Monica Puig Defeats World No. 2 Caroline Wozniacki at the Miami Open

Posted on March 24, 2018 by Tom Castaneda

She may have started the match slow, but Monica Puig didn’t let that stop her from dispatching one of the tournament’s top seeds at the WTA Miami Open…

The 24-year-old Puerto Rican tennis player shrugged off an opening set bagel to rally past World No. 2 Caroline Wozniacki 0-6 6-4 6-4 in the second round on Friday.

It was Wozniacki’s fastest exit at the Miami Open. She appeared to be headed to an easy victory after winning the first set in less than 30 minutes before it all went south.

Puig broke Wozniacki’s serve in the second set to take a 4-2 lead and closed it out to even the match, and Puig, ranked No. 82 in the world, then earned an early break in the decisive set to go ahead 2-0 and held on for the victory.

Puig, who won the gold medal at the 2016 Rio Games, clinched the win with a blistering forehand winner on the second match point.

She now faces Greece’s Maria Sakkari in the third round.

Nadal Defeats Fabio Fognini to Reach Men’s Final at the Miami Open

Posted on April 1, 2017 by Tom Castaneda

Rafael Nadal is one step closer to a historic title…

The 30-year-old Spanish tennis star, a four-time runner-up at the Miami Open, beat unseeded Fabio Fognini 6-1, 7-5 in the semifinals at Key Biscayne to earn his spot in the finals.

Nadal, who lost in 2005, 2008, 2011 and 2014, is playing in the tournament for the 13th time, making it his longest title drought at any event.

“For me the most important thing is to be in the final,” Nadal told the crowd. “That’s great news for me.”

Nadal’s opponent Sunday will be Roger Federer, who defeated Nick Kyrgios 7-6 (9), 6-7 (9), 7-6 (5) in the other semifinal. The showdown comes 13 years after their first career encounter, also at Key Biscayne.

“My biggest rival,” Federer said. “It feels like old times.”

Said Nadal: “I’m just excited to play against Roger always. He’s a big challenge for me, and I think for everybody.”

Seeded fifth, Nadal eliminated Fognini without facing a break point, and lost only nine of 46 points on his serve.

Fognini, the first unseeded men’s semifinalist since 2007, looked listless at the start in 86-degree sunshine. He finished with 38 unforced errors, compared with 12 for Nadal.

The crowd chanted Fognini’s first name in an attempt to get the Italian going, and flying footwear did the job. Fognini hit a drop shot to cause the sneaker malfunction, laughed at length while Nadal retied his shoe and played better after that.

The second set was up for grabs until Fognini double-faulted to fall behind 6-5. Nadal then served out the match at love.

Nadal improved to 19-4 this year and leads the men’s tour in wins.

Nadal Two Wins Away from Ending Drought at Miami Open

Posted on March 30, 2017 by Tom Castaneda

Rafael Nadal is two wins away from a career first…

The 30-year-old Spanish tennis star, a four-time runner-up at the Miami Open, defeated American Jack Sock to advance to the men’s semifinals on Wednesday.

Nadal and Sock have the two most fearful forehands in the game, but at Key Biscayne, it was the Spaniard who showed Sock that other parts of the game matter, as well.

Nadal’s opponent Friday will be Fabio Fognini, who became the first unseeded player in 10 years to reach the men’s semis at Key Biscayne when he beat 2016 runner-up Kei Nishikori 6-4, 6-2.

Nadal is playing Key Biscayne for the 13th time, making it his longest title drought at any tournament. He committed only 12 unforced errors against the No. 13-seeded Sock, rallied from a break down in the second set and improved his lifetime record against Americans to 60-9.

Fognini matched his best showing in an ATP Masters 1000 event. By beating the No. 2-seeded Nishikori, Fognini improved to 9-44 against top-10 players, and he became the first Italian man to reach a semifinal at Key Biscayne.

“He’s playing well,” Nadal said. “It will be a good test for me. I’m happ to be in the semifinals. I’ll have to play my best and play aggressive like I did today.”

Nadal Celebrates 1,000th ATP Tour Level Match with a Win at the Miami Open

Posted on March 28, 2017 by Tom Castaneda

Rafael Nadal has joined an elite team of tennis stars…

The 30-year-old Spanish tennis star celebrated his 1,000th tour level match by beating German veteran Philipp Kohlschreiber in a topsy-turvy, come-from-behind victory at the Miami Open.

Nadal is safely through to the fourth round, despite failing to win a game in a stunning first set. Luckily, he recovered to prevail 0-6, 6-2, 6-3.

Kohlschreiber was unstoppable in the early stages and romped through the opening set in just 21 minutes.

It was the first time Nadal had failed to win a game in the first set of an ATP Tour encounter since 2008.

But the fifth seed was undaunted and fought back in determined fashion to claim the 822nd win of his illustrious career and a last-16 tmatch against France’s Nicolas Mahut, who beat Guido Pella 6-4 6-3.

Nadal joins an 11-strong group headed by Jimmy Connors (1,535) to have played at least 1,000 matches on tour.

“One thousand matches is a lot of matches,” said Nadal afterwards. “Obviously that’s good news, because that says I am having a long career.

“During a lot of years, I heard that I’m going to have a short career, so it’s something important for me.

“I remember the first match very well because it was at home in Mallorca. It was my first victory on the ATP and was a great feeling.”

Zeballos Defeats Fernando Verdasco to Reach the Fourth Round at the Miami Open

Posted on March 28, 2016 by Tom Castaneda

Horacio Zeballos continues his winning ways…

The 30-year-old Argentine tennis player continued his remarkable run at the Miami Open by defeating Fernando Verdasco 1-6, 6-4, 7-6 in the third round.

It was his first victory over Verdasco in three matches.

Zeballos entered the tournament only after Roger Ferderer withdrew on Friday because of a stomach virus. After losing in the qualifying final round to Yoshihito Nishioka, Zeballos was then chosen as the last of three lucky losers.

“I’m so happy,” Zeballos said. “I’m excited to be here playing with such great players. Two days ago, I was out. Now, I’m in the [fourth] round. Of course, I’m really happy and enjoying this moment like it is my first time.”

So far, he’s made the most of the second chance. He defeated Juan Martin del Potro in the second round before stunning Verdasco.

Zeballos is just the fourth lucky loser to advance to the fourth round. If he wins again, he will become the second to reach the quarterfinals. Ivan Ljubicic did it in 2001.

“These wins are very significant because they will help my ranking, and that will help me get into bigger tournaments,” Zeballos said. “The stands were full, it was my first time beating Verdasco, so it was huge for me.”

It appeared the run was over when Zeballos started slow against Verdasco. After rallying to tie the score in the second set, he faced match point while serving at 5-6 in the third. Zeballos won the set to force a tiebreaker.

“Winning that match today was the equivalent of playing seven Challengers in terms of points and winnings,” Zeballos said. “So I’m very happy, a little tired, but very excited to be for the first time in the fourth round of a Masters 1000 tournament, having won two matches against opponents who are more accomplished than me and that gives me confidence that I can play at this level and I can keep improving my game.”

Suarez Navarro Defeats Andrea Petkovic to Reach Miami Open Final

Posted on April 3, 2015 by Tom Castaneda

Carla Suarez Navarro is heading into the top 10 in the WTA world rankings…

The 26-year-old Spanish tennis player defeated Germany’s Andrea Petkovic in straight sets, 6-3, 6-3, on Thursday to reach the final of the Miami Open.

With the win, Suarez Navarro, who is now poised to break into the top 10 in the world rankings, has become the first Spanish woman in more than two decades to reach the final at the Crandon Park Tennis Center.

The last Spaniard to play for the trophy at the Miami Open was two-time champion Arantxa Sanchez Vicario in 1993. The Spaniard beat Steffi Graf in that final.

Suarez Navarro, who defeated Venus Williams in the quarterfinals, now faces another Williams: seven-time Miami Open winner Serena Williams.

Williams is bidding to win a third straight Miami title and has won her last 17 matches at the venue.

Suarez Navarro, who honed her game in the Canary Islands, came out on top in a loose match, combining with Petkovic for nearly 60 unforced errors in less than 90 minutes on court.

Suarez Navarro converted three of her 10 break point opportunities and was never in serious trouble.

“I played a good match, an important match like this is difficult,” said the winner. “I just tried to play my game and enjoy it.

“Playing this final is an important event for me. I train in the off season in hopes of playing a final like this,” added the Spaniard, whose only WTA title came in Portugal last year.

“I am playing good, I’m playing good matches here.”

Suarez Navarro Outlasts Venus Williams to Reach the Miami Open Semifinals

Posted on April 1, 2015 by Tom Castaneda

It’s an out-of-this-world win for Carla Suarez Navarro…

The 26-year-old Spanish tennis player has stalled Venus Williams‘ recent resurgence in the quarterfinals of the Miami Open, beating the former WTA World No. 1.

Suarez Navarro, the tournament’s No. 12 seed defeated Williams 0-6, 6-1, 7-5 on Tuesday.

Williams, 34, was broken six times in the final two sets and double-faulted twice in the final game.

“Too many errors, and I was going for it the whole match,” Williams said. “Toward the end, I just never found the happy medium between being aggressive and putting the ball in the court.”

Earlier Tuesday, Andrea Petkovic became the first semifinalist at the Miami Open when she beat Karolina Pliskova 6-4, 6-2.

Petkovic, seeded ninth, arrived at Key Biscayne with a modest 7-6 record this year but has yet to lose a set. She will next face Suarez Navarro on Thursday.

Verdasco Earns Hard-Fought Win Against Rafael Nadal at the Miami Open

Posted on March 30, 2015 by Tom Castaneda

Make that two in a row for Fernando Verdasco…

The 31-year-old Spanish tennis player defeated former World No. 1 and fellow Spaniard Rafael Nadal in the third round of the Miami Open 6-4, 2-6, 6-3.

Verdasco, seeded 29th, lost the first 13 times he played Nadal but has now beaten him twice in a row. The other victory came in 2012 in Madrid.

Nadal, who was seeded second, has never won the tournament in 11 appearances. It’s the only event he hasn’t won in so many attempts.

Nadal converted only three of 12 break-point chances and committed 40 unforced errors, with just 18 winners.

Nadal dealt with several health issues in 2014 and said that while he’s fully recovered, he hasn’t regained his confidence.

“It’s a question of being relaxed enough to play well,” the 14-time Grand Slam champion said. “I’m still playing with too much nerves for a lot of moments, in important moments, still playing a little bit anxious in those moments.

“But I’m going to fix it — I don’t know if in one week, in six months, or in one year, but I’m going to do it.”

Verdasco next faces Argentina’s Juan Monaco in the fourth round.

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