16 women left in Charleston

qualifier Fanny Stollar (photo by Daniel Ward)

Of the sixteen remaining singles players in Charleston, eleven are seeded. There are also three unseeded players, one wild card, and one qualifier in the mix.

There are two players from the USA, two from France, and two from Russia.

There is only one former champion (Daria Kasatkina, 2017) left, and there's also a two-time runner-up (Elena Vesnina, 2011 and 2016).

wild card Sara Errani (photo by Daniel Ward)

Here is the third round draw:

Caroline Garcia (1) vs. Alize Cornet (14)
Kiki Bertens (12) vs. Fanny Stollar (Q)
Bernarda Pera vs. Sara Errani (WC)
Camila Giorgi vs. Madison Keys (7)
Julia Goerges (5) vs. Naomi Osaka (10)
Irina-Camelia Begu (13) vs. Daria Kasatkina (3)
Anastasija Sevastova (8) vs. Ashleigh Barty (9)
Elena Vesnina (16) vs. Kristyna Pliskova

Upsets abound on the third day of the Volvo Car Open

clockwise: Julia Goerges, Camila Giorgi, Kristyna Pkiskova, Kiki Bertens

(all photos by Daniel Ward)

Today, in Charleston, in 2nd round play, 2nd seed Petra Kvitova--making her first appearance at the Volvo Car Open--was defeated 1-6, 6-1, 6-3 by countrywoman Kristyna Pliskova, and 6th seed Johanna Konta was upset in straight sets by qualifier Fanny Stollar. Also going out was 11th seed Daria Gavrilova, who was sent home by always-dangerous Camila Giorgi.

A few seeded players had to fight hard for their victories. Kristie Ahn took 5th seed Julia Goerges to three sets, and Goerges won the match in a third set tiebreak (7-1). 8th seed Anastasija Sevastova also had to go to three sets, but defeated Caroline Dolehide 7-5, 6-7, 6-1. And Tatjana Maria took 9th seed Ash Barty to three sets.

Laura Siegemund, whose performances at the Volvo Car Open have been nothing short of stunning the past two years, chose Charleston to make her return to the tour after having to take almost a year off following a serious knee injury. Siegemund won her first round, but lost her second round to Indian Wells champion Naomi Osaka. Osaka defeated Siegemund 6-3, 7-6, and the second set tiebreak (10-8) was a thrilling one.

12th seed Kiki Bertens defeated an injured Alex Krunic in straight sets, and two-time finalist Elena Vesnina, who is seeded 16th, defeated Taylor Townsend 6-4, 6-1.

Of interest tomorrow: Two Frenchwomen--top seed Caroline Garcia and 14th seed Alize Cornet--compete against one another in the featured night match. And first on the Volvo Car Stadium's Billie Jean King Court is a match I'm expecting to be exceptional: 5th seed Julia Goerges vs. 10th seed Naomi Osaka. Also, defending champion and 3rd seed Daria Kasatkina will face 13th seed Irina-Caelia Begu.

Pliskova ends Kvitova's Czech streak

photo by Daniel Ward

Kristyna Pliskova did something today that no Czech woman has done since 2012--she defeated Petra Kvitova and broke Kvitova's 24-match win streak against her countrywomen. Playing in the late afternoon in the second round of the Volvo Car Open, the big-serving Czech and the two-time Wimbledon champion engaged in a topsy-turvy contest in which Kvitova took the first set 6-1, and Pliskova took the second set 6-1.

Pliskova, like some other big servers on the tour, sometimes can't get into a service groove, and that's exactly what happened to her in the first set. But she corrected that problem in the second set, then proceeded to go up 5-1 in the third. Kvitova, who was sweating heavily throughout the match (in relatively cool conditions), and who looked kind of tired, got some kind of second wind, and suddenly, it was 5-3. And while she had chances to make it 5-4, Pliskova prevailed, knocking the 2nd seed out of the tournament.

Later, talking with the press, Pliskova, who is left-handed, said that it's very difficult for her to play left-handers, but once she found her serve, she felt more confident. Next for Pliskova is two-time runner-up Elena Vesnina.

photos by Daniel Ward

Defending champion Kasatkina does it the hard way in Charleston

photo by Daniel Ward

It was the first night match of the 2018 Volvo Car Open, and defending champion Daria Kasatkina had to try out her clay court legs for the first time this season on the event's main court (specifically, the Billie Jean King court), with the crowd cheering enthusiastically for her opponent. That opponent, USA player Christina McHale, came close to sending Kasatkina home.

The Russian's game is generally one of craft and strategy, and includes her signature drop shot. But not tonight. Almost until the end, the opponents stayed on the baseline and traded groundstrokes--sometimes a lot of groundstrokes--and Kasatkina's errors made her increasingly vulnerable as the two hour and sixteen-minute match wore on. Kasatkina also had problems with her second serve, and--quite obviously to anyone who paid attention to her body language--her mentality.

Kasatkina won the first set 6-3, though she had trailed during much of it. She had little momentum going into the second, which McHale took 6-3.  Finally, though, she took control of a match that had often been dictated by her opponent. The change in Kasatkina's attitude and confidence was as dramatic in its rehabilitation as it had been in its collapse. She won the final set 6-2, breaking McHale at love in the last game.

photos by Daniel Ward

It was, at times, painful to watch the Russian star as she wilted, then became angry with herself. But in the end, she did what the truly superior players do: She found a way to win.

Next for Kasatkina will be qualifier Claire Liu.

Also today, 2010 champion Sam Stosur was defeated by Kristie Ahn in straight sets, and top seed Caroline Garcia defeated Varvara Lepchenko in straight sets. Garcia will face either Polona Hercog or Alize Cornet in the second round.

Alex Krunic: slight of build, fleet of foot, and born to compete

photos by Daniel Ward

Aleksandra Krunic is into the second round of the Volvo Car Open. The 25-year-old Moscow-born Serbian player defeated Bethanie Mattek-Sands 6-2, 6-2 yesterday, and will face 12th seed Kiki Bertens in the second round. The hard-hitting, fast-moving Krunic has drawn the attention of fans in the last few years, partly because of her Fed Cup exploits. On more than one occasion, she was called in to play clutch doubles in final rubbers, and she played a major role in gaining victories for her country.

Now, fans are noticing Krunic on WTA courts. Last year, she won a thrilling match against Alona Ostapenko in Cincinnati, and there’s already a little buzz about her in Charleston. Krunic is quite small for a contemporary tennis player; she’s five feet, four inches tall and of slight build, but she competes quite well because of her speed, her hard hitting, and her very fierce competitive spirit.

I spent a little time with her today because I wanted to learn more about her and about her tennis.

The young Serbian began her tennis career when she was around three years old and her father gave her a racket with a sponge ball. Apparently, it was love at first sight. Krunic told me that it was hard to find a place to learn tennis in Moscow, but she was lucky—there was an older man giving tennis lessons at a court next door her house. At age four, she picked up a real racket and hasn’t put it down since.

“I played everything when I was a kid,” Krunic said. “I was an outdoor kid. I think I was the last generation of outdoor kids.”

Krunic was especially fond of soccer when she was a child. At age seven, she entered the Spartak Tennis Club. She also likes playing basketball, and her fitness coach is an ex-basketball pro.

Asked about her notable competitiveness, Krunic chalked it up to being Serbian. “I was always competing in everything. I think it’s more of my genes. I hate losing—that’s why I don’t play board games.”

The player who most influenced Krunic was former Australian- and French Open champion Mary Pierce, whom Krunic describes as “always a lady on court—but she was a hard hitter.”

Krunic describes herself as “fast but not strong.” She’s currently working more on balance. “I’ve worked on it a few weeks now, and I think it’s already better….Sometimes I get to the ball and I get satisfied that I’m just on the ball, and I forget that I can do much more with it.”

The Serbian has also added Sarah Stone to her team. Stone has effected some changes, and now, Krunic says, “I’m practicing more, but I’m a player who doesn’t practice much. I like to be intense, to keep my intensity. I prefer to be intense for one, one and a half hours, then spend three hours on the court.”

Aside from twisting her ankles a few times (‘because of the way I move”), Krunic has sustained no injuries in her professional career. She likes to slide on grass, so she tapes her ankles during grass court season.

I asked Krunic to talk about the obviously emotional moment when she defeated Kimiko Date in the Japanese star’s last-ever tennis match. Krunic defeated Date 6-0, 6-0 in the first round in Tokyo last year. She said she received some negative comments from non-athletes who were upset that she didn’t “give” Date a game. “I think the biggest respect I could show was just to be at my top,” Krunic explained. She talked with Date about this, and—not surprisingly—Date was in total agreement with her.

Talking about Kimiko Date prompted Krunic to discuss her feelings about what might happen after she retires from professional tennis. “This is all we know, pretty much. I’m trying to be very open, and I do my things on court, I leave, and I read an learn. But this tennis bubble is all we ever knew. You never get this adrenaline feeling ever the same….All of a sudden, you’re in the normal world, you have a lot of time to think….you know what the feeling was and you can’t get it back.”

When Krunic isn’t on the court or in the gym, she likes to drive her car, spend time with her godsons, and read about psychology: “I like to find things out about myself.”

I think that fans will be glad to find things out about her, too, as they keep an eye on her already-interesting career.

Madison Keys and FearlesslyGIRL

photo by Daniel Ward

Madison Keys, a FearlesslyGIRL ambassador, talked about the organization and her own experience with online bullies at today's All Access Hour in Charleston. Keys said that she had become more assertive in addressing online attacks made against her.

What she has learned, she said, is that “…if you retweet it, a lot more people report them.” Also, she said, “It’s amazing how you retweet ‘em and their tweets disappear.”

"It’s really helped me to kind of find my own voice," Keys reported. "…and it’s been amazing to see how doing that has really helped, just my entire life, feeling more centered and balanced.”

FearlesslyGIRL is dedicated to inspiring girls to be kinder to themselves and each other. The organization recently reached over 7,000 in 77 schools in 22 states and provinces

Top seeds have lots to say at Volvo Car Open All Access Hour

Top seed Caroline Garcia (photo by Daniel Ward)

It was a chatty group who showed up today at the Daniel Island Club to meet with members of the tennis media. We learned a lot: Madison Keys knows how to handle online trolls, Julia Goerges enjoys doing her own taxes, Petra Kvitova is already a Charleston food afficianado, and defending champion Dasha Kasatkina does a scary good imitation of "California talk" (this, from hanging out with the WTA's Courtney Nguyen).

2nd seed Petra Kvitova (photo by Daniel Ward)

The players were in high spirits. Kvitova flashed her skills with a soccer ball, and Sevastova was her usual droll self. Top seed Caroline Garcia told us how nice it feels for her to change from hard court to clay. She also talked about how all players--ATP and WTA--need to respect each other. Garcia, through attending matches and being active on social media, has forged some good relationships with French football (soccer) players.

Jo Konta discussed her mindfulness practice, which is integrated into her day-to-day life. Konta is also a yoga practitioner.

Kvitova was transparent about her awkwardness on clay courts--though we did remind her that she won Madrid. Of course, because of the altitude, the Madrid court plays faster than other red clay courts. But then, we also reminded her that she has reached the semifinals at the French Open! The 2nd seed also talked about the upcoming Fed Cup tie in Germany; Germans playing on a clay court at home (Stuttgart) gives them the advantage, she said, but the Czech team will do its best.

Anastasija Sevastova (photo by Daniel Ward)

Goerges explained to us that she is very organized in every aspect of her life, and that she likes to take as much responsibility for her life as possible, which includes doing her own taxes. Also, it turns out, she really likes numbers.

The German, like the other top seeds, said that playing on green clay is an excellent transition from hard court to red clay. "It's like a hard court with a little clay on it," she said. It's been about five years since Goerges has competed in Charleston, and she said she was very glad to return.

Goerges also talked about the difference between European and U.S. crowds. "I think, in general, they (U.S. fans) are much more into it." "Here, they are more open...they just sit there having a good time, and I like it."

Julia Goerges (photo by Daniel Ward)

The ever-thoughtful German also expressed her disappointment over the way that mobile phones have caused people to stop personally communicating with each other. We could easily have spent an entire afternoon just listening to Goerges deconstruct contemporary culture, but we all had to return to the tennis center.