Zhu edges Bouchard in straight sets at Abierto GNP Seguros

Eugenie Bouchard fatigue was tested and broken apart at the Abierto GNP Seguros in Monterrey Tuesday. The Canadian gave it her best shot against Lin Zhu, but let up late in straight sets 7-5, 7-6(3) on Stadio court at the Sierra Madre Tennis Club. The 27-year-old Chinese star sealed her first win over Bouchard in three tries in what was a dramatic one at night. 

This marked the third time the two met and the first in three years. Bouchard took both of them in succession during the 2018 season, walking into Monterrey with a lot of good momentum. Despite losing out on a WTA final in Guadalajara Saturday, the 27-year-old didn’t let that beat her down. It was a week of big improvements, lots of fighting, and dictating a pace through some of her wins. With a new tournament in front of her, the Canadian looked to handle Zhu the same as before and start off right. 

Bouchard had to defend breakpoints during her service game, leading Zhu to take the opening lead. The Chinese player slipped on her service, allowing Bouchard to break back in the second. She fared better during her second game on serve, allowing Zhu just one point before going for more. The Canadian nearly had a break to love in the fourth but took it on a bad forehand error from Zhu. 

She hoped to consolidate the double break with a 4-1 lead, but a missed forehand opened the door for Zhu, who scored the break back. A great finish for Bouchard in the sixth saw her running for a return near the net, scoring the triple break on a lobbed pass into Zhu’s end. She had the two-game cousin and opened the seventh with a great response, scoring on backhand return. She fired in an ace, reached 40-0 on an error from the Chinese, and took a 5-2 run with a return from Zhu falling long of the baseline. 

Trailing three games, Zhu knew she had to hold serve to extend the set and with an easy run-through, she notched her first of the set. She got ahead on Bouchard’s serve in the ninth, bringing in angled shots that helped her put pressure. Bouchard felt it but fought her way to deuce. It would be a double fault that would kill her chance to close it out, giving Zhu a chance to level with the score 5-4. 

The Chinese star pulled off the comeback, maintaining a service game that kept Bouchard back, pressing more games to be played. Zhu consolidated the important hold of serve with a break of Bouchard, who couldn’t find a way to deliver a redirect of control in the rallies. Her momentum piled on top of the Canadian clinching a strong finish with the service to love. It was a 47-minute roller coaster for the former world number five, who lost control and the opportunity to lead early. Bouchard’s first serve suffered greatly where she barely won 50 percent of shots from that and the second serve. 

With much to do in the second, she battled back Zhu, who wanted to keep things going only to fall behind. Her service game was nonexistent in the second, finding herself down 0-40. She miraculously reached deuce on Bouchard’s missed opportunities and hold serve. The Canadian didn’t let that bother her as she held well in the third before Zhu followed her making it two-all. They played six service games in a row as they played so tight with one bound to fall off her mark. 

It came for Zhu in the seventh, as they reached deuce where she took the AD point on the second break to win it on a long ball. With a break in the set achieved, the Chinese player had a key 4-3 lead, with service in play. Before they could resume, Bouchard called out the Physio to check on her neck. Her blood pressure was also checked out and it was determined that she was feeling slightly dizzy. 

Despite her ailments, Bouchard stuck it out, playing defense against Zhu, who wanted to get through her service with a hold. The two played to deuce where it took them 18 minutes, 12 breaks, and six breakpoint attempts before Bouchard was the one coming out on top. It leveled the score to four-all with the Canadian serving for the lead. She served remarkably well, putting Zhu on the edge of seeing a deciding set coming to fruition. 

The Chinese player served to extend in the tenth, but the first serve let her down early. She prevented giving Bouchard breakpoint chances, scoring a centering winner to press the second set further. The Canadian scored a huge serve to love in the 11th, taking the nerves off herself and adding trouble for Zhu to hold and send them to a tiebreak. She did just that, pulling off a lob near the net that set up game point and soon the win. 

Bouchard gave up a mini-break to start things off and broke back with a long ball from Zhu. She recovered on the third point, breaking back Bouchard for a 3-1 lead. The Canadian cut the lead in half after the sixth point, scoring a line drive away from Zhu. The Chinese player inched closer after nailing a smashed crosscourt before reaching match point on a wide return from Bouchard. 

The Canadian saved one, but with Zhu serving for the victory, she fell in a rally with a forehand crosscourt landing wide into the tramlines. It was a hard win for Zhu, who saw her efforts pay off in two hours and eight minutes.

Garbine Muguruza makes the third time a charm winning Dubai Duty Free Championship

Garbine Muguruza clenches her first during a hard-fought point in the final with Barbora Krejcikova at the Dubai Duty-Free Tennis Championship Saturday. 

Garbine Muguruza did not have an easy path in the Dubai Duty-Free Championships but edged the competition to win the title Saturday night. The Spaniard captured her 8th WTA title and the first since 2019, defeating Barbora Krejcikova 7-6(6), 6-3 on centre court at the Dubai Tennis Stadium. It clinched her 18th win this season, avenging an unfortunate result last week. 

This was the first time meeting in such a big moment in the Emirate City with the Czech playing in her first WTA final since Nurnberg in 2017. The qualifier was in a big spot against the former world number one, who was in her third WTA title match this season. After losing out in Doha, the Spaniard wanted to finish the week holding the title in Dubai. Krejcikova had a huge obstacle in front of her, facing a former top-five player for the first time this tournament. With the odds stacked well against her, the 25-year-old would have to find a way through the aggressive style that Muguruza consistency showed. 

The Czech played every point, forcing deuce on the seventh and going three breaks with Muguruza. She produced three breakpoints that broke the Spaniard to sit in front on the scoreboard. The ninth seed broke back in the second using the same tactics from the first, denying Krejcikova any leverage to force deuce on her serve. She blasted out a 40-0 only to see the Czech try and rally a threat in the third. Muguruza managed to put it away to hold serve and maintain the lead. 

Krejcikova responded with a hold in the fourth, holding the Spaniard to one point to level. Muguruza committed her first double fault in the fifth game yet controlled her service to secure the serve. With the game in check, the Spaniard added a break to consolidate herself to a 4-2 lead. Adding another service to take a three-game lead on Krejcikova was not in the cards as the 25-year-old fought to hold from her end. 

Krejcikova leveled things in the eighth, backing up the break of Muguruza to hold serve. The 27-year-old fired shots at the body of the Czech to get through the ninth with the pressure back on her opponent. Krejcikova served to extend the set, feeling no pressure whatsoever as she gained a shot a serving to love, but gave up one in her quest to tie it. Muguruza eyed a serve to love for herself in the 11th, but the Czech responded well with a forehand return. The 25-year-old scored another, but her attempt to force deuce was stopped by an ace down the T from the Spaniard, who took the 6-5 lead. 

With no more room to wiggle out of a problem, Krejcikova felt the pressure to serve for a tiebreak in the 12th. Muguruza pushed her hard to falter with a pair of errors that led to her three set points. One got away on a forehand shot into the net, and a second on a wide return into the tramlines. Muguruza played to get the third one locked down but during the rally, she lost her footing and slipped. It put Krejcikova to deuce where she fired the ball into the corners, moving into the court for the winner that sent them to a tiebreak. 

Both won the first six points on serve making it a tight race to the finish with no clear winner at the first changeover. The Czech held her end in the seventh and was then gifted a minibreak for the 5-3 lead. Muguruza handled a net-front volley with the 25-year-old, using her height to end the battle with a smash. Sitting a point down, Krejcikova leveled her opponent to five-all and forced an error to earn a set point. The Spaniard placed a forehand crosscourt to the Czech’s left, that kept them even into the second change of sides. 

Muguruza came into the 13th point, firing an ace on the left baseline that gave her another set point. She clinched a very tight set when Krejcikova returned a slicer too wide, ending her 65-minute fight in heartbreak. Though she had only four aces, they damaged Krejcikova at times including at the end. The 25-year-old served 57 percent and had the same number of winners as Muguruza, but came up short on points won from the service. 

It was the first time Krejcikova dropped a set and to regroup, she left the court for nearly 12 minutes leaving Muguruza to cool down while she changed outfits. When play resumed, the ninth seed brought the heat, breaking the Czech who gave up a 40-0 run and broke on the third break of deuce. She tried to counter with a break back, but the 27-year-old stayed tight to force deuce on serve. Krejcikova produced breakpoints but failed to get them to stick. Having saved two AD points, Muguruza sealed the hold of serve after the fourth deuce, creating a deficit. 

The 25-year-old got on the board in the third, but facing a gap early was a dangerous point against the Spaniard. Muguruza proved it with another solid service in the fourth, gaining back her two-game margin. Krejcikova refused to let another service game get out of hand, locking down the fifth with only one point to the ninth seed. Muguruza dug in during the sixth when she realized that breaking from the Czech was not occurring on service. 

The Spaniard had to fight on deuce, playing four breaks before a blown breakpoint for Krejcikova turned the tables, securing the hold. The 25-year-old double-faulted in the seventh but didn’t give up enough ground for Muguruza to counter. She still had a game on the Czech and held well in the eighth with two brutal slowball winners to play for the title in the ninth. Muguruza executed devastating line shots on Krejcikova, who was down 0-40 on serve. 

She tried getting back in, but it was too late as the 25-year-old hit the next point long giving Muguruza the long-awaited championship in two hours and eight minutes. “It’s a great achievement,” said Muguruza after her match. “I’ve been coming here for many years in a row and I felt like I was close but not enough, and today finally I got the champion trophy and very happy after losing two finals to get this one.” The Spaniard had both 31 winners and unforced errors while maintaining a higher serve percentage than her opponent. 

“It paid off this week,” she said. “The others I was close, but today I fought harder and very happy about it. I feel like the consistency is so hard to get and being able to play three finals is a great sign that we're on the way.”

Garbine Muguruza fights to win in straight sets against Elise Mertens in Dubai

Garbine Muguruza fires the forehand return during her semifinal match against Elise Mertens at the Dubai Duty-Free Tennis Championships

Garbine Muguruza came through her semifinal by the skin of her teeth at the Dubai Duty-Free Tennis Championships Friday. The ninth seed dug in deep to somehow prevent a third set against Elise Mertens, who didn’t want to give in easily but fell in straight sets 6-4, 7-6(5) on centre court at the Dubai Tennis Stadium. It clinched a third WTA final this season for the 27-year-old and her first in the Emirate city. 

The two met five years ago at the US Open where they went three sets with Muguruza running the Belgian off the court. Mertens got the best of her early, and if she wanted an upset of the Spaniard, it would take a lot of pressure in the right direction. Muguruza went three with Aryna Sabalenka, who wanted revenge from a week back but couldn’t pull it together and let her frustrations take her down. Mertens went after Jessica Pegula after she fell a break down, then scored a bagel in the third set. In another big fight for a spot in Saturday’s final, the two stars would get dug in and see who would come out on top. 

Muguruza got the match underway, scoring two points but a double fault opened the door for Mertens. The 10th seed took the next four points to force deuce and capture the break. Muguruza countered with a break back in the second, making her first step to building up momentum. She held off the Belgian in the third, despite committing her second double fault of the set. Merten’s also had trouble with the first serve forehand, double-faulting at the wrong time, leading Muguruza to score a double break. 

The Spaniard managed to come through clean in the fifth backing up the break with a serve to love, giving her a 4-1 stance. The Belgian struggled back on serve double-faulting for the third time in the set. Muguruza’s height helped out to reach anything from the baseline, delivering it right back to force deuce. After two breaks, Mertens captured an important service that cut the margin in half. 

The ninth seed took her focus into the seventh game, watched Mertens blow rallies with shots hit long and contain service. The Belgian served to keep the set alive in the eighth, doing so with help from unforced errors by Muguruza. The Spaniard served for the set, but it was a challenge from Mertens that made it uneasy. The 25-year-old threatened deuce and killed her opponent’s first chance at the set. On the second break, the Belgian scored the breakpoint that put her a game down from leveling the score. 

The tenth didn’t go the way Mertens planned, trailing on her own service after a costly mistake. Giving Muguruza set point on an error frustrated the 25-year-old, who had to fire a second serve across court only to see it driven back in the form of a line drive winner that gave the ninth seed the set after 52 minutes. Despite having five double faults and winning less than 60 percent of points from the first and second serves, she nailed 13 winners to Merten’s four. 

Mertens didn’t lose any of her fight, making it a difficult opening service game for Muguruza in the second set. The Belgian pressed deuce into action with three breaks but never gaining another breakpoint chance. The ninth seed didn’t let her service in the second go in that direction, scoring the hold of serve on a great lob that Muguruza couldn’t reach. The Spaniard moved on into the third, holding back Mertens from any threat to come through with a comfortable serve to love. 

The next four games were holds of service between the two until Muguruza made a massive push to take back control in the late stages of the set. The Spaniard backed up the hold in the seventh with a break to love in the eighth, taking a big step for a win to make the final. Mertens knew she couldn’t lose against Muguruza’s serve, forcing the Spaniard to play to deuce. The ninth seed gained her first match point on the break only to see a long rally finish with the Belgian coming into the court, smashing a crosscourt winner. 

The 25-year old gained confidence from saving a match point and watched as the Spaniard erred on back-to-back forehands to give her the break. The tenth saw Muguruza threaten once more with two match points only to see them blown away by Mertens, who forced deuce and saved a fourth in the process. It was on the second break that the 10th seed gained a chance to hold serve and did it to send them deeper into the set. 

Mertens gained momentum in the 11th, taking a break from Muguruza to threaten a decider. The Spaniard responded with a break back in the 12th pressing a tiebreak with a crosscourt winner. The 27-year-old opened the competition with a point won on serve before losing the next three straight. She managed to regroup and double break Mertens before a double fault by the Belgian gave her a 4-3 lead. 

A pop fly return and another wide error, brought up a fifth match point for the Spaniard only to see a return land long of the baseline. She still had chances to close it out, doing so on her final chance with the lead at 6-5. Muguruza played a nine-shot rally where being near the net helped her set up the forehand smash to win a dramatic fight in two hours and seven minutes. When it was all over, Muguruza stood on the court shocked that she won after blowing several match points. 

“She (Mertens) is a very talented player,” Muguruza said about her moment after winning it. “She always gives you another ball back and I’m just happy that I could close it in two sets.” She’ll go into Saturday’s final facing the winner between Jill Teichmann and Barbora Krejcikova. “I’m very excited,” she said. “I think it’s always great to be in a final and to have this opportunity holding the trophies. It’s been a tough tournament here playing many matches and very excited about having the last one tomorrow.”

Eugenie Bouchard holds off Caty McNally in straight sets win at Abierto Zapopan

Genie Bouchard in action during a rally with Caty McNally at the Abierto Zapopan in Guadalajara, Mexico. 

Eugenie Bouchard kept herself strong to come through again at the Abierto Zapopan Thursday night. The Canadian kept her game well rounded with unforced errors and winners that gave her a 6-4, 6-3 win against Caty McNally on Cancha Centrale at the Panamerican Tennis Center. This was the biggest winning streak for Bouchard since her run at Istanbul last year. 

The Canadian’s two wins had an increase of improvement while using patience to let her opponents make the critical mistakes that led to her winning. McNally was in her path as yet a new opponent never faced in her career. The American became the second player for the Canadian, who went three sets in her last match. Tamara Zidansek gave the 19-year-old a challenge deep in every set, but despite her second set tiebreak win, couldn’t break the pace that got her into the last eight. With Bouchard in her path, McNally knew that errors would determine who could make less, hold their serve together and endure. 

Bouchard opened the match but couldn’t build the ground to separate herself from McNally. The American forced deuce, gaining a breakpoint on the second. The 27-year-old killed it off and clinched the service on the third break setting the set into place. McNally forced extra shots to Bouchard, who found herself down but climbed back on free points from the teen. McNally got back on track, forcing her opponent to err on the returns to secure the serve. 

She consolidated it by breaking Bouchard’s service in the third before taking a big 3-1 lead. Bouchard knew that she couldn’t trail long and proved her efforts in the fifth. Errors from McNally gave the 27-year-old a chance to hold serve, but an error from her end forced deuce. Bouchard saved the breakpoint and held on the second break to contain her end. She covered the spread in the sixth when the American double-faulted twice. Bouchard got to breakpoint, winning it on a long ball from the teen that leveled them at three-all. 

Bouchard had the momentum and used it to perform well in the seventh, which earned her the lead. McNally tightened up in the eighth to hold serve, making it a serious point to keep the pressure on while feeling it herself. The Canadian did well to hold well in the ninth, putting all the nerves onto the young American who served to stay in it. She had set point until McNally forced deuce with a great winning return. 

When she thought the door was open, she found out that difficulty remained with Bouchard hunting down the key points needed to overturn her. On Bouchard’s second set point, she delivered a big forehand that McNally couldn’t get back, securing the first in 42 minutes. The Canadian leveled the winners to unforced errors from her side of the court that got her through the set with a first-serve percentage of 73. The American had twice the double faults of her opponent, getting the message that more had to be done with a stronger point. 

She tried breaking Bouchard in the opening game of the second set, but lost ground and end up on deuce. It took the 27-year-old three breaks to lock down the service, but her efforts paid off in the following game. The 19-year-old came out struggling and practically handed Bouchard the break. The Canadian backed up the two wins with a third, holding off McNally who trailed far back in the third. 

The teen got herself on the board with a service hold, but there was a lot of work to be done to come back, with Bouchard halfway to the match win. She gained a much-needed break, pressuring Bouchard enough for her to double fault and sit a game down after the fifth. Bouchard denied her the chance to back up the break and broke the American in response. Bouchard gifted the seventh game, putting too much pep on the ball during rallies. 

Despite keeping her in reach, the Canadian continued her path out front, scoring the break back for the 5-3 stand. With balls in hand to serve for the match, the 27-year-old had to prevent the fifth game from being broken. She watched McNally err on the first point, and then smashed a crosscourt winner on the next. The 19-year-old put her on match point with an unforced error but soon killed one chance off. A second try came on a forced error from McNally bringing an end to her tournament in 1 hour and 23 minutes. 

“The last couple of days have been a whirlwind and I’ve Just had matches every single day so I haven’t had time to think about it,” said Bouchard. “I’m just so grateful to stay here another day and keep playing.”

Garbine Muguruza wins another off Aryna Sabalenka in Dubai quarterfinal

Garbine Muguruza was laser-focused during her quarterfinal match with Aryna Sabalenka at the Dubai Duty-Free Tennis Championships. 

Garbine Muguruza managed her game well once again at the Dubai Duty-Free Championships Thursday. Showing super focus, playing well inside the court, and overcoming a first-set deficit, the Spaniard once again had Aryna Sabalenka beaten in three sets 3-6, 6-3, 6-2 on centre court at the Dubai Tennis Stadium. It was the second win against her opponent in a week as her intensity paid off to make the semifinals. 

This marked the third time and second in a week that the two met. Muguruza won in Doha, defeating the defending champion in a thrilling three-setter. With the series even at one match apiece, both players would fight it out not only to get a lead over the other but to continue on at the tournament. The Spaniard marked her 15th win yesterday, beating French Open champion Iga Swiatek in dominant fashion. With momentum picked up for the ninth seed, she would try to keep it high against the Belorussian while trying to prevent a long-drawn-out match. 

Sabalenka’s first mission was to hold serve against the former world number one, who had a tactic working against her. The 22-year-old trailed, but forced deuce and killed off a second breakpoint for Muguruza. Once that was taken care of, the third seed gained the AD point to close out the first. The Spaniard didn’t let that loss of a break bother her, scoring a serve to love from her end. Sabalenka held well from her end, giving the 27-year-old just one point from her service in the third. 

A key break for the Belorussian helped her back up the hold, gaining breakpoints that she defended. A serve to love increased the gap to 4-1, placing Muguruza way back off the pace. The ninth seed made sure to hold serve in the sixth, but she had a long way to go before thinking of a tie. Sabalenka stayed focused on service, opening a 40-0 run before giving up just two to win. 

Muguruza notched another in the eighth, giving up her serve to love chance to play on deuce. The Spaniard managed to prevent more chances for her opponent and locked it down on the first break. The Belorussian served for the set in the ninth but allowed points for the ninth seed. She managed to reach set point but blew it on a long return. 

On the first break, Sabalenka fired a crosscourt winner for a second attempt, scoring the AD point on a net-front smash to complete 35 minutes of play. The 22-year-old bested Muguruza on first serve percentage at 71 percent and nailed down more winners while making her 12 unforced errors ineffective. 

Going into the second, the Belorussian played a mix of offense and defense, scoring the break on Muguruza. The ninth seed had enough of Sabalenka dictating and broke back in response on the next game. The Spaniard backed it up with a service hold in the third and captured the double break in the following game. Muguruza continued her winning streak, backing up the double with another service hold for a 4-1 lead. 

Sabalenka had to work hard on serve in the sixth, but fighting off the errors upped the task at hand. She forced deuce to deny Muguruza a break chance and found a way to hold to cut the margin in half. The third seed struggled to get a footing during Muguruza’s service, coming up short for the chance to threat and saw the set coming to a close. She held to extend the set but when Muguruza served for the set and reached three set points to see Sabalenka hit it long ending the second in 33 minutes. The ninth seed’s momentum broke down the first serve of the Belorussian who finished the set at 59 percent with 13 errors made to Muguruza’s three. 

The 27-year-old rolled her success into the deciding set, breaking Sabalenka before dealing with a fight on her service in the second. They went to deuce where the 22-year-old caught a break on a long return from the Spaniard. With the AD point in her hands, she went on to break back leveling early. She consolidated the break by holding the third, snapping an ace down the T for the victory. 

Muguruza refused to give another break to the third seed, battling back a double fault and an error to hold the fourth. She went on to break Sabalenka in the fifth and consolidated that with a service hold in the next game. With a loss of much-needed ground, the Belorussian was in a situation where every game needed to be won from her end. She battled against a rough return game from Muguruza, erring at the wrong moment to sit down 2-5. The former world number one served for the match having kept Sabalenka back long enough to go for it on serve. 

Gaining three match points against the frustrated Belorussian was easy for Muguruza, who made her way into the semifinal as Sabalenka returned wide. It was a 1 hour and 51-minute victory for the 27-year-old, who had pulled off a huge task to continue on her way. With one match to play before the final, she would have to use the same tactics against Elise Mertens on Friday night.

Eugenie Bouchard comes through in straight sets at Abierto Zapopan

Eugenie Bouchard looked focus during a rally with Kaja Juvan at the Abierto Zapopan Wednesday. 

Eugenie Bouchard took the match in stride to come through again at the Abierto Zapopan Wednesday. The Canadian limited the errors from her side and won 6-4, 6-3 over Kaja Juvan on Cancha Centrale at the Panamerican Tennis Center in Guadalajara, Mexico. 

It was the second win this season for the former world number five and a better place to build upon the recent success. It was another first time meet for the Canadian and her Slovenian opponent in what the 27-year-old hoped would be another victory for her benefit. Bouchard went three sets quickly with Caroline Dolehide, holding together when it mattered to be in this position. Juvan won her opening round match against Aliona Bolsova in straight sets, despite going to the brink of each of them. The eighth seed’s best output from her previous win was losing just once in 12 service games. 

Juvan double-faulted on the first point and erred, giving Bouchard breakpoint chances. The Slovenian tried to make a comeback for deuce, but it wasn’t to be for the 20-year-old. The Canadian performed well but saw Juvan make a stab at forcing deuce. The Montreal native fired an ace to bring up an AD point, which the eighth seed clinched for her on a long return. Unwilling to give Bouchard the double break, Juvan held together in the third and went for it on a jump in score before the Canadian hit it into the net. 

With a break back in hand, the Slovenian attempted to back things up with a service hold but missed on a great opportunity setting up deuce. She managed to get it on a break of deuce with Bouchard hitting it long. The Canadian scored another service game that leveled her back with Juvan as they reached the halfway point of the set. 

The two kept up with the brisk pace and holds of serve until the ninth when Bouchard caught a break on Juvan committing three double faults. Bouchard made a mistake early with a double-fault but recovered to finish her service with a hold, taking the first in 38 minutes. The Canadian won 73 percent from her first serve and edged Juvan on the better second serve. 

Showing her opponent her fighting spirit, Bouchard forced deuce, playing seven minutes while denying Juvan the AD point. It took her four attempts and saving a second breakpoint that put her in front. Bouchard answered with a hold of serve, earning it on the 20-year-old’s return error. Juvan threw down a serve to love, showing that she had some good quality tennis from her end. 

Unfortunately, her efforts were quieted by the Canadian who answered to level the score and broke Juvan to love in the fifth. Bouchard backed up the two wins with another on the serve, scoring service to love against the Slovenian who was running out of chances to counter. Her game struck big in the seventh, nearly getting her second shutout of Bouchard. Despite giving up a point, she cut into the lead, sitting one down of the Canadian. 

The 27-year-old didn’t let the Slovenian’s fight back bother her, and put together a solid service game to play for the match. Juvan had some free points early in the ninth, but errors from her side got Bouchard back in it. She took the lead and won a spot in the quarterfinals with a touch from the 20-year-old ending things in 1 hour and 17 minutes.

Garbine Muguruza damages Iga Swiatek to advance in Dubai

Garbine Muguruza clenches her first during her round of 16 match against Iga Swiatek at the Dubai Duty-Free Tennis Championships. 

Garbine Muguruza played with aggressive tactics that destroyed Iga Swiatek at the Dubai Duty-Free Tennis Championships Wednesday. The Spaniard played on the weakened gameplay of the Pole who couldn’t recover in her 6-0, 6-2 result on centre court at the Dubai Tennis Stadium. 

The battle of two French Open champions took place in Dubai where one would surely best the other. For Muguruza, her game needed to be as best as it was last week. While she managed to not drop a set in her two previous matches, the consistency and intensity decreased. Having had only one day of rest since her final back in Doha, the Spaniard had to dig in against the Pole, who was back in action after 11 days. 

Swiatek took care of defeating Misaki Doi in her opening round, setting up her chance to take down the 27-year-old. With her game now under a strong challenge since the French Open final, the 19-year-old had to bring her best or face elimination. 

She had some problems on the first serve, giving Muguruza room to maneuver. The Spaniard took the next point for a breakpoint chance before scoring the game from Swiatek. The ninth seed set the first serve with plenty of shots from the body but watched as Swiatek answered her well. They went to deuce where after four breaks, Muguruza managed to consolidate. The Polish teen was under fire once more in the third, double-faulting to give Muguruza a jump on the score. She notched her third of the match, leading the Spaniard to score the double break. 

The 27-year-old backed up the beating on Swiatek with another service hold to earn a commanding 4-0 lead. The Pole tried to fight off her struggles when Muguruza had another 40-0 situation. She got one point to come from the first serve, but it was too little too late. The ninth seed served for the set earning the opening point that saw Swiatek let out her anger. An ace earned Muguruza three set points earning the first with a bagel as the Pole returned wide. 

It was a cruise to dominance in 26 minutes for the world number 14 who drew eight unforced errors from Swiatek. The differences on the first serve were huge with Muguruza dominating from it. 

Swiatek knew that improvements had to come in the second set and after taking a break off the court, she came through with a big statement. The Pole fired off a serve to love only to see Muguruza bring the same firepower. She did get a point from Muguruza on serve, but it didn’t take any momentum away. The 27-year-old consolidated the hold with a break of the eighth seed, allowing her one point while she held to a pair of breaks. It was 3-1 for the Spaniard, who mixed up shots while continuing to look comfortable on the court. 

Swiatek dug into the fifth to hold off the surge from Muguruza’s forehand to secure another hold of serve. She responded positively during her opponent’s service, etching out a breakpoint and secured it while patiently waiting for her to drive a ball past the baseline. With the set tied at three-all, the 19-year-old returned to service scoring a serve to love that gave her the lead. The challenge was on for Muguruza, who saw an improvement in Swiatek and knew that a mistake would prove costly. 

The 27-year-old won the eighth to remain on serve, but the fight was on to take control with the window of opportunity to still win in straight sets. She pulled off a huge break in the ninth gaining control of the score with her serve in play for the match. Muguruza moved well to get after every point scoring two big forehand winners. Swiatek got on the board with a crosscourt return winner, but it was a small gesture. 

Muguruza fired a big crosscourt winner for two match points and won it on an ace crosscourt, securing the straight-sets win in one hour and three minutes. “I knew I was playing a good player so I needed to play well, bring my 100 percent aggressive game and concentrate on keeping the dominance,” Muguruza said. 

While it wasn’t the match everyone expected to see, Muguruza and the fans knew that a rematch of last week’s intense match between her and Aryna Sabalenka was now possible for a quarterfinal. “We just played a tough match,” she said about her match this Thursday. “Back-to-back matches are good which means I’m playing the top players, getting into the deep rounds, and looking forward to another battle.”

Eugenie Bouchard wins big in three sets at Abierto Zapopan

Eugenie Bouchard waves to the crowd after her first-round match at the Abierto Zapapos in Guadalajara, Mexico. 

Eugenie Bouchard came through with control playing a major factor at the Abierto Zapopan Tuesday night. The Canadian had a mess of errors alongside Caroline Dolehide, who couldn’t keep her game together in three sets 3-6, 6-1, 6-3 on Cancha Central at the Panamerican Tennis Center. It was Bouchard’s first WTA victory since September 30th at the French Open last year. 

The two faced off for the first time, making it another first-round fight for her. She drew Aliaksandra Sasnovich in Lyon last week and despite her efforts late in the match, Bouchard went down swinging. The American won both her qualifying matches to be in the main draw for the first time. With the 22-year-old being pitted against the Canadian, she could expect a fight on her hands to make the next round. 

Dolehide opened up a 40-0 score to open the match, but watched Bouchard fire back a winner on game point. Though she prevented the shutout, she couldn’t stop the hold of serve from occurring. Bouchard drew errors from the American to hold in the second. She then went after Dolehide in the third, trying to score an early break. They went to deuce where it only took the American one try to get it done on a long return from the 27-year-old. 

Bouchard ran into more trouble, double-faulting twice in the fourth that gave Dolehide the break and a 3-1 lead. The 22-year-old suddenly hiccupped on serve, with three double faults of her own, getting Bouchard back within reach. She evened things up in the sixth, pressing Dolehide to falter on the returns. She then added another pair of double faults totaling five in her last six service points. 

Despite the problems, Bouchard erred enough to give her the win and the lead back after seven. She earned a break to love as the Canadian struggled to get a clean service in play. Dolehide served for the set in the ninth, earning set points from Bouchard, who committed errors that could have been prevented. The American went for a big serve down the middle that gave the set victory in 30 minutes. 

Bouchard opened the second, hoping to get off the right foot in the set. She made it difficult for Dolehide to spark into the game and held serve. A break opportunity came for the Canadian in the second, but the 22-year-old fought off the threat to force deuce. They went two breaks where after a save of another breakpoint, Dolehide failed to stop a third that gave Bouchard the break. 

She watched her game come under attack in the third as Dolehide broke back, trying to turn the pace her way. It didn’t work out as she made a critical mistake on the return, giving the Canadian a 3-1 gap. She opened it to three with a serve to love, earning free points from the American. The 22-year-old flopped her service in the sixth, gaining only a point before Bouchard went on the offensive. She easily got to three set points before committing her third double fault. Dolehide gave her the win on an error sending them to a third after 28 minutes. 

With the final set left, Dolehide knew she had to secure service by any means. The first game went her way, but an attempt to break Bouchard didn’t pan out, as the 27-year-old forced deuce and took control of the AD point to hold serve. After dealing with the threat, the Canadian upped her game to break Dolehide down in the third. The American waited for her moment to strike and climbed back into the fourth where she put Bouchard under pressure. With breakpoint looming, the Canadian suffered a double fault that lost her the game. She smashed a ball out of the stadium, earning a warning for ball abuse. 

Dolehide played with her opponent out of sorts, scoring a serve to love for the lead. Bouchard showed some patience in the sixth, waiting for her moments to strike and manage a service hold. Bouchard backed it up with a blunderous serve from Dolehide earning a key break. She quickly returned to service, opening the gap on the American. The 22-year-old fought back to force deuce but failed to achieve a breakpoint. 

With the match closing in for the 27-year-old, Dolehide battled to control her serve until a long ball from Bouchard gave her a shot at holding. A missed forehand brought up deuce for the Canadian, who gained match point on an error. A backhanded winner brought Dolehide back to deuce, but the effort was short-lived as she got to a return too late. The second match point was the winner for Bouchard as a ball into the net from Dolehide ended her tournament in 1 hour and 44 minutes

Garbine Muguruza sends Amanda Anisimova into the night winning in straight sets

Garbine Muguruza swung well with the forehand during her match against Amanda Anisimova at the Dubai Duty-Free Tennis Championshipsips

Amanda Anisimova couldn’t break through the consistency of her strong opponent at the Dubai Duty-Free Championships Tuesday night. Garbine Muguruza fought early but cruised to come out winning in straight sets 6-4, 6-2 on court 1 at the Dubai Tennis Stadium. 

The two got their first meeting after a 2018 matchup in Miami never came to fruition. Both adapted well to the tournament, especially Muguruza, who had one day rest since her final in Doha. The win she put together against Irina Camelia Begu not only contained it in straight sets but fought off a mess from her first serve. The American would try to scratch into that vulnerability of her opponent after a solid victory of Ana Konjuh. With the level of dominance nowhere near the level the Spaniard had last week, Anisimova would hope to keep her back and conduct momentum herself. 

She managed to hold serve in the opening game while keeping the Spaniard out of the competition. When it came for Muguruza to serve, she faced a challenge from the teen, who forced deuce and stretched out for every opportunity. They went six breaks on deuce until Muguruza killed off Anisimova’s fourth breakpoint to take the game. Things loosened in the third, with the American holding service followed by Muguruza. 

She backed up the hold of serve with a break of the teen and consolidated for a 4-2 lead. Anisimova overcame a 0-40 deficit, forcing deuce and winning it on the first break. The 27-year-old move on from the lost opportunity and held the eighth to sit a game from the set. Anisimova held it together in the ninth, going a break of deuce with Muguruza but unwilling to give her another break. 

It was in the tenth that she gave her best to try and extend the set, facing the ninth seed on serve. She took the first point off Muguruza but watched the next three go against her. The American saved one but it was the Spaniard, who went on to take the set in 47 minutes. The 27-year-old won 71 percent on the first serve while keeping her offense at the level of her opponent. 

She opened the second with a break of Anisimova holding her back from a late surge. Muguruza was broken back in the second but made the 19-year-old pay for it, scoring a double break in the third. The fourth became the longest fight of the match, taking five breaks of deuce to get it done. Muguruza did well to keep Anisimova from producing breakpoints, but her own groundstrokes kept her from clinching the game. After knocking out Anisimova’s lone break chance, she went on to take it. 

Anisimova got a second game in, holding the Spaniard to a point, but backing it up was not meant to occur. Muguruza held the sixth and then broke the teen on serve in the seventh. She served for the match opening up a lead but watched the American fight back to level. She fired an ace down the T for match point and let the second serve work through a short rally before Anisimova hit it too hard to complete the victory for Muguruza in 1 hour and 28 minutes. 

With a ticket into the round of 16, the difficulty arose for the former world number one, who faced Iga Swiatek next.

Svetlana Kuznetsova upsets Elina Svitolina in Dubai

Elina Svitolina had another troubling performance, this time during the tournament she’d been most successful at on Tuesday. In just her first match back at Dubai, the top seed fell apart to Svetlana Kuznetsova, who took advantage of the situation to win in three sets 2-6, 6-4, 6-1 on centre court at the Dubai Duty-Free Tennis Championships. The Ukrainian’s service and return game were a mess that she could not recover from. 

The two met last season for the fifth time, with Svitolina needing to dig in on clay to take down the Russian veteran. While it became her fourth victory, it was another show of strength that the tennis veteran wouldn’t go down easily. As the top seed in Dubai, she came into it with only four days rest coming off a bad performance against Victoria Azarenka who had a back injury before the match began. 

With the need to keep her mind and game in full focus, the 26-year-old needed a strong output in the tournament she won twice. Kuznetsova hasn’t won in any of her 13 appearances but would try to build upon her fight Monday with Qiang Wang which went three sets. Adapting to the conditions well, the 35-year-old eyed a chance to break open the main draw. 

Svitolina received to open the set, fighting from a short deficit to force deuce on the Russian’s service. She produced breakpoint chances, but after two they stopped coming giving Kuznetsova the momentum to close out her serve. Svitolina didn’t let the loss affect her as it warmed her up to serve well in the second, giving Kuznetsova a single point. The top seed followed it up with a break to love of the Russian, showing her strengths early. 

 

Svitolina backed up the two wins with a third on serve, but couldn’t capture the double break. Kuznetsova fought hard to contain service in the fifth, holding the Ukrainian to a point. Svitolina struck back with a serve to love and consolidated it with a break of Kuznetsova to set up for the set. Despite facing some adversity, the 26-year-old got out of a 30-all point in the eighth for set point and took the first in 34 minutes. The number one seed bested the Russian on the first-serve percentage and kept the unforced errors down. 

She continued her success into the second, breaking Kuznetsova in the first game. The Russian broke back and held serve in the third to lead. Svitolina held her end in the fourth but knew her opponent meant business in the set. The 35-year-old had another game locked down from her end, with the Ukrainian following suit. 

They played seven games on serve until the tenth when Kuznetsova bested Svitolina on serve for the tie and instead saw her game under attack. The Russian earned two minibreaks before going for the big one that sealed up the second in 34 minutes. Svitolina’s service game took a beating of her own impact, scoring just 48 percent from it while Kuznetsova finished comfortably with the momentum. 

The Russian rolled it into the deciding set, holding serve for her third game in a row. She broke the top seed and held again in the third that made it five straight wins. Trying to get into the set, Svitolina got out to a lead in the fourth but was still slow during the rallies, leading Kuznetsova to deuce. A crosscourt from Kuznetsova gave her the double break and her sixth win in a row. 

Svitolina was fighting to get into the set but it was an uphill battle that she made, even for her opponent. The two got in deep into the fifth, with Svitolina forcing deuce. She failed to gain a breakpoint but stopped Kuznetsova four times on the AD point before eventually getting it after the following break. With seven consecutive games won. Kuznetsova went for the bagel on Svitolina’s serve, gaining match point for the break. The top seed refused to give in and forced deuce where they played two long breaks. 

After nearly eight minutes of action, the Ukrainian got out of trouble, preventing the shutout. Svitolina had a breakpoint chance in the seventh, but couldn’t clear her way to winning it as Kuznetsova fired a winner far off in a corner. She battled back for another but erred to give Kuznetsova a shot. The Russian scored an AD point on the second break drawing an error from Svitolina that brought up match point with Svitolina returning long ending her dismal performance in 1 hour and 52 minutes.

Barbora Krejcikova upsets Jelena Ostapenko in straight sets at Dubai Duty Free

Barbora Krejcikova earned another big victory for her career at the Dubai Duty-Free Tennis Championships Tuesday. Keeping her service games in check, she managed to frustrate Jelena Ostapenko, who drew too many errors in a 6-3, 6-1 result on Court 1 at the Dubai Tennis Stadium. 

The two met for the first time in WTA action but had experience dating back six years. During their days of fighting to make the main tour, Krejcikova fought to gain progress in their careers. The Latvian won every meeting she had with the Czech and would try to add another in the main draw competition. Ostapenko took care of business Monday defeating Patricia Tig in straight sets. With some finesse returning to her game, she managed to limit the mistakes and conduct momentum that paid off. With the earlier history between the two, the 23-year-old had much to look forward to in a rekindling of their rivaled past. 

Krejcikova opened with a strong service game holding Ostapenko to just one point. The Czech found her points easily with some aggression on returns that earned her a break and 2-0 lead. Krejcikova increased the difficulty in the third, drawing errors out of the Latvian who expressed her frustrations louder and louder as the errors passed by. After a third straight loss, she yelled at her camp before heading to the bench to cool off. 

The 23-year-old didn’t stay there for long as she was destined to clean things up from her end. A double fault didn’t help her troubles, but a winner down the line came next. Drawing errors from Krejcikova helped her get on the board, but she still had catching up to do. A break back for the Latvian came on balls that were hit too hard by the Czech, leaving just one game between them. 

The 25-year-old refused to let all her ground be lost to her opponent and in the sixth, broke Ostapenko back to double up the gap. A consolidation of her service gave her a shot at taking a set, but with the Latvian built up on offense, it would be a breakdown from her end to up a lot of ground. Despite a double fault, Ostapenko managed to hold serve in the eighth but required defense and good returns to keep her in the set. Krejcikova allowed her only one point on serve, reaching two set points before forcing an error that gave her the set in 36 minutes. 

In an effort to turn things around for herself, Ostapenko came out blazing to a 40-0 situation. Krejcikova was far from giving in and climbed back to wreak havoc for the Latvian. Forcing deuce, the Czech waited for the key error that brought up an AD point which she clinched to earn the opening break. Knowing she let her serve get out of hand, Ostapenko tried to pull off a serve to love, but Krejcikova fought back and drew errors to force deuce. 

The 23-year-old hadn’t given up in the second as she produced breakpoints on deuce, but on the fourth break, Krejcikova managed to hold, backing up the break. The Czech increased her momentum on Ostapenko, securing her the double break with the forehand doing work. She backed that up with good service in the fourth, keeping the 23-year-old far away. 

Ostapenko got one on the board in the fifth, holding serve and keeping Krejcikova to one point. While the effort showed an improvement, it was too little too late as Krejcikova was on a mission. She battled back breakpoint attempts from the Latvian while on serve but held on the first deuce. To return the favor, the Czech jumped to three match points with the Latvian committing her fourth double fault. She went down hard in the form of a shutout that gave the 25-year-old the win on the day, taking 1 hour and 12 minutes to do it.

Garbine Muguruza adapts to win over Begu in Dubai

Embed from Getty Images Garbine Muguruza had a moment of good and bad moments but came through at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships Monday night. She battled a troubling forehand against Irina Camelia Begu, who took her chances to threaten but fell 6-3, 7-5 on centre court at the Dubai Tennis Stadium. 

This was the third time they met in WTA action with the series even since their 2016 season where they bested one another in three sets. Muguruza came off a defeat in the Doha final where Petra Kvitova silenced her dominant week of tennis. Despite a second consecutive loss to her in that final, Dubai welcomed her back for the seventh time. With a day of rest, the Spaniard hoped that all she did well in Doha would roll into the next week of competition. Despite her history against the Romanian, Muguruza looked to change that and be the one dictating the pace of the game. 

She opened the match with a hold of serve, preventing Begu from forcing deuce on the next point. The Spaniard then took the Romanian for a break and consolidated a big 3-0 lead with a good service hold. Begu got into the set with a hold of the ninth seed before breaking back in the fifth to stay in touch. The 30-year-old backed up the break with a serve to love that got her even with Muguruza in the sixth, but only briefly. 

The Spaniard went on to hold, upping her strength with a shutout of Begu in response. The window was open for Muguruza to go for the break, but Begu fought back to force deuce on serve. Though she extended her service game, the leverage stood with the ninth seed, who went on to take the game after two breaks. Muguruza went into the ninth swinging gracefully while Begu struggled to keep up with the pace. The ninth seed had two set points before she easily put it away in 36 minutes. Though she had 12 unforced errors, the six winners helped out but left her in a vulnerable position going forward. 

Begu opened the second with a much-needed hold over Muguruza and topped that with a break of her in the second. Errors were responsible for the hole Muguruza found herself in, but she continued to put too much on the ball while returning in the rallies. In a need for accuracy, the Spaniard dug in, fighting back the errors to score on line drive winners that secured the break back. 

The Romanian didn’t want to lose all her ground and forced deuce in the fourth trying to draw Muguruza to err. The ninth seed denied her that offer, controlling the forehand to get through two breaks of deuce and hold service. With the score even, Muguruza took the initiative when Begu made mistakes and built together breakpoints. The Romanian turned things around to force deuce, securing the lead back after two breaks. 

Muguruza struggled with forehand errors, numbering 20 in the match, and the 30-year-old well aware. She worked the Spaniard to deuce to save breakpoint before playing two breaks that gave her a 4-3 stand. Muguruza dealt with more trouble than she wanted from her service, giving up a key break that put Begu on serve for the set. Muguruza pushed to get out front in the ninth, earning chances for the break. A forehand serve killed one of them, but she got lucky on a shot that hit the net and bounced into the Romanian’s end. 

With her chance to level at five-all, the ninth seed fought the errors back during an important service game, winning on a stunning performance during the point rally before smashing it into Begu’s end. Good groundstrokes and ball placement helped the Spaniard in the 11th to break the Romanian getting into position to serve for the match. Despite committing an error on serve, Muguruza completed the comeback with a forehand winner down the line. It was a tight finish for the ninth seed who finished in 1 hour and 33 minutes but was happy to prevent a decider for Begu. 

“It was a tough one because I arrived here yesterday and I needed a fighting spirit to deal with the circumstances from Doha to here,” said Muguruza after the match. “I just tried to adapt as fast as I can and bring the best I have today on the court.” 

She’ll go into round two against American Amanda Anisimova, who she hasn’t played against. “I’ve seen her play,” she said. “I'm just looking forward to that match.”

Jelena Ostapenko wins opening round defeating Patricia Tig in straight sets

Embed from Getty Images 

Jelena Ostapenko showed her dangerous tactics at the Dubai Duty-Free Tennis Championships Monday night. The Latvian hit big and hard against Patricia Maria Tig winning her opening round 6-3, 6-3 on Court One at the Dubai Tennis Stadium. 

The two met for the first time and for the Latvian, getting a main draw start against the Romanian left her with options to adapt. Despite her round of 16 loss in Doha last week, Ostapenko entered her fourth main draw in Dubai with a mission to get out of the opening round this season. With coach Marion Bartoli back in her corner, the 23-year-old regained the patience to control her service, limit the errors and double faults and wreak havoc upon her opponents. Tig didn’t make it to the draw last week but worked her way to the draw for the first time in the Emirate city. 

It paid off for the Romanian during the first game when Ostapenko chose to serve it out. With trouble on the first serve for the Latvian, Tig managed to reach three break points and held her opponent to love. Ostapenko broke back to love in the second as Tig couldn’t keep up with the strong ball striking from across the court. The third saw the Romanian get into the game on a double fault and an error to force deuce. It was there that they fought through four breaks fighting off errors before Tig went on to take the double break. 

Neither one had secured a hold of serve in the set until the fifth when Ostapenko consolidated the double break, with a hold to love against Tig. The aggressive tactics that the Latvian assembled paid off in the sixth, capturing a triple break on Tig, who couldn’t keep up with the pace of shots. The 23-year-old went on hold Tig to a point on serve, setting up her chance to break one more time for the set. 

The Romanian refused to lose on serve, overcoming her second double fault on well-placed shots thereafter. Tig had game point, and Ostapenko to one point right before she painted the left baseline to win it on a challenge. The Latvian served for the first and showed her resilience, running for a short return to smash it right back. The 23-year-old took the first on a second serve shot that came back long from Tig, ending her quest for a comeback in 31 minutes. 

The 26-year-old wanted to do better in the second and showed Ostapenko her fighting spirit on serve. Keeping the Latvian back, Tig held herself together on a break of deuce taking the victory with a winner down the line. She had a chance for a break back, leading the Latvian in the second. Errors killed all three break points as Ostapenko took over on service to hold after a break. 

She went on to consolidate the hold with a break, but when it came to serving, Ostapenko struggled with the first serve. It gifted free points for Tig, who forced deuce and fought for the AD point. The Latvian was forced to fight as well, losing on seven AD points with errors or breaks from the Romanian. After eight breaks on deuce and 11 minutes of play, Ostapenko got the win on a long return from Tig earning her a 3-1 lead. 

As night fell upon the court, the 26-year-old worked through service in the fifth to hold serve. She caught a break, gaining three break points on Ostapenko. Tig lost a pair of points but managed to keep it together to level the score at three-all. The Latvian regained the lead, scoring the break back in the seventh as Tig erred at the wrong time. It pumped up the 23-year-old, who sat two games from the match with her serve needing to keep firm. 

Tig tried to make a change on her speedy returns, but it was too little too late as she served to stay alive in the match. Ostapenko managed to force deuce, leading her into another fight on deuce where she earned three-match point attempts taking it on a long crosscourt error from Tig, ending things in 1 hour and 19 minutes.

Petra Kvitova tames Garbine Muguruza to win second Qatar Total Open title.

Garbine Muguruza was denied once again at the Qatar Total Open Saturday night. For the second time in three years, it was Petra Kvitova who took her down, this time in straight sets winning 6-2, 6-1 on centre court at the Khalifa International Tennis Centre. The Czech raised the falcon trophy for the second time in her career and first since 2018. 

This marked the sixth time these two met and the second time in a final against one another in Doha. Kvitova went on to take that win in three sets for the 2018 title marking her last win over the Spaniard. Muguruza had been on fire through the tournament, showing tremendous power on the forehand that took most of her opponents out. 

The walkover she received in the semifinal gave her a day off to prepare for the Czech, who she definitely didn’t want to drop anything against. The three-time finalist took down Jessica Pegula in straight sets, but her season overall hasn’t been anything close to the leader in WTA wins this season. With four defeats over the 27-year-old, she’ll try to pull off the upset and bring an end to the rush from Muguruza. 

Kvitova had a good quality service against Muguruza, holding her from forcing deuce to open the set. Muguruza bested the Czech when she allowed her just one point on her serve looking to take her offense across the court. The fourth seed trailed on serve, forcing deuce on a smart serve, pulling the Spaniard away from the court. She managed to get out of trouble after one break to maintain a hold of service. 

Five games were in the books before a game from Muguruza went sour on the first point. She had a chance to lay out a smash close to the net but watched it go into the net. It was the one that she couldn’t recover from, handing Kvitova the break that doubled her lead. the Czech backed up the break, holding serve that gave her three games in a row won. With a massive 5-2 hold, Muguruza knew that she needed to hold the eighth or see Kvitova once again get the best of her. 

Unforced errors were becoming critical for the Spaniard who committed too many in the eighth, giving Kvitova the break and set victory in 32 minutes. Each player scored five winners, but when it came to unforced errors, Muguruza had five too many despite having a stronger first serve. For Kvitova, it was the 22nd time that she won the first set and won the last 21 finals she played in when taking the first.

With that being a huge deal going into the second, Muguruza broke Kvitova to start things off, but her game got away from her in the next. The Spaniard committed a double fault that she never recovered from, giving the Czech the break back. The 27-year-old tried to get on the right side of the ball in the third, painting the lines with better control. She had two breakpoints, but erred on her last shot, getting Kvitova to deuce. 

The confidence was back for the 30-year-old, who screamed out her frustrations and served out the win with a forced error to Muguruza. Kvitova took her energies and attacked Muguruza in the fourth, holding her to a single point for the double break. Kvitova kept her game together and watched as Muguruza committed the errors that assisted in consolidating once more. 

The 27-year-old was all out of ideas as the Czech answered her well in the sixth, reaching three breakpoints. Muguruza saved two of them but lost on a well-placed winning crosscourt from Kvitova. With the chance to serve for the title, the 30-year-old got to a pair of championship points but faltered on her first with a double fault. The second was answered by Muguruza, who placed a line drive winner out of Kvitova’s reach to force deuce. 

The Spaniard got a break-point on the next return but erred to bring back another shot for the fourth seed. Kvitova forced an error for a third championship point and locked it down on a second serve return that fell long for Muguruza ending her hopes in one hour and six minutes.

Garbine Muguruza powers through Maria Sakkari in straight sets

Garbine Muguruza celebrates a key point during her quarterfinal match with Maria Sakkari during the Qatar Total Open 

Garbine Muguruza made very light work against a strong opponent at the Qatar Total Open Thursday night. Raising her level, the Spaniard was aggressive and focused against Maria Sakkari winning 6-3, 6-1 on centre court at the Khalifa International Tennis Centre. 

The two met for the first time this season, with Sakkari besting the Spaniard in straight sets back at Abu Dhabi. The Greek was no doubt in for another scuffle as Muguruza showed the defending champion of the tournament the night before. Playing through the motions, Muguruza battled Aryna Sabalenka back, playing through three sets to dial in once more. Sakkari got through easy, with Madison Keys, but the difficulty stepped up tenfold against the 27-year-old. 

Making sure that all went well, Sakkari held back Muguruza in the third to hold serve after a break on deuce. The Spaniard responded with a stronger output in the second, setting the bar for her opponent. Instead of getting a response, Muguruza went into the third game, breaking Sakkari, and consolidated it with a serve to love in the fourth. The 25-year-old ended Muguruza’s winning ways, holding her service in the fifth before scoring a break to level. 

The tie upped the ante for Sakkari, who wanted to get the lead but knew the challenges it would take. Muguruza made her push for the break, but the Greek refused to let her contain any breakpoints. They went four breaks until the fourth attempt for Muguruza clinched her the lead for the break back. Another serve to love gave the 27-year-old a two-game margin from Sakkari, hoping that she would stumble while serving to stay in it. 

She got way behind on serve, giving Muguruza points on an error and a stronger response by the Spaniard. Sakkari saved one for a shot to get to deuce but came up short as Muguruza closed the first with a returned winner in 37 minutes. It was the eighth made by the Spaniard who served nearly 90 percent which was the big factor in taking Sakkari’s offense out of the equation. 

The 25-year-old couldn’t dig in right away in the second as Muguruza pulled away and closed out the first game. Sakkari had a few too many errors on serve in the second but figured out how to fight them off and come through with the service hold. She hoped to get more out of Muguruza but the Spaniard remained unwavering. 

The 27-year-old went on to take the next four games, winning a shutout in the third before coming through the sixth with a double break. Remaining comfortable, the Spaniard went on to hold serve so well earning two match points and a spot in the semifinal with a forehand winner. Her success took one hour and four minutes finishing with the serve at 77 percent and only seven unforced errors throughout. “I had to raise my level,” said Muguruza after the match. “I knew I had a tough opponent and I’m happy that I felt great on the court.”

She’ll face Victoria Azarenka in the semifinals, who had back issues but fought through to be next in her path.

Victoria Azarenka plays through the pain to upset Elina Svitolina in Doha

Victoria Azarenka dealt with more than she imagined during her quarterfinal match with Elina Svitolinat at the Qatar Total Open.

Victoria Azarenka battled pains, double faults, and the competition to pull off a huge victory at the Qatar Total Open Thursday night. From before the first point to the last, the Belorussian did her best to stay in it and beat top-seeded Elina Svitolina 6-2, 6-4 on centre court at the Khalifa International Tennis Centre. 

This marked the fourth time the two met and their first since 2019. Since Rome, the top seed had yet to defeat the Belorussian but her momentum in Doha earned her the best chance. Azarenka played her last two matches with a slow pace but got through them with a strong offense. The 31-year-old had the advantage of playing less tennis than Laura Siegemund, using all her efforts to swiftly get through the second round. Svitolina came out swinging well against Misaki Doi in Wednesday’s opening round. With the top seed still eyeing the title in Doha, she would need to find a way through the former world number one. 

Before the match got underway, the eighth seed called for the physio to deal with an issue she had. Svitolina opened service but had a few issues with the first serve causing errors. The break went to Azarenka but it was clear that the 31-year-old was in discomfort. With two games to go before the changeover, the eighth seed powered through with Svitolina trailing. She caught up to deuce as the Belorussian struggled to get through her service shots. 

With double faults becoming too much, umpire Marjia Ciciak decided best if the game was paused and the physio come to check Azarenka out. A lower back issue was the cause and soon required a medical timeout. Once it was concluded, play resumed with Azarenka serving at deuce. Two points were played with Svitolina taking the break back, but her serve faced opposition from the Belorussian, who stepped into the shots instead of running to them. Errors were becoming a huge problem for the number one seed failing to hold her service together. 

Azarenka opened the third with short points against Svitolina, who lost focus due to Azarenka’s physical issues. The ailing eighth seed continued to fight through the pain, taking a 3-1 lead with the service hold. Svitolina struggled to fight off the issues and erred to give free points and eventually the triple break. Azarenka chugged along to hold serve despite going to deuce, but as she got many balls in, the Ukrainian struggled to get them back. 

When she served to stay alive in the set, Svitolina battled back the errors and got some points in. With help from Azarenka, the number one seed got through her first service of the set. The 31-year-old served for the set working the crosscourt winners while keeping the points short. Svitolina got on the board, it was too late as Azarenka reached set point to take the first in 40 minutes. 

Svitolina did better to hold serve to open the second set, but the momentum was still with Azarenka who had a handle on her injury. She held serve in the second and took to answering Svitolina in the rallies, earning a 2-1 lead. The injury troubled her in the fourth, causing her to commit a fifth double fault on deuce. Svitolina gained the AD point and painted a shot away from Azarenka’s comfort zone to level. 

The Belorussian picked up the double break in the set’s third service break right before she walloped Svitolina with a serve to love in the sixth. It was the one that broke Svitolina, who struggled to answer in eight of the last nine points played. Azarenka continued her points streak with three break points before the top seed got one to go her way. She got another one, but it didn’t change the result as the Belorussian moved up 5-2 to serve for the match. 

For the second time in the set, Azarenka refused to sit during the break and instead stretched out her back to keep up the determination she had going. Svitolina also had some of her own and responded by pressuring the eighth seed to lose her control and the game. Azarenka gave it right back, battling back Svitolina who tried to consolidate the break back but went to deuce instead. 

A double fault nearly took Svitolina out of the competition but an error from Azarenka brought the game to deuce for the sixth time. The Ukrainian got back on the AD point and moved into the court for the point winner bringing her within reach of a tie. Just when it looked like she saw the third set on the horizon, Azarenka kept her end of the court together, forced errors from the Ukrainian, and made her third match point count. A 13 shot rally concluded with a line drive winner that brought the match to a close in 1 hour and 27 minutes. 

The 31-year-old didn’t bother to sit down and let the applause from the fans keep her going. “I have to thank the crowd because if it was an empty stadium it would be really hard to push, but I tried my best and tried to focus on what I could do,” Azarenka said. Despite the issues, she would face the winner between Garbine Muguruza and Maria Sakkari in Friday’s semifinal.

Garbine Muguruza edges Sabalenka in three set nailbiter

Garbine Muguruza clenches her first during a round of 16 match with defending champion Aryna Sabalenka

Garbine Muguruza played an outstanding match of tennis at the Qatar Total Open Wednesday night. In a battle that could have gone either way, with Aryna Sabalenka, the Spaniard jumped to victory in the late stages to win 6-2, 6-7(5), 6-3 against the defending champion on centre court at the Khalifa International Tennis Centre. 

The defending champion had a big obstacle in her path right from the get-go. In her second meeting with Muguruza, the Belorussian needed her win against her three years ago to linger on the court. The 22-year-old didn’t earn an easy victory against the former world number one, but as a winner of the tournament and one over the Spaniard, she hoped to make a big statement in her second appearance. 

Things didn’t go the way Sabalenka planned, as Muguruza shoved her way into the service game, earning a breakpoint late before securing it. She put together a serve to love for good measure, taking a 2-0 lead on the world number eight. The Belorussian dug in further to produce game point but watched Muguruza force deuce in the third. She battled through six breaks and saved four breakpoints but winners from Muguruza broke down the 22-year-old. On her sixth attempt, a line return from the Spaniard scored her the double break after 16 minutes. 

Sabalenka opened the fourth with a good chance to break back, but the 27-year-old rallied to force deuce on serve. She fought for the AD point twice before earning a 4-0 hold on the Belorussian. After all the defeats, Sabalenka got into the action with a terrific service game, allowing Muguruza a point in the fifth. The snapping winning streak didn’t bother the Spaniard, who responded with defense against the third taking a 5-1 lead. 

The 22-year-old refused to give the set on her serve, holding Muguruza to a point before scoring the win on a well-placed shot on the left baseline. Sabalenka was again biting at the bit and lifting up the dust against Muguruza who she had an edge on in the seventh. The Spaniard fought back to force deuce and saved a second breakpoint before gaining the AD point on the second break. It was there that Muguruza nailed it down to win the set in 41 minutes. It was an even output of offense between the two stars but the second serve of Sabalenka suffered, winning from 4 of 11. 

She went into the second set, hoping for improvements, but the first serve caught a snag, allowing Muguruza to rush in for the break. She consolidated it with a solid hold, giving Sabalenka just one point in the second. The Belorussian had a battle against the Spaniard’s momentum, keeping her back to hold the third together. She jumped ahead of Muguruza on serve in the fourth as errors allowed some room to break. She scored the break back on a cooked shot from the Spaniard, getting her level at two-all. 

Muguruza continued to rack up the errors on the forehand while her opponent grew confident and reflected it upon her shots. She earned herself another hold of serve for a three-game winning streak that was a clear turn of the table. Muguruza ended her slide with a hold in the sixth, breaking down the run the Belorussian had going. Sabalenka made a statement that her service game was no longer under threat and instead showed the Spaniard her accuracy of groundstrokes. 

Muguruza was under pressure in the eighth, and with errors on overcooked shots, she handed the break to Sabalenka who served to force a deciding set. Muguruza took advantage of a vulnerable moment by the third seed, who drew too many errors, blowing her service. The tenth was a fight for every point with the 22-year-old trying to set up a break chance. Muguruza dug in on deuce and secured the first AD point played to keep the set going. 

The 11th was another trade-off of points until Sabalenka reached a game point. She again couldn’t get the one important point locked down, bringing Muguruza to deuce. After two breaks and pressure on the Belorussian, Muguruza secured the victory that put the balls in her hand to serve for the match. Her game did not go as planned, finding herself down 0-40 before forced errors by Sabalenka were increasing. She had one left to achieve but the rally for that point ended when Muguruza got into a corner and returned the ball too wide, initiating the tiebreak. 

Sabalenka opened up the throttle and fired away with crosscourt shots that helped her out to a 4-1 lead. Muguruza nearly closed the gap, until a forehand drive had enough depth to give her a 5-3 hold. The 27-year-old pulled off a great winner to counter and got to five-all on forehand landing wide from Sabalenka. 

She blew the comeback with a ball into the net that handed the Belorussian set point. On the second serve, the 22-year-old played a five-shot rally, watching Muguruza hit a high one to end things in 57 minutes. Sabalenka’s 17 winners and Muguruza’s 18 unforced errors were responsible for the sea change in how the set went along. The third seed won 52 percent from the first serve, indicating how difficult her fight was. 

When they opened the final set, both held serve before Sabalenka pressed the issue in the third. Having a break chance set up the Spaniard to fire back and force deuce. She let her opponent make the mistakes that secured Muguruza’s second service game. The third seed was on defense in the fourth as her service was under pressure. Showing plenty of tenacity, Sabalenka came through on a tough point win, keeping the score level again. 

To repay the 27-year-old, the third seed ripped the shots for breakpoints, scoring a winner to earn the win and the lead. Sabalenka battled off the break-back attempt from Muguruza on four occasions. After seven breaks on deuce, a smash shot from Sabalenka to bring up the eighth one failed to stay in bringing things to three-all for the Spaniard. Muguruza moved ahead to regain the lead on serve in the seventh and took a shocking break to love in the eighth to serve for the match. 

She easily reached three match points as Sabalenka just about gave up until a winner helped her save one. A crosscourt serve came back into the net from the Belorussian that ended a 2 hour and 18-minute ordeal. “We were both playing great,” Muguruza said during her on-court interview. “I had my chances in the second set and I couldn’t convert and she came back stronger. I just fought and stayed there and kept thinking that I’m gonna win.” They played a total of 219 points with errors and winners totaling half that. “I feel like if I have an opponent that is playing great, I have to play better,” she said. 

 Muguruza will go into the last eight facing Maria Sakkari in what would no doubt be another battle to the bitter end.

Svitolina puts the lid on her first match defeating Doi

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Elina Svitolina had a comfortable victory in her return to Doha at the Qatar Total Open Wednesday night. Misaki Doi was held back long enough for the top seed to win 6-1, 6-2 on centre court at the Khalifa International Tennis Centre. 

This marked a third time in action between the two and the first to come on hard courts. Six years ago, the Ukrainian bested Doi in a tough three-setter at Wimbledon. Since that time, the world number five honed her skills in her best aspect to prepare for her opening round. Doi’s warm-up round with Saisai Zheng proved favorable in a straight-set result. With some experience with Svitolina, the 29-year-old needed her best to pull off an early upset at the tournament. 

The number one seed opened up the match with a full speed of momentum, taking the first two games swiftly. With a break in hand, Svitolina committed a pair of errors in the third but contained the service with an ace on the final point. The 26-year-old got a jump on Doi’s service game, but let her in on an error and some good forehands from the Japanese star. She overcame the deficit to force deuce, waiting patiently before Svitolina erred to secure the hold. She had one good point against the Ukrainian, answering with a lob that the top seed couldn’t get to. In the end, the fifth game remained in the grip of Svitolina taking a 4-1 lead. 

She consolidated with a break as Doi suffered a double fault in the sixth allowing the number one seed to serve out the set, though she gave up two points, Svitolina quickly put an end to the first in 25 minutes. The second serve was the big upset for Doi, who won just one of eight points played from it. While Svitolina didn’t have many winners, it was her overall play that kept her in control. 

A fourth double fault got Doi into trouble as she opened the second set, but turned things around to save breakpoints and force deuce. Despite her fight, Svitolina forced Doi to run for the ball, taking her out of contention to hold, giving the Ukrainian the break. The 29-year-old struck back with good movement, producing breakpoints on Svitolina. Playing every ball helped her break back in the second, looking to consolidate on serve. 

Doi trailed once again on serve but fought off the breakpoints to force deuce. Her efforts were stopped by the Ukrainian, who waited for her moment to strike out the break and move ahead. Good court placement allowed Svitolina to comfortably hold in the fourth over Doi, who struggled to keep up. A rally on the first point of the sixth game went more than 20 shots, with the Ukrainian placing the winner down the line. Svitolina went on to score the double break with just two games standing between her and a quarterfinal spot. 

The groundstrokes pummeled Doi to another shutout for Svitolina, who played for it with the Japanese serving to stay alive. The 29-year-old used her left forehand to force errors on Svitolina that earned her the service hold. While it stood out as her best game of the match, the inevitable was with Svitolina, who served in the eight for the match. She forced an error on Doi before getting to the ball, launching a winner back. A crosscourt brought up match point, but Doi saved it with an easy return. 

The top seed’s second attempt brought it to an end winning it in one hour. She had 26 winners and only ten unforced errors, showing that her game was in tip-top shape. “I’m really happy with my performance today,” Svitolina said during her on-court interview. “and I’m happy to be back here.” 

She’ll go into the quarterfinal facing Victoria Azarenka who she played doubles with this week and will try to etch out her first win against her after three meetings. “It’s gonna be an exciting match,” said the top seed. “We enjoy sharing a court together so tomorrow we won’t be on the same side so it’s gonna be an exciting match and I’m looking forward to that.”

Pegula holds off Ostapenko in straight sets

Jessica Pegula keeps her game under control during her second-round match with Jelena Ostapenko at the Qatar Total Open

Jessica Pegula held firm from her end to advance to the last eight at the Qatar Total Open Wednesday. Dealing with a late surge from Jelena Ostapenko, whose second serve took a beating, gave the American just enough room to win 6-2, 7-5 on Court A at the Khalifa International Tennis Centre. 

The Latvian had a fortunate outcome against Kiki Bertens, who attempted the test the waters after an Achilles injury but was trounced in her return back. The challenge in her second round increased meeting Pegula for the third time and first in six years. The American gained steam at the Australian Open, making it to her first major quarterfinal in Melbourne. With a four-match winning streak in Doha, the Buffalo native had the tenacity to level up on Ostapenko and show her progress in skills. 

She showed Ostapenko how was she was on the return side, making it a difficult service game that she managed to get out of. When it was her turn to serve, Pegula delivered a serve to love in response. The Latvian was once again under fire on serve leading to a mistake that allowed Pegula to take the break. The American once again delivered a serve to love in the fourth, but it woke up new energy in Ostapenko. 

She came out in the fifth, putting her offense into a new gear that held Pegula back and cheers from her camp to feed off of. Pegula didn’t get a third clean start on serve as the Latvian fired in a winning return. The 27-year-old had to play defense that led her and Ostapenko to deuce before holding on the second break. Just when it looked as if the 23-year-old had an answer for Pegula on the serve, she racked up too many errors on serve that cost her big. Pegula jumped at the opportunity and clinched another break to lead 5-2. 

The American served with new balls in the eighth battling Ostapenko, who was not giving up and proved her worth with a push to deuce. Despite her fight, it was a return landing wide into the tramlines that ended her quest for a comeback in 31 minutes. The second serve was Ostapenko’s weak spot, serving up less than 30 percent of points from it, making it easy to joggle during her service games. 

As the second got underway, the American focused on that point, taking another break under her belt. Ostapenko answered with a break back, trying to pull together some momentum. She couldn’t as Pegula went on a rush in the third, scoring the double break with a shutout. She backed it up with a hold of serve, increasing the frustrations of her opponent. The Latvian fought back well in the fifth holding her end to perhaps build upon it. 

Pegula answered with another service hold that doubled her lead on Ostapenko, but a service to love from the 23-year-old cut that back in half. Ostapenko added some difficulty for Pegula on serve in the eighth, scoring a serve to love while winning the last eight points played. With the momentum of the points paying off, the Latvian watched the next three points go long for Pegula giving her a 5-4 lead. 

 Having lost the last 12 points played, the 27-year-old turned things around on serve, denying Ostapenko anything to serve her to love. With things tied at five-all, and the last four games played to love, the fight was on to take control of the set. Ostapenko looked good during the first two points, but her second serve came back to haunt, giving the key break to Pegula. With the door opened to serve for the match, the Buffalo native watched Ostapenko err once wide and twice into the net bringing up match point. An ace down the T was too close to call, forcing the Latvian to get another look. The video showed that the ball caught the line, giving Pegula the victory in 1 hour and 13 minutes.