Ludmilla Samsonova breaks Garbine Muguruza down in straight sets

Ludmilla Samsonova clenches her fist in celebration of a point during her match with Garbine Muguruza at the Toray Pan Pacific Open. 

Ludmilla Samsonova lit up the competition to advance for the first time at the Toray Pan Pacific Open Friday night. The 23-year-old dominated on serve, taking the second set by force, resulting in a 6-4, 6-2 straight sets win against Garbine Muguruza on center court at the Ariake Tennis Park. It marked the third semifinal advance for the right-hander in what was a major upset in the making.

The Spaniard had a quick evening against the Greek, getting into the quarterfinal for the fifth time in her career. Facing Samsonova was a good sign for the 28-year-old, who she faced at the Australian Open last year, losing only four games in straight sets. With plenty going right for the former world number one, Muguruza intended on making it back to the semis for the first time since 2017. The 23-year-old also had a straight sets win, but facing Xinyu Wang brought further effort on her part to make it to the last eight. Hoping to make an upset happen, Samsonova had to get her timing right and remain consistent.

Due to a hiccup in Muguruza’s service, she got in front to break in the opening game. The third seed broke back in response, backing up the conversion on serve in the next. Samsonova got into gear during her service in the fourth, going after the Spaniard’s service in the fifth. Fighting from a 15-40 deficit, Muguruza saved breakpoints and held the lone AD point to remain in the lead.

The 23-year-old leveled the score with a service hold, finding a new comfort level that assisted in breaking the third seed to love. With the lead for the first time in the match, Samsonova faltered, watching Muguruza do well with the returns to break back. The world number 30 struck back for the double break, earning a chance to run away with the set on serve in the tenth.

Errors proved to be an advantage in the set, and for Samsonova, it gave her the match lead in 42 minutes. She watched Muguruza err on every single return in the game, giving the notion that she lost control of her offense. Despite recording 18 unforced errors, her big downfall was the serve percentages that Samsonova had in check from her end. She also notched 16 errors but won 71 percent from the first serve.

Muguruza tried to have a better start to open the second, but errors on a 40-15 score turned to bring the 23-year-old to deuce. She forced another pair of errors from the Spaniard, breaking as she did in the first. Samsonova backed up the hard work with another shutout on serve, putting the 28-year-old under pressure to prevent the pace from slipping away. She fought hard to contain the third on serve, but tallying another was out of the question.

Muguruza showed frustration when she couldn’t break through her opponent’s service game, leaving her with fewer expectations from her efforts. It was soon 4-1 for Samsonova, who continued to do no wrong on serve, managing an easy victory for a 5-1 stand. Sitting in a vulnerable position, Muguruza served to extend play in the match, forcing errors from the 23-year-old. A long ball error from Samsonova secured the second victory for the Spaniard but still faced a three-game gap.

Serving for a spot in the semifinal, the 23-year-old stayed composed and put together an extraordinary end to the third seed’s run in Tokyo, ending the match in 1 hour and 21 minutes.

Jelena Ostapenko edges her way into Korea Open QFs

Jelena Ostapenko had her experience to get her out of a jam at the Korea Open Thursday. The Latvian had another match full of double faults and errors along with Anastasia Gasanova, winning 6-3, 5-7, 7-5 on center court at the Olympic Tennis Park in Seoul. In what started as a hard-earned set, capturing a double break turned into a fight for control to the distance.

The Latvian made a mess of her opening round, putting too many double faults and unforced errors together. Though she edged out the 19-year-old Korean in a two-and-a-quarter-hour fight, trimming off the problems was key for her to move on through the tournament. Ostapenko failed to put together two or more matches in 9 of 11 tournaments she’s been in this season. Gasanova won her third WTA match of the year in a two-hour onslaught, saving her opponent from taking the first set in the process. Her chances to overcome the top seed would depend on how the 25-year-old’s serve went.

A pair of double faults put Gasanova out front, but the top seed rallied back to force deuce, saving a break and holding the game on the first break. Ostapenko consolidated the early lead, with a break of her opponent, and soon had a grip on the set for a 3-0 lead. Gasanova didn’t get the first serve in place, double-faulting on her second try and handed the double break to Ostapenko.

She managed to break back the top seed in the fifth, gaining a footing in the set for the first time. Gasanova backed up the break of serve for a controlled service that cut Ostapenko’s margin in half. The Latvian held serve through the next three games to come out ahead 6-3 in 37 minutes. She had the better outcome of the two, scoring more points from the first and second serves, while Gasanova managed three of eight from the second serve.

The second was a mess between the two by the third game when the 23-year-old opened the door with another double fault, handing Ostapenko the break and a 2-1 lead. She broke back on account of Ostapenko committing her first double fault of the set. She wouldn’t go through it with just one and opened the door wider for Gasanova to take the break back.

Each of them had a better output from their serves in the following two games, but in the seventh, a double fault nearly caused a break for the Latvian. The 23-year-old was lucky enough to hold her off a break in the seventh but not fortunate in the ninth. Ostapenko scored her second break as her opponent suffered her third of the set.

The Latvian would be lucky with her serve, struggling in the business end where Gasanova leveled the game at five-all on a break. She held firm in the 11th and went all in in the 12th. It was there that Ostapenko’s nerves got the best of her, committing three double faults through the final game. She handed Gasanova three set points, with the last one forcing the two to go to a deciding set after 58 minutes.

Ostapenko blew the match wide open with seven double faults committed, but the performance on serve percentages was even between the two. It was anyone’s match going into the third, meaning holding serve was imperative for the two. The number one seed got the message after a double fault, rallying back from 40-15 only to lose out on the one AD point played. She swept through her service in the second, holding Gasanova to a single point. Taking her positive moment on serve, Ostapenko brought up a breakpoint chance in the third and held after the 23-year-old forced deuce. With a break in hand, the number one seed backed up the effort with a service game in the third, opening the margin to two.

Gasanova had her best service since the opening game of the second set, holding the Latvian to a point. She scored a break that tied them at three-all, making it a race to the finish. It became a messy offense for the 25-year-old, who committed her second double fault. Gasanova sped away in the seventh, achieving a hold to love and then up 5-3 on a third double fault from Ostapenko that turned into a struggle for each of them.

Drawing errors off the 23-year-old helped produce AD points, but converting them proved difficult. After four breaks, Gasanova brought up her third breakpoint of the game and took a huge 5-3 lead, eyeing the upset on the horizon. It was where the 23-year-old blew open a gap in the shape of three double faults. She somehow forced deuce and brought up match point. Once it was blown by a double fault, Gasanova went on to lose the game.

Ostapenko was fortunate to get out of trouble and avoid the upset, powering her way through the tenth to push them to the brink. The Latvian was nearly gifted another way to victory on account of further double faults rattling the 23-year-old. She fought back to force deuce but didn’t get into place to produce another match point. The number one seed did that on serve in the 12th, achieving her moment after five points played to get her place in the quarterfinals after a grueling 2 hours and 37 minutes against her game and her opponent’s.

Despite having another battle with controlling her miscues on offense, the experience of being under stress on the court got her through a second trying competition. With only steps away from the title, the top seed needed to be in better form, playing Victoria Kasintseva next.

Garbine Muguruza rallies to win in straight sets in Tokyo

Garbine Muguruza serves up the forehand serve during her second-round match at the Toray Pan Pacific Open. 

Garbine Muguruza’s struggles for consistency were not a problem at the Pan Pacific Open Wednesday. The third seed ran away with a straight sets win against Despina Papamichail 6-3, 6-2 on center court at the Ariake Tennis Park in Tokyo. The victory gave the Spaniard her fifth career advance to the quarterfinal in what was a shaky start to her tournament run.

The Spaniard made her sixth appearance in the Japanese capital, prepped to make her push back into the middle of the competition and beyond. Despite being absent for four years, Muguruza’s last return to Ariake Tennis Park was during the Tokyo Olympics where she made it to the quarterfinals. Having been given a bye from the first round, she faced the Greek who warmed up in her straight sets win Monday. It marked her first time facing a former world number one, and with Muguruza coming off the US Open, it left a possibility for the 29-year-old.

She struggled to get the first serve in check, recording a double fault on serve. A game-point chance went out the window when Muguruza took control and notched the break. Muguruza suffered a mishap in the second, watching Papamichail break her back to love and consolidated with a heavy effort. Saving breakpoints helped the 29-year-old lead the way, but Muguruza overcame her early problems and swiftly tied the score.

The third seed forced another break out of the Greek and backed it up with a service hold, doubling her margin. Papamichail notched her second double fault but fought back to force deuce and hold the first AD point. Muguruza rallied to 5-3, but in the ninth, the 29-year-old saved two set points, going on to hold serve. The third seed put her mistakes in the game aside and fought to force deuce and on the first break, scored the set in 51 minutes. The 28-year-old delivered big from the first serve, landing 9 of 12, and put the second serve to work on the returns.

With everything paying off in the opening set, Muguruza went on a tear in the second, notching a break to love. She went on taking the next three games, with the double break in hand. Papamichail got a victory in the fifth, but Muguruza made it 5-1 on a serve to love. The seventh saw the Greek work her offense effectively against the Spaniard, making her play every ball that included a near 20-shot rally. She clinched a second win, hoping that she could prevent the Spaniard from finishing the match on serve.

The third seed jammed up the returns of Papamichail, aiming the shots near the body to reach three match points. Muguruza got it done and dusted in 1 hour and 26 minutes, with an eight-shot rally ending with Papamichail slicing wide. The comeback that the Greek nearly got started shows how difficult it can be for a tennis superstar, who took more than a week off from competition.

“It is difficult,” said Muguruza after the match. “Especially that she has played here four days in a row and has the good feeling of this court, and I had to get ready as much as possible with the rain, so I was nervous.”

Tatjana Maria narrowly defeats Eugenie Bouchard in straight sets at Korea Open

Tatjana Maria had the competition breathing down her neck but kept the edge in her favor to advance at the Korea Open Tuesday. The German found very little comfort against Eugenie Bouchard, who put another strong performance to make it a challenging 7-6(5), 7-6(5) score on center court at the Olympic Park Tennis Center.

The two nearly met up in Chennai last week, but the German lost a challenging three setter to Nadia Podoroska. She gets her chance to test the skills of the Canadian, who felt proud of herself, going three matches in a tournament for the first time in under two years. In her quest to improve her WTA ranking, Bouchard had to level the series after her 2015 loss to Maria in Miami. Though their last meeting occurred seven years ago, the 35-year-old wanted to avoid going 0-2 in Seoul and against a Canadian again.

Bouchard delivered a good service hold to start the match, then went after Maria on her serve in the second. The 35-year-old prevented a break chance for the Canadian, only to struggle with clinching the AD point. Three was a charm for Maria, who got out of a jam but knew that Bouchard was playing her best tennis on the night. Bouchard and Maria continued to hold serve, allowing very few points through the next four games.

By the end of the ninth, both players served to love twice, with Bouchard up 5-4. Serving to stay in the set, Maria didn’t want to be the first to drop a point, and after going 17 points straight, a double fault ended the streak. Though she gave up the point, the German held to make it five-all. The pressure was on Bouchard to outduel the seventh seed, but despite the close score, she forced the German to match or fall a set down.

Maria kept her game tight, forcing errors from Bouchard to go to a tiebreak where she again fell behind. The Canadian led the way early, but fell into trouble with forehand returns that gave Maria control. She waited for her moment to gain another minibreak before conducting a way to edge past Bouchard. She had two set points to work with, clinching the win over the 28-year-old 7-5 in 61 minutes.

It was a very close finish between the two, but the leg up for Maria gave her a boost to be the one controlling the pace. She held to open the second set, watching Bouchard serve to love in response in the second game. Holding serve in the third led to a break up for the German, but being broken back was a huge way of Bouchard staying within reach. After leveling again in the sixth, Maria notched her second serve to love of the set to lead 4-3, making the eighth game critical for her to win. 

Bouchard defended her side of the court even after Maria forced deuce. They went five breaks where the Canadian saved three breakpoints, going on to hold the serve. She worked out a break of the seventh seed in the ninth to be the first to serve for the set and move them into a decider. Maria powered her way through to even the score at five-all, pressuring Bouchard on serve. She forced deuce but fell after three breaks, suffering a deficit when she got shutout in the 11th.

The Canadian got a jump on the third point of the 12th game, running away with the win that sealed them into another tiebreak. The German controlled her path to victory, keeping the 28-year-old behind her just enough to take the match 7-5, ending a 2 hour and 19 minute thriller.

Jelena Ostapenko dominates tiebreak to win over Boyoung Jeong in three sets

Jelena Ostapenko fought through the tension and struggles to come in front at the Hana Bank Korea Open Tuesday night. Boyoung Jeong took advantage of the numerous double faults and errors the Latvian committed, but couldn’t dig into the tiebreak, losing 6-4, 3-6, 7-6(2) on center court at the Olympic Park Tennis Stadium.

The Latvian made her fourth appearance in the South Korean capital, looking to add her second hard court title this season. Her second career title victory came at the tournament in 2017 after winning the French Open. With the Asian swing of the season in action and attaining the top seed, Ostapenko has a chance to be the one in charge.

She didn’t put her best foot forward and notched a double fault to start the competition. Relying on the second serve led to her service breaking against Jeong, who came into her serve neck and neck with Ostapenko. The Latvian managed to break back, and score an ace to start the third game. It led to another hold, putting her two games out front. Jeong scored a double break at the hands of Ostapenko, who delivered the errors that made it so.

The Korean leveled the score in the sixth, controlling the late stages of the score in it. Jeong notched another break, with the assistance of Ostapenko, who ran into further issues with the serve. The number one seed pulled off a break back that made it four-all, right before she drew errors in the ninth that assisted in gaining back the lead. Having Jeong right where she wanted her, the 25-year-old rallied for the break and the set, drawing errors from the teen and walking away with the set in 38 minutes.

Ostapenko’s saving grace was Jeong’s serve percentages and numerous errors, but it wasn’t enough to keep her opponent back. She opened the second set breaking the Latvian, who returned the favor and had a 2-1 lead after going long in the second. The serve to love from Ostapenko didn’t take much from the 19-year-old, who stayed in control and moved right along with the top seed.

They held serve in the next two games, until a string of errors from the Latvian caused her to suffer another break. The change in momentum sat with Jeong, who saved breakpoints on her serve, forcing deuce and holding the AD point twice to lead 5-3. She watched as Ostapenko struggled with the forehand, racking up the errors that handed the teen a chance to go for the match after 43 minutes. The stats swung the wrong way for the number one seed, whose serve percentages dwindled to be in a fight for her time in Korea.

The teen knew she had much to gain from knocking out a number one seed, but doing so on serve was not meant to be. Ostapenko rallied to a break and consolidated for a 2-0 run on Jeong. The teen responded with a key hold of serve, breaking the Latvian in the fourth to level the score. They held through the next pair of games, but the seventh spelled trouble for Jeong as Ostapenko upped the ante, forcing deuce and achieving breakpoints to score the lead back.

The 25-year-old held Jeong to love in the eighth, but getting a break in the ninth was not in the cards. Jeong played hard to defend her service game, scoring the victory with a shot behind Ostapenko. Sitting a game down, Ostapenko gifted the tenth with her eighth double fault. The 25-year-old erred to give Jeong triple break point, sealing it with a winner to Ostapenko’s left. Jeong backed up the break with a strong hold of serve, looking great to upset the Latvian. The top seed refused to give it up on serve and pulled off a serve to love before heading into a tiebreak.

It was there that Ostapenko held her game together long enough to dictate most of the points played and hold Jeong far back. Drawing an error from the teen for match point, Ostapenko sealed the win on a long ball return from the Korean that ended her struggles in 2 hours and 13 minutes. The 25-year-old had a messy night out on the court, recording nine errors for the first time in recent match play. The inconsistencies needed to sort out before doing business with Anastasia Gasanova in the second round.  

Nadia Podoroska edges Eugenie Bouchard in three sets at Chennai Open

Nadia Podoroska in action against Eugenie Bouchard at the Chennai Open. 

Nadia Podoroska pulled off another comeback that sealed her place into the final four at the Chennai Open Friday night. The former French Open semifinalist went the distance against Eugenie Bouchard, who gave it her best but came up short in a 1-6, 6-4, 6-2 result on center court at the Mhalunge Balewadi Tennis Complex.

The Canadian pulled together two wins that she hadn’t been able to accomplish in more than 500 days. Her victory over India’s best chance at the tournament allowed her to dig deep and face the Argentinian for the first time. Podoroska didn’t have an easy time making the quarterfinal, going the distance against a stubborn Tatjana Maria. After investing much more time on the court than Bouchard did in straight sets, the competition for the semifinal was to be taut.

To make sure she had leverage right from the start, Bouchard came through late on the first break of deuce to win on Podoroska’s serve. She went on to consolidate, and control the pace through the next three games, shutting Podoroska out in each one. It wasn’t till the fifth that the 25-year-old got on the board with a service hold. She upped the ante in the sixth, gaining breakpoints at 40-15. Bouchard rallied to save all of them for deuce, leading the two into a lengthy tug of war for the coveted point.

After seven breaks and four of them saved by Bouchard, the 28-year-old found a way to sit 5-1 in what was the longest game of the match. She managed to breeze through the seventh game, holding Podoroska to a point, before taking the set in 38 minutes. Like her efforts on Wednesday, the Canadian had a solid first serve percentage, winning 14 from 18 and saving all seven breaks faced. The Argentinian committed two double faults and struggled to keep up, but her time wasn’t running out.

In the second set, Podoroska suffered her third shutout of the match, but held once she got the chance to serve. She went on to score a break against Bouchard, consolidating on that in the fourth. It appeared something bothered the 28-year-old, but she continued playing on, suffering another break at the hands of Podoroska. Before the sixth, the Canadian called the trainer to examine an issue with her midsection. At the end of the medical timeout, Podoroska went for a chance at 5-1 but watched Bouchard get in the action and break back.

The 28-year-old backed up the break in the sixth, with a service to love chewing into Podoroska’s lead. The 25-year-old stayed ahead of Bouchard, gaining back her two-game buffer, until the ninth, when she suffered a loss of set point, failing to capture a break chance. With a game separating the two from a fight deeper into the second, the players through it all out to win the tenth game. Podoroska saved a breakpoint for Bouchard and brought up her second set point.

The Argentinian suffered two consecutive double faults, but despite opening the door for Bouchard, her opponent couldn’t connect the victory. It led them to play on, and after four breaks in total, Podoroska earned the set, leading Bouchard to smash her racket after 68 minutes of play. The 25-year-old had four double faults in the set, but her efforts late gave her a chance to go for broke in the decider.

They both chose to ditch the heat rule and play on, which Podoroska took in the shape of a service hold. She went on to back it up, breaking the Canadian to love in the second. Podoroska took a commanding 3-0 lead, showing plenty of dictation until play was suspended due to lightning in the area. After a 31-minute delay, the players returned to the court with Bouchard scoring a break in the fourth, ending Podoroska’s streak.

The Canadian suffered a loss of serve in the fifth, giving the 25-year-old a comfortable margin. She went on to comfortably handle her service for a 5-1 lead, giving Bouchard one last chance to keep her efforts alive. The Canadian drew errors from Podoroska, who only got one point in the game but had another shot at closing Bouchard out.

The Argentinian suffered her eighth double fault but still had match points to burn against the 28-year-old. She blew her chance to ease through the service with an error into the net, bringing Bouchard to deuce. Podoroska made a mistake in a rally, but Bouchard was the one who made an even bigger one. It handed the 25-year-old another match point which she captured on a long return behind the baseline completing another thrilling comeback that took 2 hours and 24 minutes to accomplish.

Eugenie Bouchard posts second win at Chennai Open

Eugenie Bouchard swings the backhand during her second-round match at the Chennai Open. 

Eugenie Bouchard navigated her way to a second straight victory at the Chennai Open Wednesday night. The Canadian worked through Karman Thandi in straight sets 6-2, 7-6(2) to move past the second round on center court at the Mhalunge Balewadi Tennis Complex. It was the first time since March 13, 2021, that the 28-yeat-old scored back-to-back WTA match wins.

The Canadian posted her first official victory this season, making it to the second round of the Chennai Open. Her efforts to defeat Joanne Zuger of Switzerland took a lot of energy in the opening set until she managed to close it out in the second. It was 546 days since her last WTA victory after suffering a shoulder injury took her down for that amount of time. Though she never faced Thandi before, Bouchard eyed another victory after her opponent put in a lot of time in her three-set battle with Chloe Paquet. A cramp nearly came to the Indian during that victory, hoping to not have the same occur in their fight for a quarterfinal.

Bouchard put together a terrific response to Thandi’s service, jumping ahead of the Indian on the score before capturing the break. Her service game was challenged in the second as Thandi anted up on her forehand shots, hitting back hard against the Canadian. The competition got fierce through four breaks of deuce until a late gain of control for Bouchard helped her consolidate.

The 24-year-old had a few kickbacks with her serve, erring on the backhand to give Bouchard a break to love in the third. By the half-hour mark, the 28-year-old continued to look comfortable with her serve while gaining a 4-0 lead on her opponent. The Indian suffered a double fault on serve in the fifth, indicating that she had little grip of control. Forcing deuce opened the door for Thandi to hunt down the AD point, and after three attempts, she secured her first game of the set.

Bouchard pressed on to reach 5-1, threatening to take the set at any moment. Thandi didn’t want that to occur on her serve, preventing a set point for Bouchard to force deuce and closing it out on a break. Bouchard came into the seventh, keeping herself at the pace she wanted her game to be. Having two set points to play on, the Canadian held the last one to fire an ace down the T, to take the first set in 48 minutes. Bouchard bested Thandi on first and second serves, winning points from both sides, including the breakpoints.

Knowing she had to bring out more, Thandi battled the struggles of her serve and opponent. She and Bouchard went 14 minutes in the opening game that spanned only nine points, but two double faults made it harder for the 24-year-old. Thandi held the two AD points played and put the game to rest on a winner, leading the way. Bouchard kept her service game shorter, overcoming a small deficit to dictate her service hold.

The two held through four games until a move from Thandi put her out front. The 24-year-old scored a key hold in the fifth, giving Bouchard far fewer opportunities. Gaining the lead added confidence to Thandi, who managed to break the Canadian and hold again for a commanding 5-2 lead. The Indian had the finish line of the second set on her horizon, but getting the double break was denied.

Bouchard made sure to find the AD point after Thandi forced deuce and keep her hopes for a straight sets result alive. She still had two games to overcome, and on Thandi’s serve, she drew errors to bring up a set point. Thandi had a miscue during the rally, where a shot hit the net and fell into the tramlines. After saving a second set point, Bouchard went on the offensive and gained AD points, gaining her another chance at tying the score on serve.

Bouchard succeeded in her mission of leveling the score through ten decisions, putting Thandi in a spot to jump back out or suffer under a losing streak. Thandi worked through the service, fighting Bouchard on every point that assisted in edging through the 11th. Bouchard responded with an important service game, holding Thandi to a pair of points. With the tiebreak in place, Bouchard went on to take the first three points before the 24-year-old got onto the scoreboard.

She put some points together but trailed the Canadian, who notched a pair quickly to earn a match point. An error behind the baseline handed the former world number five the victory in 2 hours and 13 minutes, marking a late comeback to maintain strength. “I tried to dominate a lot in the first set, and that’s what worked, and the second she controlled the set a little bit more,” Bouchard said after the match.

“I tried to get back to playing my game towards the end of the second, and thankfully it wasn’t too late to do that, and I was able to come back.” She’ll take the day to rest before awaiting the winner between Nadia Podoroska and Tatjana Maria