Azarenka, Del Potro compete in charity match in Madrid

A crew of motivated stars of the Mutua Madrid Open came out in full force on Thursday night for the Manolo Santana Mutua Charity Night.

Eight players were split into two teams, Team Feli and Team Simona. Feliciano Lopez will be the 2019 tournament director, replacing current director Manolo Santana. His team featured 2012 Madrid runner-up Victoria Azarenka, last year’s finalist Kristina Mladenovic and Richard Gasquet.

Team Simona was made up of two-time defending champion Simona Halep, Jack Sock, Carla Suarez Navarro and Indian Wells winner Juan Martin del Potro.

Mladenovic, a last-minute replacement for CoCo Vandeweghe, enjoyed the charity exhibition inside the stadium, the Caja Magica.

The occasion marked Azarenka's first ball struck on European soil since Wimbledon.

In the end it was Team Feli that won the check for charity.

The main draws for both the ATP and WTA were made on Friday in Madrid, with action kicking off this weekend.

Coverage begins on Tennis Channel and Tennis Channel Plus on Sunday