own country it's like so-so, but I hope for me it's good."

Source: WTA Tennis