Madrid: Practice Makes Perfect
Simona Halep, Carla Suárez Navarro, Garbiñe Muguruza, Victoria Azarenka and the rest of Madrid’s top seeds took to the practice courts ahead of the Mutua Madrid Open.
Simona Halep, Carla Suárez Navarro, Garbiñe Muguruza, Victoria Azarenka and the rest of Madrid’s top seeds took to the practice courts ahead of the Mutua Madrid Open.
Dominika Cibulkova takes on Caroline Garcia in the second round of the Mutua Madrid Open.
An interview with Simona Halep after her win in the third round of the Mutua Madrid Open.
Daria Gavrilova takes on Petra Kvitova in the third round of the Mutua Madrid Open.
An interview with Simona Halep after her win in the quarterfinals of the Mutua Madrid Open.
Simona Halep takes on Irina-Camelia Begu in the quarterfinals of the Mutua Madrid Open.
A group of young Madrid fans got the chance to practice with their favorite WTA stars at the Caja Magica, including Christina McHale and doubles duo Andrea Hlavackova and Lucie Hradecka.
Dominika Cibulkova takes on Louisa Chirico in the semifinals of the Mutua Madrid Open.
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.
KEY INFORMATION:
Tournament Level: Premier 5
Prize Money: $2,735,939
Draw Size: 56 main draw (8 byes)/32 qualifying
Qualifying Dates: Saturday, May 7 – Sunday, May 8
First Day of Main Draw: Monday, May 9
Singles Final: Sunday, May 15, 1:30 PM
Doubles Final: Sunday, May 15 (after singles final)
MUST FOLLOW SOCIAL MEDIA ACCOUNTS:
@WTA
@WTA_Insider – WTA Insider, Senior Writer Courtney Nguyen
@InteBNLdItalia – official tournament handle
Get involved in conversations with the official hashtags, #ibi16 and #WTA.
TOURNAMENT NOTES:
· Three-time champion Serena Williams makes her 2016 clay court debut, and is playing just her fourth tournament of the season (Australian Open, Indian Wells, Miami).
· Mutua Madrid Open winner Simona Halep is seeded to play Williams in the quarterfinals after winning her second career Premier Mandatory title.
· No.4 seed Victoria Azarenka could face Williams in the semifinals, and is playing her first event since pulling out of Madrid last week with a lower back injury.
· For the complete draw click here.
WILDCARDS:
Francesca Schiavone (ITA), Karin Knapp (ITA), Claudia Giovine (ITA)
WITHDRAWALS:
Belinda Bencic, Sloane Stephens, Caroline Wozniacki, Camila Giorgi