World No. 52 Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova secured her first victory in three months by defeating Katie Boulter 6-3, 6-3 in the opening round of the Rome tournament. This win was significant as it ended a series of four consecutive losses that began in February after the tournament in Abu Dhabi.
Reflecting on the win and her feelings after a prolonged period without a victory, Pavlyuchenkova shared:
I hadn`t won or played full matches since almost Australia. I think I only played two or three matches after the Australian Open, and I lost all of them. So, of course, it was very emotional to play today. And there`s still a feeling that I`m not 100% where I want to be.
But I just fought for every point, and I didn`t care about the result anymore. I just wanted to play as many matches as possible, I guess, to get into shape for Roland Garros.
When asked about her upcoming opponent, Sofia Kenin, Anastasia noted the recency of their last encounter:
Actually, the last match we played was in Abu Dhabi. I won that one, and after that, my results went downhill. But in that match, I played well, actively, and I`m also satisfied with my game today. I just need to keep going and gain form, and I hope everything works out.
Marcus Prine