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Post by Admin on Mar 21, 2015 21:03:30 GMT
Jelena Jankovic had only won two matches this year entering the BNP Paribas Open, recovering from a back injury that forced her out of action for the final three months of 2014. As recently as last week, she admitted that she wasn't sure she'd play in the Indian Wells tournament. Friday night, she secured a spot in the tournament final against Simona Halep with a 3-6, 6-3, 6-1 win over Sabine Lisicki. In doing so, No. 21 Jankovic has assured herself one of the event's great story lines heading into the weekend. She thought briefly about retiring last year when she couldn't get out of bed, let alone play tennis. She said her muscles had been reduced to "jelly" after a period of inactivity. "I was, like, limping three days before the tournament started," she said. "I was actually in doubt if I can even play, if I'm able to — if I'm going to be able to run and move. So, I mean, it was amazing. When I came to these courts, the first day — I did not hit a ball for 10 days. I was hitting, but I was standing. I was not moving." After her semifinal win over Lisicki, Jankovic, who owns a home in San Diego County, walked over and hugged her mother, who was in attendance. Several tennis players have had their moment here over the last week — this was hers. "I feel like I'm home," she said after the match in front of an almost capacity crowd. "I've won here before and it just feels unbelievable." @sabinelisicki 3 hours ago Bye Indian Wells... Thanks for the great memories & see you next year #wekeepworking&fighting For a time, it didn't appear the match would end this way. Jankovic struggled in her return game, as Lisicki moved around the court with much more ease. Lisicki took the opening set in style, closing it out with a cross-court backhanded winner. Lisicki initially showed a lot of variety in her game, playing the back line well, while mixing in some gentle drop shots and slicing the ball down the line for winners.
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Post by Admin on Mar 29, 2015 20:44:42 GMT
Belinda Bencic has advanced to the last 16 of the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells by defeating Caroline Wozniacki in straight sets. The world number five was undone in one hour and 39 minutes as she found herself serving double faults no fewer than eight times. Wozniacki failed to get any break points in the second set as her 18-year-old opponent swept to a 6-4 6-4 win. Bencic will play the winner of the clash between Madison Keys and Jelena Jankovic in the next round.
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Post by Admin on Apr 26, 2015 20:17:26 GMT
Germany's Angelique Kerber came from a set down to outmuscle Caroline Wozniacki 3-6, 6-1, 7-5 on Sunday and win the Stuttgart Grand Prix for her second title of the season. Kerber, ranked 14th in the world, completed a memorable week where she beat top seed Maria Sharapova and sixth seed Ekaterina Makarova in previous rounds. 'I am completely done here, empty. I gave everything I had and the crowd just carried me,' she said in a courtside interview. 'I had to fight until the very end and I could not have done it without this crowd.' It is a second straight title, and the fifth of her career, for Kerber, after she won in Charleston two weeks ago. "I am completely done here, empty. I gave everything I had and the crowd just carried me," she said. "I had to fight until the very end and I could not have done it without this crowd." Dane Wozniacki failed to close the match out having broken serve in the final set, allowing Kerber to take the title on home soil in just over two hours. Kerber had reached the final with a 6-3 6-1 semi-final win over American Madison Brengle, while former world number one Wozniacki beat Simona Halep. World number 14 Kerber had already overcome top seed Maria Sharapova and sixth seed Ekaterina Makarova in previous rounds. Kerber's final success makes her the third German winner of the competition.
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Post by Admin on Jun 3, 2015 19:56:46 GMT
It must be frustrating for fans of Svitolina. She shoots some superb shots to take a 30-0 lead but then lets Ivanovic right back into the game through a mixture of mistakes. 30-30. Svitolina regains the lead and guess what? Yup. 40-40. Lucky for her and her fans, Ivanovic fires one this wide to make it advantage Svitolina and it seems her luck is in for this game as Ivanovic does one into the net. That first set took just 39 minutes and there was little evidence from Svitolina’s play during those nine games that she will be able to last much longer for this second one. There has been too many silly shots and she has been broken far too easy. Anyway. Here we go. Ouch! On the first point, Ivanovic hits the ground and looks to have rolled her ankle while all the time playing a lovely shot down the line. Is she OK? She is. Very much so. She wins the next point and the one after that and soon breaks Svitolina. Svitolina postpones the party by winning the first point. Ivanovic does not let her get away with that lead for long and forces her afternoon enemy into overhitting on a forehand. 15-15 it is. It is soon 30-15 and it is soon 40-15, via a forceful forehand with Svitolina stranded in No Man’s Land. Match point. Svitolina saves the first one. Ivanovic throws away the second one by double faulting. What a time to do that. She soon recovers her nerve and her lead. It’s her third match point and it’s third time lucky. Suitably enough, she ends it via a screaming cross-court forehand. Bastian looks very happy.
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Post by Admin on Jun 5, 2015 19:49:34 GMT
Safarova, 28, has previously played only one major semi-final, which she lost at Wimbledon last year, but the world No13 overcame early nerves to beat Ivanovic 7-5, 7-5. The win represents another major scalp at Roland Garros for Safarova, who knocked out the second seed, Maria Sharapova, in the last 16. “It’s a dream come true, I still cannot believe it,” Safarova said. “I started a little slowly today but I tried to keep up the level and started to play really aggressive because that was only the way to win. It’s unbelievable.” Ivanovic came into the match on the crest of a wave after reaching her first major semi-final since winning her sole grand slam title in Paris seven years ago. The Serb made her confidence count in the early exchanges as she dominated Safarova and raced into a 4-1 lead. Safarova was struggling to find a foothold in the contest but was handed a lifeline in a lengthy sixth game when Ivanovic had two break points to go 5-1 ahead but spurned both and allowed Safarova to hold for 4-2. It proved to be a pivotal moment in the contest as Safarova sparked into life, driving her whipped forehand into the corners and breaking back to level at 5-5. The fightback seemed to melt the confidence of Ivanovic, whose own forehand began to go awry and whose serve started to crumble under the pressure. Two double faults gifted Safarova another break for 6-5 before a snatched volley into the net helped the Czech hold to love and clinch the first set. Ivanovic regained her composure at the start of the second but she could not halt the momentum of Safarova, who claimed her eighth game out of nine to go 3-1 up. A brilliant backhand from Ivanovic reduced the deficit to one but she was unable to break and Safarova served for the match at 5-4.
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