TENNIS – The Mutua Madrid Open 2014 heads into its final stages and most of female favourites to lift the women’s are title still in the competition. Unfortunately Serena Williams had to withdraw from playing due to a thigh injury. From Madrid, Simone Kemler
Interviews, results, order of play and draws of the Mutua Madrid Open
The Mutua Madrid Open 2014 heads into its final stages and most of female favourites to lift the women’s are title still in the competition. Unfortunately Serena Williams had to withdraw from playing due to a thigh injury, so though she had secured her quarter-final place she won’t be able to defend her title. Also through to the quarters are Li Na, Maria Sharapova, Agnieszka Radwanska and Ana Ivanovic. Sara Errani was sent out by the tournament’s surprise package, France’s Caroline Garcia.
Having really struggled to get past America’s Christina McHale in the second round, Maria Sharapova made easy work of sending Samantha Stosur out today. Last year’s runner-up beat the Australian 6-4 6-3 to progress to the quarter-final stage, where she will face China’s Li Na, who she has beaten in nine of their previous 14 encounters.
That round will also include Radwanska, who cruised to victory over clay-court specialist Roberta Vinci 6-1 6-1. Radwanska, who lost in the second round last year in Madrid, is playing some great tennis this time around, and did not give her opponent a look-in, especially in a second set in which she played practically flawless tennis. The world number 3 will now meet French player Caroline Garcia, who came through the qualifiers and beat last year’s semi-finalist Sara Errani 6-2 4-6 6-3 to reach the first Premier Mandatory quarter-final of her career.
Ana Ivanovic will also be in the quarters again this year after three matches without losing a single set, the Serbian is playing some delightful tennis on the clay of Madrid. The 2013 semi-finalist dominated Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, beating her 6-1 6-2 to seal her ticket to the next round, where she will meet Romania’s Simona Halep, the fourth seed, who came back from a set behind to beat Germany’s Sabine Lisicki 5-7 6-3 6-2.
