Week two of tennis action on the green pastures saw Madison Keys collect her second career title at the Aegon Classic Birmingham, also her second trophy on grass. The young American is assured of her rise into the top 10 rankings for the first time in her young and promising career.

On the island of Mallorca in the Mediterranean Sea, Frenchwoman Caroline Garcia racked in her third title at the inaugural Mallorca Open, the first grass court tournament ever held in Spain. With the title, Garcia grabs the last seeding for Wimbledon which is now just a week away.

Last week’s titlists

Keys (left) and runner-up Barbora Strycova pose with their silverware after the trophy presentation ceremony in Birmingham last weekend. Photo credit: Steve Bardens/Getty Images.
Keys and runner-up Barbora Strycova (right) pose with their silverware after the trophy presentation ceremony in Birmingham last weekend. Photo credit: Steve Bardens/Getty Images.

Madison Keys was glad to have finally arrived on grass. After making the last eight at Wimbledon last year, the American was seeking to continue her grass court exploits. After a busy month of May which saw her reach the final in Rome and the round of 16 at the French Open for the first time, the American’s momentum did not seem to come to a halt in her debut tournament on grass in Birmingham.

After two comprehensive wins, she was taken to a decider in her quarterfinal and semifinal matches against Jelena Ostapenko and Carla Suárez Navarro respectively. In the final, she swept past 2014 runner-up Barbora Strycova in straight sets for the title. 

Having won Eastbourne in 2014, the American now has completed the Birmingham-Eastbourne sweep, becoming the first player to do so since Nathalie Tauziat who won Eastbourne in 1995 and Birmingham two years later. It was a dream week for Keys as she cracked the top 10 rankings after beating Suárez Navarro in the last four. Thus, Keys became the first American this millennium to crack the top 10, the last being Serena Williams all the way back in 1999.

The tournament was hit with multiple rain delays, most notably all play scheduled for Thursday was cancelled after a heavy and long donwpour. Three out of four seeds in the top half were shown the way out in the first round, among them top seed Agnieszka Radwanska who fell to eventual semifinalist CoCo Vandeweghe. The only seed to advance past the first hurdle was Brit Johanna Konta, the ninth seed.

In contrast, the bottom half saw all seeds make the quarterfinals with the exception of fifth seed Petra Kvitova. The Czech bowed out to an inspired Ostapenko in the second round in three sets. The only all-seeded quarterfinal match-up saw defending champion and second-seeded Angelique Kerber take on sixth seed Suárez Navarro but it was the Spaniard who got the better of the defending champion.

Garcia (right) was crowned inaugural Mallorca Open champion, Anastasija Sevastova (right) of Latvia finished runner-up. Photo credit: Mallorca Open Facebook.
Garcia (right) was crowned inaugural Mallorca Open champion, Anastasija Sevastova (right) of Latvia finished runner-up. Photo credit: Mallorca Open Facebook.

Spain has a generally been a clay court destination but 2016 marked the debut of the first ever grass court tournament held in the nation, the Mallorca Open. Played on the island of Mallorca situated in the Balearic archipelago, Caroline Garcia became the first player to lift the Toni Nadal Trophy, named after Rafael Nadal’s coach and uncle.

Throughout the sunny week in Mallorca, the sixth-seeded Garcia was taken to a decider twice, in her quarterfinal matches and semifinal matches. In the last eight, she survived her biggest test of the week over third seed Ana Ivanovic. She then squared off against Anastasija Sevastova for the title, the Latvian was making her first final since returning to the tour and her first since 2010 in Estoril where she won the title. The Frenchwoman proved too much for the Latvian in the end, Garcia prevailing in a straight set win for her third WTA title and second in about a month.

In her first match as world number two and Grand Slam champion, top seed and home hope Garbiñe Muguruza crumbled to eventual semifinalist Kirsten Flipkens. Second seed Jelena Jankovic on the other hand, scored consecutive wins for the first time since March en route to the last four where she lost to Sevastova in three sets. Garcia, alongside Jankovic and Ivanovic, were the only seeds to make at least the quarterfinals.

Kristina Mladenovic and Yulia Putintseva, who were seeded fourth and fifth respectively lost in the opening round whereas eighth-seeded Eugenie Bouchard and seventh-seeded Laura Siegemund were ousted in the second round by Sevastova and eventual quarterfinalist Sorana Cirstea respectively.

Rankings

WTA's newly-released top 10 rankings as displayed on its website.
WTA's newly-released top 10 rankings as displayed on its website.

The Birmingham title sees Keys go from world number 16 to a new career-high ranking of 10th. For the first time since 2005, the United States has three representations in the top 10 rankings. Strycova now sits comfortably in the top 30 at number 26, up four places from 30th after finishing runner-up in Birmingham. Another American, Birmingham semifinalist Vandeweghe also hits a new career-high ranking, vaulting from 32nd into the top 30 at 29th.

Progressing down the rankings, Garcia sits at 32nd, an improvement of seven places after winning Mallorca. Yanina Wickmayer of Belgium goes up from 49th to 46th after a quarterfinal result in Birmingham whereas compatriot and Mallorca semifinalist Flipkens is inching closer to a top 50 return after moving back into the top 60 at number 52. Bulgaria’s Tsvetana Pironkova, who emerged from qualifying and had a run to the last eight in Birmingham, leaps from 72nd to 59th. Mallorca runner-up Sevastova is back in the top 70 at 67th, moving up fifteen places from 82nd.

On the other hand, Mladenovic and Sabine Lisicki saw their rankings take a tumble after failing to defend their Birmingham quarterfinal and semifinal points respectively from last year. Mladenovic falls out of the top 30 and is now behind her compatriot Garcia at number 33. Lisicki’s ranking takes a 17-spot dive from 64th to 81st, the German is out of the top 70 for the first time since June 2011.

Road to Singapore

The current top 10 in the Road to Singapore as displayed on WTA's website.
The current top 10 in the Road to Singapore as displayed on WTA's website.

Keys moves into the top 8 eight standings in the race to the WTA Finals at seventh, going up from her previous placing of 13th. The American now has a shot at qualifying for her maiden year-end championships. Strycova moves into the top 15 at 13th whereas Garcia cracks the top 20, rising from 23rd to 16th. Vandeweghe surges into the top 40 standings at 35th, up eight places from 43rd. Also, after her run to the last eight in Birmingham, Pironkova leaps into the top 40 from 51st and she currently sits at number 37.

Flipkens cracks the top 50, going up from 63rd to 49th. Jankovic improves in the race as well after her semifinal showing in Mallorca, rising from 88th to 72nd. Paraguayan Veronica Cepede Royg enters the top 100 standings at 91st, by virtue making the quarterfinals in Mallorca.

This week’s action

With Wimbledon now a week away, the final chance of preparation for the third Grand Slam of the year will see tennis action head to Eastbourne for the Aegon International Eastbourne. Being the largest grass court  tournament outside of Wimbledon, it features a 48-player field with all 16 seeds receiving byes into the second round. Radwanska spearheads the draw once again with nine other top 20 stars in action as well.

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About the author
Silas Low
21, Malaysian. A fan of WTA Tennis since 23rd January 2009.