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Victoria Azarenka shared a laugh with her peer Madison Keys during a recent practice session ahead of the 2024 Madrid Open.
Azarenka and Keys are set to kick off their Madrid campaigns on Thursday, April 25, after entering the main draw as the 23rd and 18th seeds, respectively. The duo have notably received a bye in their opening-round matches. Azarenka will take on Germany's Tatjana Maria, and Keys will lock horns with Irina-Camelia Begu in the second round.
Both Azarenka and Keys sweated it out on the court to prepare for their upcoming matches. The Belarusian was accompanied by her coach Maxime Tchoutakian and Keys had her coach-turned-fiance Bjorn Fratangelo by her side.
Azarenka posted on Instagram a photograph in which she could be seen laughing her heart out with Keys at the net as Frataneglo looked on and Tchoutakian was busy sorting tennis balls. She also poked fun at the two gentlemen in the frame for being clueless.
"Never not laughing with Madison Keys. Bjorn and my coach clearly were not on the same page."
Victoria Azarenka and Madison Keys have faced each other five times, with the former holding a 4-1 lead in their head-to-head.
Victoria Azarenka and Madison Keys hold 1-0 head-to-head leads over their respective second-round opponents at Madrid Open 2024
Victoria Azarenka and Madison Keys will be confident of making it to the third round of the 2024 Madrid Open as they have a winning record against their respective second-round opponents.
Azarenka will be facing Tatjana Maria on Thursday, April 25, for the second time in her career. The last time she faced Maria was at the 2019 Acapulco Open, where she scored a 6-2, 6-1 win.
Similarly, Keys also has the psychological advantage over Irina-Camelia Begu going into the second round as their previous meeting ended in her favor. She drew Begu in the pre-quarterfinals of the 2016 Miami Open and ended up winning 6-3, 6-1.
Moreover, Maria and Begu will enter the second round more fatigued than the two veterans as they have already played a match at the La Caja Magica.
Maria faced stern resistance from the USA's Peyton Stearns in the first round as she secured a 6-7 (4), 6-2, 7-6 (5) after grinding it out for two hours and 48 minutes. On the other hand, Begu overcame a gritty opponent in Linda Fruhvirtova 6-4, 7-6 (0) in her opener.
