Tennis News

MADRID, Spain – No.4 seed Victoria Azarenka has joined the Mutua Madrid Open casualty list, pulling out of her third-round meeting with Louisa Chirico because of a back injury.

Following the exits of Agnieszka Radwanska, Angelique Kerber and Garbiñe Muguruza, Azarenka was the highest seed left in the draw. However, after aggravating her lower back during morning practice the Belarusian elected to err on the side of caution.

“Unfortunately in my first match I think I tweaked my back a little bit. It was really cold, and, I don’t know, I think it’s much easier to get a little bit hurt when it’s that cold,” Azarenka said during a press conference. “And the second match obviously I was in a lot of discomfort. Having a day off I thought it was going to get better. Today before my warm-up it did feel better, but once I started hitting it came back.

“I don’t feel that I’m able to compete today. I’m just trying to make the smart decision and see the big picture.”

Azarenka’s now faces a race against time to be fit for next week’s Internazionali BNL d’Italia – her last chance to fine-tune her clay court game ahead of the French Open.

“We’ll see how it goes. Really going to take it day by day and make sure my body is ready,” she said when asked about her chances of playing in the Italian capital. “I don’t know. I don’t really have a particular answer why it happened. There could have been couple of things. I was really sick the week before that.

“I’m just trying to make the test, make sure there is nothing serious, and try to treat it as best as possible. My plan is to be ready for Rome, so hopefully I’ll be able to do that.”

Chirico, the youngest player remaining in the tournament, advances to her first quarterfinal at a WTA Premier event where she will face fellow surprise package, Daria Gavrilova.

MADRID, Spain – Qualifier Louisa Chirico continued her run at the Mutua Madrid Open, coming out on top in Thursday’s quarterfinal encounter with fellow surprise package Daria Gavrilova.

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

Prior to the start of the tournament World No.130 Chirico was not even sure she would make it into the qualifying draw, but after sneaking in thanks to a couple of late withdrawals she has grasped her opportunity with both hands.

Considering the American was contesting only her second WTA quarterfinal – and first at a Premier event – she cut a remarkably relaxed figure throughout, finishing strongly to close out a 7-6(1), 6-2 victory.

“It’s been pretty cool from the beginning really,” Chirico said in her post-match press conference. “I actually wasn’t in the draw. I don’t know – yeah, I wasn’t in qualies when I landed in Madrid.

“We landed at 10 minutes to 4pm, which is when the cut closes. We were like, ‘Can you call the supervisor? Am I in?’ Lucky enough to make it in and then qualify and get to where I am now. So it’s been a really exciting ride so far, but I’m not finished.”

Having profited from late withdrawal of Victoria Azarenka in the previous round, Chirico’s freshness told as the contest wore on. In the first set tie-break, the 19-year-old played the more assured tennis and in the second upped the ante, finding the lines with increasing frequency – she finished with an impressive 27 winners – to canter towards the finishing post.

Chirico is the first American teenager to make the last four of a Premier clay court event since Ashley Harkleroad at Charleston in 2003. There she will face either Dominika Cibulkova or Sorana Cirstea.

Regardless of the result in that match, Chirico is guaranteed a place in the Top 100 next week. Although for the time being her attention is on the here and now.

“I haven’t actually looked at any of the rankings or the points yet, so I usually don’t do that in the tournament until afterwards,” she added. “But, yeah, so I am just focusing on what I have to do for my next match really. All that stuff will take care of itself – afterwards I’ll enjoy that.”

Fashion and sports go hand in hand when it comes to women’s tennis attire, so it’s no surprise that when the popular street style blog Who What Wear needed some tennis fashion advice they turned to the experts: Christina McHale and Dominika Cibulkova.

The WTA-stars-turned-fashion-experts gave Who What Wear their best tips for on court fashion.

“For me, it’s not so much the color combination that makes me feel confident in my outfit, but rather it’s the way the outfit fits me that makes me feel good in it,” McHale said on the outfits that inspire her.

You can find all of Cibulkova and McHale tennis attire right here on Tennis Warehouse.

ROME, Italy – Madison Keys gritted through a tough opening set to battle past Timea Babos, 7-6(2), 6-3, to achieve a career-best result at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia.

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

There was little between the two in the opening set, as the Hungarian forced a tie-break to conclude a run of 12 straight service holds.

“The first set was definitely back and forth, just big serving,” Keys said in her post-match press conference. “Neither one of us could kind of get a read on where the other person was serving. But there was a couple of points in the tiebreaker where I really kind of put the point together a little bit better.”

But Keys took the initiative from there, racing out to a 5-1 lead in the sudden death and didn’t look back, taking the match in 82 minutes behind 26 winners to 22 unforced errors.

“Then after that, I just got a little bit more rhythm and confidence, and then from there I was able to break early in the second. That definitely helped the momentum kind of go more towards my side.”

Great hands, @TimeaBabos! #ibi16 https://t.co/J3SnXQ15sM

— WTA (@WTA) May 12, 2016

Both had earned upsets during Wednesday’s night session, but Babos’ nearly three hour win over former No.1 Venus Williams seemed to take its toll in the second set, as the Hungarian could only muster 16 winners and 26 unforced errors, only engineering one break point opportunity in two sets.

“I usually don’t do great here,” Keys continued. “And so, you know, putting a couple wins together felt really good. I’m not going to jinx it,” she said, knocking on wood.

“It feels like I’m kind of figuring it out just a little bit better. From there, you know, I’m putting more points together and kind of putting it all together a little bit better than before.

Awaiting Keys in her first Premier 5 clay court quarterfinal is Barbora Strycova, who played a perfect match to dismantle Eugenie Bouchard, 6-1, 6-0.

“It’s easy to get ahead of yourself and overthink things and put yourself in a round before you’ve actually even played,” Keys said. “I think it happens to everyone at times.

“So just really being focused on each match and doing what you need to do in that match has been a big thing for me.”

Bouchard was coming off of her first Top 5 win since 2014, having upset World No.2 and reigning Australian Open champion Angelique Kerber in three sets. But Strycova, who won their most recent encounter at last year’s Mutua Madrid Open, played flawless tennis from start to finish, hitting 18 winners to only 15 unforced errors and breaking serve six times to take the match in just over an hour.

“I saw the ball like a football! I enjoyed the court; it was very nice, and the spectators stayed. It was a good evening,” an elated Strycova said after the match.

“I was playing my game very well; I was pretty confident on court, hitting the ball. It was pretty cold, so I had to get my body moving at the beginning.”

Going from strength to strength as the match wore on, Strycova’s confidence was evident with every winner she hit, several on the run and from defensive positions. Into her second Premier 5 quarterfinal of 2016, Strycova will look to avenge last week’s Madrid loss to Keys, who defeated her in straight sets.

“Clay isn’t my favorite surface, until now!” she said with a laugh. “I’m trying to like it; I was working hard before Prague. I’m enjoying myself, enjoying Rome.

“[Keys] is such a big hitter, and I’m so small, so I have to be ready to try to return her serves. I’ll have to run and catch some fast balls!”

.@BaraStrycova races through the opening set vs Bouchard 6-1! #ibi16 https://t.co/fWi0V9114i

— WTA (@WTA) May 12, 2016

ROME, Italy – Martina Hingis and Sania Mirza moved confidently into their third consecutive clay court final with a straight set win over Irina-Camelia Begu and Monica Niculescu on Saturday evening.

For the first time since teaming up, Hingis and Mirza have found their status as the most talked about team on tour under threat in recent weeks. Defeats to emerging rivals Caroline Garcia and Kristina Mladenovic in Stuttgart and Madrid saw the World No.1s arrive in Rome with a point to prove.

At the Foro Italico, though, Hingis and Mirza have been faultless, negotiating a tricky draw with consummate ease. Against Begu and Niculescu they raced into a 4-0 lead, and while this level proved unsustainable the top seeds still ran out comfortable 6-3, 6-4 winners.

Standing between them and a fifth title of 2016 will be No.7 seeds Ekaterina Makarova and Elena Vesnina.

Form and fitness problems have seen the Russians slip down the rankings, but judging by performances this week they are rounding into form at just the right time. Against No.4 seeds Andrea Hlavackova and Lucie Hradecka they were particularly impressive, withstanding a late charge to run out 6-2, 7-5 winners.

Let's rewatch @mhingis and @MirzaSania's match point! They are going straight to the #ibi16 doubles final! #WTA pic.twitter.com/1Pg7ATVZZ7

— Internazionali Bnl (@InteBNLdItalia) May 14, 2016