Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova Wins Hard-Fought Match to End 15-Month Winless Run

ParallelDesk 12:15:26 PM, 27 April 2023

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Madrid, Spain - Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, the former French Open runner-up, claimed a much-needed win at the Madrid Open on Wednesday, April 26, defeating Jimenez Kasintseva in a hard-fought match that went the distance. Pavlyuchenkova, who had gone 15 months without a win in the main draw, shook off early jitters and cruised through the first set. However, Kasintseva fought back to even the match in the second set. The deciding set was a nail-biting affair, with both players giving their all. In the end, it was Pavlyuchenkova who prevailed, winning 6-1, 6-7(5), 7-6(7). The victory was a significant achievement for Pavlyuchenkova, who had struggled on tour since suffering a left knee injury after the Melbourne Majors last year. The injury had forced her to miss the rest of the season and put a halt to her impressive form. But Pavlyuchenkova is no stranger to adversity. She had been a fixture in the top 20 rankings for years before her injury-induced sabbatical, and she has fought hard to regain her form since returning to the tour this year. Her previous win in the main draw came back in January 2022 at the Australian Open. She defeated Samantha Stosur and Anna Bondar in the opening rounds before losing to Sorana Cirstea in the third round. Pavlyuchenkova spoke candidly about her struggles on social media, saying, "Due to the pain for a long time, now the injury is limiting me physically and mentally to compete and practice fully. After rehabbing for months this year and only played at 3 events, the last two tournaments showed me that the pain was still there and I wasn’t ready." Despite her injury woes, Pavlyuchenkova has remained a force to be reckoned with on the court. She will face fellow Russian Daria Kasatkina in the second round of the Madrid Open on Friday, April 28. This will be their fifth meeting on tour. Kasatkina, who earned direct entry to the second round, comes into the tournament on the back of a straight-sets loss over Paula Badosa in the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix first round. Pavlyuchenkova will look to build on her impressive victory over Kasintseva as she continues her quest to return to the top of the women's game.