Top seed Angelique Kerber begins her Australian Open title defense against Lesia Tsurenko with Garbiñe Muguruza looming in the last eight; which young gun drew No.2 seed Serena Williams?
MADRID, Spain – This morning the Mutua Madrid Open made history by setting a new Guinness World Record for the most people bouncing tennis balls on tennis racquets at the same time for ten seconds.
On a sunny morning in the Caja Mágica and with participation from a host of spectators, the Madrid tournament beat the record of 767 people set at the China Open last year.
In total, according to the official count from the assistant judges and the official Guinness World Record judge Anna Orford, the number achieved in Madrid was 1,474, giving the Mutua Madrid Open a new record.
WTA players in attendance included Alla Kudryavtseva, Vania King, Arantxa Parra Santonja, Anabel Medina Garrigues, and Olga Savchuk.
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In today’s SAP Stat Of The Day, Elise Mertens notched a couple of huge career milestones at the Hobart International.
MADRID, Spain – Barbora Strycova had never won a set in her first five meetings against reigning Australian Open champion Angelique Kerber, but the Czech veteran turned the tables in a major way on Sunday, dispatching the World No.3, 6-4, 6-2, in the first round of the Mutua Madrid Open.
Watch live action from Madrid this week on WTA Live powered by TennisTV!
Kerber last played Strycova in the second round of the Miami Open – a match she won, 6-1, 6-1 – but the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix champion had far more trouble on Estadio 3, dropping serve four times against Strycova, who maintained an impressive 80% on points won behind her first serve.
“Oh my god, it’s been so difficult,” Strycova said of her rivalry with the German. “I’d win four games in the matches we played before. I went into this match thinking I had nothing to lose. I mean, it can’t be worse than Miami!”
Strycova has had a solid year of her own, reaching the fourth round of the Australian Open and the final of the Dubai Duty Free Championships; her win over Kerber was her second over a Top 3 player this season – having already upset Garbiñe Muguruza in Melbourne. Showing off her all-court game to its full effect, Strycova won nine of 12 points at net, and finished the one hour and nine minute match with 16 winners to 15 unforced errors; Kerber, by contrast, could only muster 13 winners to 22 unforced.
“I’m happy about my performance today. I stuck with the game my coach told me, and I was kind of in the zone and stable, which I’m happy about the most.
“We have similar games,” Strycova added when asked about the issues she’s had playing Kerber in the past. “She’s a very patient player with good defense. It’s tough to win a point against her because she puts every ball back. It’s difficult for me because I’m a smaller player and I have a similar game to her, so it’s difficult for me to be patient, because I’m not a patient person. That’s why it’s difficult for me to be patient on the court.
“But I tried to be patient today and it worked; that’s the way I have to be on court, and I’m practicing that.”
First set goes to @BaraStrycova!
Grabs the opening set off Kerber 6-4! #MMOpen https://t.co/0Y1d8XrZgW
— WTA (@WTA) May 1, 2016
Awaiting Strycova in the second round is Madison Keys, who recovered from a disastrous start against qualifier Alison Riske to emerge victorious, 1-6. 6-3, 6-4.
Over on Court Manolo Santana, No.8 Carla Suárez Navarro delighted home fans with a 3-6, 6-2, 6-3 win over the fast-rising Timea Babos, who had just reached the semifinals of the GP SAR La Princesse Lalla Meryem in Rabat last week. No.7 seed Roberta Vinci wasn’t able to pull off a similar comeback against Istanbul runner-up Danka Kovinic, losing, 6-4, 6-2. No.13 seed Karolina Pliskova had a far more straightforward result compared to her fellow seeds, taking out local wildcard Lourdes Domínguez Lino, 6-2, 6-1, while last year’s Rome semifinalist Daria Gavrilova bounded into the secound round with a 7-5, 6-4 win over lucky loser Heather Watson.
Dominika Cibulkova recalls her best memories from the Australian Open.
MADRID, Spain – Defending champion Petra Kvitova had little trouble advancing to the third round of the Mutua Madrid Open with a straightforward win over Charleston finalist Elena Vesnina 6-3, 6-3.
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Earlier in the year, Vesnina put a tough 2015 season behind her at the green clay courts of Charleston – last year she recorded 13 first-round losses (across all levels), but in 2016 she has come up from the qualifying rounds to score consistent main draw wins.
Despite reaching the final at the Volvo Car Open, Vesnina played through the qualifying rounds to book her second round meeting with the two-time Madrid champion Kvitova on Court Manolo Santana.
“It was nice to be on center court again definitely,” Kvitova said. “It’s a beautiful court, and even I have it to warm up this morning. Felt very special, very great that I could play again on and win it.”
The No.5 seeded Czech had little trouble adjusting to the conditions in Madrid – the high altitude gives many players trouble – and she swept past local Lara Arruabarrena in the first round, and continued the romp against Vesnina.
Vesnina kept pace with the two-time Grand Slam champion early in the set, but couldn’t take the only break point that came her way at 2-1. Kvitova relied on her heavy lefty forehand to dictate pace and bail her out of trouble. Vesnina made the majority of her nine unforced errors in the final few games of the opening set, allowing Kvitova to accelerate past her and grab the lead in just over half an hour.
The pattern repeated in the final set: Vesnina and Kvitova stayed toe to toe for the first few games, and Kvitova dashed away a Vesnina break opportunity. The Czech rattled off four consecutive games to take the match and book her spot in the round of 16.
“Definitely the start it’s always kind of difficult and tricky, and I’m glad that I had two matches with only two sets,” Kvitova said. “I didn’t really lost my serve so far, which is unbelievable.”
Awaiting Kvitova in the next round is the big hitting Australian Daria Gavrilova. The 22-year-old dealt No.12 seed Elina Svitolina a straight-sets upset, sending her packing 6-2, 7-6(4). Though their head to head is tied at 1-1, the last time Kvitova and Gavrilova faced each other was at this year’s Australian Open, where the unseeded Gavrilova upset Kvitova in the second round.
Three up, three down. No.12 seed Elina Svitolina is the third seed to lose today, out to Daria Gavrilova 62 76. Best win for Dasha since AO.
— WTA Insider (@WTA_insider) May 2, 2016
A round-up of Tuesday’s first-round action at the Australian Open.
It’s time to vote for April’s WTA Player of the Month!
Have a look at the nominees and cast your vote before Thursday at 11:59pm ET! The winner will be announced Friday, May 6.
April 2016 WTA Player Of The Month Finalists
Angelique Kerber: Defending a title for the first time in her career, Kerber stood up to the pressure of playing at home in emphatic style to win the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix for the second year in a row. Playing in Germany for only the second time since winning her maiden Grand Slam at the Australian Open, the World No.3 survived a tough three-setter against compatriot Annika Beck, and another thriller against Petra Kvitova in the semifinals before coming out on top in the first all-German final in Stuttgart’s history. Earlier in the month, she narrowly missed out on the chance to defend her title at the Volvo Car Open in Charleston before a viral illness halted her campaign in the semifinals.
Sloane Stephens: Stephens continued her head-turning season with a third title in 2016 at the Volvo Car Open. Knocking out four Top 50 players en route to the finals – saving a match point against Daria Kasatkina in the quarterfinals – she overcame a tough challenge from 2011 Charleston finalist Elena Vesnina to drive off with the trophy and a new car. Backing up her wins in Auckland and Acapulco, the young American increased her record in WTA finals to 4-0, having captured her first title just last summer at the Citi Open.
Laura Siegemund: Siegemund entered the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix hoping just to reach the main draw, and left with so much more. After qualifying, she racked up big win after big win, including three Top 10 wins over Simona Halep, Roberta Vinci, and World No.2 Agnieszka Radwanska to win seven matches and reach the championship match, where she fell to Kerber in straight sets. The result vaulted her up to a career-high ranking of No.42, and put her into the Top 4 in her country, an auspicious stat as only four from each country may qualify for the Summer Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.
2016 Winners
January: Angelique Kerber
February: Carla Suárez Navarro
March: Victoria Azarenka
How it works:
Finalists are selected by wtatennis.com
Winner is then determined by a fan vote on wtatennis.com
Liang Chen and Yang Zhouxuan take on Chan Yung-Jan and Chan Hao-Ching in the first round of the Australian Open.
We took Andrea Petkovic on a tour of Real Madrid’s stadium, the Santiago Bernabéu, and she did more than just see the extensive trophy case – she found true love.