Angelique Kerber left Singapore in a bad-tempered huff a year ago after she failed to advance from the round-robin stage of the WTA Finals, a collapse which made the German determined to make amends on her return.
On Sunday, world No. 1 Kerber dug deep to edge Dominika Cibulkova 7-6 (7/5), 2-6, 6-3 in her opening Red Group tie, emerging victorious from a baseline slugfest after managing to keep her emotions in check and her focus on victory.
Her smiles in the media center were in sharp contrast to the frown she wore last year when, after needing only to win a set off the already eliminated Lucie Safarova, Kerber buckled under the pressure and was bundled out of the tournament by her Czech opponent.
Photo: EPA
“Yeah, it was for sure a little bit better than the last match I played here against Safarova last year, but it’s always tough to play the first matches here,” a relieved, but happy Kerber told reporters at the Singapore Indoor Stadium. “Of course, the pressure is really big for me, but it’s a new situation. I’m really happy that I dealt with it well today in the first match for me.”
Last year’s meltdown prompted Kerber to overhaul her approach to high-pressure situations, and she vowed to never let her emotions get the better of her on court and instead channel her energy into playing better.
The new maturity has worked wonders for the 28-year-old, who stunned Serena Williams in the Australian Open final in January, reached the Wimbledon final in July and usurped the American as world No. 1 after claiming the US Open title last month.
Photo: Reuters
“The pressure is different for me now, it’s a different situation and I have a lot more commitments to fulfill when I come here compared to before, but it’s a challenge for me and I’m really trying to play my best tennis in the last tournament, in the last week of the season. Of course, now I’m a little bit relaxed after I won,” Kerber said. “It gives me much more confidence to go into the next match after the first win. So I think it’s a good start for me. It was a really close and tough match, so I think that was also really important, to have a match like that in the first round.”
Kerber is next on court today when she takes on Romania’s Simona Halep, who opened her campaign with a 6-2, 6-4 victory over Madison Keys in the late match on Sunday.
Twelve days after winning her second Grand Slam title at the French Open, Coco Gauff fell at the first hurdle on grass in Berlin on Thursday as beaten Paris finalist Aryna Sabalenka advanced to the quarter-finals. Recipient of a first round bye, American Gauff lost 6-3, 6-3 to Chinese qualifier Wang Xinyu as world number one Sabalenka beat Rebeka Masarova 6-2, 7-6 (8/6) in her second round tie. Winner of 10 main tour titles, including the US Open in 2023 and the WTA Finals last year, Gauff has yet to lift a trophy in a grass-court tournament. “After I won the first
Sergio Ramos on Tuesday outfoxed two Inter players and artfully headed home the first goal for Monterrey at the FIFA Club World Cup. The 39-year-old Ramos slipped through the penalty area for the score just as he did for so many years in the shirts of Real Madrid and Spain’s national team, with whom he combined smarts, timing and physicality. Ramos’ clever goal and his overall defensive play at the Rose Bowl were major factors in Monterrey’s impressive 1-1 draw against the UEFA Champions League finalists in the clubs’ first match of the tournament. “There is always a joy to contribute to the
Top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka staged a “crazy comeback,” saving four match points before beating Elena Rybakina 7-6 (6), 3-6, 7-6 (6) in the quarter-finals of the Berlin Open on Friday. Sabalenka was 6-2 down in the final-set tie-breaker, but won six straight points to reach her eighth semi-final of the season. “Elena is a great player and we’ve had a lot of tough battles,” Sabalenka said. “I have no idea how I was able to win those last points. I think I just got lucky.” “I remember a long time ago when I was just starting, I won a lot of matches being down
While British star Jack Draper spent the past week trying to find rhythm and comfort in his first grass tournament of the season at the Queen’s Club Championships in London, Jiri Lehecka on Saturday bulldozed everything in his path. After more than two furious hours of battle, their form was reflected in the final scoreline as Lehecka toppled a frustrated Draper, the second seed, 6-4, 4-6, 7-5 to reach the biggest final of his career, against Carlos Alcaraz. Lehecka is also the first Czech to reach the men’s title match at Queen’s since Ivan Lendl lifted the trophy in 1990. Draper, who
RSS