Tennis News

MADRID, Spain – No.4 seed Victoria Azarenka won her 16th straight match in the second round of the Mutua Madrid Open, taking out rival Alizé Cornet, 6-3, 6-2.

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“I had two completely different type of players this week, and I’m adjusting pretty well,” Azarenka said after the match. “It’s just day by day progress, trying to get the game together.”

Though the Belarusian had never lost to Cornet in four previous encounters, three of those meetings went the distance, and with the two hitting 19 and 17 winners respectively, it was clear both women came to play. Azarenka raced ahead by a double break to start the match, and though Cornet would claw one back, she ultimately bowed to the pressure of the former No.1’s powerful returns, converting on her fourth set point.

“I feel that this year is going to be all about making progress and trying to improve, making errors but still improving.”

The second set came down to more missed opportunities for the Frenchwoman, who won but one of her eight break point chances in the match, while Azarenka took five or nine to advance into the third round in one hour and 23 minutes.

“She’s a good player; she’s always going to be a tricky opponent because she’s a great fighter and has a lot of variety. But I was trying to focus more on myself and that’s what helped me to get through today.”

Up next for the two-time Australian Open champion is qualifier Louisa Chirico, who is making the most of her main draw debut in Madrid  with a stunning 5-7, 6-1, 6-3 win over 2008 French Open champion Ana Ivanovic.

Earlier in the day, Christina McHale continued her solid spring swing with a 7-6(3), 6-4 upset over No.13 seed Karolina Pliskova; McHale was part of the American Fed Cup team that upset Australia, defeating former French Open finalist Samantha Stosur in a crucial singles rubber.

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

MADRID, Spain – Romania’s Irina-Camelia Begu backed up her win over 2014 Wimbledon finalist Eugenie Bouchard with an even bigger result, toppling No.3 seed and 2015 Wimbledon runner-up Garbiñe Muguruza, 5-7, 7-6(4), 6-3, to reach the third round of the Mutua Madrid Open.

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Begu needed three sets to battle past Bouchard on Sunday, and things hardly differed on Monday night against Muguruza; despite leading 5-2 in each of the first two sets, the hometown favorite battled back each time – saving three set points at 5-3 in the second – to take the opening set and get within four points of victory in the second set tie-break.

“I was a little bit disappointed in my game when I was leading; I wouldn’t be as aggressive as I was before,” Begu said about her lost leads after the match. “My coach told me I’m really close, and really playing well. I just had to keep fighting for every ball, and that was the key.”

The Romanian, however, wouldn’t be denied; becoming something of a marathon woman – winning her last six three-setters reaching the quarterfinals of the Volvo Car Open with a trio of grueling matches – Begu recovered from a mini-break down to level the match and lead by a break in the decider.

“In Spain and especially in Madrid, there are a lot of Romanians, so I think it was 50/50!” Begu laughed when asked about the crowd support. “It’s tough to play a local player, and especially against Garbiñe, one of the best players. I was ready for this match, and I think that was the key as well.”

Muguruza hit 39 winners in the two hour and 42 minute epic, and managed to draw level once more, but Begu swept three of the final four games, hitting 30 winners of her own and only 34 unforced errors to 42 from the World No.4.

“I think I could have started better, but I managed to come back,” Muguruza said in her post-loss press conference. “I managed to fight and find my game.

“But I think it has been a very good game. I think she played pretty well. I played against Begu before and I think that today she played much better than previous times.

“I think that she served very well. I had to fight everything that I can, but just didn’t go my way this time.”

Up next for Begu is Christina McHale, who began the day with a win over No.13 seed Karolina Pliskova in straight sets.

MADRID Spain – With a manic Sunday of first rounds in the books, which players will step into the spotlight as the Mutua Madrid Open’s second round gets underway?

Monday, Second Round

[4] Victoria Azarenka (BLR #5) vs. Alizé Cornet (FRA #49)
Head-to-head: Azarenka leads 4-0
Key Stat: Azarenka’s last three matches against Cornet have gone three sets.

Azarenka’s undefeated head-to-head against the enigmatic Alizé Cornet is decidedly deceptive, given that the Frenchwoman has had her chances in each of their last three encounters – none bigger than when they faced off on clay at the 2013 French Open.

“I dropped one or two games,” Cornet said after the match, adding, “but that’s enough for your head to go under the water.”

Ordinarily, the former World No.11 would be expected to tread water just fine against the two-time Australian Open champion, but while the Belarusian is playing some of her best tennis – winning her 15th straight match (including Fed Cup) in her first round on Sunday – Cornet is still trying to find her rhythm after a back injury threatened to derail her whole season. The veteran was struggling to put away 2015 French Open junior champion Paula Badosa Gibert when the young Spaniard was forced to retire due to cramps.

Azarenka is eager to prove her prowess on what has been one of her weaker surfaces – she has only reached the French Open semifinals once in her career, compared to two at each of the other three major tournaments. But Cornet loves a big stage – never forget her stunning win over Serena Williams at the 2014 Wimbledon Championships – and is among the few women to have had a day off on Sunday, having played her first round on Saturday.

[Q] Elena Vesnina (RUS #54) vs. [5] Petra Kvitova (CZE #6)
Head-to-head: First meeting
Key Stat: Vesnina is 4-1 against Top 20 opponents in 2016

Speaking of deceptive, the Q next to Elena Vesnina’s name belies her ability to take on (and take out) big name opposition this season. With the first three months already in the books, the Russian has nabbed wins over Simona Halep, Caroline Wozniacki, Venus Williams, and Sara Errani at the Qatar Total Open, Miami Open, and Volvo Car Open, respectively. Her biggest success, however, came in Charleston where, again as a qualifier, the veteran reached the final for the second time in her career, dropping two games against No.2 seed Belinda Bencic and winning seven matches in a row before fading against Sloane Stephens in the championship match.

Somehow, Vesnina and Kvitova have managed to avoid one another thus far in their careers, but if early clay court form is any indication, this should be quite the spectacle on Court Manolo Santana. The two-time Wimbledon winner came into this year’s clay swing with renewed determination, which not only helped her reach the semifinals of the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix two weeks ago, but also easily dismiss Spanish clay courter Lara Arruabarrena on Sunday. Vesnina, too, had few issues in her opening round main draw match, dropping a second set bagel on teenager Jelena Ostapenko to win in under 90 minutes.

Vesnina’s most memorable clay court successes have come on the North American har-tru, but is a former French Open champion in doubles with Ekaterina Makarova, and the red clay at altitude should also serve her well on Monday.