Frances Tiafoe, Casper Ruud and Victoria Azarenka set to play at charity celebrity event Desert Smash 2023
Victoria Azarenka, Frances Tiafoe, and Casper Ruud will participate in Desert Smash 2023, a celebrity charity event, which is scheduled to take place on Tuesday, March 7.
The 19th edition of the annual event will kick off at the La Quinta Resort & Club near Indian Wells in the United States. It will feature amateur players, touring pros, and celebrities taking onto the music-infused court for an exhibition match. The proceeds of the same will go to charity.
This year, Tiafoe, Ruud, and Azarenka will take part in the event alongside Marta Kostyuk and Donna Vekic. The organizers took to social media to announce the date and the sale of tickets.
"Join us for the big match! Desert Smash is the most recognized celebrity tennis event in the world, bringing the biggest names in Hollywood, music & pro tennis together to battle on-court for charity," read the post.
The matches will be peppered with entertainment, including celebrity red-carpet arrivals and their pairing with the pros for a doubles match. It will be followed by "Desert Smash Bash," an evening after-party with a surprise musical performance.
This year, the organizers have partnered with the Playing For Change Foundation. The global non-profit organization offers 17 music programs across 13 countries to marginalized youth.
Victoria Azarenka will be managing both her appearances at Desert Smash and competing at Indian Wells 2023, which is scheduled to begin on Monday, March 6.
Victoria Azarenka enters R16 at the Qatar Open 2023
Victoria Azarenka sailed past her fellow wildcard Ipek Oz to enter the Round of 16 at the Qatar Open 2023. Azarenka lost her serve once in the match but went on to convert six break points on her opponent's serve. It eventually took her a little over an hour to close out the match, 6-1, 6-1.
She will now face the winner of the match between Bulgarian qualifier Viktoriya Tomova and seventh seed Belinda Bencic.
The former World No. 1 is eyeing her third singles title at the tournament this year after claiming it for two straight years in 2012 and 2013. She has also entered the women's doubles Round of 16 with Belgian Elise Mertens in the tournament. The duo will square off against Demi Schuurs and Desirae Krawczyk for a spot in the quarter-finals.
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It’s only a DAY ONE of Qatar TotalEnergies Open 2023 - but we make sure things are MOVING forward!🏃🏻♀️🎾 #qatartennis #wta #qteo2023 https://t.co/vDQ5ANvwzQ
Eighth seed Veronika Kudermetova also moved into the second round after overcoming her Czech opponent Barbora Krejcikova 6-4, 3-6, 7-6(5). She will now face the winner between wildcard Sofia Kenin and Liudmila Samsonova in the next round of the tournament.