custody battle ensued. 2017: Return to tour, then custody battle Azarenka returned to competitive tennis at the Mallorca Open (19–25 June), winning her first match against Risa Ozaki after saving three match points in the final set. She lost in the second round to Ana Konjuh. At Wimbledon, Azarenka used her protected ranking to enter the main draw. She came back from a set down to defeat American teenager CiCi Bellis in the first round. In the second round, she completed the first straight sets win of her return by knocking out 15th seed Elena Vesnina. In the third round, Azarenka beat Heather Watson in a three-set match in 2 hours and 6 minutes. She was beaten by world No. 2, Simona Halep in the fourth round in straight sets. In mixed-doubles event, Azarenka teamed up with the former world number one in men doubles Nenad Zimonjic where they lost in the first round of the championship to the 2016 Wimbledon mixed-doubles champion, Henri Kontinen and Heather Watson, in straight sets at the same day when Azarenka defeated Watson in the women's singles event. In August 2017, Azarenka's custody battle for her eight-month old son resulted in her withdrawal from that year's US Open. She also missed the 2017 Fed Cup final, in which her native Belarus lost 2–3 to the United States. 2018: Return to top 100, Wimbledon mixed-doubles final Azarenka originally received a wild card for the Australian Open, but she withdrew from the tournament due to her ongoing custody battle. On 16 January 2018, it was announced that Azarenka had won her custody battle hearing, and was due to resume her career with the Indian Wells Open. She lost to Sloane Stephens in the third round. At the Miami Open, she set up a rematch against Stephens after defeating Karolína Plíšková in the quarterfinal round in straight sets. She lost in three sets. With her run to the semifinals, Azarenka returned to the top 100 for the first time since returning to tour. At the Madrid Open, Azarenka lost in round two to Karolína Plíšková. At the Italian Open, she was defeated in the opening round by Naomi Osaka. At the French Open, Azarenka was defeated in the first round by Kateřina Siniaková. Azarenka started the grass-court season at the Mallorca Open, where she lost in the second round to Lucie Šafářová. At Wimbledon, she lost in