Tennis News

MADRID, Spain – The No.5 seeded team of Caroline Garcia and Kristina Mladenovic struck once again in their burgeoning rivalry with World No.1 doubles team Sania Mirza and Martina Hingis. The Frenchwomen defeated Hingis and Mirza 6-4, 6-4 to claim the doubles title at the Mutua Madrid Open.

Watch highlights, interviews and more video from Madrid right here on wtatennis.com!

Despite the French team being seeded No.5 in Madrid, they’ve emerged as a force to be reckoned with in 2016, reaching five finals in the eight tournaments they’ve played together. They’re also developing a fierce rivalry with Hingis and Mirza: the pairs have met twice before – both times in finals – and split their head to head record.

“It’s definitely great period for us,” Garcia said in the post-match press conference. “Three finals, three titles, and two times against No.1 in the world, Martina and Sania, and once against Bethanie and Lucie. So it’s only great matches every single time.

“Very, very happy with what we produced on the court today.”

Playing in their third final against each other, both teams came to the Caja Magica looking primed and ready, winning every match en route to the final in straight sets.

Hingis and Mirza found themselves down a double break straight out of the gate as the Frenchwomen surged ahead 3-0. The world’s leading pair – who own the third-best unbeaten run in WTA history at 41 matches – found a way to stem the tide and level the score at 3-3. But another late break from the French team put them ahead again and they took the set 6-4.

Another early break put Hingis and Mirza in trouble once again in the second set. Despite creating five chances to break the French team and get back on even ground, Garcia and Mladenovic saved every one. They took the second set 6-4 and claimed their third title of their doubles partnership.

Any plans for a celebration were cut short by the realities of a tennis player’s hectic schedule:

“We basically have 12 more minutes before catching our car to get to the airport,” Mladenovic said.

But still, they were able to treat themselves before heading off to Rome.

“The biggest reward was the first dessert of the week,” she added. “Here at buffet it’s amazing, and we are very proud – [we didn’t] touch any sweet things, which is very, very good.”

“But we did now,” Garcia grinned.

MADRID, Spain – Can Simona Halep cap off a banner week for Romanian tennis? Or will Dominika Cibulkova continue her role as spoiler?

WTA Insider Senior Writer Courtney Nguyen previews Saturday’s final at the Mutua Madrid Open with some help from Adrian Toca, founder of the influential Romanian tennis site Treizecizero.ro. Nguyen and Toca review a fantastic week for Romania in Madrid, which saw Halep, Irina-Camelia Begu, Sorana Cirstea, and Patricia Maria Tig make the quarterfinals. Toca explains the impact of Halep’s rise on tennis in Romania and looks ahead to a final that is very difficult to call.

Toca: In Romania it’s already a big story, to have four players in the quarters of this kind of tournament. We already knew about Simona, what she can do, what kind of tennis she can play. But having a lot of other girls that probably the tennis world wasn’t aware of them before, such as Patricia or having Sorana back, this made everything much sweeter for us.

Nguyen: Cibulkova, I’ve called her the most dangerous unseeded player in the draw. Thankfully for everyone, with her run here in Madrid, she will be seeded most likely from now on at the major tournaments for the rest of the year. As it is, it’s a very tough matchup for Simona. Dominika leads the head-to-head 3-1 and has the type of game that can bother Simona. I find it to be quite a bit of a toss-up match.

Toca: So for her being in this final, for a lot of people, it’s out of nowhere. Not surprisingly if you ask me because she was due to start winning at some point. So it’s a big deal for her. She seems in a good spot right now, in a good place. She said early in the week that she likes being again under the radar, not being considered anymore the favorite. For the first time in a while she managed the situation really good, being the top seed left in the draw. She kept on winning. Madrid is a tournament she adores. So having the opportunity to win such a big title will make her give everything on court tomorrow.

With only one of the top eight advancing to the quarterfinals in Madrid, the seeds didn’t fare well in the Spanish capital. The upsets, indeed, were akin to Dubai.

So what does Rome hold? More of the same?

Here’s a look at the draw, which is highlighted by the return of 21-time Grand Slam winner Serena Williams.

First quarter: Williams’ tough road

In her first clay court tournament of 2016 — and her first tournament overall since Miami — the draw gods seemingly did Serena no favors.

Following a bye, the World No.1 begins with an ‘Anna,’ either Anna-Lena Friedsam or Anna Karolina Schmiedlova. While the ranking dictates Schmiedlova will progress, the Slovak is enduring a difficult campaign after a breakthrough 2015. If Friedsam progresses, she’ll be buoyed by grabbing a set off Williams at the French Open last year.

Then a slew of Grand Slam champs or finalists could come, with Ana Ivanovic, Svetlana Kuznetsova and Simona Halep all in the mix. It was, of course, twice Rome finalist Kuznetsova who stunned Williams at the Miami Open, the event the latter adores. (Victoria Azarenka and Roberta Vinci feature in Williams’ half, too.)

Daria Gavrilova truly announced herself to the tennis world in Rome 12 months ago, battling through tough matches to reach the semis as a qualifier. Struggling for a few months after flourishing at home in Melbourne, she regained some momentum in Madrid.

Halep — speaking of players recapturing momentum — and Gavrilova could clash in the second round.

Prediction: Kuznetsova

Second quarter: How is Vika feeling?

Azarenka entered Madrid with a long winning streak. She left Madrid with the streak intact. Unfortunately for Azarenka, a back injury ruled out the former No.1 ahead of her third-round tussle with rising American Louisa Chirico.

Just how is the back now? With the French Open around the corner and little time between Rome and Madrid, Azarenka could be forgiven for erring on the side of caution at the Foro Italico.

Her probable first-round foe is Irina-Camelia Begu, part of the Romanian contingent that thrived in Madrid. When they tangled a year ago in Rome, Begu extended the Belarusian to three sets. The third round might bring Karolina Pliskova, who was upset in Madrid by Christina McHale.

With their game styles — and personalities — Italians Francesca Schiavone and Roberta Vinci are firm fan favorites. But with Vinci suggesting this is her last year on the circuit and wildcard Schiavone turning 36 in June, is this the last appearance for both in Rome?

How Vinci, then, would dearly love to turn it around in Rome. She has suffered three straight defeats there and lost her opener in four of the past five seasons. Johanna Konta figures to be the seventh seed’s opponent in the second round.

And how the home fans would love to see Schiavone, who starts against Prague winner Lucie Safarova, and Vinci meet in the third round.

Prediction: Vinci

Third quarter: Last year’s finalist

Samantha Stosur certainly played well in her victory over Carla Suárez Navarro in Madrid, yet the Spaniard was hampered because of illness. If she has sufficiently recovered, Suarez Navarro is the favorite to emerge from her quarter.

Not only did Suárez Navarro appear in the final a year ago — when she was close to ousting Maria Sharapova in straight sets — but there were quarterfinal showings on her previous two trips to Rome.

She could, however, battle a player in form in the third round, in No.11 seed Timea Bacsinszky. Bacsinszky won a clay-court title in Morocco a week ago and proceeded to post two good wins in Madrid, over the former Top 10 duo of Ekaterina Makarova and Andrea Petkovic. Perhaps fatigue was a factor in her defeat to Halep, who the Swiss had toppled in Miami.

The two seeds lower down in the quarter, Elina Svitolina and Garbiñe Muguruza, are a combined 3-5 in their last eight encounters, which should raise the spirits of the unseeded in the vicinity, such as Makarova, Istanbul finalist Danka Kovinic and Kristina Mladenovic.

Prediction: Suárez Navarro

Fourth quarter: An early blockbuster?

As a two-time winner, three-time finalist and having advanced to the semifinals as recently as two years ago, Jelena Jankovic has enjoyed tremendous success in Rome. Perhaps Rome is where Jankovic’s season ignites following a shoulder injury and being diagnosed with a cyst on her thyroid gland.

Jankovic’s opener is interesting enough — against 2014 Wimbledon finalist Eugenie Bouchard. But if the Serb wins, she lands No.2 seed Angelique Kerber.

For the second year running, Kerber won in Stuttgart and exited in her first match in Madrid. This time it came against Barbora Strycova.

Who could Kerber potentially play in the third round? None other than the versatile Czech. Or it could be Sara Errani, who delighted the locals by landing in the final in 2014.

At the top of the quarter, Petra Kvitova — who downed Jankovic in Rome last year — draws either Madison Keys or Petkovic in the second round. Tough.

And Serena isn’t the lone member of the family to be making a return to action.

Venus is back and plays her fellow American with the big serve, CoCo Vandeweghe.

Prediction: Kerber

Semifinals: Kuznetsova, Kerber

Winner: Kerber