Petra Kvitova recovered from a poor start to beat Magda Linette in the first round of the Internazionali BNL d'Italia on Monday.

Linette took just 31 minutes to win the first set in Rome, but world number 10 Kvitova responded superbly to win 1-6 6-0 6-2.

Two-time grand slam champion Kvitova racked up 16 unforced errors in the first set, yet rallied like the great competitor she has proved to be for so long to ensure she will face Vera Zvonareva - conqueror of Christina McHale - in the second round.

The 11th seed from the Czech Republic said: "The first set I started very badly. I was missing almost everything. On the court... [the ball] was bouncing everywhere as well. A little bit windy. I just had to get used to probably everything.

"The beginning of the second set when finally I held my serve and broke her serve, I think since then it was much, much better."

French Open champion Iga Swiatek advanced when Alison Riske retired at 5-4 down in the first set due to a recurrence of a left foot injury.

Swiatek, who will take on Sloane Stephens or Madison Keys in the second round, made 18 unforced errors but had won four games in a row from 4-1 down when the American was unable to continue. 

Coco Gauff battled past Yulia Putintseva 7-5 4-6 6-4 to set up a meeting with 17th seed Maria Sakkari  - who fended off qualifier Polona Hercog 7-6 (8-6) 3-6 6-2.

Amanda Anisimova will do battle with Elina Svitolina, a winner of this tournament twice, after defeating Wang Qiang 7-5 6-3. Jessie Pegula, Jennifer Brady and Petra Martic were among the other winners on day one.

Second seed Rebecca Peterson was dumped out of the L'Open 35 de Saint-Malo after suffering a 6-4 6-0 quarter-final defeat to Varvara Gracheva. 

Russian Gracheva will face Italy's Jasmine Paolini in the last four after she overcame Anna Karolina Schmiedlova 6-3 7-5. 

Peterson's defeat means Viktorija Golubic is the highest-ranked player remaining, the Swiss fifth seed cruising past Aliaksandra Sasnovich 6-1 6-0. 

She will face Harmony Tan in the semi-finals after the French player saw off Aliona Bolsova 7-6 (7-3) 6-0.

Aryna Sabalenka will have a shot at redemption when she faces top seed Ash Barty in the Madrid Open final after beating Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in straight sets on Thursday.

World number seven Sabalenka squandered a one-set lead to lose to Barty in the Stuttgart Open final two weeks ago.

But she will have another crack at winning silverware in the Spanish capital in Saturday's final against Barty, who saw off Paula Badosa in straight sets in the other last-four match.

"I'm looking forward to the final," she said in her on-court interview. "First of all I will have a good rest and do everything I can to prepare myself as good as I can. 

"It'll be really interesting to play another final against Ash. I think it'll be a great battle. I think everyone coming here can see themselves winning the tournament. I'll do my best."

Sabalenka had not dropped a single set in Madrid in the lead-up to the semi-final and that remains the case after cruising past Pavlyuchenkova in a little over an hour.

The fifth seed converted four of her five break points and won 73 per cent of her second-service points.

Pavlyuchenkova, ranked 41st in the world, lost serve in the fourth and eighth games of the opening set and failed to hold on her first two service games in the second set.

Despite breaking Sabalenka in the seventh game, the Belarussian proved far too strong for her opponent and got over the line with a fourth ace of the match to reach her third final of the season.

Ash Barty saw off Paula Badosa in straight sets to reach the final of the Madrid Open, extending her unbeaten streak on clay to 16 matches.

The world number one triumphed 6-4 6-3 on Thursday, taking her record for 2021 to an impressive 25-3.

Badosa is the only player to have beaten Barty since February, but the Spaniard was unable to pull off a repeat of her upset in their quarter-final clash in Charleston last month.

The world number 62 had become the first Spanish player to reach the semi-finals in Madrid and there was little to split the pair through the opening nine games.

However, when serving at 5-4 down to stay in the set, Badosa suddenly came under pressure.

The wildcard saved two set points but gifted her opponent a 1-0 lead with a double fault. A similar situation early in the second put Barty 3-1 up, though she had to save three break points in her next service game.

After escaping trouble on that occasion, the Australian had no further issues on her way to completing the win after one hour and 15 minutes on court.

Standing in her way of a fourth title this season will be either Aryna Sabalenka or Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova; they will meet in the second semi-final in the evening session in the Spanish capital.

The in-form Barty has already been crowned champion at the Yarra Valley Classic this year, as well as events in Miami and Stuttgart.

Elise Mertens twice came back from the brink to beat Simona Halep and reach a Madrid Open quarter-final against former doubles partner Aryna Sabalenka.

Third seed Halep was the highest-ranked player in action on Wednesday but came unstuck against Mertens despite taking the opener and leading by a break in each of the subsequent sets.

Mertens emerged a 4-6 7-5 7-5 winner after two hours and 34 minutes, defeating Halep for the first time on clay and only the second time on any surface.

There were opportunities for both players throughout and Halep struck first, losing her break lead in the first but recovering on this occasion.

The Romanian, a two-time winner who has also twice lost in the final in Madrid, twice cancelled out a deficit in the second but could not then capitalise on a lead of her own.

Mertens battled back and broke to love to level the match, then maintained her composure to see out a back-and-forth decider once Halep had again forged ahead.

"She played really well, and she definitely deserved to win because she was stronger in the end," Halep said.

"I cannot say I played bad, but I did some mistakes, important mistakes. Sometimes it's just a little bit and the match is going away."

Sabalenka is up next for Mertens, although she had a much more straightforward path through the third round.

Jessica Pegula held her up for only 52 minutes in a dominant 6-1 6-2 success.

In the same half of the draw, Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova upset another seed, following up her straight-sets victory over Karolina Pliskova by beating Jennifer Brady in three. She plays Karolina Muchova next.

At L'Open 35 de Saint-Melo, second seed Rebecca Peterson came from behind to see off Xiyu Wang, while Tamara Zidansek and Arantxa Rus also produced comebacks.

Nina Stojanovic survived three sets, but Christina McHale crashed out to Viktoriya Tomova.

Ash Barty extended her winning streak to 14 matches on clay with a straight-sets defeat of Iga Swiatek at the Madrid Open.

The 2019 French Open champion defeated last year's winner at Roland Garros 7-5 6-4 to reach the quarter-finals in the Spanish capital.

Swiatek herself came into the contest having won 18 consecutive sets on clay and took early control of the contest as she went 3-0 up in the opener.

However, Barty recovered thanks to imperious play behind her serve as she won 80 per cent of all points behind her first delivery and avoided being broken for the remainder of the contest.

The world number one was 0-40 down at 3-2 in the second but rallied to hold before seeing out the win.

Barty will now face ninth seed Petra Kvitova in the last eight after she battled past Veronika Kudermetova 6-3 4-6 6-4.

The three-time Madrid Open champion required just over two hours to beat the Russian, who has won more matches in 2021 (22) than anyone except Barty (23).

"Always playing Ash, it's a great challenge," Kvitova said. "It will be a great match-up. I really will enjoy it. I'm really looking forward for it.

"She has a game for clay. She's sliding. She's playing lots of slice and everything... She likes clay a little bit more than me probably. I like Madrid. So, who knows, right?"

Eighth seed Belinda Bencic is also through after Ons Jabeur retired from their match with a thigh injury. She will now face Paula Badosa, who needed more than two and a half hours to defeat Anastasija Sevastova in three sets.

At the L'Open 35 de Saint-Malo, Alize Cornet suffered a surprise defeat in the first round as Oceane Dodin prevailed in a marathon match.

Dodin knocked out the top seed in two hours and 56 minutes, recovering after letting two match points slip in the second-set tie-break to win 7-5 6-7 (8-10) 6-1.

Third seed Alison van Uytvanck also made an early exit as Anna Karolina Schmiedlova came from a set down to prevail 2-6 7-5 6-3.

But Viktorija Golubic was victorious, the fifth seed winning in straight sets against Clara Burel.

Naomi Osaka suffered a shock second-round exit to Karolina Muchova at the Madrid Open, but there was no such trouble for Simona Halep as she held off Zheng Saisai.

Second seed Osaka was playing just her second match on clay since the 2019 French Open due to injury issues and became the latest big name to fall at the hands of Muchova.

The world number 20, who had already defeated two top-five players this season, prevailed 6-4 3-6 6-1 in a time of one hour and 49 minutes in the Spanish capital.

Osaka has now lost two of her last three matches, having been eliminated from the Miami Open quarter-finals by Maria Sakkari at the end of March.

"I think today for me it was quite different from the last time I lost in Miami, and I actually think I played much better here, so I'm very happy about that," Osaka said.

"I think what I can take away from this is that I tried my best throughout the entire match. I think tennis-wise, I felt I was too defensive in the first set.

"I wouldn't say I’m happy that I lost, but I think I learned a lot. So that's all I can hope for."

Two-time champion Halep has yet to drop a set in this year's tournament after seeing off unseeded opponent Zheng 6-0 6-4.

Halep took nine games in a row at the start of the match but, like in her opening-round win over Sara Sorribes Tormo, she had to hold off a late surge from her opponent to advance.

Next up for Halep is a last-16 showdown with Elise Mertens, who beat Elena Rybakina 7-6 (7-4) 7-5 in the last of Sunday's matches.

Fifth seed Aryna Sabalenka safely advanced earlier in the day thanks to a 6-3 6-3 win against Daria Kasatkina, while Sakkari beat Anett Kontaveit 6-3 6-1.

Sabalenka was on course to face Victoria Azarenka for a place in the quarter-finals, but the Belarussian withdrew from her match with Jessica Pegula because of a back injury.

Elsewhere, Jennifer Brady, who knocked out fellow American Venus Williams in the first round, eased past Jelena Ostapenko 6-2 6-1.

Brady faces a tricky test in the next round with Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, who defeated sixth seed Karolina Pliskova 6-0 7-5, seeking another scalp.

Ash Barty overcame Tamara Zidansek and her own disjointed performance to reach the third round of the Madrid Open on Saturday.

The Australian triumphed 6-4 1-6 6-3 after nearly two hours on court to extend her winning streak on clay to 13 matches.

Barty will face reigning French Open champion Iga Swiatek in the next round, the 19-year-old having eased past Laura Siegemund 6-3 6-3 in a contest where she failed to take 10 match points before getting over the line.

Barty endured a more troubled contest with Zidansek, landing just 51 per cent of her first serves.

Zidansek lost the opener after a wayward forehand at 4-4 but was authoritative in the second as she won a set against a top-10 player for the first time.

However, a series of errors early in the decider allowed world number one Barty to open up a lead she did not relinquish. Barty was champion at Roland Garros in 2019 but skipped last year's Paris grand slam, so the clash with Swiatek will pit together the two most recent French Open winners.

"[It was] a really tough match," Barty said after edging out Zidansek. "I felt my margins were a little bit off. I made a lot of errors. I think I was missing in the right way, but still just a foot or two here or there makes a big difference. I felt like there were probably too many loose ones for me today.

"I don't think there was a lot in it by any means. We had a lot of close games in the first set, early in the second set. In the third, as well, there were a lot of close games. I think the response early in the third was good. I was a bit more aggressive, was able to bring the match back on my terms."

Petra Kvitova set up a meeting with Veronika Kudermetova – who knocked out defending champion Kiki Bertens – after overcoming long-time rival Angelique Kerber 6-4 7-5.

Kerber got the opening break in each set, only to drop serve in the next game, with Kvitova ultimately rewarded for powerful hitting as she ended the contest with 33 winners to her opponent's 14.

"I served very well, especially in the important points," said Kvitova, who leads the head-to-head record 8-6. "I think we really played very well. She even served very well, as well. It was tough to attack her serve."

Fifteenth seed Johanna Konta suffered a straight-sets loss to Anastasija Sevastova, while Ons Jabeur fought back to beat Sloane Stephens.

Jil Teichmann saved six match points in a stunning defeat of Elina Svitolina before Ash Barty breezed into the second round of the Madrid Open on Thursday.

Teichmann produced an astonishing fightback to beat fourth seed Svitolina 2-6 6-4 7-6 (7-5) at the Caja Magica.

Unseeded Swiss Teichmann came from a set and a break down to claim the scalp of the world number five, who squandered a commanding 5-1 lead in the final set.

Svitolina saw six match points come and go in an incredible deciding set, opportunities she was left to rue when the 40-ranked Teichmann won a tie-break to end a contest that took two hours and 33 minutes to settle.

World number one Barty extended her winning run on clay to 12 matches with a 6-2 6-1 success over Shelby Rogers.

Barty claimed her third title of the year in Stuttgart last weekend and the Australian needed just an hour to send Rogers packing, losing just two points on her first serve and not facing a single break point.

French Open champion Iga Swiatek was also an emphatic winner, easing past another American in the form of Alison Riske 6-1 6-1.

Swiatek, making her debut in this tournament, has won 16 consecutive matches on clay after blowing Riske away.

Defending champion Kiki Bertens beat 15-year-old Victoria Jimenez Kasintseva 6-4 6-0, while Petra Kvitova progressed when opponent Marie Bouzkova retired due to hand injury after the Czech won the first set.

Garbine Muguruza was forced to withdraw ahead of her meeting with Sloane Stephens due to a leg injury. Belinda Bencic, Angelique Kerber and Johanna Konta were among the other winners in the Spanish capital.

World number one Ash Barty has been knocked out of the Charleston Open after a straight-sets loss to unseeded Spaniard Paula Badosa in Friday's quarter-finals.

Badosa won 6-4 6-3 over the favoured Australian in one hour, 16 minutes to book a spot in the last four on the green clay and a meeting with 15th seed Veronika Kudermetova.

Kudermetova beat 2017 US Open winner Sloane Stephens 6-3 6-4 in her first win over a grand slam winner.

Former French Open junior champion Badosa, who beat fifth seed Belinda Bencic in the second round, claimed her second career victory over a top-20 player against Barty.

Barty may have hit 34 to 19 winners but she also made twice as many unforced errors, 24 to 12.

The Spaniard broke Barty's serve five times while she sent down seven aces and saved 12 of 14 break points.

"I was quite nervous today but I think I served very well and I think that was the key for the match," Badosa said in her on-court interview.

"It was a tough match but I was there until the last moment and I managed to win."

World number 71 Badosa becomes the lowest-ranked player to beat Barty since September 2019.

The Australian had won eight matches in a row after last week's triumph at the Miami Open.

Unseeded Montenegrin Danka Kovinic came from a set down to topple 11th seed Yulia Putintseva 6-7 (2-7) 7-5 6-1.

Kovinic, who knocked out Petra Kvitova in the third round, will play 12th seed Ons Jabeur in the semi-finals after she overcame Coco Gauff 6-3 6-3.

Meanwhile, at the Copa Colsanitas in Bogota, fifth Tamara Zidansek beat Italy's Sara Errani 6-3 6-4 to claim a spot in the semi-finals.

Viktoriya Tomova outlasted qualifier Nuria Parrizas-Diaz 5-7 6-2 6-4 in almost two and a half hours, while Harmony Tan and local wildcard Maria Camila Osorio Serrano also won.

Garbine Muguruza continued her superb start to 2021 as the former world number one won a WTA Tour-leading 21st match of the season to progress at the Volvo Car Open.

Muguruza – the sixth seed in Charleston – dispatched qualifier Magdalena Frech 6-1 6-3 in her first match of the clay court season on Tuesday.

Two-time grand slam champion Muguruza has already reached three finals this year, winning once in Dubai, and took just 70 minutes to overcome Fech on her return to Charleston following an eight-year absence. 

"I'm happy that I got this win, that I fought hard, that I kept my fighting spirit through the whole match, also in the second set which was tighter than the first set," Muguruza told reporters, in quotes reported on the WTA's official website.

Joining Muguruza in the round of 16 is third seed and fellow former grand slam champion Petra Kvitova, who saw off Storm Sanders 7-6 (7-4) 6-2 in her first-ever match at the WTA Premier tournament. 

Meanwhile, two former Charleston champions will go head-to-head after Sloane Stephens – a winner in 2016 – beat lucky loser Xinyu Wang 6-2 6-4 to tee up a second-round tie with 2019 victor Madison Keys.

Shelby Rogers took advantage of being in familiar surroundings by seeing off Kristina Mladenovic, while Monterrey Open champion Leylah Fernandez also progressed at the expense of 16th seed Shuai Zhang.

As for American sensation Coco Gauff, the 14th seed beat Tsvetana Pironkova 6-3 6-0 en route to the last 32.

There was a first-round surprise at the Colsanitas Cup in Bogota, where second seed Sara Sorribes Tormo was upstaged by 2012 French Open runner-up Sara Errani 7-5 7-5.

Colombian youngster Maria Camila Osorio got the better of American Sachia Vickery 6-3 6-2, with a potential top-100 scalp of Tereza Martincova next in her sights.

World number one Ash Barty defended the WTA Miami Open title after opponent Bianca Andreescu retired injured in the second set of Saturday's final.

Barty was well in command of the showpiece, leading 6-3 4-0, when Andreescu was forced to end the contest prematurely. The Canadian had turned her ankle in the second game of the second set.

It was not the way Barty would have wanted to retain a title for the first time in her career, but the Australian is now on a 12-match winning streak in Miami.

Moreover, it is now 13 wins from 16 matches against top-10 opponents and six straight for Barty, while she now has 10 WTA titles and two in 2021.

The injury made for a disappointing end to a brave tournament for Andreescu, who won four consecutive three-set matches to make the final.

The 20-year-old will be hoping her latest problem is not serious, with the 2019 US Open champion having missed the entirety of last season due to injury.

Barty's wicked forehands were causing problems early on and it was a fine passing winner that earned the first break, and in no time Andreescu was 3-1 adrift.

The plucky Andreescu forced her opponent into some errors to break back, but a backhand cross-court winner in the next game saw Barty regain an advantage she would not relinquish – finishing the first set with 11 winners to the Canadian's six – including three aces.

A double fault allowed Barty to take an early break in the second set, and an understandably tearful Andreescu battled on for two games after the trip before finally calling it a day in unfortunate circumstances.

World number one Ashleigh Barty maintained her winning run in Miami with her best performance of the 2021 tournament to date dispatching of Elina Svitolina to book a spot in the final.

Barty defeated fifth seed Svitolina 6-3 6-3 in Thursday's semi-final, hitting 27 winners and breaking her Ukrainian opponent five times.

The Australian had been down a match point in her opening clash of this year's Miami Open against Kristina Kucova but the 2019 champion has responded to every challenge since.

However, Barty needed three sets to overcome both Victoria Azarenka and Aryna Sabalenka in earlier rounds before making more light work of Svitolina to make it 11 straight wins in Miami, given 2020's event was cancelled.

Barty will play 2019 US Open winner Bianca Andreescu in Saturday's final after she defeated Naomi Osaka's conqueror Maria Sakkari 7-6 (9-7) 3-6 7-6 (7-4) in Thursday's other semi-final.

"Yeah, I think it was," Barty said in her on-court interview when asked if it was her best match of the tournament.

"I think [with] Elina, you have to produce your best tennis. Happy with the way we were able to execute today."

Svitolina went into the match with a 5-1 head-to-head advantage over Barty, while the Australian had not played on foreign soil prior to the event since February 2020, opting to step away from the tour during the COVID-19 pandemic.

"With the head-to-head we had, I almost see myself as the underdog, I really do," Barty said.

"It gives me the chance to go out there and play with freedom. To play not careless but carefree tennis."

Barty has reinforced her world number one ranking from Osaka, who lost to Sakkari in the quarters, by progressing this far although adding a second Miami Open title will be top priority.

The 24-year-old 2019 French Open champion had a medical timeout between sets to tend to a preexisting abdominal issue but said she would be fine for the decider on Saturday.

"Yeah, I was a little bit sore," she said. "I got some assistance with some tape on it. But knowing we’ve got a day to recover tomorrow, I promise you I’ll be right as rain and then we’ll be good to go."

Eighth seed Andreescu booked her place in the decider with a strong three-set victory over 23rd seed Sakkari in a match which finished in the early hours of Friday morning.

The Canadian won in two hours and 42 minutes in a match full of momentum shifts, as Andreescu won her fourth three-setter in five matches in Miami this week.

World number one Ashleigh Barty maintained her winning run in Miami with her best performance of the 2021 tournament to date dispatching of Elina Svitolina to book a spot in the final.

Barty defeated fifth seed Svitolina 6-3 6-3 in Thursday's semi-final, hitting 27 winners and breaking her Ukrainian opponent five times.

The Australian had been down a match point in her opening clash of this year's Miami Open against Kristina Kucova but the 2019 champion has responded to every challenge since.

However, Barty needed three sets to overcome both Victoria Azarenka and Aryna Sabalenka in earlier rounds before making more light work of Svitolina to make it 11 straight wins in Miami, given 2020's event was cancelled.

Barty will play 2019 U.S. Open winner Bianca Andreescu in Saturday's final after she defeated Naomi Osaka's conqueror Maria Sakkari 7-6 (9-7) 3-6 7-6 (7-4) in Thursday's other semi-final.

"Yeah, I think it was," Barty said in her on-court interview when asked if it was her best match of the tournament.

"I think [with] Elina, you have to produce your best tennis. Happy with the way we were able to execute today."

Svitolina went into the match with a 5-1 head-to-head advantage over Barty, while the Australian had not played on foreign soil prior to the event since February 2020, opting to step away from the tour during the COVID-19 pandemic.

"With the head-to-head we had, I almost see myself as the underdog, I really do," Barty said.

"It gives me the chance to go out there and play with freedom. To play not careless but carefree tennis."

Barty has reinforced her world number one ranking from Osaka, who lost to Sakkari in the quarters, by progressing this far although adding a second Miami Open title will be top priority.

The 24-year-old 2019 French Open champion had a medical timeout between sets to tend to a preexisting abdominal issue but said she would be fine for the decider on Saturday.

"Yeah, I was a little bit sore," she said. "I got some assistance with some tape on it. But knowing we’ve got a day to recover tomorrow, I promise you I’ll be right as rain and then we’ll be good to go."

Eighth seed Andreescu booked her place in the decider with a strong three-set victory over 23rd seed Sakkari in a match which finished in the early hours of Friday morning.

The Canadian won in two hours and 42 minutes in a match full of momentum shifts, as Andreescu won her fourth three-setter in five matches in Miami this week.

Maria Sakkari insisted there was still room for improvement despite ending Naomi Osaka's 23-match winning streak in stunning fashion at the Miami Open.

Osaka had not lost for over a year prior to Wednesday's outing, putting together the ninth-longest unbeaten run seen on the WTA Tour since the start of 2000.

However, this year's Australian Open champion was simply unable to match her opponent's high standards in their quarter-final clash, resulting in a 6-0 6-4 triumph for the excellent Sakkari.

World number 25 Sakkari had battled hard to get past Jessica Pegula in the previous round – including saving six match points – but needed just 69 minutes to see off four-time grand slam champion Osaka, who managed just five winners during her surprisingly brief stint out on court.

Afterwards, Sakkari revealed how coach Tom Hill helped devise a strategy to trouble the second seed – albeit she had to come from 3-0 down after a difficult start to the second set.

"I don't think tennis-wise it was like the best tennis I have ever played in my life," said Sakkari, according to the WTA Tour's website.

"I think I executed our strategy with Tom really well. I just did what I had to do. I'm not gonna tell you what. What we discussed before the match, I just did it most of the match, except maybe a couple of games where things didn't go right."

Osaka's previous loss was back in February 2020, when she was also beaten in straight sets by Sara Sorribes Tormo at the Billie Jean King Cup.

Since then, she has won last year's US Open and then the first grand slam in 2021, though the loss to Sakkari did not come as a complete surprise to her having struggled for rhythm in Miami.

"She's a really big fighter so I knew it wasn't going to be easy. I felt like I haven't been playing well this whole tournament," Osaka said.

"I couldn't find a groove, so mentally it's really hard for me to play against really high-quality players with what I feel is low-quality tennis."

Next up for Sakkari in the semi-finals is another former grand slam champion – Bianca Andreescu.

Triumphant at Flushing Meadows in 2019, eighth seed Andreescu outlasted Sorribes Tormo 6-4 3-6 6-3 in the day's final match at the WTA Premier event.

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