Memory Lane
Madrid Memories 2015: Kvitova reclaims crown, Serena wins classic
From a gripping match between Serena Williams and Victoria Azarenka to Svetlana Kuznetsova racking up marathon victories and Petra Kvitova peaking to claim her second title in the Spanish capital, look back on the story of the 2015 Mutua Madrid Open.
01
/17
Mariana Duque-Mariño qualified and won one of the most dramatic Madrid first-round matches in 2015, saving five match points and winning on her sixth to defeat Heather Watson 0-6, 6-3, 7-6(11) - the longest WTA Tour tiebreak of the season to this point.
Photo by Getty
02
/17
All five of Alizé Cornet's Top 5 wins came in a 15-month spell over 2014-15, with the most recent being her 7-6(6), 6-3 first-round upset of No.2 seed Simona Halep, whose 2015 season was the only one of the 2010s in which she did not reach a clay final.
Photo by Getty
03
/17
A first-round upset of two halves saw Barbora Strycova fall behind 0-6, 1-3 to No.6 seed Eugenie Bouchard, but roar back to triumph 0-6, 6-3, 6-3 for her first Top 10 win on clay.
Photo by Getty
04
/17
Former World No.1 and two-time finalist Victoria Azarenka, unseeded and attempting to rebuild her ranking after an injury-afflicted 2014, scored her second 2015 defeat of No.16 seed Venus Williams in the first round 6-3, 7-5.
Photo by Getty
05
/17
No.1 seed Serena Williams dropped just five games across her first two matches, dismissing Sloane Stephens 6-4, 6-0 in the second round - the second of three wins Williams would score over Stephens in 2015.
Photo by Getty
06
/17
Having ousted No.8 seed Ekaterina Makarova 6-2, 6-1 in the first round, former World No.2 Svetlana Kuznetsova won a 6-3, 5-7, 7-5 thriller over future World No.1 Garbiñe Muguruza in the second round.
Photo by Getty
07
/17
No.7 seed Ana Ivanovic would win her first seven matches against future World No.3 Elina Svitolina, and the sixth of those came in the second round this year 6-3, 6-4.
Photo by Getty
08
/17
In the third round, however, No.10 seed Carla Suárez Navarro overcame a 0-2 head-to-head to post her first win over Ivanovic 7-5, 1-6, 6-4 - the Spaniard's second of three Top 10 wins in Madrid.
Photo by Getty
09
/17
No.3 seed and defending champion Maria Sharapova did not drop a set in her first two matches, and then triumphed 6-2, 4-6, 7-5 over Caroline Garcia in a third-round epic.
Photo by Getty
10
/17
Two-time champion Serena Williams pulled off one of her greatest escapes in the third round, saving triple match point against Victoria Azarenka - having lost one of her own - en route to a two-hour, 49-minute 7-6(5), 3-6, 7-6(1) victory.
Photo by Getty
11
/17
Svetlana Kuznetsova continued to rack up marathon wins, surviving Samantha Stosur 5-7, 6-2, 7-6(5) in the third round and saving two match points down 4-5 in the decider en route to quelling Lucie Safarova 5-7, 7-6(5), 7-6(3) in the quarterfinals.
Photo by Getty
12
/17
Maria Sharapova and Caroline Wozniacki's back-and-forth rivalry swung back the Russian's way after a 6-1, 3-6, 6-3 quarterfinal win that snapped a two-match losing streak to the No.5 seed.
Photo by Getty
13
/17
Petra Kvitova struggled through three-setters in her first two rounds against Olga Govortsova and CoCo Vandeweghe - but by the semifinals had hit peak form to score a first win over Serena Williams 6-2, 6-3.
Photo by Getty
14
/17
Svetlana Kuznetsova also shook off her arduous, nine-and-a-half hour journey to the semifinals to deliver a flawless performance and dethrone Maria Sharapova 6-2, 6-4 - the last time the compatriots would ever play each other.
Photo by Getty
15
/17
Petra Kvitova had needed to take a month's break due to mental and physical exhaustion in March, but claimed the Madrid title in just her third event back, maintaining her scintillating form to defeat Svetlana Kuznetsova 6-1, 6-2 in the final.
Photo by Getty
16
/17
Kvitova did not drop serve during the 68-minute final, reclaiming the title she had previously won in 2011, while Kuznetsova's run lifted her back into the Top 20 for the first time since the previous January.
Photo by Getty
Latest News
-
-
Potapova rallies past Gauff in Miami third round
2023 Miami -
By the numbers: Ostapenko maintains dominance of Haddad Maia in Miami
2023 Miami -
Miami Open Day 6 preview: Krejcikova, Andreescu lurking as title…
2023 Miami -
Sabalenka ready to challenge Swiatek for No.1 ranking
2023 Miami -
By the numbers: Bencic rolls past Fernandez into Miami third round
2023 Miami
