Barbora Krejcikova knocks out Victoria Azarenka in straight sets

Barbora Krejcikova clenches her fist during her straight-set match with Victoria Azarenka at the Australian Open. 

Barbora Krejcikova was as strong as a stone and let it show at the Australian Open Sunday. The fourth-seeded Czech powerhouse dispatched Victoria Azarenka, who battled more than her tennis opponent in a 6-2, 6-2 straight sets score on Rod Laver Arena at Melbourne Park. The Belorussian suffered a neck injury that took a lot away from her strength. 

The Belorussian has had the easiest run at the Australian Open than any first week she has ever played in. Wins over Udvardy, Teichmann, and 15^th seed Svitolina left her with only nine games lost combined. Her biggest challenge stood in the reigning French Open champion, who dispatched the 2017 champ in three sets to make the last 16. It marked the second time the Czech met Azarenka, going back to Ostrava two years ago. They managed to go three sets but with indoor hard court settings, conditions would be much different. 

Krejcikova chose to receive and watched her opponent score a pair of winners and an ace to serve to love. The Czech didn’t have a comfortable opening as the Belorussian pushed her far out of the court to set up the smashes that forced deuce. They went two breaks until a wide return from Azarenka gave Krejcikova the much-needed win. The fourth seed worked really hard for the break and forced deuce to get there. She denied the 32-year-old an AD point and produced two of her own which resulted in her opponent swing and missing the ball. 

It looked as if Krejcikova was going to take her momentum and run away with the set. After the fourth game, the Belorussian sealed up a hold to stay within a game. Krejcikova continued to be at her tip-top best and held serve while keeping the pressure on the two-time champ. Azarenka struggled to get into the ball and suffered another break that put the Czech in position to serve for the set. Azarenka was trying to be aggressive, but her shots were sitting pretty. She went down in 38 minutes as another one of her returns fall long from the baseline. 

The former world number one erred 12 times despite having nine aces in what was a near-even game despite the momentum. Krejcikova got another game under her belt right after the 24^th seed called the trainer for a neck issue. After the medical timeout, the second game for rolling with Krejcikova on serve. She scored back-to-back aces but witnessed a surge from Azarenka, who pressed to a breakpoint chance. Krejcikova got it to deuce and on the second break, got it on a wide crosscourt from the 32-year-old. 

Despite an immense amount of pain in her neck, Azarenka fought to hold serve in the third before having the trainer come back during the changeover. With some relief coming to her, she came into the fourth scoring a triple breakpoint. One of them got away from her on a return into the net and a second long of the baseline. Her last breakpoint held as Krejcikova returned into the net bringing the score to two-all. 

The change was coming for the Belorussian, who limited the strains to her neck and focused on the service game. It turned out to be a struggle for Azarenka, who erred too much and handed the break to the fourth seed. The 32-year-old received further treatment on her neck before Krejcikova served to back up the previous game. She pinpointed her shots to Azarenka before scoring the shutout. 

The Czech eyed the double break and had three breakpoints in the seventh, but a rush from the 24^th seed forced deuce. It all went south as an error and a double fault made it 5-2 for Krejcikova, who served in the eighth for a spot in the last eight. Remaining strong and focused, the 26-year-old watched the errors from Azarenka fall on her side. Despite getting a point, it was all in the hands of the fourth seed, who took two match points and watched a shot go into the net and win in 1 hour and 24 minutes.  

Barbora Krejcikova outlasts Jelena Ostapenko in three sets.

Barbora Krejcikova clenches her fist during her third-round match against Jelena Ostapenko at the Australian Open. 

Jelena Ostapenko went for a full-court press but fell short of victory at the Australian Open Friday. The Latvian thought she had Barbora Krejcikova dead to rights but watched the Czech come back and win 2-6, 6-4, 6-4 on Rod Laver Arena at Melbourne Park. The fourth seed pressed in the late stages of each of her set wins to move into the final 16. 

The two faced off four times with three coming during their junior years. Last season in Dubai, the Czech scored her first official WTA win against Ostapenko winning 6-3, 6-1. Since her championship win of the French Open, Krejcikova has been skyrocketing the popularity of the sport and the ranks. As the world number four and one of five top 10 players still left, she would have to keep her winning ways against the Latvian and enter the last eight. Ostapenko had ways of winning but the unforced errors from her end needed to be low to be successfully aggressive. 

Things started heavily between the stars as Ostapenko fended off the Czech. She managed to get to deuce, but couldn’t turn over the AD point. The 26-year-old dealt with the same but held the lone AD point for herself. The third became the most highly contested of the set with Ostapenko on the verge of holding serve but watching Krejcikova force deuce. It was there that the players went seven breaks where Ostapenko saved three before containing her side. After all the effort she invested, the Latvian scored a break of the fourth seed. She went on to back it up in the fifth, followed by Krejcikova, who slowed down the pace. 

Sitting three games up, the 24-year-old fought once more to hold serve in the fifth but gave it right back. The 26^th seed jumped ahead and held onto a set point to take the first away in 41 minutes. Ostapenko did not commit a single double fault and kept the errors low and winners even at 11. Krejcikova’s lone double fault and 15 errors were enough to put her on notice that Ostapenko was not to be tried with. 

She proved her point in the second set, doing well on the offensive side of the game and holding the Czech to a point. Krejcikova struggled to wrangle up her game but came through after playing to deuce. The Latvian upped the ante with a serve to love and broke Krejcikova in the fourth with a barrage of attacks. She let one slip away in the fifth to the fourth seed, who leveled the score at four-all, staying on Ostapenko’s tail. 

In the ninth, the Czech scored a key break of her opponent that put her in front for the first time. On serve for the set, the fourth seed conducted her best game of the day and forced a decider with a comeback that took 37 minutes. 

The Czech pulled off a key break to start the third, gaining control of the score. She backed up the break with a push to force deuce and save the service. Ostapenko answered with a stronger form, letting Krejcikova know that she was not going away. She pressed the issue in the fourth by forcing deuce and making a big fight for a break chance. Krejcikova denied her twice before scoring the AD point on the third break. 

The Latvian reached within a game but slipped to give the fourth seed some room. By the eighth, Krejcikova had her serve on lock despite challenges from Ostapenko to play for the match. The 26^th seed refused to give it to her while she served in the ninth, leaving the Czech to try and do it herself. She reached match point on critical errors from Ostapenko, who regretted them heavily until her opponent hit the ball long to force deuce. Another one brought up Krejcikova’s second attempt only to go down as a double fault. The 26-year-old brushed it off when Ostapenko gave her a third match point that did the trick. 

On the second serve, the Czech watched the Latvian’s return go into the net to conclude a comeback that took 2 hours and 10 minutes to accomplish. Krejcikova’s focus and determination put her into an opportunity to make the second week with Victoria Azarenka next. 

Victoria Azarenka breaks Elina Svitolina to pieces in straight sets

Victoria Azarenka was all over the ball during her third-round match with Elina Svitolina at the Australian Open. 

Victoria Azarenka stormed through the competition but had to work hard for it at the end on Friday. Elina Svitolina found the answers too late against the Belorussian who ran by herself in a 6-0, 6-2 result on Rod Laver Arena at Melbourne Park. It marked her biggest victory in the tournament since 2016.  

The Belorussian carried a 4 match winning streak against the Ukrainian, who didn’t look her best coming into the third round. Svitolina made the second week in Melbourne four times in her career, but in her last two matches, she didn’t play up to her personal standards. The 27-year-old had a struggle against Fiona Ferro and was almost out of the running before Harmony Tan had a strain she couldn’t handle. Major improvements had to come to the 15^th seed if she wanted to stop the two-time champion down under. 

Svitolina committed a double fault that opened the door for Azarenka to force deuce and take the early break. The Belorussian had a good opening but the sun became a problem that led to her first double fault. Another one was close to being committed but a return error from the 15^th seed clinched her the 2-0 lead. It was 3-0 on the rush from Svitolina, who suffered on errors because of it. Azarenka was again gifted another win trying to back up the double break achieved. 

It was more than easy for the 24^th seed as free points from Svitolina’s errors made it a serve to love. Azarenka’s baseline strategy paid off with her hard forehand shots being a key weapon that gave her a commanding 5-0 run. With the opportunity to bagel the Ukrainian, the 32-year-old put the pressure on her opponent, reached two set points, and watched a return land wide and long ending 25 quick minutes. It was one-way traffic with Azarenka serving 65 percent with six winners and four unforced errors. Svitolina had very little to answer for her being shut out but needed to have that change. 

Azarenka served to open the second and continued her winning ways with her seventh game. She made it eight by backing up the fourth break of Svitolina, who hadn’t found her mark for change. It came in the third on a very important hold which lit a fire under her. Her aggression forced Azarenka to get to deuce where it took her one break to get back on track and lead 3-1. While it was a loss of a chance to break, Svitolina dug into her service game and capped another to sit a game down in the set. 

Though her opponent made her way onto the scoreboard, it didn’t take away from her agenda which came in the shape of a serve to love in the sixth. Azarenka scored a break to love in the following game that took all the air out of the 15^th seed. The Belorussian served for the match but had challenges putting Svitolina away. The Ukrainian answered during the biggest moments, saving five match points. After eight breaks and six-match point attempts, Azarenka puts the match to rest on a return from Svitolina into the net. It was a one-hour and eight-minute run that watched a fight come in the end but Azarenka moved into the last 16. 

“I feel like I played really well tactically, not letting her into the game. She’s a great defender and a great competitor so I had to try to stay on top of her as much as possible and not let her breathe in a way and that was my goal and executed that well.” She’ll try to take all the good moments on the court while she awaits the winner between Jelena Ostapenko and Barbora Krejcikova on Sunday. 

Alize Cornet runs over Garbine Muguruza in straight sets stunner

Alize Cornet celebrates her straight-sets defeat of Garbine Muguruza during the second round of the Australian Open. 

Alize Cornet scored a massive upset with a fine form of tennis at the Australian Open Thursday. Garbine Muguruza didn’t come out with her game together, allowing the French star to win 6-3, 6-3 on Rod Laver Arena at Melbourne Park. The Spaniard had 33 unforced errors that tore her offense apart and let the 32-year-old march through with ease. 

The two met several times but only completed three matches out of four. Both retired to each other in the past but last year, they had their longest moment on the court, going three sets in Berlin which Cornet won. Muguruza had the French star on the hardcourt, but caution was necessary with the 32-year-old, who had her moments of striking where the key impact was made. Both of them handled the challenges from their opponents but with their moment to clash and a third-round spot on the line, the third seed would play with a target on her back that Cornet could focus on. 

She opened service with a lot of defensive acts that did the trick, causing Muguruza to err. When it was her turn, the Spaniard found herself down 0-40 but found a way to force deuce. Cornet played hard for the AD point chances and broke Muguruza on the second break. With a decent two-game winning streak, the French star continued her stance despite committing a double fault and held serve.  

Sitting down three games didn’t sit well with the third seed and even when she trailed on her serve, the 28-year-old fought to contain the fourth game. The slip-up of her winning streak didn’t bother Cornet as she managed to continue holding serve, taking a 4-1 lead. Muguruza had a better handling of her service scoring winners from the forehand and backhand. With the lead cut in half, Cornet notched another double fault but held her opponent back to sit pretty at 5-2 against the third seed. 

Muguruza opened the eighth and had a tough time being the aggressor on the court. She fought to save two set points and force deuce before launching a cross-court ace. Cornet busted on returns that landed long of the baseline but still had a two-game buffer. It was her turn to serve for the set and on the third point, Cornet brilliantly read every return from Muguruza to serve with three more set points. One got away from her but the next was gifted on a wide return from the Spaniard ending 47 minutes. Though she had 16 unforced errors, it did enough damage to her game to put her a set down. 

Both opened the second set with holds of serve allowing only one point being won by the opposition. The third was heavily fought over but Muguruza managed to come through and hold serve. Cornet focused on consistency and score a serve to love to keep her pace. She backed it up with a break that took the wind out of the Spaniard, who went done 4-2 with another service game locked down for Cornet. 

Muguruza scored a shutout in the seventh but the damage had been done. Cornet was coasting to a victorious upset winning the next two games with a break to love and ending the third seed in 1 hour and 27 minutes. 

Amanda Anisimova marches into round three with straight sets over Belinda Bencic

Amanda Anisimova works the forehand during her second-round match with Belinda Bencic at the Australian Open. 

Belinda Bencic fell short of the mark to advance at the Australian Open Wednesday. American Amanda Anisimova handled the tactics of her opponent to win 6-2, 7-5 on Kia Arena at Melbourne Park. It was the first win against the seeded Swiss star, who had a muscle issue and plenty more. 

The two faced one another three years ago on the grass courts where Bencic handled the American with ease. Both had a handle of being on the hard courts, but while the Swiss star had ease of dispatching Kristina Mladenovic, the same couldn’t be said for Anisimova. Arianne Hartono gave the 21-year-old a whirl in the opening before conducting a way to get through it. Taking on Bencic is a new set of business that would take a lot of attention against the Olympic gold medalist. 

Bencic proved her worth early, breaking Anisimova to love in the opening game. The 20-year-old American responded with a point-by-point fight that led her to a breakpoint chance. Bencic forced deuce but struggled to contain the AD point. Anisimova gained three more to break back and take control of her service. Bencic stayed tight and held the fourth, but saw that Anisimova was in a new gear. She comfortably held the fifth and broke Bencic, who was becoming frustrated with her response. 

The American sat up 5-2 on the 22^nd seed, who was trying to contain her service in the eight but was forced to deuce on a forehand error into the net. With her third double fault and a returned error, Bencic gifted the set in the shape of her fourth double fault ending 35 minutes. Anisimova had double the winners than her opponent and made fewer errors. With the double faults being a major downfall in the set, the Swiss star had to adjust quickly. 

After taking a short break off the court, Bencic returned to Anisimova rushing through her service game giving one point up. The Swiss star wasn’t that lucky to ease through her game and fought back from 15-40 down. Saving breakpoints, the 22^nd seed forced deuce and played three breaks to hold. Things calmed down and sped up with the two of them holding the third and fourth games. They broke one another in the next pair and went back to holds of serve. 

Bencic shut out Anisimova in the eighth, but the American had her ways of winning to lead 5-4. The Swiss star served to keep the set alive and forced three straight errors from the American to press things forward. Anisimova dealt an ace and forced the errors needed to go up 6-5. When it came time for her to try to get the match, the American handled a tricky play for the first point and took two on errors from Bencic. 

The Swiss delivered an ace to save one match point and watched as Anisimova hit one too far from inside the baseline. The American handled an ace like a pro and brought up a third attempt that went in for a crosscourt winner. The victory took the 20-year-old 1 hour and 28 minutes to complete putting her back into the round of 32 for the first time in two years. 

Jelena Ostapenko outlasts Riske in three sets at the Australian Open

Jelena Ostapenko was in focus during her second-round match with Alison Riske at the Australian Open,

Jelena Ostapenko dug deep to win her way to the third round of the Australian Open Wednesday. The 26^th seed took on Alison Riske in a three-setter where she found her strengths and won 4-6, 6-2, 6-4 on Court Three at Melbourne Park. 

The two had a previous battle at the US Open in 2019 where the aggressive style of Ostapenko kept the American behind in straight sets. Two days ago, the 26^th seed had to fight her way into the second round with Anna Karolina Schmiedlova causing a lengthy struggle on the court. Though she finished with some control, Riske’s style of moving the ball around would be a different side of the spectrum. The 31-year-old held off Donna Vekic in straight sets showing her strength to return to the second round for the fourth time in her career. Planning a way to rack up the errors for Ostapenko would stand out as a huge path to moving on. 

Ostapenko opened the scoring with the forehand working well to keep Riske off her back. The American stumbled at the start of her service but fought to come back and force deuce. All her effort went out the window when she lost her AD point chance to hold and watched Ostapenko score the break. She went up 3-0 to back up the early success when the American got on the board in the fourth. 

She managed to break Ostapenko, getting a jump on the score and holding a breakpoint. The score was leveled as Riske backed up the break and conducted the seventh game in the shape of a double break. With shutout in the eighth, Ostapenko made good of her service to deny another break chance for the American. The 31-year-old responded with a second serve to love that capped the first in 38 minutes. The Latvian kept the unforced errors low, but not enough to stop her opponent’s consistency. 

While The 26^th seed maintained serve, Riske did the same from her end as well. After five holds of serve, Ostapenko found a way to break the American and get out front for the first time in 13 games. She backed it up and sat 5-2 with a shot at forcing them to a decider. Ostapenko let Riske make the mistakes that gave her three set points before taking the second set on a break that fell long. Ostapenko had just three errors compared to Riske’s seven that truly made the difference to how she plays both sides and increased winners. 

With the positive output so far in the match, Ostapenko rolled it into the third set where she took control of her service and what Riske hit across the net. It led to the Latvian taking a 3-0 lead until the fourth when Riske battled back on serve to secure the game and end her slide. She won the next two that leveled the score with the 26^th seed making the seventh battle over. Riske took charge and led 40-15 before Ostapenko got back into the fight. The Latvian overcame the deficit to force deuce and in the rally for the AD point, the 24-year old snapped off a crosscourt shot to lead once more. 

Riske denied her the opportunity to sit alone long and held serve in the eighth to keep things tight. Ostapenko got the message and stayed tough to jump back to a 5-4 situation, hoping that Riske would falter at the right time for her benefit. Good responses from the Latvian put the nerves all the head of Riske, who double-faulted at the end completing 1 hour and 56 minutes. With a handle on the unforced errors which she leveled with winners at 36, the 24-year-old would await her opponent on Friday in the shape of Xiyu Wang or French Open champion Barbora Krejcikova. 

 

Elina Svitolina enters Australian Open third round on sudden retirement from Harmony Tan

Elina Svitolina hits the forehand during her second-round match at the Australian Open. 

Elina Svitolina was almost seeing a danger to her tournament at the Australian Open Wednesday. It was Harmony Tan, who put every effort into the match until a strain in her right leg forced her to retire after a 6-3, 5-7, 5-1 score on Margaret Court Arena at Melbourne Park. The French star was on a verge of a true upset until her injury became too much. 

The Ukrainian managed to get through her opening round in straight sets, but the tiebreak took a lot of effort on her part to defeat Fiona Ferro. With Tan in her sights, the 27-year-old had to be careful of the French star. Tan defeated Svitolina’s former training partner Yulia Putintseva, allowing her just six games in straight sets. With a slip up on Monday, the 15^th seed knew that she couldn’t let up again. 

Svitolina started with a service to love and allowed Tan a single point before scoring the break. With a 2-0 lead, the 15^th seed rallied again on serve and finished quickly to jump further away. Tan managed to get a hold of serve under her belt, but the Ukrainian remained on cruise control with the forehand and excellent court positioning. She took the next two games briskly to earn a shot at serving for the set. 

In the sixth, she reached a set point but was foiled by a drop shot from Tan that forced deuce. Svitolina tried to drop shot on her second set point but came up short. Tan set up a smash winner and made a difficult return that earned her a break while staying alive in the set. The 24-year-old notched another one from the service scoring key winners that had Svitolina struggling to return. 

With just two games separating them, the 15^th seed knew she couldn’t waste more time and reset the board. She worked hard to get ahead of Tan for set point and on her third attempt, a line drive winner to Tan’s right made the mark to end 36 minutes of play. Svitolina was better with the first serve than her opponent but only a hair better on the unforced errors to winners ratio. 

Holding Tan back continued to be a task for the 15^th seed and on her opening serve in the second, the French star held firm against the Ukrainian to set the tone. Svitolina answered by shutting Tan out of the second and saw that it was going to take a lot to break the 24-year-old. She focused on holding her service games and wait for the moment to strike and gain the lead. It didn’t take long for Svitolina, who had a double breakpoint in the fifth and won the game on a forced error from Tan. 

The 27-year-old had a chance to go up 4-2, but two cross courts landed wide bringing Tan to deuce. It was a third crosscourt that blew Svitolina’s chance to double up by going into the net. With each player successfully breaking the other, it was Tan's first attempt to get back on track. Svitolina had other plans and broke her on deuce to try and back it up for a two-game lead. 

The forehand errors were coming to a major problem for the Ukrainian, who let too many occur and clinch the fourth consecutive break of the set. With Tan still in contention, the 24-year-old looked to make her mark and hold for the lead. Svitolina didn’t let her get that and instead broke to lead 5-4. Holding the tenth was absolutely critical for the Ukrainian but Tan was a force to be reckoned with. She pulled out all the stops to stay point to point with Svitolina to make it five-all while saving a match point. 

Tan took the 11^th that put Svitolina on the hot seat to avoid a third set with one last service. Her offense faded away in the 12^th that opened the door for Tan to take the set and force things to the distance after 58 minutes. Svitolina had 25 errors and a horrid second serve that she knew was no good to make a fight against Tan going forward. 

Tan opened with the third with a hold of serve before the Ukrainian followed up with one of her own. A strain in her right leg seemed to begin brothering the French star that led Svitolina to break in the third. She went on to take the next three straight before Tan could get a medical timeout. She had her lower right leg taped up before the sixth game got into motion. Svitolina was all over her service as she realized that Tan was no longer able to play at the same level she had the last set. 

In the seventh, Tan struggled to make a serve and sadly forced herself to retire after two hours and seven minutes, Svitolina went over to help her out to her bench before acknowledging her opponent’s strength. “It’s always horrible for any athlete to get injured during the competition and hopefully Harmony can recover,” Svitolina said during her on-court interview. “She played really well and it took me a bit of time to come back into the match and then she made it no easy for me. It was a tough one for me and hopefully, I’ll do better next match. 

She’ll go into the round of 32 facing Victoria Azarenka, with who she has a lot of experience within every aspect of the game. “We’ve played many times so we know each other’s game, so it’ll be an exciting match and looking forward to this challenge.”

Victoria Azarenka handles Jill Teichmann in straight sets at Australian Open.

Victoria Azarenka gives a fist up during her second-round match with Jill Teichmann at the Australian Open. 

Victoria Azarenka played her second-round match with success at the Australian Open Wednesday afternoon. Despite some tough moments against Jill Teichmann, the Belorussian came through with a 6-1, 6-2 win on Kia Arena at Melbourne Park. 

The 32-year-old had an easy completion to her straight-sets match Monday, preparing herself for a more experienced challenge in the Swiss. Teichmann put in some time with her Swiss teammates to prepare for the opening slam and came through, winning against Petra Martic in straight sets. While this was her first time facing Azarenka, she would have to adjust to the hard-hitting right-hander and her reliable cross-court shots. 

Azarenka opened with a strong service game that rattled Teichmann in the following game. She allowed the Belorussian to gain free points and double-faulted to hand the early break. When she returned to service, the 32-year-old was down 15-40 and had to force deuce while saving breakpoints. After denying a third by Teichmann for the AD point, she moved her way to go for the game on the second break and made it 3-0. 

A hard fight from Teichmann got her on the board in the fourth as it took two breaks of deuce and consistency to hold serve. Azarenka responded with back-to-back wins, gaining another break and serving for the set. Teichmann was the first to get to breakpoint status, forcing Azarenka to fight her way back again on serve. She forced deuce and got hold of an AD point. She instead committed her first double fault and played a net-front position to get another. It took a wide return from the Swiss to get her out of trouble and take the first in 36 minutes. 

The Belorussian didn’t have more than five winners but erred just nine times compared to Teichmann’s 14. With the double faults being her real issue, the second set was important for the former world number one to remain focused from an offensive standpoint. Teichmann opened the scoring in the second set and held off Azarenka’s late push. The 24^th seed answered with a good hold followed by a break and backed it up to lead 3-1. 

Azarenka continued her tear, scoring a double break against Teichmann to widen the gap and see the third round on the horizon. With the Belorussian back on serve, she cruised to a win making it 5-1 in her favor. It left Teichmann in a position to produce a victory or see her singles run to an end. The Swiss star won a huge point in the seventh but double-faulted on the second point of the game. She got ahead of Azarenka on another key winner before forcing an error to continue on. 

It was Azarenka serving for the match and she worked to get two match point on a regretful error from Teichmann. She played the crosscourt returns well, letting the 32-year-old commit the error. She brushed that aside and played a long rally up until the point where a crosscourt to Teichmann’s left was the one that put things away in 1 hour and 12 minutes. With a good finish to another early tournament match, Azarenka will await the winner between Elina Svitolin and Harmony Tan. 

 

Garbine Muguruza remains firm in her opening round Australian Open win

Garbine Muguruza waves to the crowd at Rod Laver Arena after her win against Clara Burel at the Australian Open. 

Garbine Muguruza had a challenge on her hands but handled the situation at the Australian Open Tuesday. Clara Burel didn’t make it easy for the third seed, who managed to keep the French star behind in her 6-3, 6-4 win on Rod Laver Arena at Melbourne Park. It was her tenth straight first-round win in the slam in a heavily even battle on the court. 

The Spaniard spent a lot of time during the offseason to prepare for the run in Australia. Despite only having two matches in Sydney, the third seed prepared herself for making another strong run in Melbourne. This was Burel’s third appearance at the slam and starting on the big stage was not the only problem she would have to deal with. 

The 20-year-old French player traded off points with Muguruza until the third seed forced deuce. Burel held her end and secured the win to start off on the right foot. The Spaniard made it look easy on serve, putting together a shutout of Burel to set the tone from her side of the court. Burel wasn’t changing her strategy of playing hard against the former world number one while maintaining her hold of serve. 

Each of them had two service games locked but on Burel’s third, Muguruza got aggressive and produced the breakpoints. With some quick reactive returns from both sides, it was a crosscourt smash that gave the third seed the break and a chance to double up. Just when it looked as if Muguruza’s net-front shots were going to give her the easy edge, throwing the ball into the sun became an issue. It led her to a rare double fault followed by an error into the net that brought up deuce for Burel. The French player waited for her best moment to strike and set up for a cross-court winner to break back. 

With the situation tight between the two, Muguruza changed up her strategy and fiercely went after Burel in the seventh for the double break to love. She backed it up with a great hold in the eighth and held the French youngster to nil ending 35 minutes. 

Muguruza opened the second with a shutout and tried to go for another break of the 20-year-old. Burel struck back to force deuce on serve and battled through three breaks while fending off the Spaniard’s opportunities. Despite the lost chance early, the third seed held serve and dug in against what Burel was bringing from the racket to break her for the 3-1 stand. She made it a three-game gap, holding her opponent to a single point, but she wasn’t out of trouble yet. 

Burel came fighting back in the hopes of making it count in the shape of a decider against the former world number one. Muguruza overcame a deficit in the seventh where she forced deuce and took the only AD point. With a chance to take the match in play, Burel had to do everything to fend off the match point by any means. When one came for the Spaniard, she denied her to force deuce. Through four breaks, the 20-year-old saved two more before shutting it down on her second AD point. 

Muguruza wanted nothing to do with a tiebreak or a third set and dug deep to create match points. On her fifth match point and second of the game, the third seed won it on a final error from Burel to complete her straight-sets win in 1 hour and 28 minutes. 

Jelena Ostapenko finds a way to advance to second round at Australian Open

Jelena Ostapenko battled her way through the first round against Anna Karolina Schmiedlova at the Australian Open. 

Jelena Ostapenko had to dig deep and work hard to come through a tough opener at the Australian Open Monday. The Latvian overcame a long first-set tiebreak loss with Anna Karolina Schmiedlova, taking the match 7-6(7), 6-4, 6-1 on Court 17 at Melbourne Park. 

The two haven’t met in six years making this a great reunion in an opening-round match at a major. So far in 2022, the Slovakian has done better with winning matches despite being in qualifications. Ostapenko faced tough opponents but showed potential in her conducting of opening sets. With that in her wheelhouse, the Latvian vied to keep that up while preventing a battle with Schmiedlova like she had in Cincinnati. 

The 27-year-old took charge in the opening game and served well, keeping Ostapenko back. The Latvian stumbled after a winner on the second point of her service game and erred four times thereafter. It was there that on the second break of deuce, the Slovakian notched the break taking a two-game margin. She went on to commit two double faults in the third and somehow climbed back to deuce to save the service. 

With a sizable lead, Ostapenko had to find a way out and even the score with Schmiedlova. After a much-needed hold in the fourth that saw her double fault but notch four winners, she went on to break the 27-year-old in the fifth. After an unforced error, Ostapenko had four winners in the sixth that leveled the score. The Latvian had found her new gear and kept on the pedal, scoring a break to love that put her in the lead. She made it 5-3, with an offensive shutout only to see Schmiedlova do the same to make it 5-4. 

In a critical point to close out the set after a hard comeback, Ostapenko erred too much that allowed Schmiedlova to break and tie the score. She secured the lead back on serve in the 11^th that soon saw the 26^th seed force a tiebreak. She made it 3-0 quick and kept Schmiedlova to a point when it was 6-1 in her favor. The coveted set point was a true struggle for the Latvian, who was denied by the Slovakian on the next four points. Ostapenko made it 7-6, but unforced errors put Schmiedlova in the place to take the set with a 9-7 victory. 

It was a 56-minute fight that saw them play to 86 points and 26 errors for Ostapenko that broke apart her efforts in the first. She found a way to regroup and opened the second with a strong hold of serve. Schmiedlova followed along and the two held serves with a couple of breaks in the set. Though each service game had challenges from the other side, the Latvian had the late edge that put her at 5-4. She went on to break the 27-year-old and force the third set into action after 45 minutes. 

It was there that the two continued to battle through games, but the control stood well with Ostapenko, who fended off a breakpoint and held on the break of deuce. Schmiedlova defended her end to hold serve and went for broke in the third where she produced three breakpoints. It was a pipe dream for the Slovakian, who watched as Ostapenko’s run of winners helped her secure the service game. 

After a hard effort, she decided to gift the 27-year-old with a break in the fourth game and back it up with a hold to love. Schmiedlova let herself be exposed with a double fault at the start of her service in the sixth, which opened the door for Ostapenko. The 26^th seed struck bug with two winners but watched her opponent force deuce. Schmiedlova didn’t get a chance to place herself an AD point and fell on the second break. With the ball on Ostapenko’s hands, she made sure to stay ahead of the Slovakian and conduct her own winning ways. An ace for match point led the Latvian to notch her 44^th winner of the day and cap the victory in 2 hours and 15 minutes. 

Both players combined for 13 double faults in the match with each of them struggling on the second service. Ostapenko committed 58 unforced errors that she knew would have to be severely limited in the second round. It was there that she would go up with Alison Riske, who had ways of dealing with an aggressive style of tennis. 

Victoria Azarenka wins strong in first round of Australian Open

Victoria Azarenka set up for a backhander during her first-round match against Panna Udvardy at the Australian Open. 

Victoria Azarenka had an easy start to her Australian Open that snapped a low point Monday. The Belorussian handled her new opponent in Panna Udvardy 6-3, 6-1 on Court Three on the grounds of Melbourne Park. It was a much-needed win for the former world number one in Australia that ended a two-year first-round losing streak. 

The former two-time champion made her 14^th appearance to the major down under and faced a new opponent in the Hungarian, who made her debut. The 23-year-old managed to qualify with an ITF title victory in Brasilia but faced a massive obstacle. The 32-year-old wanted nothing more than avoid back-to-back exits in the first round in Melbourne and dig in for a run like no other. Her swing was cut short in Adelaide, but despite losing to Iga Swiatek, Azarenka’s strength is in fine form. 

Udvardy opened service facing heavy opposition from Azarenka but managed to lock a hold in her favor. The 24^th seed answered by keeping the Hungarian back on just a point before winning her service game. She went on to break Udvardy to love in the third and create a 3-1 lead with another hold. Udvardy secured another service game and made it a challenge from Azarenka on her following service. 

Gaining a breakpoint chance in the sixth forced the Belorussian to force deuce and fight for the AD point on three occasions. After the 32-year-old stopped Udvardy on the third break, she got it put down to lead 4-3. The Hungarian was not going quietly and proved her worth with a hold to love. Azarenka reciprocated with a shutout in the eighth and followed it up with a break to love that secured her the first set. 

Despite having had three double faults that gave Udvardy life midway through, Azarenka did very well on the first serve winning 80 percent of points and having just five winners. Udvardy committed 18 unforced errors that did the trick for the 24^th seed. 

In the second, a surprising start for Udvardy occurred when she erred twice before scoring a winner. She made another one that set up the Hungarian for the break. Azarenka refused to let that happen and responded with a break back to love. The Belorussian turned her offense around to hold the third and went back to work splitting her opponent’s gameplay. 

With a double break in hand, Azarenka pressed on and locked down another hold for a 4-1 lead. She had Udvardy on the ropes when she kept her to a point before gaining her third break of the set. Despite having to work for it, the 32-year-old overcame a breakpoint on serve, forced deuce, and scored the AD point that gave her the win in one hour and six minutes. While her first serve stats were lower than the first, Azarenka’s consistency gave her the path she wanted to return to the second round after three years. 

It is there that she’ll take on Jill Teichmann of Switzerland, who similarly dispatched Petra Martic. The two will face off on Wednesday. 

 

Elina Svitolina avoids lenghty battle to fight on at Australian Open.

 

Elina Svitolina celebrates after defeating Fiona Ferro in the opening round of the Australian Open. 

Elina Svitolina powered hard early but had to fight to finish her opening round of the Australian Open Monday. Fiona Ferro became feisty on the court during the second set that went to a tiebreak but saw the Ukrainian take it 6-1, 7-6(4) on Margaret Court Arena at Melbourne Park. It was the 27^th first-round win for Svitolina out of 28 appearances in Grand Slam tournaments. 

The Ukrainian came into the first slam of 2022 without a victory under her belt. The 15^th seed did have a win from last year in Chicago against Ferro, but her performance at Adelaide didn’t leave a large amount of confidence. With no victory yet from the Ukrainian, she needed to be sure to conduct well on the courts of Melbourne or suffer a tragic fate in the shape of an upset. 

The 15^th seed came out well with a counterattack of Ferro’s service. After forcing deuce, she managed to gain two AD point chances and close out the break in four minutes. It was easy pickings for the Ukrainian, who went on to back up the break in the second. Svitolina made it 3-0 allowing Ferro just one point before achieving the double break. The 27-year-old backed up another service game to comfortably sit ahead of the French player. 

Ferro struck out a victory for herself in the fifth gaining cheers from the crowd, but as Svitolina went back on serve, she pressed the issue to get back into control. A good hold for the Ukrainian put Ferro in a tight spot as she had to avoid letting the set seal up. Errors from Svitolina in the seventh game put her up 40-0 only to see the free points fade away. The Ukrainian fought hard to force deuce but blew two set points into the net. Ferro switched the tide for her AD point chance only to see it go off the post. 

Svitolina knew she had to make the next AD point hers for the takin and did so on a line drive winner for the set in 31 minutes. The 27-year-old had nine winners and kept her errors low to remain the strong player on the court. The Ukrainian opened service to begin the second set where she nearly had a shutout of the 24-year-old but kept her back enough. The opportunity for a break went south as Ferro brought out an offense while serving to hold the second. She continued to hold from her end to match Svitolina. 

After eight games, it remained even between the two players with Svitolina looking to advance on her skill. Ferro was there to make it hard in the ninth as she answered the shots that the 15^th seed hit over. After four breaks of deuce where Ferro had the control, she placed a winner far out of reach of Svitolina to gain the break and a 5-4 stand. When things looked good for the French star, she let up just enough to see her hopes for a set win falter. 

Errors from Ferro opened the door for the 15^th seed to make it hers to win, scoring a crosscourt winner for a five-all tie. The Ukrainian wasn’t in a spot to mess around and fired off a quick service game in the 11^th to sit 6-5 on Ferro. The 24-year-old was not giving it to the Ukrainian and forced a tiebreak to decide whether she would move on. It was still a tight race to the coveted set point as Ferro gave Svitolina no room to wriggle away. It was a four-all tie until two critical points from the Ukrainian gave her match point and the winning error on Ferro to close out her day in 1 hour and 32 minutes. 

“I’m really happy with the match today,” said Svitolina during her on-court interview. “Coming into the tournament, I was training a lot but not getting a lot of matches, but in the end, I’m happy with the level I showed today.” 

Belinda Bencic through in straight sets in Australian Open start

Belinda Bencic was in fine form during her opening round match against Kristina Mladenovic at the Australian Open. 

Belinda Bencic proved herself strong and composed to a victorious first round at the Australian Open Monday. The Swiss star added another win that put her closer to evening the series with Kristina Mladenovic winning 6-4, 6-3. Showing her level of skill and some frustration on herself, the 22^nd seed came through with a good win at Kia Arena on the grounds of Melbourne Park. 

The two went at it for the ninth time in their careers, with the French star still leading the series. They met only on the clay courts last season, with both splitting wins at Rome and Madrid. In their first hard-court march in three years, Bencic carried leverage in her time playing tennis while the Frenchwoman had yet to record a match played this year. Coming in cold to a slam is not often seen by a WTA veteran, but if her skill play was up to speed, it would give the reigning Olympic champion something to be concerned with. 

A battle ensued between the two players as Bencic faced heavy opposition quickly. Mladenovic overcame a 15-40 situation and forced deuce in what was becoming a lengthy fight. Though they only went two breaks, Mladenovic scored the break that put her opponent on notice. Bencic broke back with a late strike in the second, holding the only AD point for herself. The 22^nd seed got through her hold of serve, with the Frenchwoman following suit.

The next six games were played well when it came to the hold of serves from Bencic and Mladenovic. The 22^nd seed made sure that she held the important ninth game that gave her the key edge to go for the set. In the tenth, Bencic got Mladenovic into submission for three set points, bringing an end to 49 minutes of play. While the French star had twice as many winners, the 24-year-old made only seven compared to Mladenovic’s 17 that stood out as the difference-maker in what was a near-even fight. 

Bencic came into the second, scoring another shutout while on serve. She then backed it up with a break that gave her the biggest lead of the match. Mladenovic managed to break back in the third, but a double break for Bencic widened the gap 3-1. She consolidated the success of the third and made it 4-1, with Mladenovic struggling to find her way back in. She managed to get one to cut the margin down to a pair. 

Bencic answered in the seventh with a key hold of serve to sit a game from the second round. Mladenovic refused to give her the satisfaction and cut into another. It was Bencic who served for it in the ninth gaining two match points against Mladenovic, who fired a ball beyond the baseline to win in 1 hour and 29 minutes.