Magdalena Rybarikova Delighted To Reach Last Four In Birmingham - UBITENNIS
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Magdalena Rybarikova Delighted To Reach Last Four In Birmingham

Magdalena Rybarikova breezed to a comfortable straight-sets victory over Dalila Jakupovic to set up a semi-final with Barbora Strycova.

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Magdalena Rybarikova’s excellent run at the Nature Valley Classic looks set to continue after she recorded a comfortable 6-2 6-4 victory over surprise quarter-finalist Dalila Jakupovic.

 

The Slovakian, 29, is in superb form on her favourite surface. She now has a great chance to make it through to only her second WTA Premier final.

“I’m already pretty satisfied with the results,” Rybarikova said. “I think it’s great to make the semifinals of such a big tournament and to beat a top ten player, a very dangerous player (Pliskova).

“I think it’s also good for my confidence before Wimbledon.”

The Slovakian said it has taken her longer than she expected to adapt to grass this year. “I was a little bit disappointed (with the way I played) in Nottingham,” she said.

“I didn’t adjust that quickly from clay. But now I’m I’ve found my game and I feel very good on grass.”

She continued, “I’m very pleased. I have good results on grass almost every year. So I really feel confident. It’s my favourite part of the season and for me it would be great if there were more tournaments on grass.”

Rybarikova: it’s never easy to be the favourite

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Rybarikova’s opponent, Jakupovic, beat Sachia Vickery and Bernarda Pera in qualifying. She then stunned Elise Mertens in the first round and advanced due to Naomi Osaka’s retirement in the second round.

However, the Slovenian never really threatened to upset the odds against the Slovakian in today’s quarter-final, as the World No.19 controlled the match throughout.

“When you play someone who you should beat, like today for example, it’s obviously different than playing someone like Pliskova,” Rybarikova said.

“I just kept saying myself to stick with the plan. That was working pretty well. It’s never easy to be the favourite, but so many now players can beat Top 10 or Top 20 players, so it’s not a huge surprise (when they do it).”

She continued, “Some players are better ranked, but you feel you can beat them because you have a game for them. Others are lower ranked and you say it’s a very tough for me because I don’t like the way she plays. It’s not always only about rankings.”

Rybarikova’s next match is an intriguing last-four clash with Barbora Strycova. The Czech was 7-5 3-0 up on Lesia Tsurenko when the Ukrainian was forced to retire with a left hip injury.

“Everything is tricky about Barbora because she is an extremely talented player,” the Slovakian said. “I lost to her twice last year and she feels very good here on the grass. So it’s definitely going to be tough.”

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Asian Games Champion Qinwen Zheng Reveals Shock Departure Of Coach Fissette

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China’s Qinwen Zheng says she feels ‘hurt’ by the decision of her former coach to end their collaboration in order to work with another player. 

 

The US Open quarter-finalist had been working with Belgium’s Wim Fissette in recent weeks following the departure of Pere Riba who is now the coach of Coco Gauff. Fissette has a wealth of experience in women’s tennis after working with the likes of Kim Clijsters and Naomi Osaka. However, Zheng says she is now looking for a new mentor.

“I understand his decision, but my family and I feel hurt. Right now I don’t want to talk about this person (Fissette),’ journalist Bendou Zhang quoted her as saying. 

Fissette is yet to comment on his departure. He had previously coached former world No.1 Osaka between 2019-2022 and during this period she won two of her four Grand Slam titles. The American-based Japanese player is on maternity leave from the sport and gave birth to her first child in July.

20-year-old Zheng is currently ranked 23rd in the world and won her maiden WTA title in Palermo earlier this year. She is the youngest player from her country to have reached the quarter-finals of a Grand Slam in the Open Era following her run at Flushing Medows. This year she has beaten top 10 players Ons Jabeur and Daria Kasatkina. 

Zheng’s latest career milestone is winning gold at the Asian Games on Friday. in the final, she defeated Zhu Lin 6-2, 6-4, in the blistering Hangzhou heat.

“The feeling was incredible,” Zheng said. “I’m really happy about that. That was not an easy match today and also yesterday (in semifinal against Alex Eala). All of them are good fighters.”

It is not clear who Zheng will be working with during the Asian swing. 

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Daria Kasatkina Criticises Decision To Not Use Roof At Sweltering Pan Pacific Open

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Daria Kasatkina has taken a swipe at organizers at the Toray Pan Pacific Open for not using the roof to cover their premier court on Thursday due to the heat. 

 

The Russian played her second round match against Despina Papamichail in temperatures around 30 degrees with the humidity making it feel even warmer. Kasatkina battled to a 6-4, 6-4, win after spending more than two hours on the court. She dropped serve four times in the match but managed to break Papamichail seven times en route to victory. 

Speaking on the court following his latest tour win, the world No.13 admitted that she struggled in the conditions and implied that she believed the roof should have been closed to shield the players from the sun. Tokyo, which is where the tournament is staged, has experienced a record-breaking number of ‘extremely hot’ days this year with their autumn season being warmer than usual. Something that some warn could be a more regular occurrence due to climate change.

“We cannot do much about it. We are using the ice towels and some supplements to keep you hydrated. By at the end, you cannot fight with something you cannot control,” Kasatkina commented on the conditions during her on-court interview.
“I think in these kinds of conditions, if you have a roof, better maybe to close it. If you have these opportunities, better to use it than to make players almost die on the field.” She added. 

Kasatkina is through to her seventh Tour quarter-final of the season. Awaiting her in the next round will be second seed Jessica Pegula who beat Spain’s Cristina Bucșa 6-1, 6-2, in her second round match on Wednesday. It will be only the second Tour meeting between the two players and their first on a hard court. 

Elsewhere in Tokyo, another player to reach the last eight in France’s Caroline Garcia who beat Anhelina Kahlinina 6-4, 6-3. Meanwhile, Anastasia Pavlychenkova defeated Czech Republic’s Linda Noskova 6-3, 4-6, 6-0. 

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Barbora Krejcikova Does The Double In San Jose

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After what has been a challenging past few weeks on the Tour, Barbora Krejcikova has returned to the winner’s circle by claiming both the singles and doubles titles at the San Diego Open. 

 

The world No.13 battled to a marathon 6-4, 2-6, 6-4, win over Sofia Kenin in what was a clash of the former Grand Slam champions. Krejcikova was pushed to her limits throughout the two-and-a-half-hour clash with there being no break in the decider until the final game. It is the second singles title the Czech has won on the WTA Tour this season after Dubai and her seventh overall. 

“Normally I wouldn’t be here,” said Krejcikova, who received a wild card to play in the tournament “I really want to thank them (the tournament organisers). It was very special. I really enjoyed my stay here.”

Krejcikova’s run to the trophy has also seen her score wins over Beatriz Haddad Maia and Danielle Collins earlier in the week. She is the first player from her country to win the tournament. 

Following on from that triumph, the 27-year-old then clinched the doubles title alongside compatriot Katerina Siniakova. The duo beat Collins and Coco Vandeweghe 6-1, 6-4.

Krejcikova came into San Jose on a four-match losing streak which started at Wimbledon where she was forced to withdraw from her secound round clash due to a left leg injury. 

“I came here with not really good statistics after my injury, I didn’t actually win any matches,” she said. “So I just came here and I pretty much was hoping and believing that I could get the first win and go from there. It’s pretty special to be sitting here having won [the title].”

It is only the second time in Krejcikova’s career that she has won both the singles and doubles titles at the same event. The first time she did so was at the 2021 French Open where her partner in the doubles was also Siniakova.

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