Victoria Azarenka comes through in three sets over Ekaterina Alexandrova

Victoria Azarenka delivered a big punch in the late stages to come through at the Mutua Madrid Open Friday. The former two-time finalist handled the end of her first-round match with Ekaterina Alexandrova winning 7-5, 3-6, 6-1 on Arantxa Sanchez Stadium at the Caja Magica in the Spanish capital.  

The two faced each other three years ago on the grass courts of Wimbledon where the former world number one took care of business. In her first clay-court match of the season, the 31-year-old would be tested by the Russian to see whether she could get in gear or not. Alexandrova had a good run in Stuttgart making it all the way to the last eight. In her first main draw appearance at Madrid, the 26-year-old hoped to be at her best against the former world number one. 

Alexandrova opened service with a 40-0 run but watched it quickly get to deuce as Azarenka upped her response. She forced deuce but couldn’t get the breakpoint opportunity. Despite the loss of a break chance, the Belorussian went on to put up a service to love against Alexandrova. With both capable of bringing high-quality offense, they allowed short points through the next three games with the Russian leading the way. As the Russian had the lead, Azarenka wanted to level the score once more, but things began to get serious. 

The Russian forced deuce during Azarenka’s service and caught a breakpoint chance to steal it away. The 31-year-old refused to let that occur and fought through the next two breaks to clinch it. In response, the former world number one got into position for a break in the seventh but was forced to deuce. They played three breaks where Azarenka prevented Alexandrova from leveling on two chances before scoring the break. 

The Russian broke back and consolidated on serve in the ninth to threaten once again. With the set closing in and the battle increasing between the two, the Belorussian answered with a huge serve to love that leveled the score at five-all. Azarenka made the first move to consolidate her shutout with a break of Alexandrova. It gave her such confidence and boost over her opponent that she went on to control things on serve in the 12th that gave her the first in just under an hour’s time. 

Azarenka faced 20 winners from her opponent across the court, but her limiting of unforced errors from her end assisted in staying minimal with mistakes and well-rounded overall to be out front. The Russian had a battle on her hands at the start of the second with her service game under fire. She managed to overcome the deficit, save breakpoints, force deuce, and save a third before holding the game. 

Azarenka was on a mission to pick up where she left off, comfortably putting the second game away on serve. She backed it up with a break of Alexandrova in the third but watched her opponent break back. They went four games in this direction with the Russian getting back on track by consolidated the sixth game with a hold in the seventh. Alexandrova had Azarenka down with a double break achieved and with a big accomplishment, but the second set to be in 37 minutes. Despite having two double faults and a first-serve percentage under 60, the Russian managed to keep the unforced errors to winners ratio close to force a deciding set. “I lost a bit of control in the set,” Azarenka said. “I didn’t play the right moments really accurately and she took advantage of that.” 

Azarenka was first to act, but the adversity was still there from Alexandrova. She backed up her hold of serve with a break to show that she was invested in taking this match by some means. The Russian came back in the third to get on the board, allowing the 12th seed one point. She blew things in the fourth, double-faulting against the 31-year-old that gave her a break to love. She delivered a big hold against the 26-year-old, who forced deuce but didn’t have the leverage to take control of the pace. 

With a 4-1 stand over her opponent, Azarenka dominated Alexandrova on serve in the sixth to break her and serve for the match. With a six-point streak in place, the Belorussian rallied to three match points and shutout Alexandrova in two hours and three minutes. “In the third, I stayed a bit more aggressive and a bit calmer and it was a bit tough because I haven’t played a lot of matches this year so it’s difficult to get into the rhythm and I’ll try to do that better in the next round.”

Jelena Ostapenko comes out firing to win at Mutua Madrid Open

Jelena Ostapenko had a superb opening at the Mutua Madrid Open Friday. Serving and returning so well led her to dominate Polona Hercog in straight sets 6-3, 6-1 on Stadium 3 at the Caja Mágica in Madrid. The Latvian had 21 winners and converted better on breakpoint chances to glide into the second round. 

This would be a good match between the two as they struggled to get a grip onto the red clay. The Slovenian barely had any time in Istanbul, while the Latvian faced tremendous adversity early in a high-quality tournament. With it being a first-time meeting between the two, both Hercog and Ostapenko had no time to feel out one another and would fight to gain momentum and control over the other. 

The Slovenian started out well on the opening game, taking the lead with a shutout. Ostapenko wished she had the fortunate opening as she committed a double fault, leading them to deuce where she was lucky to manage a service hold. Hercog kept the pace, allowing Ostapenko a single point in the third. The Latvian had a better outcome in the fourth, giving the Slovenian one point on serve that stepped up her offense. 

A fight ensued for the fifth game as Ostapenko returned with aggression, leading them to deuce. She managed to break Hercog on the second breakpoint with a well-placed forehand. She consolidated the win with a hold of serve, but holding two games in front of Hercog was not what the Slovenian wanted. The 30-year-old held the eighth to stay in touch with the Latvian, but Ostapenko was in a comfortable spot to hold serve for the 5-3 stand. 

The ninth game saw Hercog struggling to break through Ostapenko, who had her return game in place to attack. She gained two breakpoints that had her gripping the set before a return scored her the jump on the match after 37 minutes. She made the ten winners recorded do the damage on Hercog but knew that her first serve had to improve going forward. 

Ostapenko came into the second taking care of her service to lead fighting at the lines and painting the corners across the court. Hercog had to fight off the Latvian on serve in the second but came through after a break. With the momentum running well for the 23-year-old, she went on a tear through Hercog, taking the next four games with a double break in hand. She finished off the Slovenian with a service in the seventh game that got her through to victory in one hour and three minutes. 

With her game in fine form, the former French Open champion will await the winner between veteran tennis star Venus Williams or UCLA alum Jennifer Brady.

Belinda Bencic glides to victory in Mutua Madrid Opener

Belinda Bencic was in terrific form playing with an excellent forehand at the Mutua Madrid Open Thursday. Her opening round match against Kristina Mladenovic was full of winners and perfect aces that gave her the 6-4, 6-2 win on Arantxa Sanchez Stadium Court at the Caja Mágica. 

The two met for the fifth time in WTA action and the seventh overall. On clay, the French star defeated Bencic at Rome two years ago, with the Swiss star taking a big hit to her game in separate sets. Bencic didn’t have the best outcome at Stuttgart, losing in straight sets to Ekaterina Alexandrova. With her tournaments on clay cut short, the 24-year-old had to figure out how to counter Mladenovic and get into a new pace. The 27-year-old earned a lot of time through qualifications to enter the main draw in Madrid. As the effort paid off, she’d hope to add another victory while adding frustrations to her younger opponent. 

Mladenovic opened the match with a messy service game but managed to hold through it. Bencic responded with a stronger output, holding well in the second before scoring a key break over the Frenchwoman. Just when it looked as if Bencic would have a double break in the fifth, the former world number ten struck back to force deuce, finding positivity deep in her game to hold off the eighth seed. 

Bencic didn’t let Mladenovic keep the lead for long as she leveled the score after the sixth before breaking her for a second time. She consolidated the game with a good hold, taking a 5-3 lead with the hope of walking away with the set. The 28-year-old didn’t let her get the opportunity of a double break, putting herself a game down from leveling. Bencic had other plans on service, making sure that she clinched the game needed to close out the first in 45 minutes on Mladenovic suffering her ninth unforced error. While it didn’t seem like many, her two double faults also contributed to the eighth seed being out front. 

The 28-year-old held serve to open the second with Bencic still following behind. She took the lead when Mladenovic suffered a double fault opening the path for her to consolidate service in the third. The French star wouldn’t let Bencic capture the double break, working good on the forehand to stay out of further danger. She almost had a shot at tying the set with the eighth seed committing a double fault, but unforced errors set up the Swiss with a 4-2 stand. 

Bencic tried to take charge on another one of Mladenovic’s service games, nearly having a chance with a double fault. The Frenchwoman had 40-30 but was forced to deuce leading Bencic to take the game away after a break. With the 5-2 lead, the eighth seed served for the match with a pair of winners getting her into position. Despite one getting away from her, she put Mladenovic away with an ace down the T to close out her day in 1 hour and 19 minutes.

Ashleigh Barty shuts the door on Elina Svitolina at Porsche Tennis GP

Asheligh Barty swung the racket big against Elina Svitolina during the semifinals of the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix Saturday 

Elina Svitolina thought she viewed light at the end of the tunnel but saw only darkness at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix Saturday. Her chance to get the best of world number one Ashleigh Barty was cut short as the Aussie fought well into the third set to win 4-6, 7-6(5), 6-2 on center court at the Porsche Arena. 

The Ukrainian hoped that three was the charm against the reigning world number one player. Though she has two wins out of the six that they’ve played, it hasn’t been easy playing with her of recent. They met in the semifinal at Miami where Barty went on to dominate Svitolina in straight sets. The 26-year-old faced tremendous adversity in her two matches since her tournament began. Defeating Petra Kvitova was a massive task as it took the world number five three long sets and a comeback to get into the final four. As she faced Barty, who celebrated her 25th birthday, it would be up to her to remain consistent and spoil the party for the Aussie. 

The top seed worked the ball nearly perfect in her opening service, keeping Svitolina from returning the shots. The fourth seed launched a serve to love against the Aussie, but it didn’t take away from the forehand strengths that kept her out front of Svitolina. The two players didn’t have trouble securing service games until the seventh when the Ukrainian made the first strike. 

The first breakpoint came for the fourth seed who got the edge on a redirected winner that brought her the lead on Barty. Svitolina then took advantage of the eighth, scoring her second serve to love with two aces in the game. When it looked as if she had Barty right where she wanted her, the Aussie made sure to lock down her service game and get back within reach of a tie. It would need to come against the fourth seed, who had the opportunity to take the set on her terms. 

Holding Barty back two points gave the Ukrainian the edge as she gained two set points, holding her opponent back long enough to take the first set in 34 minutes. The fourth seed logged in a lot of shots from the first serve that performed at 84 percent, making a huge impact against the world number one. Though she committed fewer unforced errors than the fourth seed, Barty knew that remaining consistent with a high number of shots from the first service would get her back on track. 

She did so right as the second set got going, taking a stand by defending her serve on a break of deuce. For her efforts, she managed to consolidate her hold with a break of Svitolina, gaining her first sizable lead of the match. She made it three in a row with a near-perfect service game, keeping Svitolina back at all costs. The 26-year-old got into action in the fourth game holding serve but had a deficit to overcome. 

Barty kept the situation at status quo when she secured the fifth game maintaining a three-game margin. She sat two games away from forcing a deciding set until the Ukrainian began her comeback run that changed the situation for the Australian. Another serve to love was put together by the fourth seed, who added a break in the seventh to sit a game down. Finding so much comfort, Svitolina again scored a serve to love in the eighth that closed the gap. 

The 26-year-old achieved a dominant role over Barty, taking another game away from the world number one for the double break. Just when it looked as if the match was all in the hands of Svitolina, Barty struck back with the help of errors from the fourth seed. The 25-year-old had two break-back points that forced them into a five-all score forcing more to be played in the set. 

Barty knew that she couldn’t allow Svitolina to get out front in the set and in the 11th, making sure that she held serve. The Ukrainian ensured that the set would go to a tiebreak with a hard-fought service game in the 12th. The tiebreak was very tight as each had the lead through the first six points. As they reached closed to the key point, Barty edged out of her opponent, setting up set point with ground held at the net. She put the second away on an easy lob that Svitolina failed to get to, ending things in 55 minutes. 

The Australian improved the first serve that did work during the tense moments of the set where she increased the winners to 17 and had the same amount of unforced errors that of her opponent. After her opponent began the third with a hold of serve, Barty came out with force, scoring a serve to love. She fought heavily in the third, taking a 40-0 stand before Svitolina fought to get to deuce. In that game, they played the longest of the match spanning five breaks in which Barty had two breakpoint chances to secure the break. 

The 25-year-old consolidated the hard work with another service game to go up 3-1 on Svitolina, who was struggling to keep up. She earned her fifth shutout of the match, but it didn’t take any momentum from Barty, who notched the sixth and broke the Ukrainian in the seventh. With the chance to serve for the match, Barty dealt with a short battle with Svitolina before taking her two match points and locking down her path to the final that took two hours and six minutes to accomplish. 

With Svitolina out of her way during a pivotal moment of a tournament, the top seed awaited the winner between surging Belorussian Aryna Sabalenka or former world number one Simona Halep on Sunday.

Elina Svitolina pulls off tremendous comeback at Porsche Tennis GP

Elina Svitolina clenches her first during the quarterfinal match against Petra Kvitova at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix Friday. 

Elina Svitolina never stopped believing that she could win at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix Friday night. The Ukrainian played every game against Petra Kvitova, who gave it her all through three sets winning 6-7(4), 7-5, 6-2. The comeback that the world number five pulled off against one of her biggest rivals ended with her winning 11 of the last 13 games. 

The two played their 12th match together and the second this season. Svitolina played a three-setter in Miami against the Czech, coming back from 6-2 down to play the next 24 games and come out the winner. Kvitova had two matches under her belt in Stuttgart, coming into the quarterfinal more than prepared for another fight with the Ukrainian. Her win against Sakkari made it five sets played to Svitolina’s two, but it came down to who was settled best on the clay court with both successful on it in their careers. 

Svitolina earned the opportunity to serve first and delivered a good win over Kvitova. The fourth seed worked well to edge the Czech, who served the second but needed to force deuce to stay in her game. The Ukrainian forced the issue quickly, gaining the AD point to sit a break-up. Kvitova broke back in the third, holding the breakpoint needed to consolidate and level in the following game. Through the next four games, they each held serve before Kvitova made the push for the lead with a break. 

Svitolina broke back in the tenth and held in the 11th despite double-faulting on serve. There was no pressure on Kvitova, who knew that her serve could come through and clinch her service game to force a tiebreak. Things continued to be tight between the two players as they split the next six points. Kvitova scored a key mini-break that gave her the lead and added another to jump ahead of the fourth seed. 

Kvitova pressured Svitolina during the rally for the ninth point, forcing her opponent to err and reach the set point. The Czech answered well in the rally that included a straight return, but the court was open for the fourth seed, who got it back out of Kvitova’s reach. Despite the lost opportunity, the seventh seed had room to get the job done and clinched the first in 52 minutes. Though she had more unforced errors and double faults than Svitolina, her serve percentage fared better and was responsible for giving her the leverage. 

In the second set, Kvitova opened service, securing the first game. The fourth seed answered her back in the second, scoring an ace before putting down her mark on the court. It was the only one she’d get for a time as Kvitova put things into another gear and opened the gap wide on Svitolina. By the time three games passed, it was 4-1 in favor of the seventh seed, who had the Ukrainian way back. 

She managed to get out of trouble on serve in the sixth, forcing deuce with Kvitova to contain service, but the effort was short-lived. The Czech comfortable took care of business on serve to sit one game from the match, hopeful that she could pressure Svitolina into submission. Things didn’t go as planned as the Ukrainian worked through it all, winning the next two games. As she sat a game down from pushing the set deep, Kvitova then felt the pressure of the scoreboard. Playing against Svitolina’s serve, the opportunity quickly faded away as the 26-year-old succeeded to play on. 

The Czech had balls in hand to go up a game while trying to avoid Svitolina from getting a fourth game in a row. The surge from the fourth seed was too much for Kvitova to handle and watched her game break. Svitolina went into the 12th having saved two match points and in the 12th, two break points to go on and send them to the distance after 61 minutes. The 31-year-old still had more winners for the second time, but unforced errors helped Svitolina be in a true position to dictate. 

Her 71 percent performance on the first serve showed well in the third as she took control in the second, winning the next two games. Sitting a break down, Kvitova tried to avoid giving her opponent another double break while on serve. She was forced to save a breakpoint to force deuce, but while she struggled to keep up, Svitolina continued to produce AD points with the fourth one doing the trick to sit up 4-1. 

Her comfort level increased, helping her on serve in the sixth where she took care of holding Kvitova back and go for the break that would end it. The Czech tried to avoid giving it up from her end, but Svitolina fought to force deuce and caught two more match points. She saved them both and brought up an AD point for herself that resulted in a long return from the Ukrainian. 

While she managed to save one more game, Svitolina had the chance to serve it out on her terms in the eighth. Though Kvitova forced things to deuce, the match would be closed out b Svitolina who pulled off an incredible return to reach her fourth match point and watch a fly ball return fall long of the baseline. It was a thrill for Svitolina to come through victorious after 2 hours and 37 minutes defeating one of her toughest opponents. 

“It was a really tough battle today,” said Svitolina after the match. “I was expecting for a big match but I didn’t know it would be that tough. In the end, I’m happy that I came back in the second set to win like this, it’s definitely something special.” 

In the semifinal, she’ll have to go through world number one Ashleigh Barty in her third attempt, having recently lost to her in Miami.

Elina Svitolina clenches her first during her second-round match against Angelique Kerber at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix Thursday

Elina Svitolina had to work hard in her opening match at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix Thursday night. The Ukrainian fought through the first and moved comfortably to victory in a 7-6(5), 6-3 score against Angelique Kerber on center court at the Porsche Arena in Stuttgart. It clinched her 16th win this season and fifth quarterfinal appearance. The German has lost seven times against Svitolina, who continued to be tough to handle. 

This was the 14th matchup between the two tennis stars and the first since 2018 when they met on clay. The Ukrainian had Kerber beat in Rome on her way to winning the Italian Open for the second straight year. Since her semifinal defeat at Miami, Svitolina reached a new milestone in her life, getting engaged to tennis star Gael Monfils. With wedding plans on the horizon, the current world number five would try to get back to business and reach a potential ninth win over the German. In her ninth appearance in the tournament, the two-time winner of the Porsche GP, who last played nearly a month ago would have to shake off the rust and get into action. 

They opened the match with a long shot rally with Svitolina striking first on a forehand line drive winner. Kerber went on to hold serve in the opening game but got shut out by the fourth seed, who racked up the winners on serve in the second. Svitolina backed up the hold of serve with a break of Kerber, who erred and watched the Ukrainian play the court well. The German answered with a break back to love, fighting to stay close with the fourth seed. 

They stayed neck and neck through the next six games with each deadlocked at five all. After Kerber made the threat to take the opening set, but Svitolina dug in to level things and fought big during the 11th game to try and score the break. The two went three breaks where Kerber countered every breakpoint the Ukrainian put together and succeeded in holding service. With one last opportunity, Svitolina served to try and force a tiebreak and did so with tricks up her sleeve. 

It brought Kerber into her first tiebreak of the season, staying close with the Ukrainian through six points played. They continued playing stride for stride until a double fault on the ninth point gave Svitolina an edge. The 26-year-old reached set point at 6-4, earning it on a forehand drive into the net from Kerber ending a tight set that lasted 61 minutes. The two made very few mistakes through 12 games and a tiebreak, but three more unforced errors for Kerber than Svitolina made the ultimate difference. 

The Ukrainian went into the second set very comfortably as she held serve with Kerber held to a point. Kerber avoided a break chance for the fourth seed, securing her service in the second. Svitolina fired up the afterburners and launched out with another solid service game before breaking Kerber apart in the fourth. After the German failed to save breakpoints, she went down 4-1 hoping to recover on serve. 

She did hold from her end, but the fourth seed moved closer to the match victory in the seventh. Kerber managed to win one more game, but with the balls in Svitolina’s hands to serve for a quarterfinal spot, the Ukrainian did just that. Adding another great placement, the 26-year-old watched Kerber make mistakes, earn two match points and see it all over on a pop-up outside the court to complete her win in 1 hour and 31 minutes. 

“It was a real challenge for me to start the tour match against Angie,” Svitolina said. “She plays really well and it was a really tough match. We have tough battles and I was expecting nothing more than that.” Up next for her is Petra Kvitova, who she plays for the 12th time on Friday. “We played quite a few times including on the hard courts so it’s going to be interesting to play here and looking forward to the quarterfinal.”

Jelena Ostapenko makes her mark at Porsche Tennis GP

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Jelena Ostapenko came through a tight competition at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix Wednesday. The Latvian struggled to find her marks but kept on against Stefanie Voegele to win 6-4, 7-5 on court one at the Porsche Arena in Stuttgart. 

This marked their first WTA meeting and the first clay-court match for Ostapenko that put her on the working end of the match. Her opponent already had a good footing in Stuttgart winning through qualifications. The Latvian hadn’t played a match in nearly a month, but as a former French Open champion, getting back to her comfort zone would take time. 

Her service game didn’t go well, giving Voegele the early break. She backed it up with a hold that took a break of deuce to accomplish. Despite her attempts to find her range back in the second, Ostapenko took things in stride to get on the board in the third and break back in the following game. The 23-year-old trailed on serve once again, leading the Swiss star to another break. 

A third consecutive game break was in the books with Ostapenko back at level terms due to her fight on deuce. Another two games went for breaks that left neither player a clear path to lead. With the seat near its conclusion, Ostapenko made a push to find it in her offense to edge Voegele and take the pivotal 5-4 lead. The Latvian put an end to the set, backing up her service hold with one last break of Voegele to end 41 minutes of play. Both had a rough outing on their second serves to produce less than 30 percent from it. Ostapenko had four double faults but managed to serve 71 percent from the first serve. 

She went into the second set getting broken by Voegele and was once again in a 2-0 hole. The 23-year-old fought back with a hold and a break in the fourth, setting up a fight for control throughout the remainder of the set. Each player held through the next six games making it a force to play more games. Ostapenko made good on serve in the 11th to take the lead on Voegele and add pressure to the Swiss player. She double-faulted on the second point before the Latvian fired a line drive return for match point. A second one clinched her the win against Voegele to end her day in 1 hour and 32 minutes.

Belinda Bencic rallies to win in straight sets at the Porsche Tennis GP

Belinda Bencic clenches her fist during her first-round match against Nastasja Schunk at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix. 

Belinda Bencic had to fight hard for advancement at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix Monday evening. The eighth seed had trouble early against German teenager Nastasja Schunk but came through in straight sets 6-4, 6-2 on center court at the Porsche Arena in Stuttgart. 

This was a first-time meeting between the two and a key point for the German to take on a ranked player. Bencic returned in her third appearance at the Grand Prix and the first since 2019. Since the clay season began, the Swiss star didn’t get the best results from her time in Charleston, losing in the first round. 

The 24-year-old carried a two-match losing streak, but her return home put her in a better outlook for being back in Europe. Schunk did well this weekend through qualifications becoming the eighth player from her home country to make the tournament. With the court advantage, she looked to test Bencic and see if an upset was in the cards. 

Schunk was first to act in the match and did well on serve, showing Bencic her fierce forehand. The eighth seed struggled to bring the same intensity but managed to hold serve against her. The German kept up her strengths on return of service, giving herself an edge over Bencic, who was still warming up. She leveled the score after four games and went after Schunk to score a break in the fifth. 

The teen broke back to make it three all with Bencic, but on serve in the seventh, she double-faulted to tighten up the score. The Swiss player had a double break chance, but the 18-year-old rallied to fight for her end. Bencic slowed the rallies that allowed her to dictate play and come through two breaks of deuce with the lead. A big hold in the eighth gave Bencic the leverage to break Schunk, but the German teen caught a break with forehand errors from the Swiss to stay alive in the set. 

Bencic refused to give her a shot at going deeper into the first and closed it out in 50 minutes. Despite having 12 unforced errors, the nine winners and four aces that she shot at Schunk helped her get out of the trouble that could have gone worse if not checked. 

The German teen opened the second and held right off the point, but consistency wouldn’t wrap into her against the eighth seed. Bencic took her recent success and tallied a hold in the second. She backed it up with a break in the third and took the next three straight, scoring the double break along the way. Schunk did everything to keep going against Bencic who struggled to get it done. 

Four match points were answered by the 18-year-old, who made things difficult as the points increased. After 17 points played and five match points saved, Schunk played a net-front crosscourt return strategy that brought an end to the fight and earn her a second win in the set. 

With the balls in her hand on serve, the eighth seed comfortably had her game under control, reaching two more match points. The sixth attempt back had awry for Schunk who made it an 86 minute battle for the Swiss player. "I had trouble with her game," Bencic said about Schunk after the match. "She reads the game well and she plays a good pace and that was uncomfortable for me." 

She'll prepare for more discomfort as she meets the winner between Karolina Muchova or Ekaterina Alexandrova. "I'll see how they play and ill prepare for them." 

Garbine Muguruza puts a stop to Magdalena Frech at Volvo Car Open

Garbine Muguruza had to work hard in the second set but overall had a comfortable start at the Volvo Car Open Tuesday afternoon. The Spaniard contained her opening match in straight sets against Magdalena Frech winning 6-1, 6-3 on Althea Gibson Court at the Volvo Car Stadium in South Carolina. It marked her 21st WTA win of the season adding a good start to the clay season. 

The Spaniard came off a good run in Miami, making it to the round of 16 before losing out to Bianca Andreescu. Despite snapping an eight-match losing streak, the Spaniard was more than excited to begin the clay-court season in Charleston. The Polish number four carried a three-match streak on the green clay, winning her opening round, but faced tremendous adversity in the former world number one. 

The set opened with service holds through four games until Muguruza brought some defense to redirect the pace. The sixth seed broke Frech in the fourth game, earning two break points in the process. The 27-year-old backed it up with a hold to gain a 4-1 score over the Polish number four. The double break was achieved by the Spaniard, who was on a roll of comfortability serving for the set in the seventh. Despite playing behind in the game, she didn’t give her opponent any leverage to capture the break and put away the first in 26 minutes. Muguruza served at 65 percent and had 11 winners while Frech only had three from her end. 

She didn’t let her light offense bother her as the Spaniard looked for a break chance but was denied in the second set. A missed smash allowed the Polish player to force deuce and earn a shot at holding. It took only one break on deuce for the 23-year-old to get on the board hoping that more success would trail along. Muguruza came out with a serve to love in the second that was answered by one of Frech’s. 

They continued the holds of serve through six games with Muguruza upping the ante with seven forehand winners recorded. The battle for the seventh was on as Frech tried to contain service but had Muguruza breathing down her back for the break. A double fault by the 23-year-old nearly cost her, but despite saving four breakpoints, she couldn’t stop the Spaniard from a fifth that gave her the lead back. 

Muguruza earned easy points on serve as Frech erred too much in the eighth, taking a 5-3 hold. Playing for the match, the sixth seed fired shots at the forehand of the Polish player, but her own game fell apart on serve, setting up the Spaniard with two match points. She saved one with a line drive winner but her second attempt ended a long rally with a ball landing into the tramlines ending things in one hour and six minutes. 

“I’m very excited to play on my favorite surface,” said Muguruza to Andrew Krasny after the match. “It was my first match of the season on clay and it's always tough to get the rhythm but I’m happy that I started well and in the second set, the match was tougher and I expected a battle.”