Aryna Sabalenka powered through Romania's Jaqueline Cristian with a commanding 6-1, 6-4 victory in just one hour and 25 minutes, securing her place in the round of 16 at the Madrid Open on Saturday. The Belarusian, who entered the tournament as the defending champion, will now meet Naomi Osaka in the next round, a match that promises to decide which player will move on to the quarter‑finals. The world No.1, who has now compiled an impressive streak of 14 consecutive wins on the WTA Tour, reflected on her performance after the match. "The first set was especially amazing for me," Sabalenka said.
"I even managed to hit a one‑handed backhand, which is a bit crazy for me. That shot was probably the best of my life, no doubt about it." In another part of the tournament, veteran American Venus Williams celebrated her first win since the US Open, this time in the doubles draw alongside Britain's rising star Katie Boulter. The pair, who had only recently decided to team up for the event, overcame a one‑set deficit to defeat the Chinese duo of Jiang Xinyu and Xu Yifan 4-6, 6-3, 10-7 in the opening round.
Williams, now 45, has endured a ten‑match losing streak in singles at Madrid, having fallen in the first round again this year, and she had not captured a doubles victory since reaching the US Open quarter‑finals with Leylah Fernandez last summer. Boulter expressed how much she enjoyed the partnership: "It was great, it was so much fun. Being on the same side of the net with Venus was a privilege – I definitely didn't want to be on the opposite side. Playing with her was an amazing experience and I cherished every minute of it." The tournament also saw a dramatic exit from former world No.1 Iga Swiatek, who withdrew in tears during her third‑round match against American Ann Li.
Swiatek, who has yet to progress beyond the quarter‑finals at any event this season, disclosed that she was battling a virus. After losing the first two games of the deciding set, she had her temperature and blood pressure checked.
Although she took medication and tried to continue, she appeared fatigued and ultimately retired while trailing 6-7(4), 6-2, 0-3, 0-30. "The last two days have been terrible," the Polish player explained. "I think I have a virus.
Some hours I feel fine, other hours I feel really bad. I heard there might be something circulating among the players, maybe a virus on site. I'm confident I'll recover in a few days, but I had zero energy today." Swiatek had managed to turn the match around after a tight opening set, but her physical condition made it impossible to continue.
When asked whether she considered not stepping onto the court at all, the fourth seed admitted, "I knew it would be hard, but I still wanted to try. In the third set I started feeling dizzy and uncoordinated. I couldn't drink anything because I felt constantly full, and my energy plummeted." Looking ahead, Swiatek said she will focus on recovery before the upcoming Italian Open in Rome, where she hopes to regain form under the guidance of her new coach, Francisco Roig, before the French Open. "It's sad that I can't play because I was feeling good with my game and making progress," she said.
"The tournament just started and I couldn't even compete today, which is disappointing." On the men's side, second seed Alexander Zverev dropped a set to Argentina's Mariano Navone but rallied to win 6-1, 3-6, 6-3, demonstrating his resilience. Defending champion Casper Ruud cruised past Spain's Jaume Munar with a dominant 6-0, 6-1 performance, while third seed Felix Auger‑Aliassime also advanced to the third round.
The Madrid Open continues to deliver high‑level tennis across both the ATP and WTA tours, with matches available live on Sky Sports and streaming through the NOW platform and the Sky Sports app. Subscribers enjoy more than 50 percent additional live sport this year at no extra charge. For those seeking more coverage, highlights, and in‑depth analysis, the Sky Sports app provides video, news, and real‑time scores, ensuring fans stay connected to every rally and breakthrough on the clay courts of Spain.