Alycia Parks upsets Victoria Azarenka in straight sets at Mutua Madrid Open

Alycia Parks achieved a milestone moment at the Mutua Madrid Open Friday. The 22-year-old pulled off the upset against 15th-seeded Victoria Azarenka, winning in straight sets 6-2, 7-6(5) at Arantxa Sanchez Stadium at La Caja Magica. It was the first big win for the American, who stayed tight in the late stages to move into the third round.

The two faced each other for the first time, with the American entering the biggest event of her career and handling it. The 22-year-old went the distance against Anna Karolina Schmiedlova to put herself in good standing after losing eight of her last ten. The American’s fight would require more from the tennis veteran, who earned a pass and had time to get situated. Despite clay not being her strong suit, the former world number one had a shot to make the third round against a young opponent with a short list of action against top players.

Parks opened the match with good service, preventing any chance for Azarenka to get in. The 15th seed followed suit but saw her opponent keep pace and contain her side of the court. A threat for the 22-year-old arrived when Azarenka suffered two double faults in the fourth. She overcame the lost points and force deuce, but Parks rallied to gain an AD point and seal the break.

Just when things were going well, Parks suffered double faults that gave Azarenka three breakpoints. The American fought all the way to deuce and captured the first AD point to hold serve and lead 4-1. The 22-year-old tallied another break of the 15th seed, allowing one point won by Azarenka. Nerves got to Parks, who served for the set and suffered two double faults. It opened the door for Azarenka to break back and stay alive.

There was alot more to be done, but a double fault from the 32-year-old made that harder in the eighth. Parks struggled to capture the set point chances, but a forehand winner on her second attempt put an end to the set in 41 minutes.

Parks ran into the second set crushing the competition, holding serve, and watched Azarenka double fault twice in the second. When it felt like another runaway was in the making, the 15th seed rallied to break back in the third. She called for the trainer and doctor to come down to the court while serving the fourth. Azarenka took her time during serves, dealing with an ailment of sorts, going on to win the serve.

She had to wait till the change of ends before seeing the medical staff, leaving Parks to serve out the fifth. She shot straight on while Azarenka watched the shots zip by. The American took the 3-2 lead, then waited for Azarenka’s medical timeout to finish. The 15th seed got up to serve in the sixth, holding off Parks to stay level on the scoreboard. The 22-year-old dictated well in the seventh, scoring an ace before blanking the former world number one for the lead.

Azarenka stayed the course with Parks, holding serve and having no further complications of the physical kind. They got to six-all, where a tiebreak went into action. The 32-year-old had the advantage of being highly experienced in tight moments. She took the first two points before the American scored a minibreak. She tallied another pair with help from Azarenka, who suffered errors from the forehand. Parks anted up and scored back-to-back aces that brought up a match point. The 22-year-old stayed cool and got the job done in an upset of the 15th seed that took 1 hour and 47 minutes.

Martina Trevisan holds back Eugenie Bouchard in straight sets at Mutua Madrid Open

Martina Trevisan clenches her fist during the second round match against Eugenie Bouchard at the Mutua Madrid Open. 

Martina Trevisan worked hard in the late stages of the second set to pass through at the Mutua Madrid Open Friday. The Italian stopped Eugenie Bouchard from going to a deciding set, holding serve when it counted to win in straight sets 6-2, 7-5 on court four at La Caja Magica. Capturing six breaks of served assisted the 18th seed, who was flawless on the second serve and outscored the Canadian by 14 points.

The two last met during qualifications of the 2020 Australian Open, with the Italian winning her way into the draw. Bouchard got into her fifth main draw in two years, setting up a match with Dayana Yastremska that lasted three sets. In her first time back to Madrid in six years, the Canadian faced a tough outing but worked out the kinks. Despite being on a 13-match losing streak against top 20 players, the 29-year-old had the notion of previous success in the Spanish capital. The Italian makes her start in Madrid but hopes not suffer another first-round loss, which she has done in five of seven tournaments this season.

Getting the feet running was the first option that kicked into gear for the five-foot-three star, who broke Bouchard quickly in the first. She sped through her service game and brought up breakpoints in the third to take the double and a 3-0 lead. The 18th seed witnessed a challenge from Bouchard in the fourth. Despite the Canadian’s efforts to dig in on deuce, the 28-year-old failed to bring up an AD point, continuing the one-way traffic for her opponent.

Bouchard got on the board in the fifth, defending her service game against the 18th seed to end the shutout. The Canadian cut the Italian’s lead in half, working hard to tie a break to her performance growth on the court. Trevisan had to step it up in the seventh, fighting through four breaks where she put the pressure on Bouchard to go up 5-2.

The 18th seed flew through her serve for the first, reaching three set points. She got into a 13-shot rally with the Canadian, who brought in a lob but later had to slice a winner to stay alive. Trevisan got it locked down on the second attempt, where a long ball from Bouchard closed the set in 43 minutes. The Italian won less than half her shots from the first serve and did better from the second. The return game kept her game in check against Bouchard, who served 81 percent on the first serve but struggled everywhere else.

The second set opened with Trevisan scoring her fourth break of the Canadian, but Bouchard answered with a break back in the following game. She consolidated the break, holding service in the third to lead the way. The 18th seed leveled the score through four, getting back on serve but losing strength in her offense. Bouchard continued to lead the way and make it tough for the 18th seed to keep up through six games.  

The forehand of Trevisan earned breakpoints from Bouchard, who couldn’t break the consistency and lost her fifth service of the match. Gaining the lead back, the Italian jumped up from the bench to serve the eighth. She swung big with the forehand, setting up the winners away from the Canadian, who answered by winning the next four straight. Feeling confident about stopping the 18th seed from going two games up, Bouchard served for a chance to gain the lead back.

Bouchard watched her opponent’s game flatten out, giving her the easy service hold and a shot at forcing the match to a decider. Trevisan forced long returns from Bouchard and kept her back to hold the tenth and move on in the set. The Canadian fought hard in the 11th, but two critical points that fell long of the baseline opened the door for the 18th seed. On the final rally of the game, Trevisan caught Bouchard going the wrong way to take her sixth break.

The Italian served for the match, getting two match points to play in the 12th. The first went long after a long rally with Bouchard, who was hitting the returns well. The second attempt went the same way, sending nerves through Trevisan. With the score at deuce, the 18th seed brought up a third opportunity after lobbing a shot near the net. It was a long ball from Bouchard, who watched it land behind the baseline, ending her quest for the third round in 1 hour and 45 minutes.

Ons Jabeur forces Ostapenko to break under pressure at Porsche Tennis GP

Ons Jabeur holds up her fist during her round of 16 match against Jelena Ostapenko at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix. 

When all looked lost, Ons Jabeur found a way to come back and win it at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix Wednesday night. Jelena Ostapenko put on a string of tense moments that nearly cracked the offense of the third seed, but she pulled it together to win 1-6, 7-5, 6-3 on center court at the Porsche Arena. It was another bad beat for the Latvian, who failed to win back-to-back matches once more.

The Latvian proved her strengths were in check after swiftly taking care of Emma Raducanu in her opening-round match. The 25-year-old dominated in straight sets, allowing the British star three games. Facing Jabeur for a fourth time was no problem for the world number 22, who defeated the Tunisian on two of three occasions. It marked their first time meeting on clay, which Jabeur had success after winning on the green clay in Charleston two weeks ago. Getting on the ball was crucial for her as Ostapenko had a tendency for getting wildly speedy with the pace.

Despite losing her opening service against the 28-year-old, Ostapenko brushed it off and fought in the second, getting the break from Jabeur. It was not a smooth second service game for the Latvian, who double-faulted in the third but held serve to back the score. The third seed suffered some issues in the fourth, leading Ostapenko to break her to love. She consolidated in the fifth before the Tunisian put up a defense to prevent a runaway.

Jabeur had a shot at closing out the service at 40-30, but the Latvian charged back to force deuce. They went five breaks where Ostapenko brought up a breakpoint, eventually getting the triple break accomplished. After putting in a lot of effort, Jabeur made the 25-year-old earn it, losing two set points and then went to deuce, where a second attempt gave her the first in 31 minutes. While it was nearly close to how quickly she finished her opening set against Raducanu, the Latvian faced heavier competition in this situation.

When they went into the second, the pace remained with Ostapenko, who jumped out to a 3-1 lead, with a break in hand. Jabeur managed to close up the margin and stay in touch with the Latvian. The third seed stopped Ostapenko from closing out the set on two occasions, denying her any set points. Getting the score to five-all opened the door for her to fight for a chance to go the distance. A serve to love was a huge boost to go for the big statement and stop a tiebreak from happening.

Ostapenko stopped three set points for the Tunisian, but couldn’t covert one for her benefit. After four breaks, it was Jabeur coming out with the set win that took 52 minutes to succeed. Jabeur tallied five aces and got the first serve in the right gear, winning 16 of 25 and 10 of 21 from the return end.

The final set watched both of them hold serve through five games, with Jabeur picking up her second love service of the match. She led the way for Ostapenko, who didn’t want to be level but had the energy to keep up the fight. When the Latvian served in the sixth, she allowed Jabeur to get the momentum and cause a break chance. After a break, the third seed scored a two-game lead to go for a chance to make it a larger gap.

Jabeur pressed the Latvian to stop a break back point for the world number 22 and get to deuce. She set up an ace and laid down her breakpoint to clinch the hold of serve, and lead by three games, winning the last 9 of 11. Ostapenko was under pressure in the eighth, but despite having much of the crowd against her, she pulled through to save two match points and clinch the service. Though she had two games left to win, Jabeur put herself in a good place to win the match. On her third attempt and first, of the ninth, Ostapenko denied her that shot and slipped up on her footing for a fourth.

Ostapenko didn’t give up and brought up an AD point, but a miscue blew her chance to stay alive. Once Jabeur got the chance for her fifth attempt, she made it count with an ace square on the T to win the night in two hours and three minutes.

Jelena Ostapenko speeds through opening round in straight sets at Porsche Tennis GP

Jelena Ostapenko was focused on her service game during the first round of the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix against Emma Raducanu 

Jelena Ostapenko put on a display of speed during the first round of the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix Tuesday night. The Latvian delivered a barrage of winners against Emma Raducanu, who couldn’t comeback to make a dent in a 6-2, 6-1 result on center court at the Porsche Arena. Ostapenko tallied 26 winners to the Brit’s six in a near rout.

The world number 22 wanted a better start than last year’s clay court run where she won a single match through three tournaments. Transitioning to the clay was no problem for the former French Open champion, who was more than comfortable playing on a familiar surface. The same could went for Raducanu, who made her surface debut in Stuttgart, winning two matches straight. While she hasn’t been able to tally multiple wins so far this season, the 20-year-old wanted to be able to level the series with Ostapenko at one apiece at their first clay court competition.

Raducanu earned her shot to set the pace early, but after holding Ostapenko to a point, she watched in horror at the winners and speed that the Latvian possessed. The 25-year-old served to love in the second then fought late in the third for the break. Raducanu got some points on the board in the third, but getting up to speed against Ostapenko, proved difficult. The Latvian consolidated well from the fourth, capturing the double break in the fifth. She added a second love service for good measure before the Brit locked down a second service game.

Despite her efforts, Ostapenko remained laser-focused, bringing a lightning end to the first, where she held Raducanu to a point, ending 29 minutes of play. The 20-year-old knew she had time to figure things out and put together a serve to love against the Latvian, hoping that would settle things. The 25-year-old responded on a late push from her service in the second, followed by a break to love in the third.

She backed it up and went on a rampage, blanking Raducanu from both sides of the court, achieving another double break. It was 5-1 for the aggressive Latvian, who faced her longest battle with Raducanu that went to deuce. The sixth only went two breaks after Ostapenko killed Raducanu’s breakpoint chance and held serve. With a massive lead in the second set, Ostapenko took every point in stride and set herself up with a victory to break the British star one last time, closing out the match in 58 minutes.

The Latvian returned herself to the round of sixteen for the third time in her career, scoring four aces and committing 18 errors that were overshadowed by her offense. She won more than three-quarters of points from the first serve, and of the 26 winners, 19 came from the forehand. It was a strong output from the world number 22, who would face off Wednesday night against green clay court champion Ons Jabeur.

Ons Jabeur wins Charleston Open title over Belinda Bencic

Ons Jabeur playing well with the forehand against Belinda Bencid at the Credit One Charleston Open final. 

Ons Jabeur earned her revenge a year later at the Credit One Charleston Open Sunday. The second chapter of the tournament ended with the second seed getting a late jump on the defending champion, winning 7-6(6), 6-4 on Stadium Court at the Family Circle Tennis Center.

It seemed that the delays and the rain couldn’t stop the finalists from meeting for the second consecutive year on Daniel Island. Both the Tunisian and the Swiss had a lengthy battle with their opponents, with Jabeur going 7-5, 7-5 against Daria Kasatkina and Bencic going 7-5, 7-6(5) against Jessica Pegula. The effort on Sunday for the fourth seed wasn’t much, who got into gear to avoid a third set from going into motion.

Though both of them got time to recover, the leverage stood with the Swiss, who had time to warm up but had to wait for the final to begin. Jabeur took the lead after their third match of 2022, making it an interesting set-up to see if she could keep the series in her grasp.  

The second seed opened service but had some tension from the forehand. Bencic got ahead of her opponent’s issue, taking advantage of the returns that could turn brutal for the break. The Swiss consolidated on Jabeur’s struggle from the return side, falling 2-0 in response. She did well in the third, moving around for the returns and serving better to take down Bencic to love.

The fourth seed returned the favor, with a love service to Jabeur, who quickly dispatched the fifth game to her benefit. By the seventh, Jabeur had lit up the aces to Bencic, recording three on serve to stay in touch. Bencic remained in command of her service, taking a 5-3 hold despite not serving the way her opponent did. Jabeur made it eight aces on the day, giving the Swiss a point before making it 5-4.

The Swiss star felt the pressure from Jabeur, who gave it her all to redirect the momentum and come up with the break. After finishing with a dramatic rally in the tenth, the second seed put the aces to work, watching Bencic swing and miss at them. Double faults started the reel it's ugly head into her service game, but errors from the fourth seed got her out of a jam. Bencic was asked to do much more than she was capable of at the moment, leading Jabeur to three set points.

The 26-year-old saved one on a net-front return situation, then another on a Jabeur error. Bencic got things to deuce on a clipped shot on the tramline, far away from the Tunisian. She fended off another two, before turning the tables and getting the game point locked down for the tiebreak. It was the second tiebreak of the day that the 26-year-old played, and got a 2-0 lead.

The Swiss star leveled her opponent on errors before Jabeur made it 3-2 on a lob just over the net. Before the changeover, the second seed hit one into the net to level Bencic back. They traded another pair of points before Bencic’s backhand caused trouble. The fourth seed made it 6-4, before the second seed saved a set point for the Swiss, and then witnessed Bencic blow her second one. At six-all, Jabeur forced her way ahead and made good on her sixth set point attempt to take the first in one hour and four minutes.

Bencic was frustrated by the late mistakes and chose to walk off the court during the break. She returned to serve open the second, falling behind to the Tunisian. Bencic broke back, but soon suffered the double break in the third by Jabeur, feeling hung up on her early deficit. The second seed stayed on target, separating herself from Bencic after consolidating the fourth.

Things only got better for the Tunisian as she succeeded for the triple break against the defending champion, sitting up 4-1. Losing a lot of confidence in her game, Bencic dug out a win for herself to break back in the sixth on second-serve returns. She tied in a service hold, putting herself a game behind Jabeur to keep the hopes alive. An important hold of serve for the 28-year-old put her up 5-3, hoping to avenge losing the title a year ago.

It was no easy task to get it done in the form of a break as Bencic fought to attain the AD point on deuce at every opportunity. She was back within reach after nine, but Jabeur had herself in place to seal it up. The two went to deuce until Jabeur gave herself a championship point which Bencic swiped away on a hammered backhand winner. The second seed gained a second championship point on a ball placed right in the far corner before she had her glory on a ball wide from Bencic ending the tournament in under two hours.  

Belinda Bencic wins rain delayed semi; returns to second straight Charleston Open final

Belinda Bencic keeps her focus during her semifinal with top-seeded Jessica Pegula at the Credit One Charleston Open. 

Belinda Bencic came out of the blocks so fast to make it a fast finish to the delayed semifinal at the Credit One Charleston Open Sunday. The defending champion sat 2-4 in the second set tiebreak against top seeded Jessica Pegula to take the match 7-5, 7-6(5) on the stadium court at the Family Circle Tennis Center. The match lasted two hours along with delays from the rain, setting up a second consecutive final that was seen last year.

The two met three times, with two coming in 2021 that were key wins for the Swiss. Bencic took down the American swiftly on the hard courts, which made it a three-match streaking for the top ten star. As defending champion, the 26-year-old handled Ekaterina Alexandrova in straight sets Friday, striking 14 winners and committing seven errors in total.

It was a shorter time on the court for the fourth seed, who needed all the energy against Pegula. The Buffalo native took down Paula Badosa in straight sets, nearly going three when she blew her service game to close things out. Facing Bencic, she had managed to win six games in each of their meetings of 2021, needing a change to come in her quest to make the final and continue her lead of wins on the tour.

Bencic knew the situation she had walking in on the court, double-faulting on the second point played. Despite the hiccup, the fourth seed battled to win four points straight to hold serve. Pegula made her opening serve look easy, tallying winners and an ace to set the bar for her opponent. She nailed the returns in the third game against Bencic, scoring the break on a winner well away from the Swiss.

Bencic was well responsive in the fourth, fighting where she could to potentially break back. Pegula saved one, but the fourth seed had great court positioning to level the score. She worked hard to consolidate in the fifth, catching the line and drawing errors from Pegula. Bencic stepped it up in the sixth, getting ahead on the score and achieving the double break. The 29-year-old felt uncertain about her offense, giving Bencic freedom to dictate a serve to love for a 5-2 stand.

In an effort to not drop a third game on serve, Pegula delivered tough shots that forced errors from the fourth seed. It charged up the crowd when the American completed the hold of service, but Bencic was on serve for the set. The ninth was not easy for the Swiss star as Pegula gave it her best in the rallies. Errors from Bencic brought them to deuce for the first time, with Pegula turning the tables. Two long returns saved the fourth seed, but errors from her end brought up a break-back point for Pegula. She won it after a seven-shot rally, sitting a game down.

Pegula made it five-all in a big shift of momentum, where Bencic made a silly mistake on return, losing her chances to get away clean. Pegula picked up breakpoints from errors on Bencic’s racket, but the fourth seed stayed competitive to force deuce. She hung on through two breaks to get back on track and work Pegula into submission in the 12th.

The American broke down on serve to get Bencic out of the first in 55 minutes after watching her three-game lead erased. While she had a rounded serve percentage of 56, the errors were as much as her winners. Pegula’s second serve was her biggest struggle winning 26 percent from it. Despite dropping the first, Pegula went after the fourth seed’s service, drawing errors to lead the set. Bencic matched the break to love in the second, but the third became a tug-of-war for the early lead. Bencic had to save the service game and went four breaks, with the top seed saving three more break points. An AD point gave her the short lead until Pegula leveled back at two apiece.

The fourth seed led the way in the fifth as both began to hold serve, keeping the games short while the rain fell. When it remained a stalemate after the 12th, a tiebreak went into effect, with Pegula gaining a two-point buffer. Bencic trailed two points after six points were dealt, and the American leading before play was suspended for the night.

On Sunday, Pegula resumed the game, gaining a 5-2 lead on Bencic’s error. The fourth seed cut into the margin after nine, sitting a point down to level. An error into the net set up Bencic to reach match point on a slicer that the American couldn’t get back over. The defending champ took it in relief to close out a short time on the court and make it into the final after just a few minutes.

“That was super weird,” said Bencic in her short time to complete the semifinal. “I prepared for the match to just got for it and try to be active because I already had a set, and I don’t really have much to lose, and glad the plan worked out.” It marked the first time in tournament history that Bencic and Tunisia’s Ons Jabeur faced one another in the final in consecutive years.

Belinda Bencic downs Shelby Rogers in three setter at Charleston Open

Belinda Bencic fires away at Shelby Rogers during their third round match at the Credit One Charleston Open. 

Belinda Bencic had to fight to stay alive at the Credit One Charleston Open Thursday. With a target on her back as defending champion, the Swiss took on hometown hero Shelby Rogers, who went the distance in a 4-6, 7-5, 6-2 score at Credit One Stadium at the Family Circle Tennis Center. Bencic tallied her 18th win of the season in a battle that she expected to go down differently.

The Swiss felt right at home on the clay courts, taking care of her match swiftly against Canada’s Katherine Sebov. The fourth seed handled the challenge quickly to prepare for her seventh meeting against Rogers. The American had her hands full against fellow compatriot Katy McNally, going the distance before winning her way into the round of 16. While she hasn’t had luck against Bencic since their ITF days in 2013, the 30-year-old continued to try and wait for an upset to occur against the defending champion.

Bencic opened the match, getting into gear while fighting off Rogers at the same time. She converted a break in the second game, backing it up in the third with a serve to love. Her three-game margin was stopped by the American, who got a service game locked down in the fourth. Bencic got back to a three-game buffer, but another win from Rogers amped up the home crowd, who were trying to get behind the South Carolina native.

She fed off their energy that sent the fourth seed tumbling on offense. After losing on two chances to break Rogers, she watched the American break her to love in the seventh. The American sat a game down but managed to back up the break with a solid service game closing the gap.

Bencic tried to get back on track, but Rogers was well into the set, fighting through every point with the defending champ. The 30-year-old gave herself another break chance in the ninth but hit a return into the net. She gained another chance on a Bencic error, taking the victory and the lead away. On serve for the set, Rogers remained focused while the errors continued to count up for the fourth seed. The American outplayed Bencic for two set points smashing a shot away to close it in 51 minutes.

Though she had 13 errors in the set, her first serve was low, and the points produced were not enough to strengthen against the American. Rogers went in the opposite direction, tallying eight unforced errors to her 12 winners. Bencic caught hold of serve to start the second set, but frustrations in the second game caused her anguish with the score. The Swiss powered through to break Rogers, only to see the American level things after the fourth game.

When it looked like things were slipping away, Bencic battled on serve in the fifth, denying a late breakpoint for Rogers. She held after two breaks of deuce and remained in the lead after the seventh game. As the two reached the late stages of the second set, Bencic remained in the lead, but Rogers went after the fourth seed, stopping her from taking the set on her service. With a five-all situation, Bencic secured the 11th, serving the American to love. The 30-year-old couldn’t keep it together, erring on serve for the chance at a tiebreak, and instead handed the set to Bencic after 1 hour and 11 minutes.

The fourth seed enacted their fourth match against one another to go the distance after producing just more from the first serve. They both had the same number of winners, with the Swiss notching more errors from her side. She showed improvements in the decider, winning 12 of 14 points played in three games. Rogers rallied to serve Bencic to love, but the fifth went to the fourth seed, who kept the margin wide.

The American inched closer, but the defending champion held her ground on serve to sit a game from taking the match. Rogers was on the verge of gaining her third of the set, but the fourth seed forced deuce to keep her title defense in check. An error handed the Swiss star match point that Rogers saved on an ace. Bencic shot well to bring up a second match point that came on a shot from the American into the net completing a valiant effort that took 2 hours and 43 minutes to accomplish.

Anna Kalinskaya upsets Azarenka in career changing victory at Charleston Open

Anna Kalinskaya swings a forehand return at Victoria Azarenka during their round of 16 match at the Credit One Charleston Open. 

Anna Kalinskaya pulled off a huge moment in her clay court career at the Credit One Charleston Open Thursday. The world number 70 had never beaten a top 50 player on the surface until her 6-4, 7-6(5) win over Victoria Azarenka gave her a Top 10 win on clay and a spot in the quarterfinal. Her first serve and points won from it gave her a leg up on Althea Gibson court at the Family Circle Tennis Center.

Both players met for the first time and come off long matches two days ago where both went the distance in their competition. Azarenka turned things around against Sloane Stephens, holding the American in the final two sets. Kalinskaya played 3 hours and 10 minutes with Alize Cornet, going to a first-set tiebreak, then fighting for the win in the deciding set. With a lot of effort put in to get to the round of 16, the 24-year-old was warmed up for a fight against the sixth seed.

Kalinskaya fought through every point in the first, delivering big returns to Azarenka that forced the game to deuce. After three breaks and 12 total points, the 24-year-old succeeded with the early break. She went on to back up the early lead, holding the sixth seed on serve in the second. Azarenka found her footing on serve in the third, limiting the number of points played in the third. She got into a groove to break back in the fourth and built together a three-game streak.

Kalinskaya got back on track to level the score, but Azarenka remained in check to hold serve. The 24-year-old answered back in the eighth, scoring a love service to the 33-year-old. Kalinskaya pulled off a key break at the business end of the set to lead 5-4 and serve for the lead in the match. She easily took care of the tenth, losing a point in the last three games, holding two set points to Azarenka to cap the first in 49 minutes.

The rapid buildup in the final moments of the set was all that the 24-year-old needed to do after committing two double faults. Winning points from the first serve that struggled were her saving grace to capture a grip against the former world number one. Azarenka turned it around, keeping her service in check against the 24-year-old. Kalinskaya managed to hold the sixth seed a point better on serve than her opponent did and vice versa.

The fifth game showed some challenges for Azarenka, but the sixth seed managed a hold of serve to keep Kalinskaya off a break chance. The 33-year-old pushed her opponent in the sixth on two break-point chances. The 24-year-old saved both to force deuce and hold serve through two breaks. Through eight games, the two players remained on serve with one another, keeping the fight for control tense.

Kalinskaya upped the ante, tallying her second shutout of Azarenka in a break to love. Much like how the first set concluded, the 24-year-old had a shot at taking the match and trying to cap her first top-50 win on clay. Azarenka denied Kalinskaya the opportunity, bringing big smash shots and aggressive responses in the tenth to push on. At the start of the 11th, the sixth seed suffered an injury but powered through to hold serve.

Kalinskaya tried to get a tiebreak in place but was forced to deuce after making a miscue on game point. Her last two hits were wide of the tramlines, but relief came when Azarenka erred on the next point. Three more were played until Kalinskaya achieved victory to send the set to a tiebreak with Azarenka. The sixth seed won the first three points before the 24-year-old got into it. She crept her way into the action, leveling the score at four-all, showing a resurgence against the former world number one.

Waiting for her moment to strike, Kalinskaya took the next two to reach match point. The two played a ten-shot rally until a wide slice from Azarenka put a pin in her week on the green clay, giving Kalinskaya a huge milestone to enjoy after investing nearly two hours on the court.