Week eight of the 2016 tennis season continued to produce unusual results in tennis. We witnessed more of the upsets that have become commonplace on both tours in recent weeks: Santina, Halep, Kvitova, and Djokovic all suffered early exits. For Hingis/Mirza and Djokovic, their losses put a halt to the two most impressive week-to-week streaks in tennis. Carla Suarez Navarro scored the biggest win of her career, while Dominic Thiem and Pablo Cuevas backed up their strong play in recent weeks with another title. Marcos Baghdatis returned to the top 40, and Sergiy Stakhovsky exited the top 100. Finally, Federer went to the Oscars, and Cornet announced she'll be out for six months rehabbing a back injury.
WTA
WTA
WINNERS
WINNERS
- Doha - Suarez Navarro d. Ostapenko 1-6 6-4 6-4
- Acapulco - Stephens d. Cibulkova 6-4 4-6 7-6
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HONOR ROLL
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EARLY EXITS
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SPOTLIGHT
Carla Suarez Navarro won the biggest title of her career in Doha and secured a new career high ranking of #6 in the process. Her title run included a 6-2 6-0 dismantling of Aga Radwanska in the semifinal, before mounting a comeback against 18-year-old Ostapenko in the final. For Suarez Navarro, 27, it was just the second WTA title of her career after winning the Portugal Open in 2014, improving her record in WTA finals to 2-8. After making three finals between February and May last year, Suarez Navarro will now look to back up this strong start to 2016 with a better finish than she managed in 2015. After reaching the final in Rome last year, she made only two quarterfinals the rest of the season.
Carla Suarez Navarro won the biggest title of her career in Doha and secured a new career high ranking of #6 in the process. Her title run included a 6-2 6-0 dismantling of Aga Radwanska in the semifinal, before mounting a comeback against 18-year-old Ostapenko in the final. For Suarez Navarro, 27, it was just the second WTA title of her career after winning the Portugal Open in 2014, improving her record in WTA finals to 2-8. After making three finals between February and May last year, Suarez Navarro will now look to back up this strong start to 2016 with a better finish than she managed in 2015. After reaching the final in Rome last year, she made only two quarterfinals the rest of the season.
MY 2 CENTS
The top seeds on the WTA Tour have experienced a rough go of it in recent weeks. In Dubai, all of the top eight seeds lost their opening matches. This week in Doha, Kerber, Halep, Kvitova, and Safarova all lost before the quarterfinals. Rather than decry the inconsistency of the tour's top players, it might be better to celebrate the opportunities that have been created for lower ranked players to enjoy some success. In the past three weeks, the tour's winners have included: Venus Williams, Errani, Vinci, Schiavone, Stephens, and Suarez Navarro. We've also seen young players like Ostapenko, Osaka, and Rogers make deep runs. The tour has benefited from enthralling matches across the board. February was a strange month in tennis to be sure, but it might be best to embrace the uncertainty it's provided, knowing that the season has many months left to produce late-round top seeded blockbusters.
The top seeds on the WTA Tour have experienced a rough go of it in recent weeks. In Dubai, all of the top eight seeds lost their opening matches. This week in Doha, Kerber, Halep, Kvitova, and Safarova all lost before the quarterfinals. Rather than decry the inconsistency of the tour's top players, it might be better to celebrate the opportunities that have been created for lower ranked players to enjoy some success. In the past three weeks, the tour's winners have included: Venus Williams, Errani, Vinci, Schiavone, Stephens, and Suarez Navarro. We've also seen young players like Ostapenko, Osaka, and Rogers make deep runs. The tour has benefited from enthralling matches across the board. February was a strange month in tennis to be sure, but it might be best to embrace the uncertainty it's provided, knowing that the season has many months left to produce late-round top seeded blockbusters.
RANKINGS WATCH
- RISING: Suarez Navarro (+5 to #6), Ostapenko (+47 to #41), Bouchard (+9 to #52), Saisai (+10 to #63), K Bondarenko (+7 to #68), Vesnina (+29 to #89), Vekic (+10 to #94), Osaka (+8 to #106)
- FALLING: Dulgheru (-10 to #67), Witthoeft (-7 to #77), Mattek-Sands (-5 to #85), Rybarikova (-9 to #88), Diyas (-11 to #95)
PRESS
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Q. Congratulations. This is the biggest title of your career. Can you tell us what it means for you?
CARLA SUAREZ NAVARRO: Thank you. So special. It was tough week with a lot of matches every day. Only top players were here. You know, winning my second title after losing three finals the last year, so even more special. Q. Of course this is a very disappointing way to finish two weeks of tournament. But still maybe you can take away some positive things from this tournament? ANDREA PETKOVIC: Definitely very positive tournament for me. I'm very happy with the way I played, with the matches I've won. I won two matches in Dubai, four here, quarters in Brisbane. After last season, I think I'm really on the right path. I'm really disappointed. I'm really annoyed that this had to happen today because I felt like I was playing really well. I just couldn't move....
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Q. On the court you said getting in the top 50 just first step for you. And you said of course your dream is winning Grand Slams. What do you think the second step is for you?
JELENA OSTAPENKO: I mean, it's not the first step, but it's one of the steps because first step was like to go through the juniors. I mean, just to improve and play all the Grand Slams as good as I can, and play the Olympics. I hope I got to the Olympics. It was my goal for this year because the Olympics, they are just once in four years, so it's nice to play. Q. What do you think bothered you the most about her? What make her tough to play against? AGNIESZKA RADWANSKA: I think her consistency. I think that what make her a very powerful player, a very solid game from the back. What she did today, very good. Everything was coming back even stronger. So, you know, she was pushing me back. I really in that kind of stage, I didn't know what to do.
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ON THE WEB
Champion's Corner: Suarez Navarro
Insider Diaries: The Gibbs of Gab
Santina Streak Ends at 41
A Fuller February - Steve Tignor
WTA Has Become a Tour with Plenty of Stars, but Almost No Champions
Voskoboeva Vaults into WTA Return
All in with Alla: Up in the Air
WTA Week in Preview: Kuala Lumpur & Monterrey
ATP
WINNERS
- Dubai - Wawrinka d. Baghdatis 6-4 7-6
- Acapulco - Thiem d. Tomic 7-6 4-6 6-3
- Sao Paulo - Cuevas d. Carreno Busta 7-6 6-3
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HONOR ROLL
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EARLY EXITS
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SPOTLIGHT
Can you believe it's been ten years since Marcos Baghdatis reached the Australian Open final? He went on to make the Wimbledon semifinals that year and the quarterfinals in 2007, but it's been a barren stretch ever since. Now 30, it's been seven years since he last made it past the fourth round of a Slam; after this week, Baghdatis finds himself back inside the ATP top 40 for the first time in almost three years. His run to the final in Dubai included wins over Troicki (22), Pospisil (45), Bautista Agut (18), and Lopez (24). February was a successful month overall for the Cypriot, as he also banked a quarterfinal appearance in Montpellier.
Can you believe it's been ten years since Marcos Baghdatis reached the Australian Open final? He went on to make the Wimbledon semifinals that year and the quarterfinals in 2007, but it's been a barren stretch ever since. Now 30, it's been seven years since he last made it past the fourth round of a Slam; after this week, Baghdatis finds himself back inside the ATP top 40 for the first time in almost three years. His run to the final in Dubai included wins over Troicki (22), Pospisil (45), Bautista Agut (18), and Lopez (24). February was a successful month overall for the Cypriot, as he also banked a quarterfinal appearance in Montpellier.
MY 2 CENTS
What a time to be Dominic Thiem! In six tournaments in 2016, the Austrian has made four semifinals and won two titles. The last three weeks have been his most prolific stretch: winning Buenos Aires, making the Rio semifinals, and now winning in Acapulco. His match record on the year sits at an enviable 18-4, earning him a career high ranking of #14. Clay has been his favored surface in his young career, but he managed to make the transition between the South American clay courts to the Acapulco hard courts with aplomb. Simply put, Thiem has announced himself; he's put his hand up as the young player to watch for the rest of the season. He's also beaten some of the game's best players for those 18 wins: Nadal and Ferrer on clay, as well as Dimitrov, Querrey, Tomic, and Cilic. Here's hoping he can back up his stellar February with continued success the rest of the season.
RANKINGS WATCH
- RISING: Kyrgios( +6 to #27), Querrey (+7 to #36), Baghdatis (+18 to #39), Carreno Busta (+14 to #43), Estrella Burgos (+8 to #66), Lajovic (+9 to #67), Marchenko (+15 to #70), Fritz (+21 to #81), Sugita (+20 to #99)
- FALLING: Coric (-9 to #47), Almagro (-11 to #61), Istomin (-10 to #73), Millman (-14 t0 #75), Monaco (-30 to #98), Stakhovsky (-22 to #114)
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PRESS
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Q. How do you explain your record now in finals? You have won nine in a row. Not many people can pull that off.
STAN WAWRINKA: There is no explanation. I also know that more I win matches in the same week, more confidence I get. I know that's normally when I get some finals I play my best tennis. So far it's been some great nine finals. But I don't think about it. I just try to go on court, to step on the court, try to get the trophy because at the end that's what I want. Q. How do you assess the whole week following on from your great win in Marseilles? NICK KYRGIOS: It was a bit of a struggle, to be honest. I mean, it was obviously, you know, good result, but, you know, I have been feeling so bad every day, like I've got some viral infection, as well. So I feel like shit. Q. It's a very sad end to a great run of so many finals. NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Well, yeah. Look, this is the least of my thoughts in the moment. You know, I just hope that this problem with the eye will fade away in the next couple of days. I got a lot of important events waiting for me in the next period. Of course Davis Cup back home and Indian Wells, Miami, and of course clay court season. So, you know, physically I feel fine. Mentally, as well. It's just something that I hope that is gonna, you know, vanish after several days, but in contrary, it was getting worse. I have to deal with it. |
Q. Must be very encouraging the whole week because you played very, very well and you've beaten three players inside the top 24.
MARCOS BAGHDATIS: Yeah. I mean, I have been playing very well throughout last year, too. I think I had some great matches also last year. I mean, like I said last year, I lost 11 times to the winner of the tournament, 3 times to the finalist of the tournament. This year I lost four matches. Three of them are to the winner of the tournaments. So I think I'm playing very good tennis. It's just this week I think I was a bit lucky and I went through the quarterfinals and the semifinals, you know. I found my way to win. I think, like I said, more matches at this stage, at this level I think will make me improve. That's what's happening. You know, I didn't win the tournament this week but I won a lot more, you know. I won my confidence back. I see -- I mean, with my team we see the way to come back, you know. It's a small light that we see, I mean, in the tunnel. We come from a long way back. You know, I'm happy I'm back and playing this kind of tennis now. It's just to continue improving, and, like I said, play at this level throughout the year. Q. He's a bit of a character. So today when he was coming in for an overhead he did a little bit of a turn before he took it. Do you notice those things, or does it not matter who's on the other side or what he's doing? TOMAS BERDYCH: Doesn't really matter. I mean, he can do flips if he wants. And if he is winning the points, good for him. (Laughter.) It's really not my business, and he can do whatever he wants on the other side. If it's the way that he feels good and comfortable in, it's not a problem. I'm really just focusing on myself, my side of the court, and that's it. |
ON THE WEB
Thiem Caps Fantastic February with Acapulco Title
Drama Continues as British Parliament Questions Tennis Officials
Wawrinka Beats Baghdatis for Dubai Title
No Time for Novak Djokovic to Dwell on Rare Setback
Stringing in Memphis - Inside the stringing room at a tour event
Shelter dogs take to the court at Brazil Open
Guy Forget Named New Director of French Open
No Easy Fix for Davis Cup - Courier
PODCASTS
The Body Serve - "Fresh Off the Court"
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No Challenges Remaining - "Overpromised, Underdelivered"
WTA Insider - "Always Full of Surprises"
Realz Tenis Fanz - "Men Ruled and Women Drooled.....JUST THIS WEEK THOUGH"
Tennis.com - "WTA Emergency Podcast"
Beyond the Baseline - "Andre Agassi on Tennis, New Venture, Philanthropy"
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