Marta Kostyuk bounces Garbine Muguruza from French Open

Marta Kostyuk clenches her first during her first-round match at the French Open with Garbine Muguruza.

Garbine Muguruza was dealt a huge loss early at the French Open Monday. Ukrainian up and comer Marta Kostyuk earned the biggest win of her career defeating the former French Open champion 6-1,  6-4 on Court Simone Mathieu at Roland Garros. An injury for the Spaniard became too much to deal with as she struggled to perform her best. 

The two met for the first time making it an interesting first-rounder for each of them. Kostyuk invested a lot of time on the clay courts, while the Spaniard battled off injuries. Though her dominance has carried her through many matches this season, time off to recuperate and prepare for the year’s second slam was what Muguruza needed to win the French Open for a second time. This was just the second entry for the Ukrainian and the first time facing a former world number one.

She earned a big step on the Spaniard, denying her a breakpoint before taking it on the break of deuce. Kostyuk backed it up with another fight that saw the Ukrainian gaining two breakpoints that soon gave her a 2-0 stand. Kostyuk added another for a third in a row against Muguruza, who didn’t look her best. She etched a victory out on serve in the fourth, but it was the only one she achieved as Kostyuk was on a roll. 

She went on to secure a strong service in the fifth before adding another break to the score. Things looked dreary for the 12^th seed, who went down 6-1  with Kostyuk performing her best. It was clear that a lower back issue was bothering Muguruza, who called for the trainer during the set break. She was given a medical timeout to figure things out while leaving Kostyuk out on court alone to keep warm. 

After a few minutes, Muguruza returned to take the opening game of the second set showing no signs of pain in her back. She defended three breakpoints from Kostyuk before holding on to the second break of deuce. The Ukrainian responded by a fight from Muguruza that brought them to deuce but managed to hold. The Spaniard made a push to create a gap, allowing Kostyuk two points in the third game. 

Muguruza went on to break her apart in the fourth jumping ahead for the break. She failed to consolidate in the fifth giving Kostyuk a break back, but the margin remained in favor of the 12^th seed. Kostyuk scored a quick-serve to love in the sixth that leveled the score and her hopes to get Muguruza behind her once more. 

Getting the best of her on serve was huge in the seventh as Kostyuk jumped ahead and scored the break to back up the shutout. She consolidated masterfully in the eighth to lead 5-3 with Muguruza on the ball to save the match from coming to an end. She managed to force deuce in the final moments, scoring a victory on an error from the Ukrainian. 

She still had a chance to get it done in the ninth, drawing an error from Muguruza, another that brought up three match points. The next point went to Muguruza on an eight-shot rally, but with two match points, Kostyuk clinched it on a terrific cross-court winner completing the biggest win of her career that took 1 hour and 29 minutes to accomplish. 

Sofia Kenin sends Ostapenko out early at the French Open

Sofia Kenin put her best foot forward againt Jelena Ostapenko at the French Open Monday.

Jelena Ostapenko met her match a little too early at the French Open Monday. The former champion of the tournament fell down early and couldn’t keep up with the pace against Sofia Kenin, who won in three sets 6-4, 4-6, 6-3 on Court Suzanne Lenglen at Roland Garros. The former finalist kept the unforced errors lower than her opponent and came through with power on her side. 

The two met for the first time in WTA action with their first coming on the clay courts in Paris. The Latvian gained more time on the surface than her American counterpart, who didn’t achieve a win in her two starts. Since Kenin let go of her coach and father, the 22-year-old came into the year’s second slam solo hoping for success in the first round. Ostapenko would hope those remnants of her maiden slam would come to help her out and get on the right foot. With coaching time under the leadership of Marion Bartoli, the 23-year-old entered her sixth appearance hoping to surpass the third round from last year. While they only met in Fed Cup action once, the two stars were sure to have a battle on their hands. 

The Latvian opened service with a good forehand strategy that included some drop shots at Kenin. The early success led her to break the American but consolidating it did not go through well. The fourth seed broke back in the third but suffered another loss on serve that gave Ostapenko a 3-1 lead. On serve in the fifth game, the Latvian struggled after two double faults brought the game to deuce. She and Kenin got into a fight with dropped shots that made a difference for the American. She played two breaks before gaining the edge to sit a game down. 

She worked hard on serve to level the score after six, closing the gap while leaving the door open the dictate further. Ostapenko gave the indication that her double faults would come to wreak havoc, but the former champion of the tournament got through her service to regain the lead. The American notched the second service game that allowed her to dig in against the competition, working the forehand. 

Ostapenko was on notice of the challenge at hand and fought with all her might for control of the score in the ninth. The two went to deuce where after two breaks, the American scored the breakpoint to take a 5-4 lead and serve for the set. Pressing the Latvian by answering everything she got back across the net, the American kept the heat on and took her place in the tenth to capture the set in 41 minutes. 

Knowing that she let her early dominance slip away, the Latvian fought hard on serve in the second set, securing her service game with aggression. Kenin answered her to hold serve and patiently wait for her time to strike for a break. Ostapenko made it a real challenge for her to level the score, forcing the fourth game to deuce. They played four breaks where a gift for the American went awry on her return forcing her to suffer a break to the Latvian, who gained a 3-1 edge. 

She went on to secure service easily, making it a 4-1 hold with a third set looming in the distance. Kenin struck back with two huge wins that cut into Ostapenko’s gap leaving her with just one to go. With the serve back in the American’s hands, the 22-year-old clinched the full comeback to fight for another shot at leading. Ostapenko denied her that opportunity on serve, clinching the ninth to make it a battle to the bitter end. 

A key break of Kenin in the tenth allowed the Latvian to keep her hopes alive after 45 minutes, bringing the third set into action. Knowing that her comeback was something to be pleased about, the American’s failure to get it done, moved her to find a way to dictate in the decider. She started by scoring a break on the Latvian before backing it up with a service hold for the lead. Kenin had a 3-0 run that worried Ostapenko, who made good work of breaking back the American to get on the board. 

She suffered another break back, but couldn’t lock down her service in the seventh that led Kenin to take a 5-2 lead and service for the match. The fourth seed tried to come back from a short deficit, but despite forcing deuce, the Latvian clinched the win on a double fault from the American to break back once more. 

Despite the loss of service, she managed to come back and earn free points by Ostapenko to take her to win on an error from the Latvian to win after two hours and five minutes. 

Belinda Bencic denies Podoroska in opening round of the French Open

Belinda Bencic had her game under control during her first-round match against Nadia Podoroska at the French Open. 

Belinda Bencic had a near-perfect start to her run at the French Open Monday. The tenth seed swept through the opening set until Nadia Podoroska gave her a challenge later on but fell short in a 6-0, 6-3 result on Court 14 at Roland Garros. The Swiss star denied the Argentine a chance to have another thrilling run for a second consecutive appearance. 

The semifinalist returned to Paris hoping that her Cinderella run would lead her in a similar way this season. Her four wins on the clay courts have allowed her to prep well against the Swiss, who she faced for the first time. Bencic’s played four matches in Madrid before coming up short in Rome. With no further action prior to the slam, the 24-year-old set her eyes on making sure that the Argentine didn’t have her good luck returning for another long ride through the draw. The tenth seed made it to the third round for the first time last year in hopes that this run would carry progress. 

Bencic opened the match with a dominant service that tested Podoroska, who fell hard when it came time for her to fire shots at the Swiss. The tenth seed blasted back the returns, scoring the break, and dominated in the third. A serve to love from the tenth seed gave her a commanding 3-0 lead. Bencic easily scored the double break on the Argentine, as she watched winners zip by with no clear push to get to them. 

By the time 15 points were played, the Swiss star had 14 of them and soon found herself up 5-0 with no fight from Podoroska. On serve in the sixth, she faced a triple setpoint from the tenth seed, who scored it on a return winning, closing out the set in 20 minutes. Bencic won just six of seven from the first serve, but with the Argentine all but dead on the same, it was a set of unanswered points. She had 10 unforced errors that made it too easy for the 24-year-old, who faced very little opposition. 

Bencic picked up where she left off, winning her seventh game in a row on Podoroska. She dug in during the second, getting two points against the Swiss before reaching a 40-30 position. A line drive winner during the rally allowed the Argentine to end the losing streak and build upon that. Podoroska did just that in the third to break back on Bencic and serve to open the gap. The tenth seed refused to let her opponent get away and broke back to make it clear that she would not get another jump like that. 

When it came to her serving in the fifth, the tenth seed wasted no time to achieve the lead with the hope of keeping Podoroska behind her. The Argentine picked up the pace on her service that allowed her to score another victory against the tenth seed. Bencic dealt with the same intensity that she gave the Argentine in the sixth but came through to take it and score a big break in the eight to serve for the match.

The Swiss star got into a perfect position, scoring triple match point on a crosscourt winner. She blew a crosscourt shot that landed wide of the court, sent the second one long of the baseline but made the only one she needed count. What became a last-minute fight from Podoroska was a shot from her into the net that closed out her time in singles action after one hour and eight minutes. 

Victoria Azarenka holds off Kuznetsova in first round fight at the French Open

Victoria Azarenka clenches her fist during her first-round match at the French Open against Svetlana Kuznetsova Sunday. 

Victoria Azarenka had to fight through every point to come out on top at the French Open Sunday. The former world number one went the distance with Russian Svetlana Kuznetsova, who forced a third to play only to come up short in a 6-4, 2-6, 6-3 result on Philippe Chatrier court at Roland Garros. 

Both veterans of the sport returned to Roland Garros facing one another for the 11^th time in their careers. The match marked their second at the grand slam since 2008 as both enter the opening round with very little action this season on red clay. Azarenka got two matches back in Madrid, but advancing past the second round wasn’t in the cards. Kuznetsova didn’t record a single game leading up to Paris, putting her in a position where her experience would be the only thing to help her against the Belorussian. With one meeting already in the books this season, the two would try to make the meeting on the center stage stand out as important. 

Azarenka opened service with a defense that allowed her to come through her service forcing an unforced error on the Russian. She went on to break her in the second as errors racked up for the 35-year-old. The early conversion of the breakpoint gave the Belorussian an early lead, but she was broke back to love in the third. they played the next four games break each other’s serves until a fight in the eighth ensued. 

In her quest to level the score, Kuznetsova forced deuce on an error from her opponent and drew another from her to hold. While it was a well-played service, she failed to take anything away from the 31-year-old, who went on to serve to love the ninth and break Kuznetsova for the set win. It was a 41-minute success by the former world number one, who had three double faults but did better on the first serve winning 9 of 16 compared to Kuznetsova’s 9 of 22. 

She turned things around in the onset of the second, breaking Azarenka, who double-faulted three times. The Russian backed up the following game with a hold, before adding a third victory with three winners coming into action. The Russian continued backing up the breaks on Azarenka with service holds until she had a 5-0 grip. 

Azarenka managed to etch out a break to love in the sixth and consolidated thereafter. Despite the short winning streak, Kuznetsova put the set to rest in the eighth, overcoming an unforced error to hit a winner that forced deuce and another to take the second in 37 minutes. The five double faults Azarenka recorded did a number on her earlier run but calling her out was not a sight to be seen with the decider left to play. 

It was there that she put her best foot forward, drawing errors from Kuznetsova to take the game. She topped that off with a break of the Russian, who double-faulted, sat 40-0 down, and never recovered. Azarenka had a 3-0 run thanks to three more errors from the Russian that consolidated the second. The  35-year-old limited the errors and got into the fourth with a hold that put the Belorussian on notice. 

She reacted in the fifth with a push to 30-all before drawing an error that led to her taking a 4-1 lead. Breaking Kuznetsova was big for the Belorussian, who drew three errors in the game that put her in place to serve for the match. Her opponent refused to let her do so on serve, gaining an edge after a double fault with two return winners that broke Azarenka. The eighth was a huge fight with Azarenka scoring a winner for match point but erred to blow her first opportunity. 

With deuce in play, Kuznetsova worked through four breaks to hold on to an error from the 31-year-old. While it was another stop from the inevitable, Azarenka got into place scoring a winner to force deuce and another that brought up her second match point, ending it on an error from Kuznetsova to end a two-hour bout on the court. 

Iga Swiatek defeats Elina Svitolina in straight sets in saturday doubleheader

Iga Swiatek swung big with the forehand to beat down Elina Svitolina at the BNL Internazionali d'italia Saturday

Iga Swiatek proved her comfort on the clay courts once more that she couldn’t be stopped at the BNL Internazionali D’Italia Saturday. After a delay of her quarterfinal match with Elina Svitolina, the Pole came through with good court placement and a lot of defense to advance into the semifinals with a 6-2, 7-5 win on Pietrangeli Court at the Foro Italico in Rome. 

The two top 15 stars met for the first time in a pivotal point of the tournament where both had the quality of playing on the clay court but not against one another. Both dropped a set on their way to the last eight, but a pass early for the Pole against Alison Riske left her with energy to take on the Ukrainian. Svitolina’s game hasn’t come close to the times where she won the title in Rome, but her tactics tend to come out when necessary. 

The 26-year-old found herself in a hold early as the Pole scored a serve to love to open the match with.  Svitolina took her chance to even the score, but the 19-year-old easily broke her, then went on to consolidate in the third for a commanding lead. Svitolina worked hard to serve in the fourth to hold back Swiatek and get on the board. The 15^th seed battled hard on serve in the fifth, holding off Svitolina’s threat to deuce and a breakpoint before holding it. 

The Ukrainian knew that she had to keep the margin small to come back, but a double fault came at the wrong time. The fifth seed managed to avoid losing the sixth, but she left the door open in the short term. After Swiatek won the seventh by a swift pace, she added further pressure on Svitolina to commit a second double fault to end the set in 36 minutes for the Pole’s set advantage in the match. Winners were the difference maker between the two players, who served near 50 percent but one having a stronger output of confidence. 

The second saw them hold serve with the Ukrainian digging in to make sure she stayed with Swiatek at all cost. The 26-year-old scored a huge break in the third, but it was short-lived as Swiatek struck back to break back in the fourth to level the score. The Pole was on her way to holding serve in the fifth, but a double fault turned her 40-0 grip to fighting for the game on deuce. After a couple of breaks, she managed to hold and followed it up with a break of the Ukrainian. 

Svitolina dug into the clay and came back to break back and leveled things at four-all with a supreme hold that gave her a lot of power. The Pole battled anger and frustrations on serve in the ninth, focusing them into her offense that produced a much-needed hold to play for the match in the hopes that she could break Svitolina. The fifth seed served well, drawing an error from Swiatek before getting the score tied at five-all on a second error. 

Swiatek was first to act adding aggression to her offense that gave her to the penultimate 11^th game. Svitolina felt the pressure and erred just enough to bring up two match points for the 15^th seed. In the final rally, it came down the smallest margin of a return for Svitolina that landed wide of the tramlines giving Swiatek the victory after 1 hour and 36 minutes. 

While she managed to keep the match short against a difficult opponent, Swiatek would have very little time to recover before her semifinal match with Cori Gauff later in the day. 

Elina Svitolina overpowers Garbine Muguruza in straight sets at BNL Internazionali D'Italia

Elina Svitolina celebrates a win during her match with Garbine Mugruza in the third round of the BNL Internazionali D'Italia Thursday

Elina Svitolina fired on all cylinders when it counted at the BNL Internazionali D’Italia Thursday. Her game tamed the likes of Garbine Muguruza, who couldn’t find a way to counter the fifth seed and went down 6-4, 6-2 on Center Court at the Foro Italico. 

The two were back to battle for the 12^th time in their careers and the second to occur in the eternal city. They last met in 2020, where their only meeting resulted in Muguruza dominating the Ukrainian. The Spaniard already had two matches under her belt that resulted in a quick finish of Patricia Marie Tig before dealing with adversity against Bernarda Pera. 

Though she had to work hard to come from a set down, the former world number one rallied all her good qualities to set up the match with Svitolina. The current world number six struggled to handle things with Amanda Anisimova but got through it in three sets like Muguruza. Even with their long history, it would be a fight to the bitter end for one of them to move into the last eight. 

Svitolina opened the scoring with a serve to love on the 12^th seed and followed it up with a break of her opponent for a 2-0 lead. Muguruza struck back in the third forcing the Ukrainian to fight out of a hole and come up short of the AD point. The fifth seed broke back for the double break of the Spaniard taking a 3-1 position with the balls back in her hands. Muguruza battled with a strong return game that pressed the fifth to deuce. She played well during the rally where a great court position set her up for smash a line drive winner for the break back. 

Svitolina notched the triple break, denying Muguruza a single point in the sixth, but it was not the end of her opponent. The Spaniard broke the Ukrainian back to love and consolidated the eighth to level the score. The fifth seed moved into position with a hold in the ninth before giving it her all to break Muguruza. Gaining a lead early, she reached two set points to put the first away in 47 minutes. 

Svitolina opened the third determined to get the job done against Muguruza earning a great hold in the first. The Spaniard followed suit and made a statement with a break in tow. The Ukrainian managed to break back to a level that became the biggest change of momentum in the set. The fifth seed consolidated the fourth with a good hold in the fifth game, holding Muguruza back just long enough. 

She pulled off the double break and consolidated that with a service hold in the seventh that resulted in a shutout of the former world number one. It was the game that broke the Spaniard into pieces as she couldn’t pull her serve together, allowing Svitolina to dictate the end of her tournament that lasted 1 hour and 16 minutes. It was a surprising loss for the Spaniard, who went from being a dominant force one day to not having her game in place when the time called for it. 

While she departs Rome to prepare for more improvements, the Ukrainian will take on French Open champion Iga Swiatek during Friday’s quarterfinal. 

Jelena Ostsapenko outlasts Kerber to advance at the Rome Masters

Jelena Ostaoenko eyed the return back against Angelique Kerber during her third round match at the BNL Internazionali D'Italia Thursday

Jelena Ostapenko had to battle both the wind and the competition that earned her a place in the quarterfinals of the BNL Internazionali D’Italia Thursday. Angelique Kerber fell to the conditions on court, recording 13 double faults that cost her in a 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 result on Grandstand Arena at the Foro Italico in Rome. 

The two met three years ago with the German coming through with the win on the grass courts of Wimbledon. Coming into the round of 16, both players have had easy paths with Ostapenko trusting her return game to dominate while Kerber got through a tough opener and soon found herself lucky against Halep. The Romanian played her hardest in the opening set, but an injury to her leg forced her out of the battle, giving Kerber the sudden pass. As both face off once more, the players would use their forehands to bother the other as one would come out on top. 

Ostapenko opened service, but quickly found her game under attack and broken. She had the tenacity to take advantage of Kerber’s two double faults in the second and force deuce. They went five breaks before the Latvian found an AD point to lockdown. Through the next four games, neither one could hold serve but remained tight on the scoreboard. Kerber broke Ostapenko to love in the seventh and somehow found a way to dig in that helped her secure the first hold of the set. 

The 23-year-old also clinched a service game for herself in the ninth, but the German carried leverage over the former French Open champion. The 33-year-old with comfort in her game found it easy to finish off the Latvian with a serve to love completing the first set in 43 minutes. Despite having six double faults, Kerber managed to limit the number of unforced errors (13) that allowed her to edge Ostapenko, who had too many errors combined (25).  

Despite losing out on a chance to lead, the Latvian found her way into the second set, holding serve in the first. Kerber answered in the second despite needing to force deuce and deny Ostapenko a second breakpoint. The 23-year-old sealed up another service game before scoring a break in the fourth. She went on to hold well in the fifth that consolidated, giving her a 4-1 stance against the former world number one. 

Kerber made her way back slowly, getting one game at a time while holding the Latvian back from taking the set. By the eighth, she was two games down trying to force the issue and inch closer to tying the set. As the court began to try up, Ostapenko found her mark to play her best, remaining aggressive and fend off Kerber on serve in the ninth to take the second in 40 minutes. The 23-year-old improved the first serve percentage while landing more winners (17) and limiting the unforced errors (16). With Kerber still recording too many double faults, the Latvian had a chance to counter her opponent in the decider. 

The German opened the third with a service hold with Ostapenko following suit. The pace changed after Kerber nailed down another service game and then took a break from the 23-year-old. She was broken back in the fifth when she committed two more double faults totaling 12 overall. Kerber tried to hold her lead on the Latvian’s service in the sixth with a threat for the break. Ostapenko forced deuce from her end and dug in for an eight-deuce battle. It was in that game that the 23-year-old saved five more break points before getting the key AD point that leveled the score. 

After playing so many points in the previous game, Ostapenko worked well against Kerber, who was running into trouble again and suffered a break she couldn’t afford. With the leg up, the Latvian controlled well in the eight to seal her service and play for the match. The German brought the heat on her first serve, launching difficult shots at the 23-year-old, who fell under the pressure that put the margin at a game. 

Ostapenko struggled on serve during a key point where holding would end her day but instead fell behind on errors. She miraculously turned it around from 15-30 scoring an ace, landing a crosscourt winner for match point, and taking the victory after 2 hours and 11 minutes with a drawn error. The Latvian held it all together well scoring 51 winners against Kerber and made only four double faults in total. With that being a major improvement and earning a big win over a tough opponent, Ostapenko would see another come in her direction in the shape of Karolina Pliskova. 

Garbine Muguruza fights to advance to round three at the BNL Internazionali D'Italia

Garbine Muguruza fights through every point during her second round match against Bernarda Pera at the BNL Internazionali D'Italia

Garbine Muguruza had a tough outing in her second-round match but came through to grasp victory at the BNL Internazionali D’Italia Wednesday. The Spaniard was forced into three sets with Bernarda Pera, who pressed the issue in the first and third sets but went down 2-6, 6-0, 7-5 on Court Two at the Foro Italico in Rome. 

This marked the first meeting between the two and a big obstacle for the American. She had a three-match winning streak on her back with a good win over Tamara Zidansek. The Spaniard showed that a lot of rain couldn’t stop her from dominating her opponent including a blister that bothers her left heel. With a quick finish, the former world number one would have a lot in the tank to take care of the 26-year-old. 

Things did not go right for the Spaniard from the first point after committing a double fault. Two more sprouted in her game that handed Pera the break. Muguruza managed to break back in the second, but when it came time to try and recover in the third, the double faults followed. She recorded a few more that put her in a 0-40 hole and attempted to recover only to be cut short of forcing deuce in the third. Pera went on to take the double break but quickly found herself broken again. 

They played five games in a row with Muguruza once again double-faulting for her eighth of the set. Pera took the 3-2 lead and never looked back as she consolidated on serve in the sixth with a shutout. A fourth break for the American put her in a good place against the 12^th seed, who flopped during each one of her service games and was trounced in the eighth to complete the first in 33 minutes. 

The 27-year-old left the court to deal with an issue off-court leaving Pera to try and keep warm after such a terrific start. When Muguruza returned with the problem taken care of, she went on a tear of the 26-year-old American. Though she continued to face adversity through the set, the Spaniard held serve from her end and fought hard to break Pera each time. It wasn’t until the sixth game that she earned a shutout against the American, but a sweep of the second set put the former world number one in a much better position with a deciding set in play after 30 minutes. 

Pera left the court to regroup and when she returned, she suffered her seventh loss in a row that forced her to make a big change. From the second game on, she took control away from the 12^th seed to make a name for herself. She went on to win the next four straight that put a Spaniard in a big hole. Something in the 27-year-old built up to recover from the deficit and win the next four straight to play for the match in the ninth. Pera refused to give her that opportunity easily going up 40-0 before closing it out. 

With the score balanced at five-all, it was the Spaniard to act with a hold of serve putting pressure on the American. She got into a tight spot on serve in the 12^th where the pivotal point favored for Muguruza. It was all over when Pera returned a shot wide that brought a dramatic finish that took two hours and four minutes. 

Elina Svitolina comes through in three sets at the BNL Internazionali D'Italia

Fifth-seeded Elina Svitolina stretched out for a return against Amanda Anisimova during a second-round match at the BNL Internazionali D'Italia

It was another tough start for Elina Svitolina at the BNL Internazionali D’Italia, but her efforts paid off late Wednesday afternoon.  The two-time winner of the tournament overcame an early deficit to Amanda Anisimova, who made her fight through the next two sets to win 2-6, 6-3, 6-4 on Court Two at the Foro Italico in Rome. 

The two met up for the third time and the first this season. They split hardcourt wins with one another making the clay surface an interesting outlook from both sides. The American has 11 sets under her belt that included her win two days ago with Qiang Wang. The two-time champion of the tournament hasn’t been at her best recently, suffering a huge loss at Madrid when she exited in the opening round there. With so much comfort returning to her at the Foro Italico, the Ukrainian hoped to deliver a better outcome and gain an edge over Anisimova. 

The fifth seed managed to break early to open the match with the American, gaining a breakpoint chance and sealing it. Svitolina consolidated on serve to make it 2-0 but quickly saw it fade away. Anisimova rallied back with a serve to love in the third and broke back with an extraordinary return against Svitolina’s serve. By the time six games elapsed, the American had a grip on the set’s pace winning her fourth game in a row. With the double break in hand, Anisimova went on to serve to love in the seventh, gaining a quick chance to take the set. 

Svitolina appeared to be out of position as she failed to defend her side of the game and watched the American take her a set down in 26 minutes. Anisimova fired at 69 percent from the first serve scoring 12 of 15 on points won. Svitolina got points returned on just 3 of 15 across the court, and 8 of 22 on serve. With those stats making her stand out like a sore thumb, the fifth seed knew that she had to improve in the second. 

The American caused the Ukrainian to fume when she failed to go beyond the point won in the first game. Svitolina turned things around in the second when she managed to hold serve for the first time since the second game of the match. A break of Anisimova helped her build some momentum after three games. Despite being broken to love in the fourth, Svitolina broke back in the fifth and consolidated her serve in the sixth. 

She added a break for good measure that made it 5-2 in her favor but suffered another break back from Anisimova. Svitolina wouldn’t let another game slip away from her, pulling off the key break that gave her the second set after 32 minutes. The fifth seed was on a mission as she continued her march into the deciding set which saw her take the first three games. The American got on the board, but she wouldn’t break the pace of the fifth seed, who closed in on the victory. 

The 26-year-old kept it together on serve where she managed to record two serves to love in a row. With the 5-2 stand over Anisimova, she went for the match against the American’s service only to come up short. Svitolina suffered her fourth double fault in the match that opened the door for Anisimova, who consolidated with a break back. Just when it looked as if there was a tie to be made, the American committed a fifth double fault that soon led Svitolina to a match point in the tenth. She completed a successful comeback when Anisimova returned a shot long that moved the Ukrainian to scream out in frustration that she got out of danger and into the third round after 1 hour and 38 minutes. 

Jelena Ostapenko's return game stuns Johanna Konta in straight sets

Jelena Ostapenko clenches her first during her first-round match late against Johanna Konta at the BNL Internazionali D'Italia Tuesday. 

Jelena Ostapenko was too much for the competition at the BNL Internazionali D’Italia late Tuesday night. The message was made clear to the draw as she blasted away at Johanna Konta winning 6-3, 6-1 on center court at the Foro Italico. The former French Open champion scored 24 winners and four aces against the Brit to move on in the eternal city. 

This marked the sixth time they met and the second to come at the Foro Italico. Three years ago, they went three sets with one another with Ostapenko taking home the lone win on clay. While Konta has the series lead with her, the Brit logged in very little time on the current surface. She recorded four sets while her opponent already had nine with two wins under her belt. As the French Open looms close, the former champion of that slam hoped to warm up well and take control of the British number one. 

She dug in well against Konta to force deuce and take the opening break. In the second, Ostapenko had a 40-0 run before committing her first double fault. Despite the hiccup, the Latvian got through her service scoring a crosscourt winner. She increased her high performance of returning Konta’s serve, earning her a double break for a 3-0 lead. Konta knew that she couldn’t let the slide continue and produced a fight on Ostapenko’s service game. Getting into place for the breakpoint, the Brit pressured her opponent to strike out an error and take the fourth. 

She backed up the win with a hold of serve in the fifth, but her balance was not quite level. Ostapenko regained her two-game lead in the sixth, still capable of threatening the 16^th seed. Konta stepped up her offense coming through with another hold of serve to stay in touch with the Latvian. The 23-year-old held up her end on serve, scoring a big placement in the eighth for the chance to go for the set. Her return game was back to wreck the Brit, who went down swinging on a triple set point winner ending 34 minutes of play. 

Ostapenko recorded 10 winners along with the three aces she managed to compile. Though she served less from the first serve which Konta excelled, the intensity was key to her dictation. Not wanting the opportunity to sit down and rest, Ostapenko stayed on the court, preparing to keep her pace. She held comfortably in the first, taking just two minutes to do so against the 16^th seed. 

Konta felt the pressure before her service began in the second and during it, the British number one fought through six points, saving a breakpoint for Ostapenko. They were at deuce where she produced a chance for herself but lost it putting back on the defense. The 23-year-old broke Konta down with three more breakpoints to push forward. The Latvian had a grip after three where she allowed Konta a single point before consolidating. 

The British number one was running out of ideas on how to counter Ostapenko, who remained firm with her returns, beating down Konta at every chance she got. With a 4-0 stand, Konta caught a break on a double fault from the Latvian that opened the door for a game-winner. Despite stopping Ostapenko in her tracks, Konta struggled to better her game on serve. She continued to face the strong return game of the Latvian, who took a 5-1 break win. 

Serving for the match, Ostapenko focused her shots on one side of the court scoring first. She placed a line drive that nailed the line, following it up with a crosscourt winner for three match points. The 23-year-old put Konta away for the night, scoring on a crosscourt shot that forced the final error to end one hour and eight minutes. 

 

Garbine Muguruza returns to tennis smashing through Patricia Tig in straight sets

Garbine Muguruza in fine form during her first-round match against Patricia Maria Tig at the Internazionali D'Italia Tuesday. 

Garbine Muguruza had a stunning performance to open the Internazionali D’Italia on Tuesday. Despite rainy conditions on the courts of the Foro Italico, the Spaniard took care of business swiftly against Patricia Maria Tig in straight sets 6-1, 6-2 on Grandstand court. It was a dominating outcome that took more than a week to witness. 

A change occurred suddenly for the Spaniard as she was to face Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, but a withdraw from the Russian brought up the Romanian to take on the former world number one. The Spaniard missed out on playing on her home courts back at the Madrid Open due to injury. With the missed opportunity to prepare for next week’s grand slam in Paris, Muguruza had to step into Rome under rainy conditions. 

Before it was to fall on them, the Spaniard opened the scoring with a hold of serve in the first. It took the same amount of effort to break Tig on serve in the second after she gained two points. Tig managed to break back in the third but she then suffered a big hit in the fourth that put things into one-way traffic. Tig double-faulted twice in the fourth that allowed Muguruza to gain a breakpoint. The Romanian forced deuce but failed to take control of her offense to get out of danger. 

From that point, Muguruza took dictation of the next three games, rushing through Tig on serve, dealing with adversity in the sixth, and closing things out with a shutout in the seventh that took just 27 minutes to accomplish. Rain began to fall harder on the two players as they returned to action with Muguruza getting back to work. 

She once again broke Tig, who served to open the second set but failed to complete her late comeback. Muguruza made it 2-0 with a strong hold, but she had a challenging time with the rain becoming an issue. Through the next two games, they were tied as both broke one another with the court becoming slippery. They refused to suspend play just as Muguruza made it 4-2. 

Before the seventh got underway, umpire Juan Zhang asked Muguruza and Tig if they really wanted to continue action due to a heavy downpour. They did, and when the game finished, Muguruza made it 5-2 and called for the physio. The Spaniard had her left heel tapped up to deal with a blister. She served for the match in the eighth taking command to get through the game with Tig gaining a single point before her tournament was cut once again. 

Muguruza had just 20 winners and three aces against Tig, whose five double faults wreaked havoc upon her game. She was outscored 55-29 giving the indication that her sudden appearance didn’t bother the Spaniard one bit.  

Kristina Mladenovic upsets Belinda Bencic in straight sets rout

Belinda Bencic couldn’t hold off the problems late that took her out quickly at the BNL Internazionali D’Italia Tuesday. The tenth seed racked up too many double faults in the second set against Kristina Mladenovic, who remained comfortable to come through in straight sets 6-3, 6-4 upsetting the tenth seed on Court Two at the Foro Italico.

This was their seventh match with one another and for the Swiss, having a clay court win against the French star was key to possibly advance. Last week in Madrid, Bencic delivered a blow to Mladenovic that took her out in straight sets. In her fifth appearance in Rome, the 24-year-old would try to avoid letting the world number 53, who made the quarterfinals when it was last played. The Swiss hadn’t made a deep run at the Foro Italico, but a start against the Frenchwoman left the door open for that chance. 

The opening game saw the 27-year-old playing the rallies well, until the point where they reached deuce that the game began to draw out. They went five breaks with Bencic there to wreak havoc through each one of the breaks. It was a ten-minute ordeal for the lucky loser to come through on her own service. Bencic swept through the second game, holding Mladenovic to a single point. She hoped to have a better outcome in the third against the tenth seed and succeeded with her returns working better to hold off a chance for deuce. 

She backed up the hold with a break of the Swiss, taking a commanding 4-1 lead. Mladenovic increased the margin on serve in the sixth, but the double break that would have given her the set didn’t go down that path. Bencic took control of her service, blasting out a strong hold to keep going. Bencic scored a break that notched another victory while holding her opponent from the set. Mladenovic’s second attempt and closing out the first was tested by Bencic, who forced deuce with a breakpoint that loomed for a moment. The French star took care of business to produce chances and took the victory on the second break, completing 51 minutes. 

Despite committing four double faults, the 27-year-old maintained a serve percentage of 65 winning 19 of 28 points from the first, and produced more breakpoints converted and saved. She began the second breaking Bencic before consolidating it for an early 2-0 lead. The Swiss got on the board but she fell back when Mladenovic kept the two-game margin alive. It was that way again in the sixth, but the tenth seed fought to get within reach of the French star.

She scored the eighth game on a much-needed break that leveled her for the first time in the match. Backing it up with a hold on serve was a huge problem as her double faults came back to ruin her offense. The Swiss’s seventh of the set allowed Mladenovic to come through the ninth and have the door open to serve for the match. With Bencic making bad mistakes on the return side, it gave Mladenovic the victory in 1 hour and 48 minutes scoring an ace for match point and putting it away on a line drive winner.