Jessica Bouzas Maneiro Defeats Wimbledon Defending Champion Marketa Vondrousova to Reach Second Round

Posted on July 2, 2024 by Tom Castaneda

Jessica Bouzas Maneiro has taken down a champion…

The 21-year-old Spanish professional tennis player, currently ranked No. 83 in the world, defeated Wimbledon defending champion Marketa Vondrousova 6-4, 6-2 at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club on Tuesday.

In the process, Vondrousova became the first defending women’s champion at Wimbledon to lose in the first round the next year since 1994.

Vondrousova was a surprise title winner at the All England Club 12 months ago, the first unseeded woman to claim the trophy at the grass-court Grand Slam tournament.

Now she enters the books in another — and less desirable — historic way. The only other time

2019 in the sport’s Open era, which dates to 1968, that a woman went from a championship at Wimbledon to an immediate exit a year later was when Steffi Graf was defeated by Lori McNeil 30 years ago.

Vondrousova was seeded No. 6 this time, but the left-hander, who also was the runner-up at the French Open and a silver medalist at the 2020 Tokyo Games three years ago, was never at her best Tuesday. She appeared to still be suffering after-effects from a fall during a tune-up tournament on grass in Berlin last month that hurt her hip.

Bouzas Maneiro, meantime, has reached the second round at a Grand Slam tournament for the first time in her career.

In March, Bouzas Maneiro won her maiden WTA 125 title at the Antalya Challenger. The following month, she reached the final of the Zaragoza Open, but lost to Moyuka Uchijima.

Jessica Bouzas Maneiro Defeats Irina-Camelia Begu at Antalya Open to Claim Her First WTA 125 Title

Posted on April 1, 2024 by Tom Castaneda

Jessica Bouzas Maneiro is celebrating a special first…

The 21-year-old Spanish tennis player, the No 5 seed, beat Romania’s Irina-Camelia Begu, the No 4 seed, 6-2, 4-6, 6-2 to lift the Antalya Open trophy at the Megasaray Tennis Academy on Sunday afternoon.

It’s the first WTA 125 title of Bouzas Manneiro’s career.

With the title, she rises from a ranking of No 127 to just outside the top 100 at No 104.

Bouzas Maneiro defeated Hungarian Panna Udvardy (2-6, 6-3, 6-3), qualifier Leyre Romero Gormaz (6-1, 7-5), Russian Polina Kudermetova (2-6, 7-5, 6-3) and Swiss Simona Waltert (6-2, 6-3) ahead of her victory in the final.

In the previous rounds of the Antalya tournament, Begu, ranked No 126, defeated Austrian Sinja Kraus (7-6 (10), 6-1), Croat Tara Wurth (7-5, 6-2), Slovenian Polona Hercog (6-4, 6-4) and Japanese Moyuka Uchijima (7-5, 6-2).

Cristina Bucsa Claims Singles & Doubles Titles at Open BLS de Limoges

Posted on December 18, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Cristina Bucsa is celebrating a special double…In the final WTA 125 tournament of the 2023 season, the 25-year-old Spanish tennis player swept the singles and doubles titles at the Open BLS de Limoges in Limoges, France on Sunday.

Bucsa started the day with a 2-6, 6-1, 6-2 victory over French hope Elsa Jacquemot in the singles final. No.5 seed Bucsa, ranked World No.82 in singles, took 1 hour and 48 minutes to outlast 235th-ranked Jacquemot and win her first career WTA 125 singles title.

Less than an hour later, Bucsa headed back to the center court for the doubles final, where she and Yana Sizikova upset No.2 seeds Oksana Kalashnikova and Maia Lumsden 6-4, 6-1 to claim the title.

Bucsa had not dropped a set on her way to the Limoges singles final, but she did have a tricky quarterfinal against 20-year-old wild card Lois Boisson on Friday.

In that match, France’s Boisson led 5-0 in the first set before Bucsa fended off three set points and took it in a tiebreak. Bucsa eventually won that match 7-6(3), 6-2.

Another 20-year-old Frenchwoman was Bucsa’s opponent in Sunday’s final, and this time, Jacquemot was able to build a 4-0 advantage and hold on for the one-set lead. Jacquemot won 88 percent of her first-serve points in the first set, where she also never faced break point.

But it was Bucsa who was commanding in the second set, where she fired a forehand winner down the line to lead 3-0. From there, Bucsa cruised through the rest of the second set, where she never faced break point.

In the third set, Jacquemot hit consecutive double faults to drop serve in the opening game. Extending points with superb speed, Bucsa built on that momentum, breaking Jacquemot at love for 5-2.

Serving for the title, Bucsa came back from 0-30 down and carved a backhand to force a netted error from Jacquemot on the Spaniard’s first championship point. Bucsa will move up to a new career-high singles ranking of No.61 on Monday.

In the doubles final, Bucsa and Sizikova broke their opponents seven times en route to the 68-minute win. The champions were twice down an early break at both 2-0 and 3-1 in the opening set, but they notched 11 of the next 13 games to attain victory.

Bucsa has now won four WTA 125 doubles titles in her career — all of which have come in the last 13 months, and alongside four different partners.

It is the second WTA 125 doubles title of Sizikova’s career, with her previous one coming at Colina, Chile last November with Aldila Sutjiadi.

Marina Bassols Ribera Defeats Erika Andreeva to Win Andorra Open Title

Posted on December 3, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Marina Bassols Ribera is celebrating a second WTA Challenger title…

The 23-year-old Spanish tennis player defeated Erika Andreeva in straight sets, 7-5, 7-6(3), to win the Andorra Open.

In the process, Bassols Ribera claimed her second WTA Challenger title in three tries, all attempted this year. She defeated Turkey’s Zeynep Sonmez’s at the WTA 125 Ljubljana in September and was the runner-up at the WTA 125 Valencia in June, losing to Egypt’s Mayar Sherif.

Bassols Ribera previously won against France’s Alize Cornet, German Noma Noha Akugue (6-3, 7-5), Russian Ekaterina Reyngold (6-3, 6-2) and Latvian wildcard Anastasija Sevastova (2-6, 7-6 (4), 6-4) in the previous rounds of the Andorrà tournament.

Bassols Ribera, currently ranked 145, is expected to rise in the WTA rankings.

Maria Lourdes Carle Defeats Julia Riera to Reach Argentina Open Final

Posted on December 2, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Maria Lourdes Carle has advanced to her first WTA Challenger final…

The 23-year-old Argentine professional tennis player, the No. 8 seed, has reached the final of the Argentina Open by defeating No. 7 seed Julia Riera 2-6, 6-3, 6-1 at the Buenos Aires Lawn Tennis Club on Saturday evening.

Carle, ranked No 175, will play Brazilian Laura Pigossi, the No 5 seed, next.

In the previous rounds of the Argentinian WTA 125 tournament, Carle won against Brazilian Gabriela Ce (3-6, 6-0, 6-3), Ipek Oz (6-1, 6-3) and Frenchwoman Diane Parry, the top seed (7-6 (2), 6-3).

Riera, ranked No 163, defeated Frenchwoman Selena Janicijevic (7-5, 6-3), Romanian Miriam Bulgaru (6-2, 6-3) and Slovenian Polona Hercog (6-3, 6-4) earlier in the tournament.

On the ITF Women’s World Tennis Tour, Carle has won 12 singles titles and five doubles titles.

Laura Pigossi Defeats Renata Zarazúa to Reach Argentina Open Final

Posted on December 2, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Laura Pigossi is aiming for her first-ever WTA Challenger title…

The 29-year-old Brazilian professional tennis player outlasted Mexico’s Renata Zarazúa 6-4, 1-6, 7-6 (2) at the Buenos Aires Lawn Tennis Club on Saturday to reach the finals at the Argentina Open, a WTA 125 tournament.

Pigossi will next face Argentina’s Maria Lourdes Carle, the tournament’s No. 8 seed who defeated compatriot Julia Riera 2-6, 6-3, 6-1.

Pigossi, currently ranked No. 137 in the WTA rankings, has won eight ITF titles in her career, as well as a bronze medal in women’s doubles at the 2020 Tokyo Games alongside compatriot Luisa Stefani.

Marina Bassols Ribera Defeats Zeynep Sonmez to Win First Career WTA Title at Zavarovalnica Sava Ljubljana

Posted on September 17, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Marina Bassols Ribera has claimed her first WTA title…

The 23-year-old Spanish tennis player defeated Zeynep Sonmez 6-0, 7-6 (2) in a 1-hour, 20-minute final to lift the first WTA 125 trophy of her career at the Zavarovalnica Sava Ljubljana.

Bassols Ribera was contesting the second WTA 125 final of the season, having been runner-up to Mayar Sherif in Valencia in June.

In Ljubljana, No.132-ranked Bassols Ribera was two points from defeat in the first round, but managed to survive the challenge of 18-year-old Lola Radivojevic 1-6, 6-1, 7-6(5).

Thereafter, Bassols Ribera motored through the rest of the draw without losing another set, scoring wins over Sapfo Sakellaridi, Lucija Ciric Bagaric, Miriam Bulgaru and finally Sonmez.

However, she was made to work hard to quell an attempted fightback from Sonmez after a one-sided opening set. The 21-year-old has had a career-best season so far, rising from No.345 at the end of 2022 to her current No.177. She made her tour-level debut after qualifying in June and, playing her first WTA 125 final, She was bidding to take home the biggest title by a Turkish woman since Cagla Buyukakcay won Istanbul 2016.

Sonmez made a nervy start, winning just 10 points and leaking backhand errors throughout a 21-minute first set. A half-chance to get a foothold in the match went begging at the start of the second as she squandered four break poins to level at 2-2 from 2-0 down, and instead Bassols Ribera leapt out to a 4-1 lead.

Only at this point did Sonmez start swinging freely, winning four straight games to lead 5-4. Bassols Ribera served for the match at 6-5, but Sonmez came up with a pair of spectacular backhands down the line to save a pair of championship points and force the tiebreak.

But it was Bassols Ribera, who had been rock-solid off the ground throughout, who showed more focus to dominate the closing passage of play. A smart counter-drop brought up her third championship point, and she converted as another Sonmez backhand went long.

Rebeka Masarova Upsets Maria Sakkari in US Open First Round to Earn First Win Against Top 10 Player

Posted on August 28, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Rebeka Masarova is celebrating an important win…

The 24-year-old Swiss-born Spanish tennis player picked up her first Top 10 win with a 6-4, 6-4 upset victory over Maria Sakkari in the first round of the US Open on Monday.

Masarova, ranked No. 71 in the world, had previously been 0-4 against Top 10 opponents, but took her chances by converting all three break points created to dispatch the No. 8 seed after 87 minutes.

The last time Masarova won an outdoor hard-court match in the main draw of a tour-level event? January 7, when she beat Ysaline Bonaventure to make her maiden WTA final in Auckland. Masarova’s US Open preparation saw her fall in the first round of Cincinnati qualifying before picking up a pair of wins at the WTA 125 in Chicago.

For Sakkari, her 2023 at the majors ends with three straight opening-round exits. One could understand her Roland Garros departure at the hands of eventual finalist Karolina Muchova, who had also won their encounter at the Paris major a year earlier. The same can’t be said for Wimbledon, where she bageled Marta Kostyuk in the first set only to lose 7-5 in a decider. Worth reminding that like Masarova, Kostyuk had never beaten a Top 10 opponent with a 0-14 mark going into that encounter.

Sakkari came into Flushing Meadows at No. 13 in the Race to the WTA Finals. A year after a run to the WTA 1000 Guadalajara title match clinched the final berth to the season finale (held in Fort Worth, Texas), the former world No. 3 will need an even bigger fourth quarter boost to get back to the prestigious year-end event.

Marina Bassols Ribera Reaches First-Ever WTA Final at Valencia Open

Posted on June 17, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Marina Bassols Ribera has reached her first-ever WTA final…

The 23-year-old Spanish tennis player came from one set down to defeat Germany’s Tamara Korpatsch to reach the finals of the Valencia Open at the Valencia Tennis Club.

The unseeded Bassols Ribera, who defeated No. 3 seed Sara Errani in the quarterfinals, defeated Korpatsch 3-6, 6-3, 6-1 to reach the final round.

Bassols Ribera will face No. 1 seed Mayar Sherif of Egypt in the final of the WTA 125 tournament.

Beatriz Haddad Maia Outlasts Alison Riske in Rothesay Open Final to Claim First WTA Tour Title

Posted on June 12, 2022 by Tom Castaneda

It’s a memorable first for Beatriz Haddad Maia.

The 26-year-old Brazilian tennis player defeated USA’s Alison Riske 6-4, 1-6, 6-3 in the Rothesay Open final to claim her first WTA Tour singles title.

Haddad Maia, currently ranked at a career-high World No.48, fought back from an early break down in the third set before prevailing after 2 hours and 18 minutes in her first meeting with Riske.

She improves to 1-1 in WTA singles finals, having previously finished as runner-up to Jelena Ostapenko at 2017 Seoul. Riske is now 3-10 in WTA singles finals.

In her Nottingham tournament debut, Haddad Maia battled through the field to collect the first WTA singles title by a Brazilian since Teliana Pereira triumphed at Florianopolis 2015.

Haddad Maia had already been posting strong results in recent weeks. She won her first WTA 125 title in Saint-Malo in May, then followed that up with a run to the WTA 125 Paris final the following week, helping her hit a new peak in the rankings.

Simply by making the Nottingham final, Haddad Maia became the first Brazilian woman to reach a grass-court singles final since Maria Bueno finished runner-up to Margaret Court at Chestnut Hill in 1968.

Earlier in the week, Haddad Maia had knocked top seed Maria Sakkari out in the quarterfinals, which was the left-hander’s fifth consecutive win in her last five meetings against Top 5 players.

Haddad Maia claimed the only break of the first set to lead 2-1, and she took the one-set lead with her second ace of the day. But the second set was all Riske, as the American charged to a 5-0 lead, then came back from 0-40 down to tie up the final.

In the third set, errors by Haddad Maia gave Riske an early break at 2-1, but heavy hitting by the Brazilian allowed her to immediately get back on serve. At 4-3, a terrific passing winner on the sideline gave Haddad Maia double break point, and she claimed that game after a double fault by Riske.

Serving for the championship at 5-3, Haddad Maia coolly wrapped up the match, drawing two return miscues in a row from Riske to complete the last game and grab the crown.

Haddad Maia’s run puts her in a strong position to be seeded at Wimbledon, as she’s projected to rise to a career-best No. 32.

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