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Fixture: (15) Victoria Azarenka vs Alycia Parks
Date: April 28, 2023
Tournament: Mutua Madrid Open 2023
Round: Second Round (Round of 64)
Venue: Caja Magica, Madrid, Spain
Category: WTA 1000
Surface: Outdoor clay
Prize money: €7,652,174
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Amazon Prime Video
Victoria Azarenka vs Alycia Parks preview
Two-time Major champion Victoria Azarenka will lock horns with World No. 54 Alycia Parks in the second round of the 2023 Madrid Open on Friday.
Azarenka started the year on a strong note, making it to the quarterfinals of the Adelaide International 1 and then the semifinals of the Australian Open. However, since the Australian swing, she has struggled to notch up wins consistently.
The Dubai Tennis Championships is the only tournament where Azarenka has won two matches in a row since her run Down Under.
The former World No. 1 started her clay season at the Charleston Open. Azarenka defeated fellow Grand Slam champion Sloane Stephens in the first round, but lost to Anna Kalinskaya in the next. She made it to the second round in Madrid courtesy of a first-round bye.
Parks, meanwhile, was drawn against Anna-Karolina Schmiedlova in the first round here. The American broke her opponent's serve twice to race to a 5-1 lead in the opening set. This proved to be more than enough for her to clinch the set.
Parks trailed 5-2 in the second set, but dug deep to take the set into a tie-break. However, she came up short in it as the match was pushed to a decider. The American fell behind 2-1 in the third set, but ran away with the next five games to win the match 6-2, 6-7 (5), 6-2.
Victoria Azarenka vs Alycia Parks head-to-head
The two never faced off on the tour prior to this, so the head-to-head stands at 0-0 for now.
Victoria Azarenka vs Alycia Parks odds
(Odds are sourced from BetMGM)
Victoria Azarenka vs Alycia Parks prediction
Parks fought hard against Schmiedlove in the opening round to score her first main-draw win of the clay season. She fired 14 aces, while winning 71% of her first-serve points. She even defended her second serve quite well, winning 78% of those points.
Azarenka's recent results haven't been too promising, but she'll fancy her chances against Parks. The 22-year-old's best results have come on indoor hardcourts. However, the conditions in Madrid play to the American's strengths.
If Parks is able to maintain her serving stats from the previous round, she stands a fighting chance against the Belarusian. Azarenka is likely to gain the upper hand in the rallies and as the two-time runner-up in Madrid, she certainly knows her way around these courts.
Neither has been in top form as of late, so it appears to be a fairly balanced encounter. Azarenka's experience gives her an edge, but it wouldn't be too surprising to see Parks pull off an upset win either.
Pick: Victoria Azarenka to win in three sets.
