The 2017 Mallorca Open will attract a big field in its second edition after its inaugural version last year. With players like Victoria Azarenka and Eugenie Bouchard listed to play, it’ll automatically draw big crowds. A lot of people will be looking forward to seeing Azarenka on the court. Remember, she was dominant in the hard court part of the season (22-1) before suffering an injury. Can she get back into form before Wimbledon? This will be one of her opportunities to do so. The women’s side of things is wide open right now.
Last year, there was a surprise title winner. Who will spring a surprise in 2017? The competition in the 32-player main draw will begin on Monday, June 19.
Event Details
Event: Mallorca Open
Category: WTA International Level
Date: June 19-25, 2017
Location: Santa Ponsa Tennis Club – Mallorca, Spain
With a prize money allotment of $250,000, this tournament is not significant for its purse. It matters because it is an attempt by Spanish tennis to develop all-surface players and host a non-clay tournament. Toni Nadal, Rafa’s uncle, is the tournament director here. It is a celebration of tennis in Spain.
Points
Champion – 280
Runner-up – 180
Semifinal – 110
Quarterfinal – 60
Round of 16 – 30
Former Champions and Results (5 Years)
Year Champion Runner-up Score
2016: Caroline Garcia def. Anastasija Sevastova – 6-3, 6-4
Player Info:
World No. 18 Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova captured two titles this season, lifting the trophies in Monterrey and Rabat. She will be the No. 1 seed in Mallorca. Pavlyuchenkova had a horrible French Open, where she lost in the second round to 97th-ranked Veronica Cepede Royg. The Russian is a decent 24-11 for the season but she has lost fairly early in the last two tournaments. Will the surface change bring any respite?
Last year, Caroline Garcia became the first Mallorca Open champion after defeating Anastasija Sevastova in the final. The French was so dominant she controlled the match from the first minute until the very last point. Garcia would like to emulate that feat again going into Wimbledon. She made the quarterfinals in Paris, her home Slam, and is now ranked 21st in the world. If she can maintain her good form, it won’t be long until she hits the top 15. Her win in Mallorca proved she can play and win on grass. Will she defend her title?
Former World No. 1 Victoria Azarenka has been handed a wild card for Mallorca Open as she gears up for a return to Wimbledon following the birth of her son last year.
Azarenka, who won the Brisbane, Indian Wells and Miami tournaments prior to announcing her pregnancy in July 2016, is currently unranked. In one of her interviews, she said she loves playing, and that’s the only reason why she’s playing again. That hunger is still there and the fire is still burning. It won’t be easy to come back and start winning matches but given Vika’s competitive nature, it won’t be a shock to see her in the winner’s circle again.
Sabine Lisicki will return to the WTA Tour at the Mallorca Open after missing the first five and a half months of 2017 with a shoulder injury. The 2013 Wimbledon finalist has been away from the tennis courts since the Hawaii Open in Honolulu last November, the German was forced to retire in her quarterfinal match. The injury was so severe that she was forced to withdraw from the Australian Open but she is finally ready to return, with the grass-court season her top priority.
Lisicki is one of the biggest servers on the women’s tour and will be one of the biggest threats on the grass courts. It’s never easy when you’re coming back from an injury but Lisicki is the kind of player who can adapt quickly to the fast surface. She might not win the title in Mallorca but she has the game to upset big players when playing well.
Santa Ponsa Tennis Club
The facility near Mallorca’s scenic beaches has several clay and grass courts, plus a clubhouse, pro shop, and teaching facilities. It mixes a center for tennis instruction in Spain with a tourist center in a classically beautiful part of the world.
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