Ajla Tomljanovic’s best win of 2022 came when she defeated Spain’s Garbiñe Muguruza — but any chance of a repeat shock from Australia’s number one in the Madrid Open has been ruthlessly snuffed out.
Key points:Ajla Tomljanovic has been defeated at the Madrid Open by former French Open and Wimbledon champion Garbiñe Muguruza, 7-5, 6-2The Aussie is ranked number one domestically and number 38 in the world after the retirement of Ash BartyBritain’s Emma Raducanu and Japan’s Naomi Osaka also recorded victories in MadridFriday’s first-round clash in Madrid’s Monolo Santana Stadium had looked a potential golden opportunity for Tomljanovic to repeat her shock Indian Wells triumph of last October over the two-time grand slam champ.
After all, the Spanish world number nine was playing her first match since an opening-round defeat in this year’s edition of Indian Wells in early March and looked to be a vulnerable target after taking time off to treat a shoulder problem.
However, while the US-based Australian pushed Muguruza in the opening set, once the Spaniard had brushed away any rust and started to unfurl the power, she proved a convincing 7-5, 6-2 winner.
The former French Open and Wimbledon champion looked refreshed after her break and, following an edgy start, broke Tomljanovic’s serve five times in the 1-hour-39-minute encounter.
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“I went out without a lot of expectation, not knowing with lack of matches how it was gonna feel out there, but that’s it,” the WTA tour champion Muguruza said afterwards.
“I took the energy from the crowd more this time than other years. In other years, I can’t get over sometimes the nerves.
Muguruza is looking for her best run on the Madrid clay, having never progressed beyond the last 16. For Tomljanovic, it turned out this was hardly the result — or draw — she’d hoped for after having just been elevated to her equal career-best ranking of 38.
Elsewhere at the WTA 1000 event, British comet Emma Raducanu continued her clay-court education by winning 11 of her last 12 games to beat Czech Tereza Martincova for the second time in a fortnight, 7-6, (7-3), 6-0.
Emma Raducanu has cycled through four coaches in the past year.(Getty Images: Oscar J. Barroso)It was Raducanu’s first match since splitting from coach Torben Beltz earlier this week and the British Lawn Tennis Association’s head of women’s tennis, Iain Bates, was on hand to join her team for the week in Madrid.
Another big name, Naomi Osaka, was back on clay for the first time since she pulled out of the French Open amid mental health struggles, and made an impressive return, with a 6-3, 6-1 victory over Russia’s Anastasia Potapova, who was fresh from winning her maiden title in Istanbul.
“I’m honestly trying to be more positive with myself,” Osaka said.
“This year, I came a week early to train on red clay, so just trying to give myself more chances to do better.
“To be able to do it in two sets, for me, it’s a really good starting block.”
AAP/ABC