Aryna Sabalenka, the reigning champion, secured a spot in the Madrid Open's Round of 16 with a 6-1, 6-4 victory over Jaqueline Cristian in just one hour and 25 minutes. She will now face Naomi Osaka in the next round. Sabalenka has won 14 consecutive matches and expressed her satisfaction with her performance, particularly in the first set.
She even managed to hit a one-handed backhand, which she described as the 'shot of my life.' Meanwhile, Venus Williams achieved her first win since the US Open, teaming up with Katie Boulter to defeat Jiang Xinyu and Xu Yifan in a doubles match. Williams, who has been struggling in singles with a 10-match losing streak, enjoyed her experience playing alongside Boulter. In other news, Iga Swiatek's struggles continued as she withdrew from her match against Ann Li due to a virus.
Swiatek, who has yet to advance beyond the quarterfinals this season, revealed that she has been battling a virus and had her temperature and blood pressure checked during the match. After taking medication, she initially continued playing but eventually pulled out, citing a lack of energy and feeling unwell.
Swiatek will now focus on recovering before the Italian Open. The men's singles saw Alexander Zverev defeat Mariano Navone, while defending champion Casper Ruud and third seed Felix Auger-Aliassime also advanced to the next round.