Emma Raducanu and Andrey Rublev.
Emma Raducanu earned a tough three-set win over Tamara Korpatsch to reach the first quarterfinal on clay. Raducanu is set to take on World No. 1 Iga Swiatek, who’s in red-hot form at the moment, in the last eight.
Meanwhile, Andrey Rublev gave his thoughts regarding Wimbledon’s decision to ban Russian and Belarusian players from the upcoming edition. Paula Badosa was the latest player to criticize the Madrid Open’s decision not to give more wildcards to local talent.
After the WTA’s decision to sever its ties with China following the Peng Shuai incident, they’ve found replacement tournaments for those that were conducted there.
Rain wreaked havoc on the Barcelona Open schedule, but Stefanos Tsitsipas was finally able to complete his second-round match. He first took to the court against Ilya Ivashka on Wednesday and finished his match late on Thursday evening.
Here’s a round-up of the day’s headlines:
Emma Raducanu and Iga Swiatek set for exciting quarterfinal clash
2021 US Open champion Emma Raducanu defeated Tamara Korpatsch 6-0, 2-6, 6-1 to set up a quarterfinal against World No. 1 Iga Swiatek in Stuttgart. Playing in her first clay court tournament, Raducanu has gotten off to a very good start.
Swiatek, however, is playing on a completely different level at the moment. She’s currently on a 20-match winning streak and kicked off her campaign with a 6-1, 6-1 win over Eva Lys.
Raducanu will need to be at her very best when she takes on the World No. 1 in the last eight.
Andrey Rublev speaks up about Wimbledon ban
Wimbledon’s decision to ban Russian and Belarusian players has evoked strong reactions from all corners of the tennis community. World No. 8 Andrey Rublev, one of the affected players, has now given his thoughts on the matter.
Rublev stated that he, along with other affected players, had a call with the Wimbledon organizers to find an amicable solution. He felt their justification for the ban didn’t make much sense.
Rublev instead proposed to them to give players a choice if they want to compete or not. They’re ready to sign any statements and donate all of their prize money to humanitarian efforts as well. He feels donating money would be a more concrete way to help those who’re affected by the conflict.
Here’s Rublev’s statement in detail (via Ana Mitric on Twitter):
Paula Badosa joins chorus of Spanish players voicing their displeasure with Madrid Open
Out of the nine main draw wildcards awarded by the Madrid Open for this year’s edition, only one went to a Spaniard. Other Spanish players in the fray weren’t happy about this and released a statement regarding the same.
World No. 3 Paula Badosa is the latest to speak up against the Madrid Open’s decision. She herself reached the semifinals of the tournament last year after receiving a wildcard.
“Very sad to see things like this for Spanish tennis when there is a lot of potential. A year ago I entered the tournament as a WC and I did one of the best tournaments of my career. A tournament I will never forget thanks to a WC.”
Badosa feels the local talent is missing out on competing in the only big tournament in the country, thereby costing them a chance to grow as a player.
“It’s a huge opportunity for everyone and it’s a shame that the only tournament we have at a level like this, this happens. We have to give our tennis players opportunities to continue growing.”
The WTA Asian swing won’t have any events in China
The WTA made the decision to end its tournaments in China in light of the Peng Shuai saga. The organization is sticking to its guns, with the Asian swing now set to have tournaments in Japan and South Korea instead of China.
Half of the canceled events have found a replacement, with San Diego also set to host a tournament during the final phase of the season. The WTA Finals, which were held in Mexico last year, will likely be held in Europe.
Stefanos Tsitsipas reaches third round of Barcelona Open
Stefanos Tsitsipas led 5-1 against Ilya Ivashka in their second-round match on Wednesday (April 20) when play was suspended due to rain. The weather didn’t improve on Thursday either, with all third-round matches being canceled.
Tsitsipas took to the court late on Thursday evening to finally complete his match. The Greek won 6-1, 4-6, 6-2 to advance further in the competition. He’ll have to take to the court twice on Friday.
Tsitsipas will first play in his third-round match against Grigor Dimitrov, and should he win, the Greek will also have to contest the quarterfinals.
