Victoria Azarenka won her opening singles match at the Italian Open by defeating Sloane Stephens 6-4, 6-3. Azarenka, who recently won the doubles title in Madrid, was nervous before the match due to her lack of matches. Stephens had won a singles title at a smaller clay-court event in Saint Malo, France. Azarenka used baseline winners and a drop shot winner to break Stephens midway through the second set for a 4-2 lead.
Azarenka Reflects on Time at Foro Italico
Azarenka is making her 14th appearance at the Foro Italico, having reached the final in 2013 where she lost to Serena Williams. She expressed that it feels like a long time ago since then and that time goes by fast. Azarenka is appreciating every moment she has on the court, acknowledging that she is not sure how long she will play. Despite this, she still feels that she can be very competitive.
Other Results in Men’s and Women’s Action
In other women’s action, 2019 Rome champion and two-time runner-up Karolina Pliskova was eliminated by Hungarian qualifier Anna Bondar 7-6 (5), 6-2; Wang Xiyu defeated Madrid quarterfinalist Irina-Camelia Begu 6-4, 7-5; and 11th-seeded Veronika Kudermetova beat Nuria Parrizas Diaz 7-5, 6-2. In men’s action, German qualifier Daniel Altmaier beat Italian wild card Giulio Zeppieri 7-6 (3), 4-6, 6-0 on the picturesque statue-lined Pietrangeli court; and Jason Kubler defeated Marc-Andrea Huesler 6-7 (6), 6-4, 6-2. The Italian Open is the last big warmup before the French Open starts at the end of the month.
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