Madrid | Swiatek and Gauff lead the cost into second week

Iga Swiatek, Coco Gauff and Maria Sakkari cruised into the Final 16 of the Mutua Madrid Open on Saturday, going through few issues, whereas Ons Jabeur needed to go the space, however Victoria Azarenka and Liudmila Samsonova have been upset by Sara Sorribes Tormo and Madison Keys respectively.

[It’s] Nonetheless a protracted technique to go. Each event is a unique story. It doesn’t actually matter what occurred final 12 months. I believe that match was known as the match of the 12 months. Fairly good tennis right here. I simply wish to use the expertise I had final 12 months, and attempt to do the most effective work doable, and do every thing step-by-step. Iga Świątek

World No 1 Swiatek continued her dominance of Sorana Cirstea, the No 27 seed from Romania, 6-1 6-1, taking part in beneath the closed roof of Manolo Santana Stadium on the Caja Mágica, and needing solely 78 minutes to advance.

Because the rain drenched the surface courts, the totally different circumstances indoors didn’t unsettle Swiatek as she stamped her authority on the event, regardless of not figuring out till quarter-hour earlier than the match whether or not the roof can be open or closed.

“I used to be prepared for each situations,” Swiatek mentioned post-match, “however, for positive, it felt a bit bit like Roland Garros 2020 due to the climate at this time, and I knew that I can play properly in these circumstances.”

The 22-year outdated Pole, who has not misplaced to a participant ranked exterior the High 20 at a WTA 1000 occasion in 4 years, celebrates her one hundredth week because the World No 1 this week, becoming a member of an elite listing of gamers like Steffi Graf, Serena Williams, Martina Navratilova and Chris Evert to turn into the ninth participant in WTA historical past to have this milestone.

Swiatek claimed the highest spot of WTA rankings when Ash Barty introduced her retirement in April 2022, and held her place for 75 weeks earlier than succumbing to Aryna Sabalenka after she misplaced to Jelena Ostapenko within the 4th spherical on the 2023 US Open title in September 2023.

The 4-time Grand Slam champion regained the World No 1 rating after successful the 2023 WTA Finals in November after defeating Jessica Pegula within the championship match.

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On Saturday, taking part in the opening match, she supplied Cirstea few probabilities, though the Romanian had 2 within the first sport earlier than being damaged, which set the tone for a match through which Swiatek, final 12 months’s finalist in Madrid, received 5 straight video games in every set, after narrowly failing to serve out a bagel within the opener.

In all, Swiatek created 14 break level alternatives towards the Cirstea serve, and transformed 5 of them, whereas the Romanian may solely conjure up 2, each within the first set.

Swiatek is now 26-4 on the 12 months, and can face Spain’s Sara Sorribes Tormo for a spot within the quarter-finals.

“For positive the climate is totally different than final 12 months, however nonetheless, I understand how to play in these type of circumstances,” Swiatek mentioned. “I felt fairly comfy.

“The one factor is that I needed to get up within the morning actually early, however I’m actually joyful I may play in a stable approach. Now I’ve the entire time off.”

It was a trademark efficiency from the World No 1, who dominated from the baseline to dash into the second week.

“[It’s] Nonetheless a protracted technique to go. Each event is a unique story,” she informed the media in regards to the prospect of touchdown the title in Madrid for the primary time. “It doesn’t actually matter what occurred final 12 months. I believe that match was known as the match of the 12 months. Fairly good tennis right here.

“I simply wish to use the expertise I had final 12 months, and attempt to do the most effective work doable, and do every thing step-by-step.”

Undoubtedly the most effective clay courtroom participant within the ladies’s sport, Swiatek stays the heavy favorite in Madrid this week, regardless of her semi-final loss to Elena Rybakina in Stuttgart final week.

Madrid, although, is undoubtedly the hardest clay problem for Swiatek, with the slight altitude on the Caja Magica taking part in to the benefit of massive hitters like 2-time champion Sabalenka and Rybakina.

Subsequent, although, Swiatek first should cope with residence favorite Sorribes Tormo, who has overwhelmed Elina Svitolina and Azarenka to make the 4th-round, however has but to take a set off the Pole in 3 earlier conferences.

In entrance of her residence crowd, Sorribes Tormo took out 2-time Madrid champion Azarenka in a bodily marathon of a contest, upsetting the No 23 seed from Belarus, 7-6(0) 6-3, after 2 hours and 50 minutes, which is the longest straight-sets match of 2024 thus far.

Coco Gauff, the No 3 seed, received previous Dayana Yastremska in straight units on Day 5 in Madrid

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World No 3 Coco Gauff nearly let her first set slip away to Dayana Yastremska, the No 31 seed, earlier than getting herself again on monitor to close down the Ukrainian, 6-4 6-1.

Gauff got here into the match off an unbelievable double bagel win towards Arantxa Rus from the Netherlands, and she or he began the primary set brightly, successful the primary 5 video games towards Yastremska with one other impeccable streak of consecutive video games, and holding a set level in addition, however the Ukrainian recovered and managed to carry her serve for the primary time.

Yastremska then seized the momentum and received 4 consecutive video games as Gauff briefly faltered, together with 2 breaks in her favour, whereas saving 4 set factors towards her as she narrowed the rating from 0-5 to 4-5.

Serving to degree the set, Yastremska faltered and Gauff capitalised on a single break alternative to land the set after the Ukrainian made an unforced error that ended up within the web.

“It was robust taking part in, truthfully, as a result of she was lacking lots,” Gauff mentioned afterwards. “When she began making balls, it was onerous to search out the rhythm as a result of I hadn’t had any. So I used to be looking for the distinction between attempting to be aggressive and letting the errors come.”

After grabbing the primary set, Gauff took command of the second, dropping simply 1 sport to complete the match in an hour and 17 minutes.

Whereas Gauff had solely a 52% first-serve share, she received 82% of them, in contrast to Yastremska, who had a 63% first-serve share however solely received 48% of them, uncovered to the American’s good returns.

Gauff subsequent will face fellow American Madison Keys, the No 18 seed, who impressively beat Liudmila Samsonova, seeded 15 and from Russia, 6-2 6-3, in 75 minutes.

Ons Jabeur needed to come from behind to defeat Leylah Fernandez, and win her first back-to-back matches of the 12 months

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Ons Jabeur, the No 8 seed from Tunisia, received received back-to-back matches for the primary time this 12 months, however needed to go the space to take action, needing 2 hours and 24 minutes to combat her well past Leylah Fernandez, the Canadian No 32 seed.

She needed to come from 2-4 down within the third set to win, 7-5 2-6 6-4, towards the previous US Open finalist.

It was a tricky take a look at for the Tunisian, who was the champion in Madrid in 2022, however has struggled with accidents and health, each this 12 months and final.

She additionally needed to pull off a come-back within the first set, battling from a 0-3 deficit to steal the one-set lead, however Fernandez dominated the second, through which Jabeur struck simply 1 winner.

Within the decider, Fernandez saved 7 of the 8 break factors she confronted throughout her run to a 4-2 lead, however highly effective returning by Jabeur gave her a love break within the following sport, placing the Tunisian again on serve.

That proved the turning level, as Jabeur floor out yet another service break to guide 5-4, after which served for the match, changing her thirty fifth winner of the time off the forehand facet on her first match level.

Jabeur’s win arrange a High 10 showdown within the Final 16 with Jelena Ostapenko, the No 9 seed from Latvia, who moved previous Argentine qualifier Maria Lourdes Carle, 6-3 6-3, after an hour and 29 minutes.

Ostapenko, the 2017 Roland Garros champion, has posted her career-best Madrid displaying this week, having by no means superior past the Spherical of 32 in her 6 earlier appearances within the Spanish capital.

Carle, the World No 82, had notched her first High 20 win within the earlier spherical over Russian Veronika Kudermetova, after trouncing Britain’s Emma Raducanu in her opening fundamental draw match, and the Argentine was aiming for a good larger win on Saturday, in her first profession assembly with a High 10 participant.

The beginning was a real tussle, with the primary 6 video games going towards serve, however Ostapenko finally took cost of the primary set, successful all 6 of Carle’s second-service factors.

The Latvian fell behind an early break within the second, however that was a momentary blip because the World No 10 reeled off 6 of the subsequent 7 video games to clinch her Nineteenth match-win of the 12 months.

Maria Sakkari made surprisingly straightforward work of Sloane Stephens and can meet Beatriz Haddad Maia within the Final 16 in Madrid

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Different winners on Saturday included No 5 seed Maria Sakkari of Greece, who made surprisingly straightforward work of American Sloane Stephens, 6-1 6-3, who had received 7 straight matches previous to this loss, whereas Beatriz Haddad Maia, the No 11 seed from Brazil, outlasted one other American, Nineteenth-seeded Emma Navarro, 6-4 6-4.

In a conflict between former Madrid semi-finalists, Sakkari wanted simply 63 minutes to ease previous Stephens, the World No 33, to file her 18th win in her final 19 matches towards gamers ranked exterior the High 30.

The Greek was pristine within the first set, making solely 3 unforced errors, and she or he broke Stephens within the first sport of the second as properly to take a commanding lead.

Stephens, a former World No 3 and final week’s Rouen champion, fought again on serve within the subsequent sport, making an attempt to maintain her successful streak alive, however Sakkari reclaimed her lead at 4-3 after forcing an error lengthy, and the Greek cruised residence from there.

It was a disappointing loss for Navarro on her debut in Madrid this 12 months, however the skilled clay-courter Haddad Maia proved too robust an opponent.

The American went down an early break however instantly received again on serve after pouncing in a prolonged sport, however the World No 14 regained her benefit a few video games later, and saved 3 break factors to shut out the set.

Each ladies did not capitalise on probabilities to interrupt early within the second, but it surely was Navarro who was always beneath strain.

After saving 8 break factors within the set, the World No 23 lastly succumbed, and the Brazilian served out the win in beneath 2 hours.