Victoria Azarenka will face the challenge of unseeded Alycia Parks in the opening round of the Madrid Open
Victoria Azarenka is coming to Madrid at the back of some disappointing performances and will be looking to turn things around. The veteran Tennis star started the year on a good note with a semi-final appearance at the Australian Open, but things have fallen off since then. Azarenka has failed to win any silverware so far this year, but the 15th seed has an outside chance of winning the title in Madrid.
Azarenka’s recent form has been something of a worry. Earlier this month, she lost to an unseeded Anna Kalinskaya in the second round of the Charleston Open despite being the No.6 seed. She had disappointing outings in the preceding tournaments as well – the Miami Open and the Indian Wells Masters. Azarenka will be looking to start afresh in Madrid and set a positive tone for the rest of the season.
Alycia Parks is coming into this match after a hard-fought 6-2, 7-6, 6-2 victory against Anna Schmeidlova in the first round. The youngster is more of an established doubles player and is ranked World No.56 in WTA singles. Her best singles performance so far this year came at the Lyon Open in February, where she defeated a number of seeded players to reach the final but eventually lost to top seed Caroline Garcia. Parks will aim to replicate her form from France and cause a major upset over the much-fancied Azarenka.
Details:
Date – Friday, 28th April
Court Type – Clay outdoor surface
Telecast – Tennis Channel
Start Time – To be Announced
Location – Madrid, Spain
Match details – Second Round match
Head to head and Predictions
Azarenka and Parks have never played each other before on the WTA tour. This is the first professional head-to-head clash between the two players. Azarenka is the clear favourite going into this match both in terms of form and experience. It will be a tough task for Parks in this encounter, but she is expected to pose a tough challenge. However, we predict the veteran Azarenka to see off Parks’ challenge and win comfortably in straight sets.
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