Dominika Cibulkova didn’t enjoy a day off on her birthday, but tennis Gods were on her side as the fresh 27-year-old needed less than an hour to beat inspired qualifier Louisa Chirico and make the finals of the Mutua Madrid Open.
The quick semifinal win is especially significant when we take into account that Cibulkova’s last four matches were grueling three-setters, while today she conceded just two games to the 19-year-old world No.130, whose breakthrough tournament included victories over seed No.14 Ana Ivanovic, Daria Gavrilova, etc. even though the American was an unlikely last-minute entrant into the Madrid qualifying.
Next up for Cibulkova will be the winner of the evening semifinal between sixth seed Simona Halep and Samantha Stosur.
You know that I always celebrate WTA player birthdays by sharing their old pics, so today is a perfect occasion that you revisit the cute collection of Domi’s childhood photos I created years ago.
