BRISBANE: The Brisbane International lost its top two women’s seeds Thursday when Angelique Kerber and Dominika Cibulkova were both bundled out in the quarterfinals of the season-opening tournament.
World No.1 Kerber made 48 unforced errors, including five double faults, as she went down to Ukraine’s Elina Svitolina 6-4, 3-6, 6-3, while Frenchwoman Alize Cornet eliminated Cibulkova 6-3, 7-5.
Kerber started slowly against Svitolina, who broke the German early and held the advantage to take the opening set.
Kerber struck back in the second and appeared to take command of the match when she broke Svitolina at the start of the third.
However, the sixth seeded Ukranian broke back to level the set, then broke again to move to 5-3, holding comfortably to claim her fourth win against Kerber in nine meetings.
Kerber said she wasn’t worried about how the early loss would affect the defense of her Australian Open crown.
“I think Grand Slams are always completely different,” she said.
“It doesn’t matter how you play before. Of course, it’s always good to have matches, especially at the beginning of the year.
“I have had two good matches here. I will try to have a few more matches before Melbourne (at the Sydney International next week).”
Svitolina will now take on third seeded Czech Karolina Pliskova, who came back from losing the first set to Italian Roberta Vinci to win her quarterfinal 3-6, 6-2, 6-2.
In the first match on Pat Rafter Arena, Cornet was in irresistable form as she blunted everything Cibulkova threw at her to win a tight struggle in 123 minutes.
A more settled and mature Cornet said there was no reason why she couldn’t get back into the world top 20 for the first time since 2014.
“I’ve always had a lack of consistency during my career and maybe the fact that I’m 26, I’m a little bit older now, I have more experience and I feel like maybe I’m touching something during this week of Brisbane,” she said.
“I handle my emotions much better and I think that’s how I got some really great victories here.
“I don’t want to say that it’s done, but definitely when I see myself playing like this, I believe that I can go higher in the rankings.”
She now faces reigning French Open champion Garbine Muguruza, who edged Russia’s Svetlana Kuznetsova 7-5, 6-4.
Fourth seed Muguruza started slowly against Kuznetsova before closing out the match in one hour, 50 minutes.
The Spaniard has now been on court for almost seven and a half hours in her opening three rounds but although she admitted to being tired, she said it was good preparation for the Australian Open.
“I’m not worried — I know with Cornet it is going to be a battle, she’s a fighter, so I expect another touch match,” Muguruza said.
Goerges stuns Wozniacki in Auckland
Unseeded German Julia Goerges burst into the WTA Auckland Classic limelight Thursday with a dramatic come-from-behind win to oust Caroline Wozniacki in the quarterfinals.
The 1-6, 6-3, 6-4 defeat of the Danish third seed and former world number one eliminated the last of the tournament drawcards, a day after the exit of the two top seeds Serena and Venus Williams.
Rain disruptions early in the week meant Goerges did not take the court until Wednesday, when she had straight-sets wins over Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova and Naomi Broady.
But the 28-year-old German appeared lost for the first 10 games of her quarterfinal as Wozniacki raced through the first set and took a 3-0 lead.
Then came Goerges’ transformation as her first serve found its mark, as did her powerful forehand as she reeled off six straight games to level at one set all.
She pulled away to 5-2 in the third set only to drop a game as she served for the match, but then made no mistake two games later.
Goerges will play eighth seed Ana Konjuh in the semifinals with Jelena Ostapenko, the seventh seed and only other seeded player to make the final four, up against Lauren Davis.
Konjuh had an easy passage into the final four when Japan’s Naomi Osaka pulled out of their quarterfinal with a wrist injury.
Osaka, who progressed to the quarterfinals without hitting a ball when Venus Williams defaulted through injury, was down 0-3 in the first set when she decided she could not play on.
Latvia’s Ostapenko overcame a slow start to beat American Madison Brengle 7-5, 6-3 in their quarterfinal.
Brengle, who pulled off the biggest win of her career when she conquered Serena Williams in the second round, quickly found her range to race to a 3-0 lead in the first set.
But the 19-year-old Ostapenko, despite struggling with her first serve, proved too strong from the baseline. She won five consecutive games to take control in the first set before wrapping up the match in 88 minutes.
Earlier, America’s Davis knocked out fourth seed Barbora Strycova in straight sets in the first quarterfinal.
After cruising to a 6-1 win in the first set, she found the going much tougher in the second set before prevailing in the tie-break 7/4.
World No.1 Kerber made 48 unforced errors, including five double faults, as she went down to Ukraine’s Elina Svitolina 6-4, 3-6, 6-3, while Frenchwoman Alize Cornet eliminated Cibulkova 6-3, 7-5.
Kerber started slowly against Svitolina, who broke the German early and held the advantage to take the opening set.
Kerber struck back in the second and appeared to take command of the match when she broke Svitolina at the start of the third.
However, the sixth seeded Ukranian broke back to level the set, then broke again to move to 5-3, holding comfortably to claim her fourth win against Kerber in nine meetings.
Kerber said she wasn’t worried about how the early loss would affect the defense of her Australian Open crown.
“I think Grand Slams are always completely different,” she said.
“It doesn’t matter how you play before. Of course, it’s always good to have matches, especially at the beginning of the year.
“I have had two good matches here. I will try to have a few more matches before Melbourne (at the Sydney International next week).”
Svitolina will now take on third seeded Czech Karolina Pliskova, who came back from losing the first set to Italian Roberta Vinci to win her quarterfinal 3-6, 6-2, 6-2.
In the first match on Pat Rafter Arena, Cornet was in irresistable form as she blunted everything Cibulkova threw at her to win a tight struggle in 123 minutes.
A more settled and mature Cornet said there was no reason why she couldn’t get back into the world top 20 for the first time since 2014.
“I’ve always had a lack of consistency during my career and maybe the fact that I’m 26, I’m a little bit older now, I have more experience and I feel like maybe I’m touching something during this week of Brisbane,” she said.
“I handle my emotions much better and I think that’s how I got some really great victories here.
“I don’t want to say that it’s done, but definitely when I see myself playing like this, I believe that I can go higher in the rankings.”
She now faces reigning French Open champion Garbine Muguruza, who edged Russia’s Svetlana Kuznetsova 7-5, 6-4.
Fourth seed Muguruza started slowly against Kuznetsova before closing out the match in one hour, 50 minutes.
The Spaniard has now been on court for almost seven and a half hours in her opening three rounds but although she admitted to being tired, she said it was good preparation for the Australian Open.
“I’m not worried — I know with Cornet it is going to be a battle, she’s a fighter, so I expect another touch match,” Muguruza said.
Goerges stuns Wozniacki in Auckland
Unseeded German Julia Goerges burst into the WTA Auckland Classic limelight Thursday with a dramatic come-from-behind win to oust Caroline Wozniacki in the quarterfinals.
The 1-6, 6-3, 6-4 defeat of the Danish third seed and former world number one eliminated the last of the tournament drawcards, a day after the exit of the two top seeds Serena and Venus Williams.
Rain disruptions early in the week meant Goerges did not take the court until Wednesday, when she had straight-sets wins over Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova and Naomi Broady.
But the 28-year-old German appeared lost for the first 10 games of her quarterfinal as Wozniacki raced through the first set and took a 3-0 lead.
Then came Goerges’ transformation as her first serve found its mark, as did her powerful forehand as she reeled off six straight games to level at one set all.
She pulled away to 5-2 in the third set only to drop a game as she served for the match, but then made no mistake two games later.
Goerges will play eighth seed Ana Konjuh in the semifinals with Jelena Ostapenko, the seventh seed and only other seeded player to make the final four, up against Lauren Davis.
Konjuh had an easy passage into the final four when Japan’s Naomi Osaka pulled out of their quarterfinal with a wrist injury.
Osaka, who progressed to the quarterfinals without hitting a ball when Venus Williams defaulted through injury, was down 0-3 in the first set when she decided she could not play on.
Latvia’s Ostapenko overcame a slow start to beat American Madison Brengle 7-5, 6-3 in their quarterfinal.
Brengle, who pulled off the biggest win of her career when she conquered Serena Williams in the second round, quickly found her range to race to a 3-0 lead in the first set.
But the 19-year-old Ostapenko, despite struggling with her first serve, proved too strong from the baseline. She won five consecutive games to take control in the first set before wrapping up the match in 88 minutes.
Earlier, America’s Davis knocked out fourth seed Barbora Strycova in straight sets in the first quarterfinal.
After cruising to a 6-1 win in the first set, she found the going much tougher in the second set before prevailing in the tie-break 7/4.
