Main-draw play at the 2017 Mutua Madrid Open got underway on Saturday, as the tournament is kicking into high gear early this year.
The highest-ranked player to get her Madrid campaign going was Karolina Pliskova and the #2 seed successfully cleared her first-round match against Lesia Tsurenko. Meanwhile, Maria Sharapova was busy on the outer courts preparing for her first-round match tomorrow. Not surprisingly, the five-time Grand Slam champ was watched by hundreds of fans, who hoped to get a glimpse at tennis’ most famous face.
While Sharapova was busy preparing for her start into the tournament, Madison Keys’ time in Madrid has already come to an end. Still recovering from her wrist surgery hiatus, Keys lost her first-round match to Japan’s Misaki Doi in three sets.
In the evening, Eugenie Bouchard finally won her first WTA main-draw match since the Australian swing, getting past Alize Cornet in three sets. Bouchard’s win may set up what will be a controversial second-round match with Maria Sharapova on Monday, just weeks after the Canadian asked for the Russian to be banned indefinitely in a TV interview.
First things first, round one play will wrap up on what will be a massive Sunday inside the Caja Magica with Kerber, Sharapova, Wozniacki, Muguruza, Halep and many others all in action.
Keep checking back to Women’s Tennis Blog for all the latest from Madrid.
MORE PHOTOS FROM MADRID:
- Friday: Qualifying, main-draw ceremony, All Access Hour
- Thursday: Tie Break Tens exhibition featuring Sharapova, Halep, Keys, Kuznetsova, Radwanska, Puig
It will be a popcorn match between Maria and Genie! This is so exciting!