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.

Sara Sorribes Tormo Advances to Fourth Round of French Open Via Walkover

Posted on June 3, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Sara Sorribes Tormo has advanced to the Round of 16 at the French Open… without breaking a sweat.

World No.4 Elena Rybakina withdrew from Roland Garros with an upper respiratory illness on Saturday just before she was scheduled to take the court for her third-round match against the 26-year-old tennis player.

Rybakina told reporters she began feeling ill after her second-round match. She hoped to be able to play but struggled to sustain 10-minutes of work on the court.

“I saw the doctor and they said that actually it’s all a virus here in Paris,” Rybakina said. “I guess with my allergy, immune system just went down and I picked up something. As I said, I was not sleeping well for two days. I had fever, headache. I think you can hear [my voice] also.

“So, yeah, it’s difficult to perform and obviously to run and even breathe. So I think that was the only right decision I could make.”

With Rybakina’s withdrawal, Sorribes Tormo advances via walkover and is into her first Fourth Round at a Grand Slam.

She’ll next face 14th-seed Beatriz Haddad Maia.

Sorribes Tormo’s previous best showing was a third round appearance at the 2021 US Open.

Beatriz Haddad Maia & Victoria Azarenka Claim Women’s Doubles Title at Madrid Open

Posted on May 7, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Beatriz Haddad Maia is celebrating a winning debut…

In their maiden tournament as a team, the 26-year-old Brazilian tennis player and Victoria Azarenka defeated top seeds Coco Gauff and Jessica Pegula 6-1, 6-4 on Sunday to capture the women’s doubles title at the Mutua Madrid Open.

The victory capped off a stellar week for the unseeded duo, who toppled two of the Top 3 seeds to win their first tournament together.

Madrid is Haddad Maia’s fifth career doubles title and the biggest title of her career. She was previously a two-time runner-up at the WTA 1000 level, including at Indian Wells this spring with Laura Siegemund.

The title is Azarenka’s 10th doubles title and fifth at the WTA 1000 level. It is her biggest win on the doubles court since teaming with Ashleigh Barty to win Rome in 2019.

In their team debut at Madrid, Azarenka and Haddad Maia ousted No.3 seeds and Stuttgart champions Desirae Krawczyk and Demis Schuurs in their opening round and went to defeat Paula Badosa/Bethanie Mattek Sands and Leylah Fernandez/Taylor Townsend en route to the final.

Facing down No.1 seeds Gauff and Pegula, who were bidding to win their third title of the season after Doha and Miami, Azarenka and Haddad Maia raced away in the opening to pocket it 6-1. The American team bounced back to lead 4-2 in the second set but Azarenka and Haddad Maia roared back to win the last four games of the match.

After breaking Pegula’s serve to close level the set at 4-4, the eventual champions closed out the win by dominating play at the net and breaking Gauff’s serve in the final game.

Beatriz Haddad Maia Defeats Karolina Pliskova to Reach First-Ever WTA Masters Final

Posted on August 13, 2022 by Tom Castaneda

Beatriz Haddad Maia is one win away from her first-ever WTA 1000 title.

The 26-year-old Brazilian professional tennis player beat Karolina Pliskova 6-4, 7-6 (9) in the late semifinal at the National Bank Open to reach a WTA Masters event final for the first time ever.

She becomes the first Brazilian woman to reach a WTA Masters event final.

Haddad Maia was dominant for most of the first set, quickly building a 5-1 lead. Plishkova started to build some momentum, however, winning three consecutive games.

Haddad Maia’s 184 km/h serve on set point left Plishkova off-footed and the Czech player put her return into the net.

Plishkova had a strong start to the second set, building a 4-1 lead. But the 26-year-old Brazilian dug deep, tying the set 5-5.

After they exchanged games, the second set went to tiebreak.

Haddad Maia led the tiebreak 8-7 for second match point when Pliskova double faulted, angrily swatting away the Brazilian’s return.

Haddad Maia will face Simona Halep in the women’s final at Sobeys Stadium.

The WTA event was hard on seeded players with the top six all being eliminated before the quarterfinals. Haddad Maia was responsible for three of those upsets, taking down 13th seeded Leylah Fernandez, world No. 1 Iga Swiatek, and 14th seeded Pliskova.

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