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Memory Lane May 2, 2020

Madrid Memories 2010: Rezai's peak form, Serena's marathon comeback

Look back on the story of the 2010 Mutua Madrid Open, from a memorable instalment of the all-Serbian rivalry between Jelena Jankovic and Ana Ivanovic to the longest match of Serena Williams' career and a fairytale run for the unseeded Aravane Rezai.

01 /18
Petra Kvitova was a notable qualifier for Madrid in 2010; the future three-time champion defeated Michelle Larcher De Brito and Alla Kudryavtseva in straight sets to make the main draw.

Photo by Getty

02 /18
No.2 seed Caroline Wozniacki ended Kvitova's run in the first round, winning a clash of future Grand Slam champions 6-4, 6-2 - at this point her second win in as many meetings over the Czech.

Photo by Getty

03 /18
Justine Henin came into Madrid fresh off the first title of her 2010 comeback in Stuttgart, but Aravane Rezai sprung a first-round shock, reeling off the last eight games for a 4-6, 7-5, 6-0 win - a foreshadowing of how the tournament would pan out.

Photo by Getty

04 /18
Lucie Safarova also delivered a first-round upset, ending No.11 seed Maria Sharapova's comeback from an elbow injury 6-4, 6-3.

Photo by Getty

05 /18
The first-round upsets kept coming: Klara Koukalova edged defending champion and No.3 seed Dinara Safina, whose season was beset by what would ultimately be a career-ending back injury, 7-6(1), 7-6(3).

Photo by Getty

06 /18
Top seed Serena Williams survived a match point and three tiebreaks to come through the longest match of her career in the second round, a three-hour, 26-minute 6-7(2), 7-6(5), 7-6(5) marathon over Vera Dushevina.

Photo by Getty

07 /18
Fresh off the Rome final, No.7 seed Jelena Jankovic took bragging rights in a testy all-Serbian second-round derby, defeating Ana Ivanovic 4-6, 6-4, 6-1 and jokingly imitating her compatriot's trademark fistpump in celebration afterwards.

Photo by Getty

08 /18
For the second week running, Alexandra Dulgheru scored a Top 10 scalp; having upset Dinara Safina in Rome, the rising Romanian beat No.6 seed Elena Dementieva 6-1, 3-6, 7-5 in the second round, overturning a 1-4 final-set deficit.

Photo by Getty

09 /18
Alona Bondarenko captured the best win of her career by ranking in the second round, taking out World No.2 Caroline Wozniacki 6-2, 6-3.

Photo by Getty

10 /18
In the third round, No.16 seed Nadia Petrova posted her third victory over a reigning World No.1, and third win against Serena Williams, taking out the top seed 4-6, 6-2, 6-3 to reach her third straight clay quarterfinal.

Photo by Getty

11 /18
Lucie Safarova continued her brilliant week by saving a match point to overcome Alexandra Dulgheru 6-7(4), 6-1, 7-6(6) in a late-night third-round clash, then edging Petrova 6-1, 1-6, 6-4 in a rollercoaster to make her second semifinal of the year.

Photo by Getty

12 /18
No.4 seed Venus Williams came into Madrid with a 21-3 record in 2010, and racked up quality wins on her way to the last four: Vera Zvonareva, imminent Roland Garros champion Francesca Schiavone and, in the quarters, No.8 seed Samantha Stosur 6-3, 6-3.

Photo by Getty

13 /18
The in-form Shahar Peer had upset No.5 seed Svetlana Kuznetsova in the first round, and in the last eight battled past No.13 seed Li Na 6-4, 3-6, 6-4 to reach her fifth semifinal of the season.

Photo by Getty

14 /18
Aravane Rezai's blistering form continued as the Frenchwoman overpowered Jelena Jankovic 7-5, 6-4 to make the semifinals, where Lucie Safarova retired due to a thigh injury trailing 6-1 to put Rezai into her fifth and biggest final.

Photo by Getty

15 /18
In the other semifinal, Venus Williams dismissed Shahar Peer 6-3, 6-0 to storm into her fourth final of 2010, and biggest on clay since Berlin 2004.

Photo by Getty

16 /18
Unseeded World No.24 Aravane Rezai was the undoubted underdog going into the final - but sustained the peak form she had shown all week to take the first set 6-2 and come back from 2-5 down, saving five set points, to win the second 7-5.

Photo by Getty

17 /18
The third and biggest trophy of Rezai's four career titles rocketed the 23-year-old up to World No.16 - while Williams returned to World No.2, her highest position since May 2003.

Photo by Getty

18 /18
Rezai would hit a career high of World No.15 in October 2010, but never replicated this week's title run; a spell of poor form saw her sink out of the Top 100 in July 2011. Though formally still active, she has competed in just two tournaments since 2017.

Photo by Getty

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