The 2021 WTA Mutua Madrid Open semifinals are set. These four ladies are the final four in a tournament were there have been plenty of great matches. Also, plenty of surprises have been produced throughout the week. Unexpected players reached stages that they had never done before while others keep winning and demonstrating why they are at the top of tennis. Here are the four players who have made it to the semifinals of the 2021 Mutua Madrid Open.
WTA Mutua Madrid Open Semifinalists
Ashleigh Barty
World.1 Ashleigh Barty is on a winning streak and is playing some incredible tennis. On her road to the semifinals, she first took out American Shelby Rogers. They had met earlier in Charleston last month, where they went to play three hard fought sets. That was not the case in Madrid as the Australian demonstrated her amazing skills and won in straight sets.
Next in line was Tamara Zidanšek, who took a set from the Australian. However, Barty came back and won the third set and demonstrated why she is at the top of women’s tennis. In the round of 16 she faced her toughest opponent in paper Iga Świątek. Indeed, it was a tough match, but the Aussie came on top in straight sets. Then, she took a former winner of this tournament, Petra Kvitová. No doubt this match was a difficult one, but she persevered and was triumphant in the end.
Now she will face a local player in Pula Badosa in the semifinals. They have recently met in Charleston last month, where the young Spaniard came out victorious. The Australian will seek revenge after losing to her and will unquestionably play her best tennis to book herself a ticket into the final.
Paula Badosa
The young Spanish player is a wild card in this tournament. She started the tournament playing a tricky player in Barbora Krejčíková. The first set was a one traffic affair for the Spaniard. Unlike the first set, the second set was a more even one, but the Spanish player came on top. In the second round she took on a tough opponent in Jil Teichmann, who was coming with all the confidence in the world after eliminating Elina Svitolina in the first round.
The young Swiss took the first set, but the Spaniard was too much for her in the next two sets. Next, she took on Anastasija Sevastova, who had to play qualifying matches to enter this tournament. The Latvian took the first set in a tie break, but then lost the second set in a tie break. The Spaniard would go on to bagel the Latvian in the third set and advanced to the quarterfinals.
There she met Belinda Bencic and defeated her in straight sets. She will now play Ashleigh Barty in which she has defeated last month in Charleston. Of course, it will be a great match and this time around she will have to play at a high level once again to defeat the Australian player.
Aryna Sabalenka
Her journey to the semifinals began against a veteran player in Vera Zvonareva. It was no contest at all as she defeated the Russian easily in straight sets. Her next opponent was another Russian, Daria Kasatkina, and she also defeated her in straight sets. Next, she played Jessica Pegula. The American was her toughest opponent on paper as of yet. However, that was not the case as she defeated her in straight sets as well.
In the quarterfinals she played her doubles partner Elise Mertens. The first set saw how the Belarusian was too powerful for her opponent. She won the first set easily and continued her fine form in the second set. Unfortunately, the Belgian player had to retire from the match due to injury. Next up is another Russian player, Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, who has surprisingly made it to the semifinals.
Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova
The Russian started the tournament against a tough opponent in Madison Keys. The American might not have been playing well recently, but it was still a tough start. The Russian came on top in the end in straight sets. She then took on the sixth seed in Karolína Plíšková which looked tough on paper. That was not the case in reality as she defeated her in straight sets.
Next in line was another heavy hitter in Jennifer Brady. The American put up a fight, but in the end the Russian was too much for the American. Lastly, she defeated Karolína Muchová in two sets that went into tie breakers. The Russian was strong mentally and physically and displayed her best tennis after some time.
Her next opponent is another heavy hitter in Aryna Sabalenka. It will be another tough test for the veteran player, but she has shown this week that she can battle against the best.
Sensational Semifinals
The 2021 Mutua Madrid Open has two players that have surprised everyone. Against all odds, Paula Badosa and Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova have reached the semifinals of a WTA 1000 event. Ashleigh Barty and Aryna Sabalenka are no surprise and will try to continue their dominance. No doubt these two matches will be great and the fans are in for a treat.
Main Photo from Getty.
