Mallorca Tennis Open 2019 Review

Walking in through the gates of the prestigious Santa Ponça Tennis Club, we were met by a crowd of people assembled around one of the practice courts in the hopes to catch a glimpse of Rafael Nadal. Keen to sneak a closer look at the Mallorcan tennis champion, I joined his fans for a couple of minutes as we watched him train for Wimbledon with his coach Carlos Moyá on the only grass courts on the island.

The first match of the day between Swiss number 3 Belinda Bencic and American Shelby Rogers started at midday. After a strong effort, Rogers eventually succumbed to a back injury at one hour and 47 minutes of play as she trailed 5-7, 6-3, 3-1. It was clear her injury had been giving her some grief throughout the game.

Up next, 17-year-old American star Amanda Anisimova who is seeded at number 5 took to the stage with France’s world number 11 Alizé Cornet. Anisimova moved into her first-ever WTA grass-court quarterfinal after defeating Cornet in straight sets: 6-2 6-4.

The Center Court has a capacity of 3000 people and, for the much anticipated third and final game of the afternoon, it was full to the brim. Luckily, the heat of the sun had worn out slightly by this point for the crowds and the players. Kerber had a strong start, breaking Sharapova’s service in the first game. As the duel progressed, Sharapova missed three counter break opportunities in the second game and another in the fourth (3-1). Leading the German former number 1 to conquer the Russian in just two sets (6-2, 6-3) after one hour and 31 minutes of play to move into the quarterfinals of the tournament.

It was a brilliant day out for the whole family to enjoy. Some people brought in their own picnics whilst others escaped the heat of the sun to the food hall. Here, we discovered a fantastic assortment of food stalls serving up tasty treats like pizza, sushi poke bowls, burgers, sandwiches and more. The gelato from Sóller appeared to be a huge attraction, as it was a warm day and people sought to cool down. Next to the food hall, another court was hosting the doubles competitions where some fantastic tennis was also being played over the course of the afternoon.

The semi-finals saw Kerber and Bencic go head to head but Bencic came back from a set down to overcome the reigning Wimbledon Champion Kerber. Number 7 seed Sofia Kenin breezed through three sets to reach her 3rd WTA final of the year after upsetting number 2 seed Anastasija Sevastova from Latvia.

The final saw 20-year-old American Sofia Kenin save three match points against Switzerland’s Belinda Bencic to claim the 2019 women’s singles title within two hours and 45 minutes 6-7(2) 7-6(5) 6-4. Ans Kirsten Flipkens and Johanna Larsson won the Mallorca Open 2019 doubles title after defeating Maria Jose Martinez and Sara Sorribes in straight sets 6-2 6-4.

This is a not-to-be-missed event for tennis fans, as it gathers some of the best female players in the world at the Santa Ponça Tennis Club. Keep an eye on our Events Calendar, we'll update the dates of the 2020 Mallorca Open as soon as they're announced.