Tennis News

MADRID, Spain – No.8 seed Carla Suárez Navarro was down an early break to the always dangerous Sabine Lisicki, but the Spaniard hit back against the former Wimbledon finalist, winning five of the next six games to run away with the match, 6-3, 6-2, and reach the third round of the Mutua Madrid Open.

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

“I wasn’t expecting a match in two sets given how I was feeling today,” she told press after the match. “I tried to be out there on the court. I tried to focus and go point by point, game by game.”

With countrywoman Garbiñe Muguruza bowing out late last night, the pressure for hometown glory was firmly on Suárez Navarro as the day session headed into its second match on Court Manolo Santana. Capable of pulling off an upset on any given day, Lisicki looked game for the challenge early on, breaking serve to start and holding to earn a 2-0 lead.

Though dealing with the effects of an upper respiratory illness – one that would later force her and Muguruza to pull out of their second round doubles match against Alla Kudryavtseva and Vania King – Suárez Navarro remained steady, and while Lisicki’s full power game was on display throughout – hitting ten more winners than her higher-ranked opponent – she was ultimately undone by her number of errors (37 to 16).

“Today I have really bad cold so I tried to be on court. I tried to play my game. You know, I was one hour or court.

“I feel good. I win. It’s the most important for me right now.”

For her part, the crowd favorite broke the German’s serve five times, and wrapped up the match in just over an hour, winning the final three games of the match and serving out the win to love.

Up next for Suárez Navarro is former French Open finalist Samantha Stosur, who advanced earlier today when Lucie Safarova was forced to withdraw due to a gastrointestinal illness.

“I’m really sorry to have to withdraw from the Mutua Madrid Open,” the J&T Banka Prague Open champion said in a statement. “I’m unfortunately too unwell to compete. The tournament is so well run and Madrid is an amazing city. I’m really sad to not be able to play. I’ve always been well supported here in Madrid and the fans here are amazing, and i look forward to returning next year.”

Suárez Navarro has split her six encounters with the Aussie, but won their most recent match earlier this year in Brisbane, and their only previous clay court encounter – also in Madrid, back in 2013.

“She is a very dangerous player because she serves well and good forehands and experience in the tour,” Suárez said of her next opponent. “She knows what it is to compete at the maximum level and how to compete here in Madrid. She knows me, so I think that it’s going to be a match where I have to give my 100%.

“I will have to rest good. Let’s see if I can recover and feel better. Let’s see if I’m prepared to play tomorrow.”

Speedy @CarlaSuarezNava ?? https://t.co/cBKI3dSzNQ

— WTA (@WTA) May 3, 2016

MADRID, Spain – No.6 seed Simona Halep avoided the upset bug sweeping through the Mutua Madrid Open draw, easing past Karin Knapp and into the third round.

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

Over the opening three days of competition, 10 of the 16 seeds have bitten the dust, and Halep made in inauspicious start against Knapp, dropping serve in the opening game when her forehand missed its mark.

However, from that point onwards it was one-way traffic. Knapp has struggled for fitness recently – she underwent knee surgery last September and her recovery has been compromised by ankle problems – and Halep exposed her movement to take control with a run of eight straight games.

After little over an hour on court the Romanian arrived at match point, launching herself into a forehand return to emphatically close out a 6-1, 6-1 victory.

“We shouldn’t forget that she was injured, she had knee surgery, so she’s coming back and it wasn’t her best day,” Halep said. “But still I played some good tennis and I tried to just stick to my game.”

Halep reached the final in the Spanish capital two years ago, falling to Maria Sharapova in three dramatic sets. Since then, the Romanian’s form has fluctuated, and she entered this clay court campaign with relatively few matches under her belt.

“I just want to get better and better every day and I want to see how good I can be. I want to see how many matches I can win because I really need to win matches now, I just want to be relaxed now – I’m not thinking about the results.”

These relative struggles have enabled Halep to enter the tournament without the weight of expectation that has followed for much of the past few seasons: “Sometimes people around you expect better results, and that’s why you start to feel frustrated and nervous. Now I feel good, I have no points to defend – I’m free!”

No.10 seed Timea Bacsinszky awaits next after she edged past Ekaterina Makarova, 6-4, 5-7, 6-4. Halep has won two of their three meetings on tour, although did taste defeat earlier this year in Miami.

“Bacsinszky is revenge! It’s going to be hard, it’s going to be difficult, a tough match for sure. I just want to go on court relaxed and play my game. It’s a good tournament, good people around me, so I am in a good place mentally and physically.”