Welcome to this week's edition of "Hot Shots," a USOpen.org-curated look at what you may have missed on social media over the past week. As competition concluded in Madrid, the tour moved to Rome for more clay-court action. Meanwhile, a tennis legend celebrates a milestone.
Back in January, American tennis legend Chrissie Evert opened up about her recent ovarian cancer diagnosis in an ESPN feature. The former world No. 1, winner of 19 major titles, advocated for early screenings and learning about family history as she started her chemotherapy journey.
This week, Evert tweeted that she had completed all six treatment sessions. A photo showed her about to ring a symbolic bell.
After defeating Rafael Nadal, Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz downed Germany’s second-seeded Alexander Zverev 6-3, 6-1 in the Mutua Madrid Open’s final for his fourth title of 2022. The 19-year-old Alcaraz wrote that it was difficult to put his emotions into words. Instead, he let photos speak for themselves on Instagram.
Iga Swiatek has enjoyed an incredible season in 2022: She’s won four tournaments, ascended to world No. 1 status in March, and is currently on a 26-match winning streak dating back to February. After missing the Mutua Madrid Open due to shoulder pain, the Polish 20-year-old has already notched three victories in Rome on her way to defending her Internazionali BNL d'Italia title.
View this post on Instagram
Friday morning saw Swiatek sweep 2019 US Open-winner Bianca Andreescu in the quarterfinals. Andreescu returned to professional tennis in April after more than six months away from the tour. She took some time to mark Mother’s Day on Sunday.
Though she ultimately fell to Tunisia's Ons Jabeur in an epic three-set Mutua Madrid Open final, the United States’ Jessica Pegula still jumped to world No. 11 in the WTA rankings thanks to her Spanish success. She celebrated the “little victories” before a hard-won first-round match against Liudmila Samsonova at the Internazionali BNL d'Italia – never losing her sense of humor.
