Anna Kalinskaya battled back from a set down to defeat Victoria Azarenka in a thrilling semifinal match at the Berlin WTA tournament. Meanwhile, Coco Gauff advanced to the semifinals after her opponent Ons Jabeur retired due to injury. Jessica Pegula also secured her spot in the semifinals after completing her quarterfinal match against Katerina Siniakova. In Birmingham, Ajla Tomljanovic reached her first WTA final in five years, defeating Anastasia Potapova in straight sets.
Top-ranked Iga Swiatek defeated Aryna Sabalenka in a thrilling Madrid Open final, avenging her defeat in last year’s final and securing her third title of the season. The 22-year-old Polish player became the youngest player to reach 20 titles since Caroline Wozniacki in 2012. Swiatek faced two match points in the third set but held her serve to force a tiebreaker, where she saved a third match point. The match lasted 3 hours and 11 minutes, making it the longest WTA final of 2024. Swiatek improved her head-to-head record with Sabalenka to 7-3 and will seek her fourth French Open title later this month.
The Madrid Open, a prestigious tennis tournament, is currently underway and will culminate with the WTA final on May 4 and the ATP singles final on May 5. The tournament is being held at the iconic Caja Magica in Madrid, Spain. In the women’s competition, world No. 1 Iga Swiatek faces Madison Keys in the semifinals. Elena Rybakina will play the winner of the match between Aryna Sabalenka and Mirra Andreeva. The semifinals in the men’s singles saw Felix Auger-Aliassime receive a walkover, while Daniil Medvedev takes on Rafael Nadal’s conqueror, Jiri Lehecka. Changes are being implemented at the 2024 Madrid Open, including no-advantage scoring, first-to-10 tie-breaks, and a shot clock.
The Madrid Open, a prestigious tennis tournament, will take place from April 23 to May 5, 2023. The WTA final will be held on Saturday, May 4, while the ATP singles final will be played the following day. Top players such as Rafael Nadal, Cam Norrie, Casper Ruud, Jelena Ostapenko, Ons Jabeur, and Iga Swiatek will compete in the tournament. The Caja Magica (Magic Box) at the Manzanares Park Tennis Centre has been the venue for the Madrid Open since 2009, featuring three courts with retractable roofs and a total capacity of over 17,000 seats. Carlos Alcaraz aims for a ‘threepeat’ after winning the title in 2022 and 2023, while Aryna Sabalenka will defend her 2023 title.
Aryna Sabalenka, the reigning Australian Open champion and defending Madrid Open champion, shares her unconventional preference for watching men’s tennis over women’s. She explains that she has a deep understanding of the WTA players and prefers certain images from men’s play. Sabalenka is set to lead the second half of the draw in Madrid as the No. 2 seed, seeking her third Madrid Open title. Despite recent setbacks, she remains confident and determined to prove her mettle.
