Category: Sydney International

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Barbora Krejcikova Paula Badosa Sydney International

Paula Badosa outlasts Barbora Krejcikova to win Sydney Tennis Classic title

Paula Badosa Sydney 2022

In an encounter of two players who both started last season ranked outside Top 50, Spain’s Paula Badosa defeated reigning Roland Garros champion Barbora Krejcikova 6-3 4-6 7-6(4) in the final of the Sydney Tennis Classic.

Paula Badosa Sydney 2022

Badosa had never before been beyond the second round on Australian soil, while now she’s recorded five victories in Sydney, four of which over players from the Top 30: 2017 Roland Garros winner Jelena Ostapenko, Ajla Tomljanovic, Belinda Bencic, Daria Kasatkina, and Barbora Krejcikova.

The world No.4 Krejcikova moved into the final after saving seven match points to beat seventh-ranked Anett Kontaveit in two hours and 30 minutes. Badosa is now 3-0 against Krejcikova, having also beaten the Czech en route to the Indian Wells title last year.

The 24-year-old Badosa boasts a perfect 3-0 win-loss record in WTA finals, having also won the Serbia Open and the BNP Paribas Open last season.

Paula Badosa Sydney 2022

Badosa is currently ranked No.9, but on Monday she’ll occupy No.6 position in the WTA rankings. Last season she began ranked No.70 and broke into the Top 10 in the first half of November.

Nike tennis apparel: Badosa’s winning outfit in Sydney consisted of the Winter Victory Tank and Advantage Skirt. The blue ensemble combines a classic racerback top that includes a mini keyhole cutout and a flirty skirt with two layers of pleats. The WTA star’s shoe of choice is the Nike Air Zoom Vapor Pro.

On Monday, Badosa will begin her Australian Open campaign against Ajla Tomljanovic, the player she defeated in straight sets this week in Sydney.

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Petra Kvitova Ashleigh Barty Sydney International

Kvitova overcomes Barty in Sydney final

The Sydney International final was down to the third-set tiebreak and Czech Republic’s Petra Kvitova overcame last year’s runner-up Ashleigh Barty to win the Premier-level tournament for the second time, preventing the Australian from clinching the title in her home country.

The fifth-seeded Kvitova won just one game in the first set, hitting three winners that were far outweighed by 13 unforced errors. The closely-fought second set went with serve until 5-5, when Kvitova broke Barty and then served out the set in the next game with a stunning backhand winner on the second set point.

The 22-year-old Barty didn’t let the disappointment of losing the second set bring her down, as she established a 3-0 lead in the decider. Kvitova got the set back on serve and at 4-4 battled through a grueling game to earn a break of her own on her fifth break point. Serving for the match, Kvitova produced a number of errors and helped Barty stay alive, 5-5. Another exchange of breaks followed as the set progressed into a tiebreak, which Kvitova ended with powerful forehands and backhands to pick up her first title in 2019 with a 1-6 7-5 7-6(3) victory.

Wearing the red Nike Winter Court Top and the Nike Winter Print Skirt, Kvitova triumphed over fresh Shenzhen Open champion Aryna Sabalenka in the first round, Su-wei Hsieh in the second, defending champion and second seed Angelique Kerber in the quarterfinals, qualifier Aliaksandra Sasnovich in the semis, and finally last year’s finalist Barty.

The last year’s WTA title leader with five champion’s trophies will rise from No.8 to No.6 when the new WTA rankings are released on Monday.

As you know, our Jimmie48 is already at the Australian Open, but he was in Sydney until the quarterfinals, so we have plenty of wonderful photos from the event. Here are the galleries:

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Ashleigh Barty Kiki Bertens Petra Kvitova Sydney International

Ashleigh Barty returns to Sydney finals, Kvitova awaits

Home favorite Ashleigh Barty surged into her second straight Sydney International final rallying from a set down to beat seventh seed Kiki Bertens 6-7(4) 6-4 7-5. Later in the rainy day, fifth seed Petra Kvitova joined the 22-year-old from Ipswich in the closing stage of the tournament, blasting past Belarusian qualifier Aliaksandra Sasnovich 6-1 6-2.

After erasing two Grand Slam champions from the draw (Jelena Ostapenko in the first round and No.1 Simona Halep in the second round), the world No.15 Barty got past tenth seed Elise Mertens in the quarterfinals and has now moved into the final, never dropping serve after losing the first set in a tiebreak against Bertens.

Barty withstood 15 aces from her Dutch opponent, whose first serve percentage was at modest 59% even though she hit so many aces. Also, Barty won more points on her first serve. Still, the deciding factor was the number of break point conversions, as Barty converted 3 out of 4, compared to Bertens’ 1 out of 5.

After ousting defending champion Angelique Kerber on Thursday, Kvitova avenged her first-round Wimbledon loss to Aliaksandra Sasnovich in another rain-delayed late-night match. This one lasted just over an hour.

Kvitova, the 2015 Sydney champion, has a 2-0 head-to-head record against Barty, but they’ve never played on a hardcourt so far.

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Sydney International Angelique Kerber Ashleigh Barty Elise Mertens Kiki Bertens Petra Kvitova Timea Bacsinszky Yulia Putintseva

Sydney PHOTOS: Kvitova impresses against Kerber, semifinals set

All quarterfinal matches were completed on Thursday at the Sydney International, even though the schedule was badly affected by rain.

The highlight of the day was the 13th encounter between Grand Slam champions Petra Kvitova and Angelique Kerber, which finished close to midnight, after twice being interrupted by rain. The fifth-seeded Kvitova used her powerful and deep groundstrokes to break the defense of the second-seeded defending champion Kerber and with a 6-4 6-1 victory got ahead 7-6 in their head-to-head stats. The Czech’s opponent in the semifinals will be Belarusian qualifier Aliaksandra Sasnovich, who beat Timea Bacsinszky 6-3 6-3.

Last year’s runner-up Ashleigh Barty, the Australian No.1 who had eliminated top-ranked Simona Halep from the draw and followed it up by beating tenth seed Elise Mertens 6-3 6-3 in Thursday’s quarterfinal, will face seventh seed Kiki Bertens, a straight-set victor over Yulia Putintseva.

Our Jimmie48 had another long day at the office, but that’s why we have plenty of excellent photos from all four today’s singles matches.

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Sydney International Anett Kontaveit Ashleigh Barty Elise Mertens Monica Puig Petra Kvitova Samantha Stosur Simona Halep Timea Bacsinszky Yulia Putintseva

Sydney PHOTOS: Halep exits early, Kvitova completes quarterfinal lineup

Quarterfinal field was rounded out on Wednesday at the Sydney International and world No.1 Simona Halep is not in it. The Romanian was rusty in her first match of the 2019 season and lost to Australia’s top-ranked player Ashleigh Barty in straight sets.

Barty’s quarterfinal opponent will be tenth seed Elise Mertens, who followed up her 7-6(4) 2-6 6-2 victory over qualifier Katerina Siniakova in the first round with a routine 6-3 6-1 win over Anett Kontaveit on the same day.

Yesterday Sloane Stephens overcame a first-set bagel to win the second and third set in tiebreaks, but today the American was bageled by Yulia Putintseva in the decider, falling 3-6 7-6(4) 6-0 in the second round. Putintseva’s quarterfinal opponent will be seventh seed Kiki Bertens, who received a walkover on Tuesday when Garbine Muguruza withdrew from the event.

Timea Bacsinszky and qualifier Aliaksandra Sasnovich are the third quarterfinal pair, advancing with three-set triumphs over wildcard Samantha Stosur and qualifier Priscilla Hon, respectively.

The last player to enter the final eight was fifth seed Petra Kvitova, who battled past midnight to beat Hsieh Su-wei 7-6(2) 6-2. The Czech will next play fellow multiple Grand Slam champion Angelique Kerber, who moved into the quarterfinals on Tuesday.

MORE SYDNEY INTERNATIONAL 2019 PHOTOS:

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Simona Halep Sydney International

Rusty Halep loses 2019 opener to Barty in Sydney

After cutting her 2018 season short because of a back injury, world No.1 Simona Halep played her first complete match in three and a half months and lost in straight sets to Australian Ashleigh Barty in the second round of the 2019 Sydney International.

Entering the new season without a coach and still unsure about the state of her injury, the top-seeded Halep fell to last year’s Sydney finalist Barty 6-4 6-4. Firing 26 winners to her opponent’s nine, Barty recorded her first victory over a top-ranked WTA player.

Chatting about her injury recovery while sailing around Sydney Harbour on Sunday, Halep explained:

I rested for about six weeks and I did nothing, just exercises for the back. I didn’t have pain while I was practicing this period, off-season. So now I feel confident and it’s OK. But I need to see during the official match.

On Wednesday, commenting on her first match in the 2019 season, Halep acknowledged her rustiness and revealed modest expectations of her performance at the upcoming Australian Open where she finished runner-up last year. At the post-match press conference, Halep praised her Barty’s performance, but also said that she could have won had she not wasted many break chances (Barty saved 9 out of 11 break points) and had she had more inspiration in important points. Most importantly, the Romanian stated that she feels no pain at all, so her injury has probably healed, it’s only that she lacks rhythm.

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Sydney International Ajla Tomljanovic Angelique Kerber Aryna Sabalenka Ashleigh Barty Daria Kasatkina Jelena Ostapenko Kiki Bertens Petra Kvitova Sloane Stephens Tatjana Maria

Sydney PHOTOS: Kerber reaches quarterfinals, Kvitova & Stephens win openers

Defending champion and second seed Angelique Kerber reached the quarterfinals of the Sydney International on Tuesday, withstanding big pressure in the first set against Camila Giorgi and then recovering from an early deficit in the second set by winning the last six games for a 7-6(3) 6-2 victory. Seventh seed Kiki Bertens is also in the quarterfinals, but with a walkover, as Garbine Muguruza withdrew due to a gastrointestinal illness.

Other Tuesday’s matches were first-rounders. Fourth seed Sloane Stephens defeated Ekaterina Alexandrova 0-6 7-6(3) 7-6(3) (what a scoreline!), fifth seed Petra Kvitova took out fresh Shenzhen Open champion Aryna Sabalenka 6-1 7-5 (probably doing the Belarusian a favor, as now she has more time to prepare for the Australian Open), qualifier Aliaksandra Sasnovich ousted eighth seed Daria Kasatkina 6-1 6-4, qualifier Priscilla Hon beat tennis mom Tatjana Maria 6-3 7-6(4), and Hsieh Su-wei defeated qualifier Danielle Collins with a similar score 7-6(4) 6-3.

Last year’s runner-up Ashleigh Barty eliminated Grand Slam champion Jelena Ostapenko 6-3 6-3, setting up a second-round meeting with world No.1 Simona Halep, who will be testing the progress of her back injury healing process.

MORE SYDNEY INTERNATIONAL 2019 PHOTOS:

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Sydney International Ajla Tomljanovic Anastasija Sevastova Bethanie Mattek Sands Carla Suarez Navarro Daria Saville Garbine Muguruza Jelena Ostapenko Kiki Bertens Samantha Stosur Sloane Stephens Timea Bacsinszky Yulia Putintseva

Sydney PHOTOS: Muguruza beats compatriot Suarez Navarro in the first round

After photographing the Brisbane International final, our Jimmie48 is already in Sydney, bringing us photos from Monday’s rain-affected first-round action.

Two-time Grand Slam champion Garbine Muguruza needed one hour and 17 minutes to earn a 6-3 6-4 victory over fellow Spaniard Carla Suarez Navarro.

Samantha Stosur usually underperforms in her home country, but this time she came back from a set down to record a confidence-boosting victory over Dominika Cibulkova 3-6 6-3 6-4. Daria Gavrilova and Ajla Tomljanovic are two Australian representatives that were eliminated from the draw on Monday, falling to Yulia Putintseva and Camila Giorgi, respectively.

The highest seed in action on Monday, seventh seed Kiki Bertens defeated Bernarda Pera 7-5 6-4, while Timea Bacsinszky upset ninth seed Anastasija Sevastova 6-7(3) 6-4 6-4.

Our Jimmie48 attended all these singles matches, as well as both Monday’s first-round doubles matches, so we can see Bethanie Mattek-Sands sporting her new funky Lucky in Love apparel.

Stay with us all week long, as we’ll deliver many more photos straight from the WTA courts in Sydney.

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Angelique Kerber Ashleigh Barty Sydney International

Sydney International PHOTOS: Kerber defeats Barty to claim the title

After her 2017 free fall, which saw her slump from No.1 to No.22 in the WTA rankings, Angelique Kerber is making a flawless start to the 2018 season, following up her four singles wins at the Hopman Cup with five commanding victories en route to the Sydney International title, the German’s first since the 2016 US Open.

Kerber’s toughest test was in the first round, as she saved two match points to beat Lucie Safarova 6-7(3) 7-6(8) 6-2, then she overcame second seed Venus Williams 5-7 6-3 6-1, Dominika Cibulkova 6-3 6-1 in the quarterfinals, Camila Giorgi 6-2 6-3 in the semis, and in the finals home star Ashleigh Barty 6-4 6-4.

Our photographer Jimmie48 completed his busy week in Sydney by covering the title match, trophy presentation, as well as the press conference that followed. Enjoy our Saturday’s gallery!

Fashion update: Kerber lifted the champion’s trophy in the US Series Tank and Skirt, before switching to Adidas’ new Melbourne line.

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Angelique Kerber Ashleigh Barty Camila Giorgi Daria Saville Sydney International

Sydney International PHOTOS: Barty beats Gavrilova, Kerber ends Giorgi’s fairytale run to reach finals

World No.19 Ashleigh Barty and world No.22 Angelique Kerber advanced to the final of the Sydney International on Friday and our photographer Jimmie48 was right there to bring us fresh photos of their semifinal matches.

In a match featuring Australia’s top-ranked players, Barty, who held serve just once in the first set, overcame a slow start to claim a 3-6 6-4 6-2 victory over Daria Gavrilova. By the way, Fila announced today that it has extended its sponsorship deal with Barty and in Sydney we can see the 21-year-old sporting the brand’s Fall Heritage collection.

Former WTA No.1 Kerber stopped 100th-ranked Italian qualifier Camila Giorgi 6-2 6-3, whose run in Sydney included defeats of reigning US Open champion Sloane Stephens, twice Wimbledon and former Sydney champion Petra Kvitova and last year’s runner-up Agnieszka Radwanska. Earning her eighth win in as many matches, Kerber had to overcome a 3-0 40-15 deficit in the second set.

Friday’s schedule also featured doubles final in which third-seeded Gabriela Dabrowski and Xu Yifan dismissed top seeds Latisha Chan and Andrea Sestini Hlavackova 6-3 6-1.

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