First day of Masters 1000 combined in Madrid with a lot of Italy on the pitch, especially in the women’s draw. They take the cover Luciano Darderiwhat against Gael Monfils got his first “1000” win, and Sara Erraniauthor of epic comeback against Caroline Wozniacki. Good too Lucia Bronzettiimmediately tout instead Martina Trevisan and Elizabeth Cocciaretto.
Darderi beats Monfils
Hardly a day Darderi will forget. Today Luciano has in fact obtained his first victory in a Masters 1000 category tournament beating in two sets Gael Monfils with the result 6-4 6-2. The Italian born in 2002 had a virtually flawless match, starting splendidly by immediately snatching the serve from his opponent, who was ahead 40-0 in the game, taking advantage of the Frenchman’s many (39) gratuitous errors and with four breaks in total – only one the one obtained by Monfils – closes the match in one hour and seventeen minutes. On to the next round Darderi will face Taylor Fritz (seeded n°12) for the first time in his career.
Errani feat against Wozniacki
A few days before his 37th birthday (which he will celebrate next Monday) Errani she gave herself an early gift by coming from behind (3-6 7-5 7-5) the former world n°1 Caroline Wozniaki, returned to competition last year after an almost three-year hiatus. After a first set easily controlled by the Dane, the Italian n°100 WTA began to serve better and, above all, he changed his attitude, demonstrating that he wants to win the match at all costs and not getting demoralized even when the Wozniacki he broke her serve in both the 2nd and 3rd sets when serving for the respective sets. In the second round Errani will face the No. 11 seed Beatriz Haddad Maia, against whom he won three of the previous four, the last of which however dates back to 2018, right here in Madrid.
Bronzetti also advances
A more agile victory instead Bronzettiwho he beat for the third time in his career, out of three direct comparisons, Varava Gracheva. Match dominated by Lucia, who in the first set broke her opponent on three occasions and gave up the serve only once and then in the second set she broke the serve in the eighth game to take the lead at 5-3 and close on serve without giving up even a 15. In the 2nd round of Madrid Bronzetti she will face WTA n°4 for the first time in her career Elena Rybakina.
Trevisan and Cocciaretto immediately out
Straight out Trevisan and Cocciaretto. Martina gave in to Sloane Stephens at the end of a marathon that lasted over three and a quarter hours and ended 6-3 5-7 6-4. The one between the Italian n°76 WTA and the American who recently won in Rouen was a hard-fought match from the start, characterized by constant breaks and counter-breaks until the third set, in which the native of Plantation took the only break in the partial in the ninth game.
Comeback defeat (3-6 6-4 6-4) instead Cocciaretto against Magda Linette. The Italian n°54 WTA started well in the first set, immediately breaking the serve and reacting to the counter-break suffered in the sixth game by winning the next three games to close the partial. In the next two sets, however, the inertia of the match changes, with the Pole taking the field, forcing her opponent to move back. In the second the n°48 took the lead by two breaks, only to give up one before closing on the second time she found herself serving for the set, while in the third, after a break and immediate counter-break, she broke the serve in the seventh game to Elisabetta, who at 5-4 down got a break chance which she didn’t exploit, allowing her opponent to close in two hours and ten minutes.
