Bianca Andreescu escapes Muguruza to reach Miami Open quarters

A resurgent Bianca Andreescu and an ascending Sara Sorribes Tormo will face off for a spot in the semifinals of the Miami Open after both players earned three-set victories in the fourth round on Monday night.


In a match between two Grand Slam champions, Andreescu cooled off the in-form Garbiñe Muguruza, 3-6, 6-3, 6-2, in the pair's second career meeting, while Sorribes Tormo downed Ons Jabeur, 6-4, 0-6, 6-1 to continue her best-ever run at a WTA 1000 event.

"It was really tough. She started out playing really, really well. I don't think I was at the level I wanted to be right at the start of the match, because I knew she was going to come out really, really strong, and that's what she did," Andreescu told reporters after the match.

"But I had to re-adapt, which I did in the second set. I regrouped. I kept fighting. I changed my game plan a little bit as well. And it worked."

A set down and staring at a 15-40 deficit on serve at 1-1, Andreescu ripped off nine of the next 11 games to wrestle command of the match, and sealed victory in two hours and 11 minutes.

"I felt like at the beginning I wasn't as consistent. She was just playing really, really well, as well, on top of that," Andreescu continued.

"But I felt like I was going too much on her forehand in the first set, so I kind of regrouped and I tried to pick what I was doing right and what I was doing wrong. I just told myself, 'Okay, her backhand was still really good but I'll pick on that a little bit more.' That made a big difference."

Behind 34 winners and four breaks of serve, Andreescu snapped Muguruza's eight-match winning streak and earned a third consecutive win in Miami, her second time doing so in three tournaments played this season.

"I feel it was like a very tight match. I felt I had many opportunities," Muguruza said in defeat. "I had opportunities in the second set to take the lead. I just didn't convert them.

"So far, [it's] probably my best start of the year, and I'm happy about that. I take the positives. I know right now it is a tough moment, but in five minutes, I'm just going to change my mind and just look ahead to the clay court [season] which is my favorite surface. I'm happy with the way I'm playing."

Dating back to her breakthrough season in 2019, Andreescu is now 22-2 in her last five WTA 1000 events, and seeks to reach the semifinals in Miami for the first time when she faces the Spanish No.2 Sorribes Tormo.

"It's always satisfying getting that three-setter, especially after losing the first set. So to me what I was super happy about that match was how even when I'm down, and I knew this about myself," Andreescu said.

"Even when I'm down I know I can find a way. Most of the time, not all of the time. Most of the time, I can always find a way and come back and do really, really well.

"I keep proving that to myself, and it's really nice to get that under my belt. I felt super, super pumped the whole match, considering everything that's been happening. I'm just super, super happy."

After Andreescu took down the tour's leader in wins, improving her head-to-head against Muguruza to 2-0, she and Sorribes Tormo will play for the first time.

"I have seen her play. I know she gets to a lot of balls," Andreescu said. "She has a very heavy spinny ball. She's a crazy fighter. I want to go out there and fight even harder and hopefully I can do good things."

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Bianca Andreescu wins first meeting vs Anisimova to reach round of 16 in Miami

Sunday's night session at the Miami Open saw Bianca Andreescu win a much-anticipated first professional meeting against Amanda Anisimova, and Ons Jabeur flip the script in the latest chapter of her recent rivalry with Sofia Kenin.


Despite being peers and foes in the junior ranks, 2019 US Open champion Andreescu and 2019 French Open semifinalist Anisimova had never before played as professionals, but their first meeting proved one to remember: in a titanic two hours and 45 minutes, Canadian edged a 7-6(5), 6-7(2), 6-4 affair to reach the round of 16.

"My game, I know that it can be better, but I'm trying to find ways to push through on my off days, and I think I'm doing that well," Andreescu assessed after the match.

"I think that's what makes a really good player, and I'm trying to be that really good player like I was in 2019. I did that today, and I just want to fight and give it my all and then the rest will come."

Andreescu needed over an hour to seal a one-set lead in the encounter, as Anisimova saved all 10 break points she faced across four service games in the opener.

From 7-6(5), 2-0 up, Andreescu found herself headed for a final set as Anisimova played her best tennis in the closing stages of the second, even after receiving medical attention for blisters on her hand. The American twice held serve to stay in it, trailing 5-4 and 6-5, and won five of the first six points of the ensuing tiebreak.

After she also received a medical timeout when trailing 2-1, the decisive break for Andreescu came in the fifth game of the final set, and she was never challenged on serve from then on.

"I felt very good mentally before the match, and then on the court I felt really good. It's hard playing a player that she's super erratic. She just slaps every ball, but she slaps it very well. I don't want to say that in a bad way. But she's a really good player," Andreescu said.

"It was tough. I was getting to a lot of balls I thought I couldn't even get to. But that just shows that all the preparation that I'm putting in is really paying off."

Andreescu will have a quick turnaround up next as she faces Garbiñe Muguruza on Monday evening for a spot in the quarterfinals. The Canadian dominated in the pair's last meeting at a WTA 1000 event, a 6-0, 6-1 win in Indian Wells in 2019 - a tournament that Andreescu went on to win.

"I'm going to do my best with treatment, best with food, best with sleep, all that stuff. I have been here before. I have played tough matches like this [and] had to play the next day, so I kind of know what to expect," Andreescu said.

"I have to be on my A-game tomorrow because I know Muguruza is very tough to play."

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Bianca Andreescu makes triumphant return in Miami

Grand Slam champions Bianca Andreescu and Sofia Kenin sealed safe passage through to the third round of the Miami Open as day turned to night on Friday.


In her first match in five weeks, 2019 US Open champion Andreescu twice trailed by a break in the opener and saved two set points before securing a 7-6(5), 6-2 win over Czech qualifier Tereza Martincova in one hour and 52 minutes.

"I felt really good mentally out there. That's the one thing I feel like I was struggling a little bit in Australia, but I was just super positive and I fought for every ball no matter what the score was," Andreescu said after the match.

"In the first set she had set point, but I just kept fighting, and I think that was the thing I was most proud of. I felt that in the first set I wasn't as consistent as in the second set, but I think that tiebreaker really said a lot, because I started putting more pressure. I was getting to a lot of balls.

"In the second set, you could tell that she became a little discouraged, and she started going for more shots. But that's part of my game style. I want to be very physical out there. I don't want to let any ball go and just never give up. I think that says a lot today in the match, and it showed."

Andreescu will next face No. 28 seed Amanda Anisimova, who overcame Sloane Stephens in an all-American second round encounter, 6-3, 6-3. Peers in the juniors, Andreescu and Anisimova have never played on the professional tour.

"I practiced actually with her the other day. I didn't know I was playing her. But I think it's going to be a great match," Andreescu said.

"She hits very flat, so I have to be ready for everything. She has a very good serve, but I'm feeling good out there and I think it's gonna be a very good match."

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Roger Federer happy with his progress in first tournament back despite early exit

Roger Federer suffered the first loss of his comeback on Thursday evening in the quarter-finals of the Qatar ExxonMobil Open against Nikoloz Basilashvili. But the 103-time tour-level champion is not going to struggle mentally to get over the loss.

“No, no, no. This one is super easy. I'm already over it,” Federer said. “I would have loved to play tomorrow, don’t get me wrong. But at the same time, I'm also happy to get a rest. I'm happy how I played today. I'm happy how I did yesterday.

“I’m happy I am back on the Tour. I'm pleased I came here to Doha. So it's really, really a positive return for me. I'm really happy.”

Federer had a match point against the Georgian, but he was put under pressure to make a difficult backhand passing shot, which he missed. The Swiss played well despite his defeat. The World No. 6 was happy to get two three-setters under his belt in Doha.

“I come from so far away that I'm actually happy that I was able to play back-to-back three-set matches against top players. That's an important step forward to me,” Federer said. “I'm actually happy how I felt today on court overall. I felt better against Dan [Evans], physically I would think naturally. But I think Basilashvili plays a totally different game to Dan.

“I think from that standpoint today it was a completely different game, and that's why I also probably struggled a little bit more.”

In his first match, Federer defeated Daniel Evans, who like the former World No. 1 plays with more spins and variety. Basilashvili is a power player who took the action to the Swiss.

“He pushed me much more into the forehand corner whereas against Dan was very much running around with his slice, keeping the ball low, and I think that was a challenge,” Federer said. “Overall, the body is actually fine. I'm happy. It could be much worse.

"There was always a little bit within me that thought, ‘How am I going to feel after a brutal first-round match?’ That's what I was thinking about going into the tournament, and, ‘How would I feel [in] the second round?’ I was always worried that maybe I couldn't play it for whatever reason. [But] I felt fine.”

Federer received a lot of messages this week from friends. Coming back aged 39 after more than 13 months off due to injury was a big occasion for the Swiss.

“I think a lot of my close friends and people around me were waiting for this return and that I finally did it and I was able to even win it. I think some people didn't expect that because they know what I went through,” Federer said. “It was like winning a big tournament. Messages would keep coming in. Whereas normally I don't respond, I responded to them all basically just because I felt like I was on such a high.

“I was really, really pleased and happy yesterday. It was really a great day for me again to be back on the Tour.”

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He may have lost today but this was a good step forward. At least now he knows how far and what he has to work on. I'm still just happy to have him back. No matter the result right now.

So taking only positives from it all.

It was honestly a surprise just how well he played his first time out after so long. I think with more match fitness he will be a danger again on the grass.

Getting ready for the grass on clay will be an interesting experience.

Which is where he's now planning to play next having pulled out of Dubai and Miami to work on his fitness.

It was a good outing all be it a short one. But I'm beyond happy to just have him back healthy and starting to play again.

Roger Federer makes winning return in Doha after 405 days

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In his first appearance since the 2020 Australian Open, Roger Federer made a winning return to the ATP Tour on Wednesday at the Qatar ExxonMobil Open in Doha.

The three-time Doha champion showcased his fighting spirit to save a set point at 5/6 in the first-set tie-break and he closed the match with a late break at 6-5 in the decider to beat Daniel Evans 7-6(8), 3-6, 7-5.

“It feels good to be back,” Federer said in an on-court interview. “I am happy to be standing here regardless of if I won or lost, but obviously winning feels better. It was a good match. Dan played a good match too. He has been a wonderful training partner as well. Over the past two weeks, we played over 20 sets and it went on [tonight].”

“It has been a long and tough road for me. I enjoyed it though,” said Federer. “It has been a huge challenge of mine in my tennis career and to come back at my age is not something that is very simple. I have had a wonderful team around myself that always supported me throughout. That made it much easier and it was worth it because I played a good match today.”

Federer was not only challenged by an in-form opponent on Centre Court. The 103-time tour-level titlist also needed some time to adjust to the most recent rules on the ATP Tour. Federer, whose last ATP Tour appearance came at the 2019 Nitto ATP Finals, sought advice from umpire Mohamed Lahyani about shot clock and towel box rules (see video). When Federer last played on the ATP Tour, ball kids still handled towels, but not today, leading him to unpackage his own at start of the match.

Despite a reduced crowd in Doha due to COVID-19 restrictions, Federer received a warm welcome to Centre Court. Federer repaid local fans for their support with a thrilling opening set, which went all the way to a tie-break. The 20-time Grand Slam champion fired multiple forehand winners, including one at 5/6 to save set point, and came to the net to rush his opponent. On his third set point, Federer struck his second cross-court backhand passing shot of the tie-break to clinch the set.

Evans took his attack to Federer’s backhand and rushed the net to save a break point in the opening game of the second set. It proved to be a crucial moment for the Brit, as he forced Federer into backhand errors three games later to earn the first break of the match. Evans maintained his advantage to serve for the set at 5-3, and he showed no sign of nerves to claim four straight points.

After escaping two break points with a mix of pace and precision at 3-3 in the decider, Federer ripped groundstroke winners and applied scoreboard pressure to earn match point at 5-4. But Evans charged to the net behind his serve to stay in the match. Two games later, Federer earned two more chances and he took the first with a backhand winner down the line.

“I said, ‘If I’m going to go out, I’m going to go out swinging.’ Dan had more energy left at the end, but I was serving well and I thought I actually played a really, really good match,” said Federer. “I’m incredibly happy about my performance… It was nice to finish off with a backhand down the line.”


“I actually thought he played his best tennis in the last three [or] four games,” said Evans. “[He] got himself out of trouble [at 3-3 and] then when I was 4-5 down he really came at me. I felt a lot of pressure from him, from his game.”

Federer will face Nikoloz Basilashvili in the quarter-finals. The Georgian broke Malek Jaziri on six occasions to record a 6-2, 6-2 win on Court B. Federer won his only previous ATP Head2Head encounter against Basilashvili 6-2, 6-1, 6-2 at the 2016 Australian Open

.
atptour.com

Gosh it feels good to be posting Roger Federer tennis results again. It's been an eternity.

I honestly didn't realize exactly how much I missed him until he stepped out on that court and weaved that racket like a wand.

That first set was near perfection in terms of serving. 

I was pleasantly surprised at the high level he started on. Once his serve percentage dropped in the 2nd set, you saw a bit more of the rust show through.

Most of which was often at the net. But I'm nit picking

All in all it was a high quality match with plenty of highlights. 

It once again made me appreciate the way Roger plays the game.

There's a certain grace to his shots that no one else on tour has.

 
That includes the way he looks in his outfits. Loved the green ensemble and the new ON shoes.

I'm already smiling just thinking about being able to watch him play again tomorrow.

 
Welcome back Maestro, the world of tennis has really missed you! ♥

Roger Federer added to Miami Open main draw

The Miami Open announced Thursday its acceptance list for the upcoming 2021 tournament, and the biggest news is that 20-time Grand Slam winner Roger Federer is among the players listed.

The Swiss superstar, who has undergone two right knee operations in the past year, last played on January 30, 2020, when he lost to Novak Djokovic in the Australian Open semifinals. He is scheduled to make his long-awaited return at the Qatar ExxonMobil Open, which begins March 8.

If all the players on the acceptance list show up, which is unknown, especially during the pandemic, the Miami Open field would boast 21 players with a combined 116 career Grand Slam singles titles, including Federer, Rafael Nadal, Serena Williams and reigning Australian Open champions Novak Djokovic and Naomi Osaka.


All the top 77 ranked men and 75 of the top 78 ranked women are on the acceptance list for the Miami Open, which will be held for the second time at Hard Rock Stadium. It runs March 22 to April 4.

Federer, the 2019 Miami Open champion, and Djokovic, a six-time winner in Miami, lead a men’s field that includes 20-time Grand Slam champion Nadal. The tournament will also feature the next generation of stars including 2021 Australian Open finalist Daniil Medvedev, 2020 US Open Champion Dominic Thiem, 2019 ATP Finals champion Stefanos Tsitsipas, world No. 7 Alexander Zverev and entertaining Australian star Nick Kyrgios.


Stan Wawrinka and 2018 Miami Open champion John Isner are also on the list.

The women’s field is led by Osaka, who just won her fourth Grand Slam title in Australia, and 23-time Grand Slam champion Williams, who has won eight titles in Miami. World No. 1 Ashleigh Barty, the 2019 Miami Open champion, will be back to defend her title. The tournament was not held in 2020 due to the pandemic.

Other top women in the field include: 2020 French Open champion Iga Swiatek, 2019 Wimbledon champion Simona Halep, 2019 US Open champion Bianca Andreescu, Venus Williams, Garbiñe Muguruza, Victoria Azarenka, Petra Kvitova, Angelique Kerber, Sloane Stephens, Jelena Ostapenko, and Svetlana Kuznetsova.

Other players to watch include Australian Open finalist Jennifer Brady, 2019 Miami Open finalist Karolina Pliskova, World No. 4 and Pembroke Pines native, Sofia Kenin and American, Madison Keys.

Among the teenagers to watch are two South Florida residents — 19-year-old Amanda Anisimova from Aventura and 16-year-old Coco Gauff from Delray Beach. Both won their first WTA singles titles in 2019.

A limited number of fans will be allowed to attend, per COVID-19 restrictions. Approximately 15 percent of the Grandstand Court capacity, or roughly 750 seats per session, will be available. The Grandstand will be the marquee court this year, as the tournament announced it will not have a Center Court inside the stadium, as it did two years ago.

One of the sport’s most prestigious tournaments during the past 35 years, the Miami Open typically draws crowds of 300,000-plus over the two weeks. In 2019, the first year the event moved from Key Biscayne to Hard Rock Stadium, the total attendance was 388,734.

Full tournament packages will go on sale to the general public on Thursday, March 4. Fans can go online to www.miamiopen.com for more information.

Qualifying rounds are March 22-23 and will determine 12 additional slots in each singles’ draw. The Miami Open also will award wildcards to five men and eight women. The women’s main draw begins on Tuesday, March 23, followed by the first round of the men’s main draw on Wednesday, March 24.

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Iga Swiatek backs up French Open with a 1st WTA title in Adelaide

 

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Roland Garros champion Iga Swiatek is back in the winner's circle, capturing her second career title at the Adelaide International with a dominant 6-2, 6-2 defeat of No.2 seed Belinda Bencic in just 62 minutes.

Swiatek was near-flawless throughout, striking 22 winners and committing a meagre six unforced errors - three in each set. The Pole conceded only six points behind her delivery winning a career best 90.9% of her first serve points (20 out of 22), and was not taken to deuce in any of her own service games.

The result caps a stellar week for Swiatek, who did not drop a set on the way to the trophy - the first WTA title run without the loss of a set since her own Roland Garros route last October. There, the 19-year-old conceded 28 games in seven matches (four per match); this week, she lost 22 games in five matches (4.4 per match). As a result, Swiatek will rise to a new career high of World No.15 on Monday.

"For sure, there is something that clicks," mused Swiatek on the scale of her dominance during her title runs. "Not only in my head but also tennis-wise. I feel pretty good on court. I feel like sometimes I have weeks when everything clicks, and that's just the effect of the work we're doing."

Swiatek has repeatedly stated this year that she is aiming to find consistency on tour - but weeks where she is "in the flow" help with that.

"It's good for me because I can see that I can play good tennis for the whole week," she said. "It wasn't like one time during the French Open. It gives me more confidence that I'm more developed [as a] player and I can play good more often. It just gives me motivation.

"Our goal right now is to have that more often, because I know I can play great tennis. It's just all about planning, aiming for the specific tournament to have the best shape possible."

The serve would be the most glaring difference in the first meeting between the two players. Bencic may have out-aced Swiatek five to four, but the Swiss player paid heavily for eight double faults. Four of those came in the sixth game as Bencic handed the first break of the match over to Swiatek on a platter - a setback from which she would not recover.

Swiatek's own serve had been clicking from the start, and the No.5 seed went from strength to strength in every other area as the final progressed. Her heavy forehand did repeated damage as a first strike, but Swiatek also excelled in longer exchanges, out-manoeuvring Bencic with canny wrong-footing winners and at one point conjuring up a marvellous defensive lob.

Bencic, one of the most tactically astute players on tour, admitted afterwards that she had been at a loss.

"I struggled a lot today with how different she played," said the Swiss player, whose record in finals is now 4-7. "I just couldn't figure out her patterns or her serve or anything at all.

"It's the unpredictable-ness," she continued. "I think she plays everything just little bit different than I'm expecting. So not the usual patterns which you would expect. I think I'm a pretty good anticipator. But today it was a little bit off - of course, thanks to her game.

"Then I think she plays with much more spin and heaviness. Also the balls you think you can reach are just jumping over you. It makes it harder to make a defense, to counterpunch."

Bencic is already planning ahead to her next encounter with Swiatek, though.

"I'm thinking about it," she said. "I would definitely start differently. I'm not sure in which direction yet, but something I would change. I would not go to the match [with] the same tactics. I'm not sure which other tactics to use, but for sure I would come up with something when I would be able to go on the court again.

Swiatek has needed only three tournaments to collect her first trophy following her maiden Grand Slam crown. Only seven active first-time major champions needed fewer, and only four of those did it at 500/Premier/Tier II level or higher: Venus Williams (one, Stanford 2000), Victoria Azarenka (one, Doha 2012), Simona Halep (two, Montréal 2018) and Ashleigh Barty (one, Birmingham 2019). Swiatek now owns a 9-1 record in professional finals, having been 7-0 at ITF level prior to her WTA Tour breakthrough. Her sole loss came to Polona Hercog at Lugano 2019.

wtatennis.com

Haven't enjoyed a young player play this much since a young lady named Martina Hingis back in the mid 90's. 

Iga is such an enormous talent. She has great craft and poise and it makes her an absolute pleasure to watch. 

And I'm not just saying that because I'm a bit biased being Polish born and raised. I have no doubt there will be even more big titles in her future. 

I cannot wait to see how the rest of this year goes for her. I'm really looking forward to watching how she plays on grass.