Now ranked 19th, Azarenka broke her rival five times and managed to save five break points.It was the first time that Azarenka played Sonmez, a 22-year-old from Turkey who produced her first career tour-level win against Arantxa Rus on Monday. Azarenka, who is from Belarus, was a semifinalist in Berlin in 2021. Victoria Azarenka AFP FILE PHOTOThe two-time Grand Slam champion has never won a title on grass.
Currently ranked 113th, Osaka was the only player to take a set from top-ranked Iga Swiatek at the French Open and followed that up with a quarterfinal spot last week in 's-Hertogenbosch, a warm-up event for Wimbledon.Former US Open champion Raducanu made her breakthrough at Wimbledon by advancing to the fourth round in 2021.She will be playing there for the first time in two years after undergoing wrist and ankle surgery in 2023.