Aliaksandra Sasnovich foils Eugenie Bouchard in straight sets at Lyon Open

Eugenie Bouchard gave it her best once more but lost out at the Lyon Open Tuesday night. The Canadian gave Aliaksandra Sasnovich a scare in straight sets but couldn’t overcome the 7-6(7), 6-2 on centre court at the Lyon Tennis Club. 

The two met for the first time in their careers and at a point where both needed a starting point to make a push for success. Bouchard gave it her best shot during qualifications at the Australian Open but was cut midway from making the main draw. Since then, the Canadian has put in a lot of practice to prepare for Lyon as a wild card. After a short Australian Open, Sasnovich stuck around for the Phillip Island tournament but didn’t get further than the second round. With another shot back in Europe, the Belorussian looked to best Bouchard while she could and move forward. 

 

She earned an easy break to open the set as Bouchard couldn’t control the errors committed. Sasnovich went into her stride, holding the 27-year-old back to consolidate. She then pushed into the third, fighting back the Canadian to gain a breakpoint and a 3-0 lead. With the double break in hand, the Belorussian took a 4-0 lead, keeping back Bouchard, who was trying to get any win under her belt. 

Despite the large deficit, the 27-year-old almost had a serve to love going but was forced to reach for a low lob and lost out with Sasnovich saving breakpoint. She saved another but an error gave Bouchard a break, taking the fifth on serve. Sasnovich rushed through another service game to be in reach of taking the set, but Bouchard was still alive in it. She limited the errors on the court, getting through her service game to extend the match against the Belorussian. 

A big break for Bouchard came in the eighth when Sasnovich erred on serve opening the door for the Canadian to take control. Sasnovich tried to save points but it was too late as Bouchard took a third game. The 27-year-old absorbed the pace of the rallies in the ninth, hitting big in return. She finished it with an ace, sitting a game down of pushing the set deep. She had another break to love chance in the tenth with Sasnovich erring at the wrong time. With no sign of recovering, the 26-year-old had blown the gap and was fighting to stop Bouchard’s momentum. 

She jumped to a break to love opportunity in the 11th, but erred at the wrong time, letting Bouchard back into her service game. Despite lost chances, she gained the AD point and broke back. When it came time for her to put it away, Sasnovich instead committed two double faults that put her in real trouble. Bouchard fed off her opponent’s mistakes and let one point go before she committed herself and the Belorussian to a tiebreak. 

It was a tug of war with minibreaks coming through the opening nine points. Sasnovich gained set point but failed to put it to rest. Bouchard then had one for herself but made a mistake that made it seven-all. It was then that the 26-year-old had the moment to strike it done on a second set point, breaking Bouchard to complete a long drawn-out set that took 57 minutes. Sasnovich made a total of six double faults with a dwindling second serve winning less than a third of shots from it. 

Knowing that she got herself out of trouble after a huge slip-up, it meant that every game with Bouchard was a battle. The Canadian made that clear in the first, breaking Sasnovich after a break on deuce. She Belorussian broke back, scoring in the second on a sliced winner. The struggles continued with her first serve, handing Bouchard free points in the third. Sasnovich fought back to force deuce, ending the game with a hold of serve. 

The players continued to play every point with Bouchard trying to hold off the Belorussian in the fourth. They were once again at deuce with Sasnovich getting the last laugh on a break back. The 26-year-old was not done fighting off Bouchard, who pressured in the fifth to force deuce. Sasnovich handled the situation to hold serve and was intent on putting the brakes on her opponent. 

Bouchard trailed on serve in the sixth but well-placed winners got her to deuce. A mistake from Sasnovich on the second break opened the door for the Canadian to contain service. For the first time in the set, Sasnovich managed to hold off Bouchard, allowing her a single point before she herself lost on a crosscourt that landed long and into the tramlines. 

Bouchard served, hoping to extend the second set, but on game point double-faulted to bring the Belorussian to deuce. It was that key point that soon had Sasnovich with match point on a long return. A short rally saw the Canadian hit it into the net ending a 1 hour and 40 minute fight.

Madison Keys records first win of season at Qatar Total Open

Belinda Bencic struggled with the first service that caused the door to shut her out of the Qatar Total Open Tuesday night. The Swiss star faced a hungry Madison Keys who fired terrific winners from both sides of her swing to win 6-4, 6-1 on centre court at the Khalifa International Tennis Centre. It marked the American’s first win this season in a solid performance in Doha. 

The two met six years ago in Eastbourne where Bencic while at the top of her game etched out a win for herself to even up the series with Keys. Fast forward to this season, the American missed a lot of time after contracting the Coronavirus, missing out on the Australian Open. With time off the court, she faced the Swiss star who came up short against Iga Swiatek at the last tournament held in Australia. Her loss came with eight double faults which was a sign of weakness that Keys would pounce upon. With her hungry for any sort of victory, the 26-year-old hoped to have her skills in check through the first set. 

She did indeed as the first serve found well-placed points across the net to Bencic for the hold of serve. She answered back in the second with great returns, earning the break to consolidate. Keys backed up the two with a third game win, showing comfort on her service with eight of ten successful so far. Bencic got on the board with a hold in the fourth, laying down a place to build upon. 

Keys answered back while under pressure from the sixth seed, forcing deuce on serve before getting out of trouble holding the first AD point chance. Bencic added another hold that upped her offense which soon challenged the American. Keys faced further adversity from Bencic who dialed in the forehand but battled errors along the way. It gave Keys a chance on deuce where she denied the Swiss star breakpoint and took the seventh with the AD point captured. Despite missed opportunities for the sixth seed, the 23-year-old powered through to continue holding service games. 

With her game well in place, Bencic went on the attack of Keys, jumping ahead on the score and went on to take the break. She was back in reach of a tie in the tenth game working hard on serve. Errors helped Keys get to deuce where after two breaks, the American got it done in 41 minutes scoring a winner to the left of Bencic. Wins from the first serve were key for the American who won 61 percent from her end, while the sixth seed managed 49 and struggled to win from the second serve. 

Keys opened the second with a hold to love and hunted through every point for the break of Bencic. Once she had a second service hold under her belt, the American went on the prowl taking the fourth away from the Swiss. The fifth was a tough one to hold for the American as Bencic found ways of digging into the game, forcing deuce and making it a difficult journey. While it only took two breaks for Keys to win, the game, she knew that upping the ante was needed to get out of trouble. 

Keys answered Bencic with two big forehand returns, watched an error bring up triple set point and laid out a backhand winner for the 5-1 lead. Serving for the match, Keys comfortably reached match point, scoring an ace down the T to take out Bencic in one hour and four minutes.

Victoria Azarenka opens her journey in Qatar with win over Kuznetsova

Victoria Azarenka had another tricky battle to start her run at the Qatar Total Open Monday night. In her battle with Svetlana Kuznetsova, she had to fight off the Russian veteran to come through in a 6-2, 6-3 score on centre court at the Khalifa International Tennis Centre. 

The new WTA season hasn’t been kind to the former world number one, who lost early at the Gippsland Trophy and the opening round of the Australian Open. The 31 year old mother of one and two time winning in Qatar was back in her fifth appearance facing the Russian for the tenth time. While they haven’t met since 2016, the veterans of the sport would no doubt challenge each other. 

Azarenka battled through the six points with Kuznetsova on serve, gaining an edge to earn the break. She was attacked on serve in the second, with the Russian forcing deuce, producing her first break point chance. Azarenka tried to close it on the second break but Kuznetsova turned the tables earning another attempt. The 31 year old denied her once more, before putting the longest game of the set to rest.

Making her pay for the energy invested in the previous game, Azarenka rallied for the double break, allowing the Russian just one point in the third. Kuznetsova got on the board in the third, breaking Azarenka back. The eighth seed denied Kuznetsova to consolidate in the fifth, regaining her three game margin in the process. With another break in hand, Azarenka jumped out to a comfortable lead on serve and won the sixth on a forehand error landing wide for Kuznetsova. 

For the first time in the set, Kuznetsova managed to hold off Azarenka, but it was an effort that came too late. Even with some resistance in the eighth, the Belorussian held from her end, forcing an error from Kuznetsova to put an end the first in 44 minutes. 

Kuznetsova opened the second set with a change of tactics, managing a hold of serve before changing her racket. Azarenka responded with a quick service game, denying a point to her Russian counterpart. Kuznetsova served to stay in front of the Belorussian but as soon as it was her turn to serve, the eighth seed had a plan to turn the tide. Azarenka backed up the win on serve with a hard fight to break the Russian in the fifth. Though it took three breaks for Azarenka, she had the lead back on an error from Kuznetsova. 

The challenge was on for the Russian to get back to level pegging and fight for control. The fight was on between the two when Kuznetsova forced deuce and then produced a breakpoint chance. Azarenka shut it down but it was just the start of a long tug of war. Through 11 breaks Azarenka saved four more from Kuznetsova struggling to put it away herself. It wasn’t until the last one she saved that victory would be hers, gaining a 4-2 hold. 

A key break for the eighth seed came when she opened the gap but watched every breakpoint disappear. Despite Kuznetsova’s efforts, she couldn’t stop the inevitable as Azarenka made it 5-2. Serving for a spot in round two, the 31 year old opened out to a comfortable lead for two match points. Kuznetsova got the last laugh on a short rally, saving one of them and a second to force deuce. Kuznetsova was on a mission to take this from Kuznetsova and with a third match point saved, she took the break to close within two games of the Belorussian. 

Hoping to add another and make the set worthwhile, Kuznetsova unfortunately found herself trailing Azarenka. A fourth match point came up for the former world number one but the Russian was again relentless. She forced deuce, but that was all she could put together as the 31 year old went on to set up a fifth match point and won it on a line drive that Kuznetsova was short to return on ending the match in 1 hour and 51 minutes.

Jelena Ostapenko welcomes Kiki Bertens back to tennis with a stunning defeat in straight sets

Jelena Ostapenko gained a lot of energy and confidence during her straight sets win over Kiki Bertens at the Qatar Total Open

Kiki Bertens had a rough welcome back at the Qatar Total Open Monday night. Jelena Ostapenko kicked in to run through the fifth seed on centre court 6-0, 6-2 at the Khalifa International Tennis Centre. The 2016 finalist record 26 winners to Bertens six, making a big statement in the opening round. 

The two met at Strasbourg last year and went to three sets before the Latvian bowed out due to injury in the deciding set. She put together short winning streaks since that day, but didn’t get past the opening round of the Australian Open. With time to prepare for the WTA 500 tournament, Ostapenko had a chance to test the skills of her opponent, who took a break to get married. Kiki Bertens spent the last part of the 2020 season, getting hitched a month after her fourth round loss at the French Open. With a well-deserved break, the Dutch star looked to get back to business and sharpen her game once more. 

In a sign of welcoming back the Dutch star, Ostapenko allowed her one point on serve before earning the break on free points in the second for the break. Bertens had some trouble getting deep into rallies that led the Latvian to backing up her two wins with another. Sitting way off the pace, the fifth seed tried to pull it together on serve in the fourth, but came up short when going for the game point. Ostapenko forced deuce and denied Bertens another chance, scoring the double break. 

The 23 year old widened the gap on Bertens, consolidating her good with for a 5-0 lead, eyeing an easy chance at bageling. She earned it with the help of Bertens and her errors on serve that put the first set to rest in just 20 minutes. Drop shots were a big support for the Latvian, who succeeded with the tactic while nailing ten winners across the net. 

The Latvian picked up right where she left off, holding Bertens from getting on the scoreboard. One came to the Dutch star in the second, holding Ostapenko late to avoid the dreaded double bagel. Despite the loss of a shutout, the 23 year old marched on, holding serve in the third and served up a break to love on Bertens. Ostapenko’s service game battled the Dutch star in the fifth, before finishing her service game with a big statement to lead 4-1. 

Bertens had a shot at holding for another win but an error on deuce opened the door for her opponent. The Latvian’s return game got aggressive in the rally that produced a breakpoint and soon the game. She served for the match in the seventh, but Bertens responded well on the returns, scoring points on errors. With the service game lost, Ostapenko hunted down the victory in the eighth forcing deuce in the late stages before earning her first match point. 

The 23 year old put an end to the fifth seed scoring on a cross court winner that ended the night in 55 minutes.

Garbine Muguruza avoids long day on court holding Kudermetova in straight sets

Garbine Muguruza swings big to come through the opening round of the Qatar Total Open Monday. 

Garbine Muguruza had a comfortable start to the Qatar Total Open but had to fight hard for it Monday. Veronika Kudermetova stayed with the Spaniard in the second set, forcing a tiebreak but fell short in a 6-2, 7-6(4) score on center court at the Khalifa International Tennis Centre. 

The two met in Dubai last year where Muguruza edged the Russian in three sets. Kudermetova showed her opponent that her attacks took effect and would stay with the Spaniard for their next meeting. Both had similar outcomes at the Australian Open losing in three sets prior to the second week. The former world number one chose to take a break to regroup her game for her sixth appearance in Qatar. Kudermetova hoped that her early exit from Adelaide last week would not repeat and give Muguruza a run for her money. 

The first game was a challenge for Kudermetova, who gave Muguruza an edge while serving. She recovered to earn a game point, but the Spaniard refused to let her get away easy. Muguruza forced deuce and held the first AD point, earning the break. She consolidated it in the second to take the lead. The Russian pulled off a successful service to love and soon forced the Spaniard into a corner on serve in the fourth. Kudermetova brought up a breakpoint chance but watched Muguruza force deuce. She gave herself one more opportunity, yet as soon as that was gone, the 27-year-old held. 

The two remained on serve through the next pair of games until a break for the former world number one put her in place to go for the set. She built together with a 0-40 lead in the seventh but had trouble closing it out. Kudermetova forced deuce but couldn’t gain the AD point on serve. Knowing that she let the Russian back into games twice, Muguruza wasted no time in the eighth, scoring a serve to love that closed the first in 38 minutes. There were more unforced errors than winners from Muguruza but her 72 percent first serve did the job to stand ahead. 

Kudermetova took the honor once again to serve open the second set, scoring her second shutout of the Spaniard. Muguruza followed suit with a hold in the second but trailed when Kudermetova increased the success from both sides of her game. In the fourth, the 23-year-old wanted to make that clear to Muguruza in the shape of a break, but errors began creeping into her game. Muguruza got out of a jam on deuce that leveled the score, and soon took the lead with a break of Kudermetova in the fifth. 

Muguruza backed up the break with a hold to love in the following game, striding closer to the result of a straight-set. The Spaniard responded on every point but made too many errors that put the Russian back within reach after seven games. Muguruza pressed Kudermetova to make the decision on her returns that brought up a window to get through her service but instead took them to deuce. 

Kudermetova showed perseverance with good court placement and response to her opponent, but one bad error took the air out of her break chance, handing Muguruza the 5-3 lead. The Russian didn’t want to let the 27-year-old anywhere in her service game earning a third serve to love. Muguruza earned the chance to serve for the match but fell behind in the ninth. Errors into the net and low ball lobs from Kudermetova brought up a five-all situation. 

Kudermetova committed to a second double fault on serve in the 11th that gave Muguruza leverage and depth on the ball. She almost saw the Russian force deuce, but a slicer landed into the tramlines, giving the Spaniard another opportunity to close it out on serve. Muguruza trailed Kudermetova in the 12th but slowly made her way back with good court placement. In a fight to force deuce, the Spaniard played every point but came up short when the Russian got crosscourt inside the line, forcing the players to a tiebreak. 

Kudermetova took a huge 3-0 lead, with Muguruza struggling to get one to nail down. She then took the next three points fighting to gain some momentum in the late stages of the set. A well-placed lob gave the Russian the lead back, but the 27-year-old answered with a drive that painted the line. She moved Kudermetova around during the ninth point, setting up the smash for the edge. Matchpoint was achieved on an error into the net from Kudermetova who saw her tournament end on one last error to complete 1 hour and 48 minutes on court. 

“I was expecting a very tough match,” Muguruza said after her match on court. “We played exactly one year ago and I remember that it was a great battle.” While she managed to avoid playing another three-setter, she’ll need a lot more when she faces 2020 champion Aryna Sabalenka on Wednesday.

Belinda Bencic fights off Gauff to enter Adelaide International final

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Cori Gauff gave it every effort to make the final of a tournament but was cut short at the Adelaide International Friday night. Belinda Bencic had to fight off the teen through three sets to win 7-6(2), 6-7(4), 6-2 on center court at the Memorial Drive Tennis Centre. It secured the second seed into her 11th WTA final and her first since 2018.

This was the first time the two stars met and the first WTA 500 semifinal for the American teenager. Despite having played four full matches since being in qualifications, Gauff’s never say die attitude put her in a terrific spot. Bencic was in her third match of the tournament, playing just four sets on her way to a possible final, a first for the Swiss since 2019. Having yet dropped a set, the second seed tried to become the first player to hold back the surging teenager. 

Bencic took advantage early on some early struggles from Gauff on serve but soon found her fight back to force deuce. Having recovered every breakpoint, the 16-year-old clinched the first AD point to hold serve. She then caught a break, taking the second on Bencic’s errors on the forehand serve. Gauff consolidated that with a stunning 3-0 lead on the second seed, taking a surprising dictation early on. 

Bencic avoided the deficit from getting any deeper, holding an important service in the fourth. Hoping to get another win under her belt, Gauff denied the Swiss star the opportunity. The American let her opponent, who was steaming with frustration make the mistakes herself to hand the teen a 4-1 hold. In her attempt to keep in touch with Gauff, Bencic etched out another key service hold, cutting the margin in half.

She dug into the seventh as soon as Gauff erred on serve, edging the American at 30-all to produce a breakpoint and seal the win. Bencic battled once more on serve, keeping the 16-year-old from threatening on deuce, winning the first AD point. With the score even after eight games and Bencic finding her groove, Gauff shut down the Swiss come back to take the 5-4 stance. 

Bencic knew that holding serve would not only extend the set but leave with opportunities to regroup against Gauff. Holding the American to just one point made it possible to do just that, but the 11th didn’t go her way as the teen held serve. Knowing that she had to keep it going, Bencic sealed the 12th with an ace down the T, forcing a first-set tiebreak. Bencic opened to a 3-0 lead before giving Gauff two points. 

She returned to serve on the sixth point, doubling her lead over the American and increasing further. The double mini-break gave the second seed a sigh of relief, closing out the first in 56 minutes having come back from 1-4 down. Bencic managed her game well despite having too many double faults in the opening set. 

It didn’t help that she produced three more during her opening service of the second set, gifting breakpoints to Gauff. Despite the deficit, the second seed rallied back to force deuce, denied another break chance, and held soon thereafter. Bencic consolidated the hold with a break of the teenager, gaining important morale while her opponent fatigued out on the court. 

The second seed took a commanding 3-0 run in just ten minutes, showing a real change of control. Gauff put a stop to her slide, holding an important game in the fourth. Bencic effectively took care of another service game, denying Gauff any leverage to produce a break of serve. She answered back in the sixth with a big service hold that went to deuce but ended with the teen smashing the winner after two breaks. 

Gauff was back in contention as Bencic blew up her service with a double fault in the seventh, giving the American a chance to level back like her opponent did. The second seed knew she couldn’t let that happen and dug in for anything Gauff served at her. Forcing deuce was the order for the 23-year-old, who played every point until a rally had her at an advantage, winning the eighth on an awkward smash. 

Leading 5-3, Bencic served for the match finding the right angle to get that bested Gauff. A bad beat for the young American came when a shot return hit the top of the net but fell back into her end. She responded with a well-placed winner down the right tramline and another to earn breakpoint. Gauff erred to force deuce, playing the point too deep. A bad return gave Bencic a match point, but the teen killed it with a net-front smashed winner. Bencic forced the error on the second break before blowing the game on a shot with too much speed. 

The tenth was a key point for Bencic who at one point had the match won on an error from Gauff during an AD point. The umpire called deuce which incensed the second seed to argue the point. Because it was too close to call, the point was replayed and, in the end, Gauff went on to take the win. Bencic knuckled down to regain the lead 6-5 fighting well on serve. Gauff did just the same thing in the 12th to force another tiebreak that either forced a decider to end on it. 

This time it was the American up 3-0, earning mini breaks on the 23-year-old. Bencic got into it after four missed points and added another two. The drop shots from Gauff caused damage to the Swiss star who overplayed another one on the return. She got within reach for a moment, but the 16-year-old went on to take the next two points, securing another three-set match that took one hour and nine minutes to get to. 

After blowing her chance at ending it early, Bencic went on the offensive against the teen, who was into her 13th hour of tennis this week. To make a statement, the 23-year-old scored her first break to love of Gauff and backed it up with a hold in the second. She watched the teen make her mark in the deciding set but took over in the fourth before scoring another break. With the 4-1 lead and comfortable momentum, Bencic went on to dictate another service game leading 5-1. 

The American had one last chance to make a comeback on serve in the seventh, play every point possible. She earned the hold of serve but was still three games from threatening Bencic. The Swiss had the close the teen down quickly and in the eighth, the second seed succeeded. Despite it taking her 2 hours and 46 minutes, Bencic earned match points to end it on a winner.

"I'm super relieved," Bencic said after the match. "I tried to fight as best as I can and I have huge respect for Cori Gauff. She's a huge fight and at this age, it's really impressive and she gave me a hard time. At times I really didn't know what to do anymore but I'm really happy I'm through to the final." She'll go into Saturday's match against reigning French Open champion Iga Swiatek in her quest to win her first WTA title since Toronto in 2015.

Belinda Bencic advances after quieting Storm Sanders in straight sets

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Belinda Bencic once again had to battle in the late stages of her match but came through to advance at the Adelaide International Thursday night. The Swiss star overcame the adversity of Storm Sanders, who stood as Australia’s last hope but fell 6-2, 6-4 on centre court at the Memorial Drive Tennis Centre. 

The Aussie had a lot on her shoulders after the exit of world number one Ashleigh Barty but appeared to carry it well. Her win over Yulia Putintseva said a lot about her willingness to dig in and earn victories during a match. Though she never met Bencic before, she had her biggest obstacle of the tournament in the Swiss who just got her journey started. The 23-year-old opened her entry to Adelaide taking down Misaki Doi in straight sets. Despite having some troubles late in that match, the second seed had to be prepared to keep Sanders back or struggle through a long battle against the qualifier. 

The 26-year old put together a decent hold to open the match but soon faced the power from Bencic. The second seed scored a serve to love before making it very difficult for Sanders in the third. It was the longest game played with the Australian qualifier coming back from 30-40 down. She and Bencic fought hard for the AD point six times with her getting the last laugh after playing off the fourth breakpoint. 

Sanders attempted to make it tough for the second seed but failed to hold her off, losing break point chances. Bencic made her pay for it in the fifth as Sanders suffered the first break of the set. She tried to break back and get even, but the Swiss star had other plans. The second seed fought back Sanders on deuce to hold her end and double the lead. 

Having found her momentum and dictation of Sanders, Bencic overcame a bad service game in the eighth to force deuce. The second seed dug in and waited for Sanders to make the errors that soon handed her the set after 46 minutes. Despite having two double faults that could have let Sanders well into the set, her four aces that worked their magic, helped the second seed sit in the position she wanted. 

It got better for her as Bencic broke Sanders and soon worked on consolidating the early break. The 23-year-old capped the second with a serve to love, scoring it on a shot popping off the top of the net and into Sander’s side of the court. The Aussie qualifier paused Bencic’s dominance in the third with a service hold but watched as the second seed had her game under control. Just when you thought Bencic would coast along with victories, Sanders made her statement stand out. 

The Aussie held back the second seed to hold the fifth and broke her opponent with a late surge that evened things up. The seventh had Sanders vying for control as she won seven of the last ten points. Bencic battled hard to get to 30-all before producing a breakpoint. A final volley helped her secure the break back, serving for a chance to widen the gap back. Sanders refused to make it easy for the Swiss star, playing every point to force deuce. Despite her best efforts, a bad error gave Bencic the victory that set her up for a shot at the match. 

With new balls, Sanders served to stay alive in the match, scoring a winner to get the ninth started. She continued to lead Bencic until a winner that came with some controversy frustrated the Swiss. As Sanders scored on a line drive winner, Bencic was upset that someone in the stands called out something, taking her response away. Despite the loss, she earned the shot at serving out the match on serve. 

Errors forced the second seed to trail Sanders before coming back on two free points due to errors. An ace silenced the Australian support that gave Bencic a match point before a seven-shot rally ended with Sanders slicing an error that ended the night in 1 hour and 32 minutes.

"All the credit to Storm," Bencic said during her con court interview. "She played amazing and I knew she was going to be an uncomfortable opponent of course being a lefty and I hard time getting used to how she plays." With another out of the way, she'll take on the 16-year-old American Cori Gauff. "She's a great player, and it's gonna be a very good match. She has a lot of great results for how young she is so it will be a cool experience."