ROME — Fresh off a doubles title in Madrid, Victoria Azarenka stepped up her singles sport on the pink clay courts on the Italian Open by defeating Sloane Stephens 6-4, 6-3 in her opening match on Thursday.
Stephens was coming off a singles title at a smaller clay-court occasion in Saint Malo, France, whereas Azarenka misplaced her singles opener in Madrid.
“I was definitely quite nervous before the match,” Azarenka mentioned. “I felt like I didn’t have too many matches under my belt and Sloane just won the tournament, so I knew she’s in a good form, so I just tried to kind of stay focused on myself.”
The technique labored, as Azarenka overpowered Stephens with baseline winners, plus a drop-shot winner to conclude an extended rally halfway by way of the second set when she broke for a 4-2 lead.
Azarenka is making her 14th look on the Foro Italico, having reached the ultimate in 2013, when she misplaced to Serena Williams.
“It feels like it was such a long time ago,” Azarenka mentioned. “Time goes by fast. I try to appreciate every moment I have on the court. I’m not sure how long I will play longer, so I want to enjoy it. But I still feel like I can be very competitive.”
This 12 months, Azarenka has reached the semifinals of the Australian Open and received the doubles title final week with Beatriz Haddad Maia, who she’s partnering once more in Rome.
Last 12 months’s French Open runner-up, Coco Gauff, routed Yulia Putintseva 6-0, 6-1.
“I usually have long matches with her. I was fully prepared for that. But I told myself to play on my terms, not her terms,” Gauff mentioned. “She’s obviously a tricky player, has some big wins. Made the quarters of the French a couple times. I know clay is her surface. It’s also kind of mine, too, so it was a good match today.”
Karolina Pliskova, the 2019 Rome champion and two-time runner-up, was eradicated by Hungarian qualifier Anna Bondar 7-6 (5), 6-2; Wang Xiyu defeated Madrid quarterfinalist Irina-Camelia Begu 6-4, 7-5; and Eleventh-seeded Veronika Kudermetova received.
In males’s motion, Albert Ramos-Vinolas rallied previous Italian wild card Francesco Passaro 4-6, 6-1, 6-4 to arrange a rematch with Carlos Alcaraz. Alcaraz received their five-setter finally 12 months’s French Open.
Lorenzo Sonego celebrated his twenty eighth birthday with a dominant 6-2, 6-1 win over Jeremy Chardy.
Also, David Goffin rallied previous 19-year-old Luca Nardi 3-6, 6-4, 6-2 on Campo Centrale and can subsequent play 2017 champion Alexander Zverev; and German qualifier Daniel Altmaier beat Italian wild card Giulio Zeppieri 7-6 (3), 4-6, 6-0 on the picturesque statue-lined Pietrangeli court docket.
Rome is the final huge warmup earlier than the French Open begins on the finish of the month.
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