Tag Archives: Christina McHale

Puig Reaches Her First-Ever WTA Final at the Internationaux de Strasbourg

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Monica Puig is thisclose to earning her first WTA title…

In a semifinal showdown featuring two of the WTA‘s rising stars, the 20-year-old Puerto Rican pro tennis player beat 19-year-old American Madison Keys at the Internationaux de Strasbourg to reach her first WTA final.

Monica Puig

Puig, who was competing in her first WTA semifinal, won four straight games down a break at 3-2 in the second set for a 7-5, 6-3 triumph – her eighth over a Top 50 player.

“It was a really tough match against Madison,” said Puig, currently ranked No. 56 in the world. “I have a lot of respect for her. She’s one of the up-and-comers, like me and a bunch of other girls. She’s really aggressive and is always going for her shots. She has a really amazing serve. It was very tricky.

“I knew I had to grab the opportunity. If not, it would be gone and lost forever. It’s happened on other occasions where I haven’t taken advantage. I knew once I had it in my hands, I couldn’t afford to let it go. I’m really happy with the way I fought and was able to put negative moments behind me and focus on what I had to do next.”

Puig, who hasn’t dropped a set this week, will face off against Spain’s Sílvia Soler-Espinosa in Saturday’s final.

“One of my goals is to win a WTA event,” Puig said. “I’m really close to it. It has been a difficult beginning to the year. To see how I’ve progressed in Rome last week and how I’m playing this week is just amazing. I’m really happy with the work I’ve been doing with my new coach, and I can see that the results are starting to pay off already.”

Soler-Espinosa rallied from a set and 5-3 down for a 5-7, 7-6(7), 6-3 victory over American Christina McHale. Not only that, but she had a match point against her at 6-5 in the second set and was down 5-1 in the second set tie-break. The second set alone lasted an hour and 18 minutes and the match ran two hours and 46 minutes. Like Puig, this will be Soler-Espinosa’s first WTA final, and she will be Strasbourg’s first qualifier in the final since Karolina Sprem in 2003.

“I’ve been fighting for this moment for 26 years,” Soler-Espinosa said. “I’m really happy and excited.”

In Puig and Soler-Espinosa’s sole encounter previously, Puig pulled out a 6-2

Garcia: The Unofficial MVP During France’s Fed Cup Matches Against the United States

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Caroline Garcia is having a banner year… And, she’s got this week’s Fed Cup results to prove it.

The 20-year-old half-Spanish tennis player almost singlehandedly led France to a 3-2 upset of the United States in the international Fed Cup competition on Sunday.

Caroline Garcia

Garcia had a hand in all three of her country’s victories. She beat the USA’s Madison Keys and Sloane Stephens in singles matches early in the meet before joining teammate Virginie Razzano to win the decisive doubles match.

“I’m not sure what I’m doing differently,” she said. “I don’t know. I guess it’s working, so I’ll try to keep doing it, whatever it is.”

France qualified for the World Group in 2015 and will compete for the Fed Cup championship.

The USA is relegated to World Group II for next year.

Garcia and Razzano beat Stephens and Keys 6-2, 7-5 in the fifth and deciding match of the best-of-five, two-day competition held at Chaifetz Arena on the campus of Saint Louis University.

Garcia, ranked 51st in the world, came from out of nowhere to capture her first WTA championships in winning both the singles and double titles in the Claro Open Colsanitas in Bogota, Columbia, on April 13.

She carried the momentum from those victories into the Fed Cup.

“She was totally amazing, unbelievable,” France captain Amelie Mauresmo said. “She really rose to the occasion and was fearless.”

Garcia and Razzano used a pair of nifty passing shots to break Stephens’ serve in the 11th game of the second set. The pair won the lengthy 14-point game to take a 6-5 lead. Razzano then served out the match.

Garcia began her run by beating Stephens 6-3, 6-2 in the opening match on Saturday.

“She was the star of the weekend,” USA captain Mary Jo Fernandez said. “I never thought that she got nervous in any of the matches. She’s really aggressive and it’s all coming together.”

France played Sunday without its top player, Alize Cornet, who suffered a groin injury in a three-set loss to Keys on Saturday.

Fernandez took a chance on using Keys and Stephens in the series-deciding doubles match. The duo of Lauren Davis and Christina McHalewas originally slated to play.

But Fernandez chose to go with the two singles players even though they were coming off tough matches earlier in the day. Keys had just 35 minutes of rest after her loss to Garcia.

“I was trying to go with the players that had big weapons and (could) impose their game on the French,” Fernandez said.

Said Keys: “Not very often do you finish a match and go out again (35) minutes later. I was a little bit more tired.”