Victoria Azarenka’s Grand Slam resurgence was rekindled at Roland Garros, as the No.15 seed from Belarus dispatched No.23 seed Madison Keys of the United States 6-2, 6-2 to reach the round of 16.
"I thought I played really solid," Azarenka said, following her win. "I felt I played very disciplined today. I played smart. I tried to be aggressive. My opponent, Madison, she really likes to dictate the points, so I tried to take that away from her, really step in, and make a lot of different balls so I’m pretty proud I was able to sustain my level."
Before last year’s US Open, former World No.1 Azarenka had not made the round of 16 at a Grand Slam event in over three years, but that all changed with her run to the final in New York.
After early losses at last year's delayed Roland Garros and this year’s Australian Open, Azarenka is back on track in the majors, making it to the second week of a Grand Slam once again with her one-hour and 10-minute victory over former Top 10 player Keys. It is Azarenka's first trip to the round of 16 at Roland Garros since 2013.
Azarenka had contested just a single clay-court match this season coming into Roland Garros, but the Belarusian has now notched three quality wins in a row, having defeated former champion Svetlana Kuznetsova in the opening round and rising teenager Clara Tauson in the second round.
"I haven’t really had too many matches, so I feel like the first couple matches were really about finding ways to bring my game in the right moment, and I was actually able to do that," Azarenka said. "I feel like there were moments that there were a lot of momentum shifts, but in the important moments I was really standing, so I think that’s what I’m really happy about."
2013 Roland Garros semifinalist Azarenka converted five of her 11 break points on the day as she won 63 percent of points returning the Keys second serve. Big-hitting Keys had significantly more winners than Azarenka, by 17 to six, but the American was undone by 33 unforced errors.
Azarenka took the early lead, breaking for 3-2 behind overpowering service returns at the end of a protracted game. Azarenka never relinquished that advantage in the opening frame, as she charged to the one-set lead without facing a break point, closing out the set with a deft dropshot winner.
Power moves 💥
— Roland-Garros (@rolandgarros) June 4, 2021
Into the 3R for the first time since 2015, @vika7 marches on past Madison Keys 6-2, 6-2. The No.15 seed faces Pavlyuchenkova next.#RolandGarros pic.twitter.com/THNnAyA2Z8
The two-time Australian Open champion continued to dominate in the second set, racing ahead by a double-break as she built a 3-0 lead. Keys, though, made a final charge to pull back into the match, as her power game clicked into gear and helped her earn one break back.
However, Azarenka would not be denied, and used more deep returning to regain her two-break advantage and lead 5-2. Serving for the match, Azarenka staved off a break point before converting her third match point of the game with an unreturned serve down the middle.
The seedings had projected an all-Belarusian clash in the round of 16, but No.15 seed Azarenka will not face her 3rd-seeded countrywoman Aryna Sabalenka after all. No.31 seed Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova upset Sabalenka in three sets, and will battle Azarenka for a quarterfinal spot.
"[Pavlyuchenkova] is a great player, very dangerous player, especially against top players," Azarenka said. "We know she can bring a very high level, she’s beaten a lot of the top players. Just this match before she beat Sabalenka, who has been playing amazing this clay season, so I know she’s a dangerous player. We’ve played a lot, I forget how many times we’ve played, but I think it’ll be an interesting match and I’m looking forward to this challenge."
Head to Head
- Sorry, we couldn't find any players that match your search.
- Sorry, we couldn't find any players that match your search.
Former Top 25 player Sorana Cirstea is also in the midst of a resurgence, and the Romanian's superb 2021 continued with a 6-3, 6-2 victory over Daria Kasatkina of Russia to reach the round of 16 in Paris.
"It was a very, very good match," Cirstea said during her post-match press conference. "There were very few errors. Most of the points were winners from both sides, and I think the score is not fair because it was a way tougher battle than it showed."
12 years ago, Cirstea reached her lone Grand Slam quarterfinal to date here in Paris, and she is now one win away from repeating that feat after her one-hour and 24-minute win over the World No.37. This marks Cirstea's first appearance in the fourth round of a Grand Slam event since the 2017 Australian Open.
"I'm taking it day by day, like I'm not going too far ahead with my mind," Cirstea said. "I'm actually enjoying all this process. Definitely I'm enjoying [it] much more than I did 12 years ago, and I think this comes with maturity."
Patience Pays ❤️@sorana_cirstea last reached the fourth round at #RolandGarros in 2009. Today, the 31-year-old Romanian returns with a 6-3, 6-2 win over Kasatkina. pic.twitter.com/hsMmGMODKt
— Roland-Garros (@rolandgarros) June 4, 2021
World No.54 Cirstea is now 11-2 on clay this year. Her renaissance during the 2021 season includes her first WTA singles title in nearly 13 years, when she took home the trophy on clay in Istanbul.
Cirstea reached another clay-court final in Strasbourg the week prior to Roland Garros, making her one of only three players to reach multiple clay-court finals this season -- the others being World No.1 Ashleigh Barty and World No.4 Aryna Sabalenka.
Kasatkina had won their only previous meeting in straight sets, which came on the clay courts of Madrid in 2018. But Cirstea extended her solid form into this rematch, winning a whopping 89 percent of points off of the Russian's second service to sweep to the win.
Cirstea, who is up over 30 places in the rankings since the end of last season, was on point with her backhand down the line during the first set. She used that signature shot to help fend off three break points in the opening game, then cracked it again to break Kasatkina for a second time and lead 4-2. Cirstea would hold onto that advantage en route to the one-set lead.
Kasatkina is also up over 30 places in the rankings from year-end after winning two WTA singles titles this season, but her stellar court craft and footspeed could not keep up with Cirstea's pinpoint accuracy on the day. After an early exchange of breaks in the second set, Cirstea slammed a return winner to reclaim a break lead for 2-1.
A Cirstea crosscourt forehand forced an error from Kasatkina to give the Romanian her second break of the second set, clinching a 5-2 lead. Another of Cirstea's down-the-line backhands set up her first match point in that game, and she closed out the win right there, setting up a fourth-round clash with surging Slovenian Tamara Zidansek.
