Beatriz Haddad Maia Defeats Daria Kasatkina to Win First-Ever WTA 500 Singles Title at the Korea Open

Posted on September 22, 2024 by Tom Castaneda

Beatriz Haddad Maia is celebrating a big win in South Korea…

The 28-year-old Brazilian professional tennis player, a US Open quarterfinalist this year, overcame first-set jitters in the Korea Open final to beat top seed Daria Kasatkina 1-6, 6-4, 6-1, winning the first WTA 500 singles title of her career on Sunday.

Haddad Maida, who lost the final in Seoul in 2017, bounced back in the second set with lethal forehands that brushed the lines and cruised through the third set to secure her first title of the year.

“Another tough match. … Hope we have many more to come,” Kasatkina told Haddad Maia after losing her second match to the Brazilian, having won their first two clashes.

Russian world No. 13 Kasatkina won five games in a row to clinch the first set in 26 minutes as third seed Haddad Maida struggled with her serve, winning only nine of her 20 service points.

Kasatkina broke on the first game of the second set, but Haddad Maia put up a better fight, getting her first break of the match to make it 3-3, making a frustrated Kasatkina chase her returns to the ends of the court.

World No. 17 Haddad Maia saved a crucial break point to take a 5-4 lead, looking increasingly comfortable in long rallies. She broke in the next game to secure the second set with a strong forehand.

A transformed Haddad Maia was in control in the decisive set, winning 17 of her 22 service points and breaking twice in a row to secure victory.

“I want to come back again next year,” the 28-year-old said after winning her fourth WTA singles title.

Beatriz Haddad Maia Advances to Korea Open After Defeating Kudermetova Sisters in Back-to-Back Matches

Posted on September 21, 2024 by Tom Castaneda

Beatriz Haddad Maia is one way away from another title…

The 28-year-old Brazilian professional tennis player beat the Kudermetova sisters in back-to-back singles matches at the Korea Open on Saturday to reach the final, where she’ll face top-seeded Daria Kasatkina.

The quarterfinals and semifinals had to be played on the same day because rain washed out all action Friday.

Haddad Maia beat Polina Kudermetova 6-2, 6-1 to reach the last four and then got past Veronika Kudermetova 6-4, 6-4.

“I improved a little bit from the first match I had today, so I’m happy,” Haddad Maia said after reaching her second final of the year. “Tomorrow I have another opportunity to do it better.”

The third-seeded Brazilian was the 2017 runner-up in the Seoul WTA 500-level tournament.

Veronika Kudermetova, at 27 the older of the sisters, had beaten Viktoriya Tomova 7-5, 6-3 to get into the semifinals.

Kasatkina advanced to the last four when 2021 US Open champion Emma Raducanu retired with an apparent left foot injury after losing the first set 6-1. She then beat fourth-seeded Diana Shnaider 6-3, 6-4 to reach Sunday’s final.

Haddad Maia has previously won three titles.

Beatriz Haddad Maia Defeats Maria Sakkari to Advance to Madrid Open Quarterfinals

Posted on April 29, 2024 by Tom Castaneda

Beatriz Haddad Maia is still alive at the Madrid Open…

The 27-year-old Brazilian professional tennis player defeated fifth-seeded Maria Sakkari 6-4, 6-4 to reach the quarterfinals at the tournament.

Haddad Maia, the No 11 seed and ranked No 14 in the world, will next play World No. 1 Iga Swiatek, the top seed, who defeated Spaniard Sara Sorribes Tormo.

The Brazilian beat Italian qualifier Sara Errani (6-3, 6-2) and American Emma Navarro, the No 19 seed (6-4, 6-4) earlier in the tournament.

Haddad Maia has three career WTA titles and reached her first major semifinal at the 2023 French Open.

She’s hoping to win her first title of 2024.

Alejandro Davidovich Fokina Helps Lead Spain to Victory Over Brazil in United Cup Play

Posted on December 29, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Alejandro Davidovich Fokina has helped lead Spain to victory…

The 24-year-old Spanish tennis player and his mixed doubles partner and compatriot Sara Sorribes Tormo beat Brazil’s Beatriz Haddad Maia and Marcelo Melo 6-4, 7-5 in the decider of the Group A tie between the two countries on the opening day of the United Cup mixed team tournament Friday.

Spain beat Brazil 2-1 to start the revamped $10 million tournament that features 18 countries with ties taking place in Perth and Sydney.

Davidovich Fokina put Spain up 1-0 by defeating Thiago Seyboth Wild 6-4, 6-0 in the first match of the season, dominating his opponent from the baseline and not facing a break point throughout the contest.

But Brazil hit back through world No. 11 Haddad Maia, who downed Sorribes Tormo 7-6 (1), 6-2 in a rematch of their marathon French Open fourth-round clash earlier this year.

“To come back and play with Sara, I think we had a great time on court and we enjoyed a lot,” world No. 26 Davidovich Fokina told reporters. “We didn’t care … obviously we care, but the result was like the last thing. We were enjoying out there, just to keep improving also.”

World No. 1s Novak Djokovic and Iga Swiatek are among the big names who will be in action in the coming days as they warm up for the opening Grand Slam of the new year, the Australian Open, which will run from January 14-28 in Melbourne.

The final is scheduled for January 7.

Beatriz Haddad Maia Defeats Zheng Qinwen to Win WTA Elite Trophy

Posted on October 29, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Beatriz Haddad Maia has another title under her belt…

The 27-year-old Brazilian professional tennis player has claimed her third career WTA tour title by defeating seventh-seeded Zheng Qinwen 7-6 (11), 7-6 (4) to win the WTA Elite Trophy on Sunday.

Haddad Maia, the eighth seed, needed 2 hours, 51 minutes to edge past Zheng in a tight battle, which ended the top Chinese player’s win streak at eight matches.

The 19th-ranked Haddad Maia maintained her perfect record this week with her fourth consecutive straight-sets victory. Her semifinal win over 17th-ranked Daria Kasatkina followed her opening upset victory over second-seeded Madison Keys and then Caroline Garcia to win the group.

It’s Haddad Maia’s first title on hard courts and first since Birmingham in 2022.

Her performance in Zhuhai was a welcome return to form for the 2023 French Open semifinalist who had only one win in three previous tournaments as part of the tour’s Asia swing.

Zheng, who won the Zhengzhou Open this month and the gold medal at the Asian Games in September, was just the second Chinese player to make the final of the WTA Elite Trophy after Wang Qiang finished runner-up to former world No. 1 Ashleigh Barty in 2018.

The 12-player tournament was the first postseason event on the women’s tour. It featured the 11 highest-ranked singles players who did not qualify for next month’s WTA Finals in Cancun, Mexico. Zhu Lin, whom Zheng beat in the semifinals, was the final entry as a wild card.

Beatriz Haddad Maia Defeats Daria Kasatkina to Reach WTA Elite Trophy Final

Posted on October 28, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Beatriz Haddad Maia is heading to her first final of the year…

The 27-year-old Brazilian professional tennis player, the eighth seed, defeated sixth-seeded Daria Kasatkina 6-4, 6-1 on Saturday to reach the WTA Elite Trophy final.

19th-ranked Haddad Maia maintained her perfect record this week with her third consecutive straight-sets victory.

The 93-minute win over the 17th-ranked Kasatkina followed her opening upset victory over second-seeded Madison Keys and then Caroline Garcia to win the group.

Haddad Maia’s victory came on the back of her strong serve as she won 80% of her first-service points and never faced a break point against the Russian player.

She’ll face China’s top player Zheng Qinwen in the final.

Qinwen prevailed against compatriot Zhu Lin 7-5, 4-6, 6-1 to become just the second Chinese player to make the final of the WTA Elite Trophy.

The 12-player tournament is the first postseason event on the women’s tour. It features the 11 highest-ranked singles players who did not qualify for next month’s WTA Finals in Cancun, Mexico. Zhu was the final entry as a wild card.

Beatriz Haddad Maia Advances to Fourth Round at Wimbledon for First Time

Posted on July 9, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Beatriz Haddad Maia has advanced to the Round of 16 for the first time at Wimbledon.

The 27-year-old Brazilian professional tennis player moved into the fourth round at the All England Club by besting Romania’s Sorana Cirstea 6-2, 6-2 on No. 3 Court on Saturday.

Haddad Maia came into the match behind in the head-to-head, with Cirstea having won four of their five prior meetings.

But this time, Haddad Maia perfectly mixed powerful hitting with outrageous defense to earn the victory in exactly 90 minutes — mere seconds before a two-hour rain delay hit the grounds.

Haddad Maia, who cracked the Top 10 for two weeks last month, won 80 percent of her first-serve points on the day. She also dominated when returning the Cirstea second serve, winning 15 of those 21 points, and turning that into five service breaks.

After not passing the second round in her first 11 Grand Slam main draws, Haddad Maia has now reached the second week at two consecutive majors. She broke her second-round barrier with a historic semifinal appearance at Roland Garros last month, only falling to eventual French Open champion Iga Swiatek.

She’ll face defending champion Elena Rybakina in the Round of 16.

Beatriz Haddad Maia Becomes First Brazilian Woman to Reach Top 10 of the WTA Rankings

Posted on June 11, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Beatriz Haddad Maia’s French Open dream run may have fallen short of a title, but it still lead to a piece of history.

The 27-year-old Brazilian professional tennis player has become the first Brazilian woman to reach the top 10 of the WTA rankings after reaching the semifinals at Roland Garros.

Haddad Maia beat Tunisia’s Ons Jabeur in the quarterfinals in Paris to become the first Brazilian woman in 55 years to reach a Grand Slam semifinal.

She was beaten by eventual champion Iga Swiatek.

Brazilian women’s tennis has had precious little success since the days of Maria Bueno, who won seven Grand Slam titles between 1959 and 1966 — long before the WTA rankings were introduced in 1975.

Three-time French Open champion Gustavo Kuerten reached No. 1 in the men’s ATP rankings in 2000.

Haddad Maia will take a ranking of No. 10 into the grass-court season in which she impressed last year and will feature in this week’s Nottingham Open as buildup to Wimbledon begins.

Swiatek, who won her third career French Open title Saturday, and Aryna Sabalenka remained at Nos. 1-2 in the rankings, while Elena Rybakina and Caroline Garcia each moved up one spot to Nos. 3 and 4, respectively. American Jessica Pegula rounded out the top five.

Beatriz Haddad Maia Outlasts Ons Jabeur to Reach French Open Semifinals

Posted on June 7, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Beatriz Haddad Maia is continuing her historic run at the French Open…

The 27-year-old Brazilian tennis player notched another comeback win at Roland Garros, pulling off an upset win over Ons Jabeur 3-6, 7-6 (5), 6-1 on Wednesday to become the first Brazilian woman since 1968 to reach a Grand Slam semifinal.

The 14th-seeded Haddad Maia shook off a slow start against the seventh-seeded Jabeur on Court Philippe Chatrier and will next face Iga Swiatek in the semifinals.

After playing nearly four hours to beat Sara Sorribes Tormo in the fourth round, Haddad Maia won only one service game in the first set. But she saved the only two break points she faced in the second set — both in the 11th game to go up 6-5 — and won the tiebreaker.

Haddad Maia started the deciding set with a double break and a 3-0 lead. A frustrated Jabeur flipped her racket in the air after sending an easy backhand wide on a break-point opportunity while down 4-1. Haddad Maia won the game and served out the match.

“I had to be patient and keep doing the shots because she is a pretty good player, one of the best in the world,” Haddad Maia said. “So I am proud of me and my team today because it is not easy playing her. You think you have another shot to play [in a rally] but then drop shot, winner. I always believed that the match is long.”

Haddad Maia, who in 2019 was provisionally suspended for failing a doping test, is the first Brazilian woman to reach the semifinals at Roland Garros in the Open era. Maria Bueno reached the last four at the 1966 French Open and made the 1968 US Open semifinals.

Haddad Maia’s fourth-round win over Sorribes Tormo, 6-7 (3), 6-3, 7-5, was the longest WTA match of the year, clocking in at 3 hours, 51 minutes. She has dropped the first set in her past three matches and has played three sets in all but her first-round victory.

Entering the French Open, Haddad Maia was 1-11 in Grand Slams when losing the first set.

The last Brazilian player to win a singles title at the French Open was Gustavo Kuerten, who claimed his third championship at Roland Garros in 2001.

Beatriz Haddad Maia Becomes First Brazilian Woman in 55 Years to Reach Grand Slam Quarterfinals

Posted on June 5, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Beatriz Haddad Maia has earned a place in Brazilian tennis history…

The 27-year-old Brazilian professional tennis player became the first Brazilian woman in 55 years to reach the quarterfinals at a Grand Slam when she beat Spain’s Sara Sorribes Tormo 6-7(3) 6-3 7-5 at the French Open on Monday.

Maria Bueno, who won seven singles titles at the slams, was the last Brazilian woman to reach the quarterfinals at a major in 1968, although Haddad Maia says she still cannot compare with the great “dancing tennis player”.

“She’s a person who inspired us for a lot of years. I think she’s a very powerful woman,” 14th seed Haddad Maia told a press conference after winning the longest women’s match at this year’s tournament.

“I have a picture with her in Wimbledon. That was a lucky day. Also, I met her a few times in Sao Paulo. Unfortunately, she passed away (in 2018) but we chatted a few times.

“I’m very proud to represent Brazil. But for sure I don’t compare myself with her, because for me, she’s on another level, like Guga (Kuerten).”

Haddad Maia, the tournament’s No. 14 seed, will next face No. 7 seed Ons Jabeur of Tunisia.

Hispanically Yours

Celebrating the Latino Influence

Tag Archives: Beatriz Haddad Maia