3 Things to Know: May 5

Louisa Chirico, a U.S. qualifier, is into the semifinals of Madrid. (AP Photo)

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American qualifier Louisa Chirico came into this week ranked 130th on tour and with nine WTA singles wins to her name. Now, the 19-year-old is into the semifinals of one of the world's most prestigious clay-court tournaments. It started—after reaching the main draw—with a victory over veteran Monica Niculescu, followed by a three-set upset of former French Open champion Ana Ivanovic. She benefited from a walkover from Victoria Azarenka in the third round of the Madrid Open, and then on Thursday beat Daria Gavrilova, 7-6 (1), 6-2, for a spot in the semis. Chirico nearly missed out on playing the tournament, but a spate of withdrawals made her admission a reality. Now she finds herself facing Dominika Cibulkova for a spot in a WTA Premier-level final.

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It's been nine months since their infamous clash at the Rogers Cup, where Nick Kyrgios was blasted for the inappropriate comments he made about Stan Wawrinka (and Thanasi Kokkinakis, and Donna Vekic). Lo and behold, the pair faced off in the second round of Madrid yesterday, with the 21-year-old Australian prevailing, 7-6 (7), 7-6 (2). Their last two matches ended with retirements, but this fourth meeting went off without a hitch amidst a packed crowd eager for a bloodbath.

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After pulling out of Madrid at the last moment with a back injury, a “frustrated” Roger Federer said he hopes to play the Masters 1000 in Rome next week. “I would rather have it being the back rather than the knee,” he said. If the world No. 3 doesn’t play in Rome, he will have only played three matches between the Australian Open and French Open.