The Weekly Recap: Pro Tennis Around the Globe

What happened this past week in Madrid, a joint ATP/WTA 1000 level event? Did our home state Floridians win big? While we can't go over all of the action, here are a few highlights to keep you updated. 

Gauff Stopped in Madrid Final by Sabalenka

This past week was an exciting one for Delray Beach native Coco Gauff, who won five matches in Madrid before losing out to the top seed Aryna Sabalenka in the final. In the last Weekly Recap, we went through Coco's first three challenges at the Caja Magica, but since last weekend she's played even more exciting matches and taken out a few top seeds. Let's see how the past few days have played out for both Gauff and Sabalenka. 

After Gauff defeated Belinda Bencic in the round of 16, things started to heat up when she encountered her first seeded opponent: Mirra Andreeva. The Russian teenager is often compared to the American as they share a similar career path; Gauff broke through on the WTA tour when she defeated Venus Williams at Wimbledon in 2019. And similar to Coco, Andreeva had really racked up results these past few years and posed a threat to the fourth seed making out of the quarterfinals. And from the get-go, the match was even-steven with Andreeva tying Gauff at 5-5 in the first set. But that's when it fell apart for Andreeva's serve. Her numbers dropped significantly, and the American was able to take advantage of Andreeva's week second serve winning more than two thirds of the points when the teenager missed her first. This allowed Coco to clinch a crucial break and win the first set 7-5, and it was all smooth sailing from there. The fourth seed punched her semi-final ticket with a 6-1 second set close out. 

Photo credit: New Balance

Gauff's next opponent was an even trickier challenge: second seed Iga Swiatek. While the Pole hasn't had the best time on tour recently, her best results come on the red clay and when she's deep in a tournament like this, she's not someone you want to find on the other side of the net. But this didn't faze Gauff, who did one thing to win: she just played better. There wasn't much to it. Less errors, bigger serves, more consistent balls, she took advantage of all the opportunities, it all went her way. There was nothing Swiatek could do to change the course of the match, and the American soared into the final with a 6-1, 6-1 demolishing of the second seed. But here's where Miami residing and top seed Aryna Sabalenka comes into play. 

Already with one win against an American under her belt, Sabalenka played some important quarter-final and semi-final matches to reach the last round. After three simple tasks to advance into the second week, the top seed encountered Marta Kostyuk as her last eight opponent. And throughout the entire match, these two played at parallel levels breaking each other exactly three times each and bringing both of the two sets they played to tiebreakers. And even in the tiebreakers it was close, with Sabalenka winning the first 7-4, and the second 9-7 in an ultra dramatic fashion. In the next round, she defeated Elina Svitolina in straight sets to reach the final and book a showdown against Gauff. And it was a match.

The first set went the way of the Belarusian, and it wasn't incredibly exciting. Sabalenka held onto a break which helped her reach the finish line first, 6-3. But in the second Coco Gauff took things up a notch, and this is when things got entertaining. The entire set was an close, with both players improving their service stats and forcing a tiebreak. This was a decisive moment, and if Gauff had brought a higher level here then there would have been a third set. But Sabalenka didn't want that to happen, and with only seven points until she had the trophy in her hands, she came out firing. She only allowed the American three points, and took advantage of some critical opportunities to win the set, the match, and the entire tournament. With this title heading into Roland Garros in a few weeks, things are looking bright for both women as they prepare for the year's second slam. 

Ruud Regenerated with Madrid Title

If there's one thing that Capser Ruud must love, it'd probably be clay. Utilizing heavy topspin on both wings, and known for his sweeping forehand and quick slide around the court, when you think of a player suited for the red dirt a classic name that comes to mind is the Norwegian's. And with the high Madrid altitude and fast paced, big bouncing courts, this tournament is the ultimate place for Ruud to shine. And despite wins being scarce coming into the tournament at a low 14th seed, he did just that. 

His first two tasks against unseeded Arthur Rinderknech and Sebastian Korda were on paper a pair of straightforward wins for Ruud, and that's exactly what they ended up being. Both were two-set, comfortable victories that allowed Ruud to take advantage of the two week scheduling and get plenty of rest heading into rougher waters ahead. And when 3rd seed Taylor Fritz popped up in the next round, those hours were surely needed. But less comfortable on the surface, Fritz wasn't able to do much to fend off the Norwegian who came into the match ready for the challenge and who excelled on all levels, especially the serve where on occasion his height can hinder his ability to hit the high marks. And while Fritz did claim a break, Ruud took three and outlasted the American 7-5, 6-4 to advance into the next stage of the tournament. 

Photo credit: si.robi, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

His quarter-final match up was somebody who's level just cannot be predicted, let alone on clay. From throwing fits about the surface to winning big last year at Rome, there's no telling what day is a good day and what day is a bad day for Daniil Medvedev. But luckily for Ruud, he caught the 9th seed on a day where he wasn't playing his best. And this allowed him to win a comfortable match 6-3, 7-5, firmly locking the spotlight on Ruud as the draw narrowed to four. And despite being seeded 20th, semi-final challenge Francisco Cerundolo was probably the most difficult player he faced before the final. And just a few weeks prior in Miami, Cerundolo defeated the Norwegian---so this one was high stakes. But with some real confidence after a good week thus far, Ruud was ready for the battle, and he brought his A game. Like his previous match, he won in a straightforward fashion 6-4, 7-5, and now found himself against one of the sport's hottest names right now: Jack Draper. 

Draper, the 5th seed and Indian Wells Champion, isn't shy of big moments like these. And the Brit gave Ruud a real run for it. After the Norwegian won the first 7-5, Draper bounced back to level the match 6-3 in the second. But Ruud does have more experience on these stages, and this may have helped him in the final set when things got close. Just a few points made the difference in this one, and Ruud was fortunate enough to win a critical break and take the final set 6-4. With a surprising yet well-deserved win, the Roland Garros men's draw is open as ever with plenty of contenders who could make their mark in Paris. 

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Written by Florida Tennis contributor Will Turvey. Photo credit (top): ATP Tour.