The Mutua Madrid Open has announced that as from 2021, it will be a two-week tournament. The extension reaffirms what the organizers call the "spirit of growth" at the only combined ATP Masters 1000 and WTA Premier Mandatory to be played in Europe.

It means the next Mutua Madrid Open will take place from April 27 to May 9 at the Caja Mágica in 2021.

“We’re happy to have achieved the goal of becoming a two-week tournament”, said Feliciano López, director of the Mutua Madrid Open. “We sought this expansion and it is well-deserved, necessary and will allow us to enjoy the best tennis in the world at the Caja Mágica for a few more days. I’m sure that both our sponsors and all the fans will welcome this news with open arms, as well as the city of Madrid, which will receive more visitors for a longer period of time.”

“The Mutua Madrid Open is held in incredibly high regard across the tennis community”, said Steve Simon, WTA Chairman and CEO. "This two-week format will allow the Madrid organizers to showcase this world-class event in the beautiful city of Madrid as truly one of the premier events on the WTA Tour and within the sport of tennis”.

“It’s fantastic how much the tournament has grown since 2002, when we played its first edition at Casa de Campo”, said Manolo Santana, the Mutua Madrid Open’s honorary president. “The two weeks of competition we’ll have as from next year will help us become one of the most important events on the calendar”.

Madrid Memories 2019: Brilliant Bertens denies Halep

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  • Bertens got the better of Stephens in the other semi, taking 90 minutes exactly to seal a 6-2, 7-5 victory.
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  • Among the headline upsets in qualifying was wildcard Marta Kostyuk’s 6-0, 2-6, 6-0 win over No.1 seed Amanda Anisimova, while Vera Zvonareva would oust Anastasia Potapova.
  • In the main draw, Petra Kvitova made short work of Sofia Kenin, storming to a 78-minute win by a score of 6-1, 6-4.
  • Naomi Osaka ensured 2016 finalist Dominika Cibulkova’s last Madrid outing was a brief one as she claimed a 6-2, 7-6(6) first-round victory.
  • The big shock of the opening round came as France’s Pauline Parmentier defeated No.6 seed Elina Svitolina, 6-4, 7-6(6).
  • Petra Martic would enjoy a profitable week, with her run to the quarterfinals highlighted by her 7-5, 7-6(2) success over Garbiñe Muguruza. After winning in Istanbul, it was her sixth successive win of a nine-victory streak.
  • Karolina Pliskova flirted with defeat against Dayana Yastremska as she fended off an incredible five match points before securing a 5-7, 7-6(5), 6-3 success.
  • In the second round, Sloane Stephens made it four wins over Victoria Azarenka in succession as she bounced back from the loss of the second set to win, 6-4, 2-6, 6-2. She had lost her first three encounters against the Belarusian.
  • Ashleigh Barty was also taken the distance before overcoming Danielle Collins, 6-1, 1-6, 6-1 in a topsy-turvy affair that lasted only 85 minutes.
  • Completing play on the first day of second round action, Belinda Bencic won a stunning 7-6(4), 2-6, 6-3 success over a resurgent Svetlana Kuznetsova in what was arguably the match of the tournament.
  • Simona Halep was up bright and early on the Tuesday to book her third-round spot with a 7-5, 6-1 over Britain’s Johanna Konta.
  • Bertens got the better of Stephens in the other semi, taking 90 minutes exactly to seal a 6-2, 7-5 victory.

As part of the European indoor hard-court swing at the end of the season, the Mutua Madrid Open was first played as an ATP Masters 1000 event in 2002. In 2009, the tournament underwent the biggest growth in its history when it moved to the Caja Mágica, changed surfaces to clay and became a combined event with the addition of the women’s WTA Premier Mandatory competition. 

In 2021, the Mutua Madrid Open will start on Tuesday, April 27 with the WTA qualifying round, while the first round of the main draw in the women’s tournament will take place on Thursday, April 29. The ATP qualifiers will begin on Friday, April 30, with the first round starting on Sunday, May 2.

2019 Madrid highlights: Bertens triumphs over Halep