ROME – Fresh off a doubles title in Madrid, Victoria Azarenka stepped up her singles game on the red clay courts at the Italian Open by defeating Sloane Stephens 6-4, 6-3 in her opening match.
Stephens was coming off a singles title at a smaller clay-court event in Saint Malo, France, while Azarenka lost her singles opener in Madrid.
American Sofia Kenin was a surprising 7-6 (4), 6-2 winner over Belarusian No. 2 seed Aryna Sabalenka, and Taylor Townsend outlasted fellow American Jessica Pegula, the third seed, 6-2, 3-6, 6-3.
“I was definitely quite nervous before the match,” Azarenka said according to AP. “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 strategy worked, as Azarenka overpowered Stephens with baseline winners, plus a drop-shot winner to conclude a long rally midway through the second set when she broke for a 4-2 lead.
Azarenka is making her 14th appearance at the Foro Italico, having reached the final in 2013, when she lost to Serena Williams.
“It feels like it was such a long time ago,” Azarenka said. “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 year, Azarenka has reached the semi-finals of the Australian Open and won the doubles title last week with Beatriz Haddad Maia, who she’s partnering again in Rome.
Last year’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 said.
“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.”
Karolina Pliskova, the 2019 Rome champion and two-time runner-up, 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 won.
In men´s action, Albert Ramos-Vinolas rallied past Italian wild card Francesco Passaro 4-6, 6-1, 6-4 to set up a rematch with Carlos Alcaraz. Alcaraz won their five-setter at last year´s French Open.
Lorenzo Sonego celebrated his 28th birthday with a dominant 6-2, 6-1 win over Jeremy Chardy.
Rome is the last big warm-up before the French Open starts at the end of the month.
“It was 100 per cent mental for me,” Townsend said afterward on the Tennis Channel broadcast.
“I knew I didn’t have anything to lose. I just felt super prepared. I tried to stay as free as possible and have a lot of fun out there, and I did.”
It was only the second time Townsend defeated a top-10 player, while Pegula lost her opening match of a tournament for the first time in more than a year.
French fifth seed Caroline Garcia also looked to be in trouble. Romanian Ana Bogdan led Garcia 5-3 in the third set, but Garcia rallied to win four straight games to escape with a 6-4, 3-6, 7-5 victory. Garcia served up nine aces in the match.
No. 6 seed Coco Gauff fared much better, dispatching Kazakhstan’s Yulia Putintseva 6-0, 6-1 in 59 minutes. Gauff served six aces and never faced break point.
Three more seeded players bowed out. Hungary’s Anna Bondar defeated No. 13 seed Karolina Pliskova of the Czech Republic 7-6 (5), 6-2.
Camila Osorio of Colombia beat No. 29 seed Petra Martic of Croatia 6-4, 6-2, and Xiyu Wang of China took down No. 31 seed Irina-Camelia Begu of Romania 6-4, 7-5.
Elsewhere, Novak Djokovic is right where he wants to be after a slow start to his clay-court season.
Back at the Italian Open – the clay event where he´s had his most success.
The top-ranked Serb is a six-time champion in Rome and six-time runner-up.
“Historically throughout my career, Rome has always been a very nice tournament for me,” Djokovic said. “Hopefully it can serve, again, as a great, great springboard for me to what´s coming up in Paris where I want to play my best.”
The French Open, the clay-court Grand Slam, starts at the end of the month, and Djokovic is hoping to add a third title at Roland Garros after his victories in 2016 and 2021.
Djokovic is returning after three weeks off due to a lingering issue with his surgically repaired right elbow.
In his previous two tournaments on red clay, Djokovic had consecutive early exits.
He lost in the round of 16 at Monte Carlo to Lorenzo Musetti. Then Dusan Lajovic beat him in the quarter-finals of the Srpska Open in Bosnia and Herzegovina, dealing him his first loss to a countryman in 11 years.
“It´s all good,” Djokovic said of his elbow. “I mean, there´s always some things here and there that bother you on this level. It´s normal.
“Also when you´re not 25 anymore, I guess you experience that a bit more than what used to be the case,” added Djokovic, who will turn 36 the day after this tournament ends. “It takes a little bit more time to recover.”
Djokovic, who won the Australian Open at the start of the year, is clearly aiming to peak around the Grand Slams.
After a first-round bye, he´ll open with a night match Friday against Tomas Martin Etcheverry, an Argentine who reached clay finals in Santiago, Chile, and Houston earlier this year.
No matter his results at the Foro Italico, Djokovic will cede the No. 1 ranking back to Carlos Alcaraz after this tournament.
Alcaraz, who is making his Rome debut, is seeded second and in the opposite side of the draw from Djokovic.
While they have been trading the top spot back and forth, it’s the first time this year that both Djokovic and Alcaraz have entered the same tournament.
Alcaraz missed the Australian Open due to injury and Djokovic missed the Masters 1000 events in Indian Wells, California, and Miami, because he was prevented from entering the United States since he is not vaccinated against the coronavirus.
Then Djokovic missed the Madrid Open because of his elbow. Alcaraz won the tournament on Sunday.
“It is strange that we haven´t been in the same draw since the beginning of the season. Due to the circumstances on both sides, that didn´t happen,” Djokovic said.
“He´s been playing some very impressive tennis, a great level. He´s the player to beat on this surface, no doubt.
“Of course, it depends if (Rafael) Nadal is going to play in (the) French Open or not. But Alcaraz is one of the top favorites without any dilemma.”
Nadal, who holds the record of 10 titles in Rome, is not playing as he remains hampered by a nagging hip injury, leaving his status for Roland Garros in question.
