(Rank/Seed)
1/1 Williams was just too good against 2008 champion (11/8) Jankovic, winning the match 62 62 to claim the 56th title of her career, 10th title of the year (the most since Henin in 2007) and her second in Beijing, alongside 2004.
1st Set
Williams looked nervous early on as she saved a break point in her opening service game to hold. Jankovic was defending superbly but narrowly missed out on her opening service game as Williams won the important points. Williams was at her most effective in the forecourt, hitting 17 winners during the set, plenty of them on drive volleys. In contrast, she hit only 13 unforced errors. Jankovic meanwhile was naturally more conservative, with only 4 winners to 8 unforced errors. Serena, content to serve consistently as opposed to quickly had a 71% first serve percentage and held her last two service games to love before breaking Jelena for a second time.
2nd Set
Jankovic threatened to take control as she broke serve for the first time in the 3rd game, after Williams had saved two more break points with aces. Williams appeared to be bothered by the same back injury that had plagued her all week, but surprisingly it was Jankovic who took a lengthy injury time out due to a hip problem. On resumption, Jankovic was serving noticeably slower and Williams began to pull away, despite her erratic backhand. Williams claimed the win on her 3rd match point off a familiar Jankovic forehand error. Williams finished with a winner error ratio of 29:29, whilst Jankovic struggled towards the end, her ratio being a somewhat unsightly 9:24! It was Williams's 7th win in 11 against Jankovic.
Sunday, 6 October 2013
Saturday, 5 October 2013
Serena storms into final, Jankovic outrallies Kvitova
The semi finals were contrasting matches, pitting big hitters against counter punchers. One of each type of player came through.
(Rank/Seed)
1/1 Williams ploughed through 2011 champion (4/3) Radwanska 62 62 for a 7th time in as many meetings to reach her first Beijing final since she won the title in 2004. Williams continually put Radwanska's second serve under pressure, contributing to a rare five double faults from the Pole. Even when she seemed to struggle with a back injury, Williams continued to blast winners from all over the court (31 in total) whilst only facing one break point all match, saving it with an ace.
11/8 Jankovic battled through a strange encounter with (7/9) Kvitova 67(7) 61 61, snapping the Czech's 8 match winning streak for her 1st win in 3 meetings. The first set saw Jankovic miss out once again on a set point as she twice failed to serve out the set and was then bested in the breaker, Kvitova hitting her 22nd winner on her 3rd set point. However, from there on in Kvitova tired dramatically, no doubt due to her many three set battles, hitting only 9 winners over the course of the next two sets. Jankovic reacted surprisingly well to losing the first set, hitting some fantastic serves and backhands particularly as she controlled play. Jankovic's chances of reaching the WTA Championships now look incredibly good as she moves into her biggest final since Indian Wells 2010, her 3rd final here in Beijing.
Williams is looking to win her 10th title of the year tomorrow, the 56th of her career. Jankovic in contrast is looking for only her 2nd title of the year, the 14th of her career. Williams leads the head to head 6-4 with Jankovic, beating her in all 3 finals they've played. However, Jankovic is the only active player aside from Venus Williams to have ever beaten Serena this many times and extended her to three sets in the final of Charleston this year. If Serena is struggling with an injury, Jankovic could very well deal Serena her 5th loss of the year but if not, Williams will be overpowering and win the match.
(Rank/Seed)
1/1 Williams ploughed through 2011 champion (4/3) Radwanska 62 62 for a 7th time in as many meetings to reach her first Beijing final since she won the title in 2004. Williams continually put Radwanska's second serve under pressure, contributing to a rare five double faults from the Pole. Even when she seemed to struggle with a back injury, Williams continued to blast winners from all over the court (31 in total) whilst only facing one break point all match, saving it with an ace.
11/8 Jankovic battled through a strange encounter with (7/9) Kvitova 67(7) 61 61, snapping the Czech's 8 match winning streak for her 1st win in 3 meetings. The first set saw Jankovic miss out once again on a set point as she twice failed to serve out the set and was then bested in the breaker, Kvitova hitting her 22nd winner on her 3rd set point. However, from there on in Kvitova tired dramatically, no doubt due to her many three set battles, hitting only 9 winners over the course of the next two sets. Jankovic reacted surprisingly well to losing the first set, hitting some fantastic serves and backhands particularly as she controlled play. Jankovic's chances of reaching the WTA Championships now look incredibly good as she moves into her biggest final since Indian Wells 2010, her 3rd final here in Beijing.
Williams is looking to win her 10th title of the year tomorrow, the 56th of her career. Jankovic in contrast is looking for only her 2nd title of the year, the 14th of her career. Williams leads the head to head 6-4 with Jankovic, beating her in all 3 finals they've played. However, Jankovic is the only active player aside from Venus Williams to have ever beaten Serena this many times and extended her to three sets in the final of Charleston this year. If Serena is struggling with an injury, Jankovic could very well deal Serena her 5th loss of the year but if not, Williams will be overpowering and win the match.
Kvitova spoils Li's party
The quarter finals were well contested battles of attrition.
(Rank/Seed)
1/1 Williams dominated 2010 champion (8/6) Wozniacki 61 64, hitting 41 winners and losing serve only once. Wozniacki battled gamely in the second set having initially trailed 0-4, at one stage extending Williams in a 38 stroke rally. However, she never really threatened to win the set as Serena was too powerful and claimed her 6th win in 7 meetings to move into her 2nd career Beijing semi.
4/3 Radwanska avenged a loss last week in Tokyo against (9/7) Kerber 76(7) 64 to move into a 3rd Beijing semi final. Radwanska had looked good to take the first set as she led 5-1 and would hold 6 set points between then and the tiebreak, but each time Kerber came up with huge shots, demolishing Radwanska's second serve particularly. Kerber would then be crippled with nerves leading 6-2 in the tiebreak, her serve falling apart in particular and understandably struggled mentally throughout the second set having fought so hard for nothing. Radwanska won for a 5th time in 8 meetings, avenging a loss here in 2010.
7/9 Kvitova extended her winning run with a fight back to beat (5/4) Li 46 62 64 before a raucously partisan crowd. Both players hit far fewer winners than unforced errors throughout (Kvitova 21:38, Li 17:34) as each player made it their objective to attack from the off, forcing errors from each other after some astonishing rallies full of flat ball striking (one rally was 27 shots long). In the end though, Kvitova handled the crowd interference better as from 3-1 up in the 3rd set, Li's return game crumbled and Kvitova claimed her 3rd win in 6 meetings.
11/8 Jankovic moved into her 3rd Beijing semi with a battling 67(3) 64 64 win over in form (34/-) Safarova, her 6th win in 8 meetings. Their were no breaks in the first set, Safarova saving a set point en route. However, an increasing unforced error count undermined her case as Jankovic defended excellently and edged a tight third set, despite facing 2 break points at 3-4 having twice earlier led by a break.
(Rank/Seed)
1/1 Williams dominated 2010 champion (8/6) Wozniacki 61 64, hitting 41 winners and losing serve only once. Wozniacki battled gamely in the second set having initially trailed 0-4, at one stage extending Williams in a 38 stroke rally. However, she never really threatened to win the set as Serena was too powerful and claimed her 6th win in 7 meetings to move into her 2nd career Beijing semi.
4/3 Radwanska avenged a loss last week in Tokyo against (9/7) Kerber 76(7) 64 to move into a 3rd Beijing semi final. Radwanska had looked good to take the first set as she led 5-1 and would hold 6 set points between then and the tiebreak, but each time Kerber came up with huge shots, demolishing Radwanska's second serve particularly. Kerber would then be crippled with nerves leading 6-2 in the tiebreak, her serve falling apart in particular and understandably struggled mentally throughout the second set having fought so hard for nothing. Radwanska won for a 5th time in 8 meetings, avenging a loss here in 2010.
7/9 Kvitova extended her winning run with a fight back to beat (5/4) Li 46 62 64 before a raucously partisan crowd. Both players hit far fewer winners than unforced errors throughout (Kvitova 21:38, Li 17:34) as each player made it their objective to attack from the off, forcing errors from each other after some astonishing rallies full of flat ball striking (one rally was 27 shots long). In the end though, Kvitova handled the crowd interference better as from 3-1 up in the 3rd set, Li's return game crumbled and Kvitova claimed her 3rd win in 6 meetings.
11/8 Jankovic moved into her 3rd Beijing semi with a battling 67(3) 64 64 win over in form (34/-) Safarova, her 6th win in 8 meetings. Their were no breaks in the first set, Safarova saving a set point en route. However, an increasing unforced error count undermined her case as Jankovic defended excellently and edged a tight third set, despite facing 2 break points at 3-4 having twice earlier led by a break.
Thursday, 3 October 2013
Kvitova edges Errani
The third round has now been completed and a large majority of top players progressed into the quarter finals.
(Rank/Seed)
1/1 Williams continued to struggle through her matches in barely edging (18/-) 2005 champion Kirilenko 75 75. The Russian was the first player to break serve (at love) in the seventh game and then held 3 set points at 40-0 serving at 5-4. Once again as in her 2nd round when facing set points, Serena played calmly to stave them off and ultimately win the set. She also trailed a break in the second set but managed through the help of 31 winners to claim her 7th win in as many meetings with Maria. It was Serena's 70th match win of the year (her previous best was the 58 she won last year) and amazingly, this is Williams's first quarter final in Beijing since she won the title in 2004!
4/3 Radwanska handled qualifier Hercog in a deceptively tough match 60 62 to move into her 4th Beijing quarter final.
5/4 Li continued her impressive form with a tough 75 64 win over (16/13) Lisicki to thrill the home crowd. Li kept particularly calm under pressure despite relinquishing a break lead in the first set to find herself at 5-5 and then later trailing a break in the second set. Despite her opponents booming serve, forehand and 2-1 head to head advantage, Li saved break points to close out the match to reach her 4th Beijing quarter final.
7/9 Kvitova battled hard past (6/5) Errani 64 67(3) 63, hitting 65 winners to her opponents 13. The Czech had initially led 3-1 in the second set but her backhand became surprisingly errant and Errani took advantage, extending Petra to a third set for a third straight meeting. However, though the Italian was obviously playing her best tennis in months, Kvitova got a strong start in the third set and maintained her advantage to beat Errani for a 6th time in as many meetings and reach her 1st Beijing quarter final. It was Kvitova's 23rd three set win of the year, more than any other player this century!
8/6 Wozniacki consummately beat a bizarrely conservative (13/11) Stephens 63 61 for her 3rd win in as many meetings and a place in her 3rd Beijing quarter final.
9/7 Kerber levelled her head to head at 2-2 with (12/10) Vinci in beating her 62 64. Vinci tried to use her forehand to get into the net as often as she could but as usual, Kerber had all the answers on the backfoot to move into her 2nd straight Beijing quarter final.
Elsewhere, (11/8) Jankovic avenged a loss here a year ago to (15/12) Suarez Navarro with an emphatic 60 60 demolition job, the same score line that the Spaniard suffered against Serena at the US Open! Jankovic moves into her 5th Beijing quarter final; a first since her title run in 2008. (34/-) Safarova continued her strong autumn with a 64 67(4) 76(2) win over (43/-) Petkovic to avenge losses to the German here in 2010 and 2011.
(Rank/Seed)
1/1 Williams continued to struggle through her matches in barely edging (18/-) 2005 champion Kirilenko 75 75. The Russian was the first player to break serve (at love) in the seventh game and then held 3 set points at 40-0 serving at 5-4. Once again as in her 2nd round when facing set points, Serena played calmly to stave them off and ultimately win the set. She also trailed a break in the second set but managed through the help of 31 winners to claim her 7th win in as many meetings with Maria. It was Serena's 70th match win of the year (her previous best was the 58 she won last year) and amazingly, this is Williams's first quarter final in Beijing since she won the title in 2004!
4/3 Radwanska handled qualifier Hercog in a deceptively tough match 60 62 to move into her 4th Beijing quarter final.
5/4 Li continued her impressive form with a tough 75 64 win over (16/13) Lisicki to thrill the home crowd. Li kept particularly calm under pressure despite relinquishing a break lead in the first set to find herself at 5-5 and then later trailing a break in the second set. Despite her opponents booming serve, forehand and 2-1 head to head advantage, Li saved break points to close out the match to reach her 4th Beijing quarter final.
7/9 Kvitova battled hard past (6/5) Errani 64 67(3) 63, hitting 65 winners to her opponents 13. The Czech had initially led 3-1 in the second set but her backhand became surprisingly errant and Errani took advantage, extending Petra to a third set for a third straight meeting. However, though the Italian was obviously playing her best tennis in months, Kvitova got a strong start in the third set and maintained her advantage to beat Errani for a 6th time in as many meetings and reach her 1st Beijing quarter final. It was Kvitova's 23rd three set win of the year, more than any other player this century!
8/6 Wozniacki consummately beat a bizarrely conservative (13/11) Stephens 63 61 for her 3rd win in as many meetings and a place in her 3rd Beijing quarter final.
9/7 Kerber levelled her head to head at 2-2 with (12/10) Vinci in beating her 62 64. Vinci tried to use her forehand to get into the net as often as she could but as usual, Kerber had all the answers on the backfoot to move into her 2nd straight Beijing quarter final.
Elsewhere, (11/8) Jankovic avenged a loss here a year ago to (15/12) Suarez Navarro with an emphatic 60 60 demolition job, the same score line that the Spaniard suffered against Serena at the US Open! Jankovic moves into her 5th Beijing quarter final; a first since her title run in 2008. (34/-) Safarova continued her strong autumn with a 64 67(4) 76(2) win over (43/-) Petkovic to avenge losses to the German here in 2010 and 2011.
Wednesday, 2 October 2013
Serena struggles against Schiavone
The second round was completed today and all the top 10 who competed progressed.
(Rank/Seed)
1/1 Williams wasn't at her best against Schiavone, clawing through two tight sets 64 75 despite hitting 10 aces. The match was the complete opposite to their recent US Open clash which Serena won 60 61 as Schiavone played much more effectively. Serena had to up her aggression in the second set as she fell behind 3-5 and had to save 3 set points, often remonstrating against herself and her relative inability to calm down.
4/3 Radwanska recognised Keys future potential but handled the big server 63 62, hitting one particularly phenomenal forehand passing shot.
5/4 Li dominated in from Jovanovski, who recently won both Tashkent and Ningbo 60 61. She claims she's feeling no pressure here because she's already qualified for the WTA Championships.
6/5 Errani appears to be playing better as she beat left handed qualifier Doi 63 62.
7/9 Kvitova struggled to find her rhythm early on against Lepchenko having received a first round bye due to her title run in Tokyo last week, but in the end she dominated 26 62 60.
8/6 Wozniacki also received a bye but was much more comfortable in beating a seemingly injured Niculescu 63 61.
9/7 Kerber was also quick to react having received a bye, thrashing fellow lefty Robson 61 62, who seemed to be suffering with a cough.
(Rank/Seed)
1/1 Williams wasn't at her best against Schiavone, clawing through two tight sets 64 75 despite hitting 10 aces. The match was the complete opposite to their recent US Open clash which Serena won 60 61 as Schiavone played much more effectively. Serena had to up her aggression in the second set as she fell behind 3-5 and had to save 3 set points, often remonstrating against herself and her relative inability to calm down.
4/3 Radwanska recognised Keys future potential but handled the big server 63 62, hitting one particularly phenomenal forehand passing shot.
5/4 Li dominated in from Jovanovski, who recently won both Tashkent and Ningbo 60 61. She claims she's feeling no pressure here because she's already qualified for the WTA Championships.
6/5 Errani appears to be playing better as she beat left handed qualifier Doi 63 62.
7/9 Kvitova struggled to find her rhythm early on against Lepchenko having received a first round bye due to her title run in Tokyo last week, but in the end she dominated 26 62 60.
8/6 Wozniacki also received a bye but was much more comfortable in beating a seemingly injured Niculescu 63 61.
9/7 Kerber was also quick to react having received a bye, thrashing fellow lefty Robson 61 62, who seemed to be suffering with a cough.
Monday, 30 September 2013
Petkovic perseveres past Azarenka
As the 1st round of the final Premier Mandatory level event of the year was completed, there was a huge upset of the defending champion.
(Rank/Seed)
1/1 Williams was a little rusty in her first match since winning the US Open, letting a 4-1 lead slip before ultimately beating Vesnina 64 62. This is her first visit here since 2009!
43/- 2011 finalist Petkovic upset (2/2) Azarenka 64 26 64 to claim her second career top 2 victory, having beaten then number one Wozniacki in Miami 2011. The match was a slugfest but more often than not, the more athletic German came out on top in the extended rallies. Both players had to deal with plenty of drama as Petkovic suffered with dizziness leading a set and a break at 2-1. She would then lose 7 straight games as Azarenka looked destined to win up 2-0 in the third. However, it was Azarenka's woeful 15 double faults that undermined her entire performance as she kept going for broke; she hit 3 in one game to be broken for the only time in the 1st set and then again down break point in the 3rd set. On top of this, a noisy stadium, confusion over the number of challenges available and a seemingly loose racket, gradually assisted Petkovic in a surprisingly sudden defeat for Azarenka, who lost the last eight points of the match in a flash of frustration. Azarenka hit 38 winners to 44 unforced errors, whilst Petkovic hit a more modest 21:23. Azarenka later lamented what she deemed to be an 'awful match' and her decision not to take a break after the US Open. Excluding retirement losses, she has now lost 2 straight 1st round matches for the 1st time since 2007 and 3 straight matches for the first time since 2006!
4/3 2011 champion Radwanska still appears fatigued as she laboured past Voegele 46 64 64, having trailed an early break in the third set.
5/4 Li gave the home crowd something to cheer about in beating US Open quarter finalist Hantuchova 60 64, though she had initially led 4-0 in the second set!
6/5 Errani missed out on her first 4 set points before beating (19/-) Flipkens 76(3) 61 in a tough first round draw.
(Rank/Seed)
1/1 Williams was a little rusty in her first match since winning the US Open, letting a 4-1 lead slip before ultimately beating Vesnina 64 62. This is her first visit here since 2009!
43/- 2011 finalist Petkovic upset (2/2) Azarenka 64 26 64 to claim her second career top 2 victory, having beaten then number one Wozniacki in Miami 2011. The match was a slugfest but more often than not, the more athletic German came out on top in the extended rallies. Both players had to deal with plenty of drama as Petkovic suffered with dizziness leading a set and a break at 2-1. She would then lose 7 straight games as Azarenka looked destined to win up 2-0 in the third. However, it was Azarenka's woeful 15 double faults that undermined her entire performance as she kept going for broke; she hit 3 in one game to be broken for the only time in the 1st set and then again down break point in the 3rd set. On top of this, a noisy stadium, confusion over the number of challenges available and a seemingly loose racket, gradually assisted Petkovic in a surprisingly sudden defeat for Azarenka, who lost the last eight points of the match in a flash of frustration. Azarenka hit 38 winners to 44 unforced errors, whilst Petkovic hit a more modest 21:23. Azarenka later lamented what she deemed to be an 'awful match' and her decision not to take a break after the US Open. Excluding retirement losses, she has now lost 2 straight 1st round matches for the 1st time since 2007 and 3 straight matches for the first time since 2006!
4/3 2011 champion Radwanska still appears fatigued as she laboured past Voegele 46 64 64, having trailed an early break in the third set.
5/4 Li gave the home crowd something to cheer about in beating US Open quarter finalist Hantuchova 60 64, though she had initially led 4-0 in the second set!
6/5 Errani missed out on her first 4 set points before beating (19/-) Flipkens 76(3) 61 in a tough first round draw.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)