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Match Details
Fixture: (23) Victoria Azarenka vs Sara Sorribes Tormo
Date: April 27, 2024
Tournament: Mutua Madrid Open
Round: Third Round (Round of 32)
Venue: La Caja Majica, Madrid, Spain
Category: WTA 1000
Surface: Clay
Prize Money: €7,877,020
Live Telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Sky Sports | Canada - TSN+/TSN3
Victoria Azarenka vs Sara Sorribes Tormo preview
Former World No. 1 Victoria Azarenka faces home-favorite Sara Sorribes Tormo in the third round of the 2024 Madrid Open on Saturday.
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After a first-round bye, Azarenka took on former Wimbledon semifinalist Tatjana Maria in the second round. The Belarusian started strong, leaping to a 2-0 lead in the first set.
Maria got back on track as she nabbed the next couple of games to level the score. Azarenka upped the ante after that, as she claimed four of the next five games to take the set. She steamrolled her opponent in the second set as she conceded just one game to score a 6-3, 6-1 victory.
Sorribes Tormo scored a 7-5, 6-2 win over Bernarda Pera to reach the second round, where she was up against 16th seed Elina Svitolina. The Spaniard led by a break twice in the first set, but her opponent fought back to make it 3-3.
Sorribes Tormo then bagged the next three games to claim the opener. It looked like Svitolina would force a third set after she surged ahead 4-1 in the second set.
However, the Spaniard turned things around, as she swept six of the next seven games to register a 6-3, 7-5 win.
Victoria Azarenka vs Sara Sorribes Tormo head-to-head
This will be the first career meeting between the duo, so the head-to-head stands at 0-0.
Victoria Azarenka vs Sara Sorribes Tormo odds
(Odds are sourced from BetMGM)
Victoria Azarenka vs Sara Sorribes Tormo prediction
Aside from an early blip, Azarenka barely broke a sweat during her win over Maria. Sorribes Tormo, meanwhile, didn't let the match get away from her as she toppled Svitolina in the previous round.
This was Sorribes Tormo's fourth main draw win of the season and the first time she won back-to-back matches at a tournament this year. It was also her first win over a top 20 player since August 2023.
Playing in front of her home crowd has certainly infused Sorribes Tormo with renewed vigor. Azarenka is a two-time finalist at the Madrid Open. However, she hasn't gone past the third round in the Spanish capital since reaching her second final at the venue in 2012.
Sorribes Tormo's counterpunching ways often put her opponents in a spot of bother. Azarenka will need to wrap this one up quickly as the longer the match goes on, the more it'll favor her opponent.
The Belarusian has been in decent form this season, so she has a good chance of making it through this clash.
Pick: Victoria Azarenka to win in straight sets
