Aryna Sabalenka powered through her opening match in Madrid, dispatching Romania's Jaqueline Cristian in straight sets 6-1, 6-4. The encounter lasted just one hour and twenty‑five minutes, securing Sabalenka a spot in the tournament's round of 16. As the defending champion in the Spanish capital, she now awaits a showdown with Naomi Osaka, with the winner moving on to the quarter‑finals.
The world No.1, who has compiled a streak of fourteen consecutive victories across all events, reflected on her performance after the match. "The first set especially was at an incredible level for me," she said. "I even managed a one‑handed backhand, which is a bit crazy. That shot was probably the best of my life, no doubt about it." In another part of the draw, veteran Venus Williams celebrated her first win since the U.S.
Open, this time in the doubles arena alongside Britain's Katie Boulter. The pair entered the Madrid Open as a last‑minute partnership after Boulter asked Williams to team up. Despite dropping the opening set 4-6, the duo rallied to claim the second set 6-3 and then clinched the match tiebreak 10-7, overcoming the Chinese team of Jiang Xinyu and Xu Yifan.
Williams, now 45, continues to struggle in singles, having lost ten straight matches after an early exit in the first round of this event. However, her doubles fortunes have improved; she had not secured a doubles win since reaching the U.S.
Open quarter‑finals with Leylah Fernandez the previous summer. Boulter expressed her delight at sharing the court with the legend, saying, "It was great, so much fun. To be on the same side of the net with Venus was a privilege – I definitely don't want to be on the opposite side. I enjoyed every minute of it." The tournament also saw a dramatic moment for former world No.1 Iga Swiatek, who was forced to retire tearfully from her third‑round match against Ann Li.
Swiatek, who has yet to progress beyond the quarter‑finals at any event this season, revealed after the match that she was battling a virus. She had her temperature and blood pressure checked after losing the first two games of the deciding set. Although she took medication and tried to continue, she appeared fatigued and ultimately withdrew while trailing 6-7(4), 6-2, 0-3, 0-30.
"The last two days have been terrible," the Polish star explained. "I think I have a virus. Some hours I'm fine, other hours I'm really bad. I heard there might be an outbreak among players here.
I'm sure I'll recover in a few days, but I had zero energy. Yesterday was even worse, and today I hoped it would improve, but not enough to play." Swiatek had managed to turn the match around after a tight opening set loss, 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 recuperation before targeting the Italian Open in Rome next month. She hopes to regain form under the guidance of her new coach, Francisco Roig, ahead of the French Open.
"It's sad I can't play because I was feeling good with my game and making progress," she lamented. "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 rebounded to win 6-1, 3-6, 6-3. Defending champion Casper Ruud cruised past Spain's Jaume Munar with a dominant 6-0, 6-1 victory, while third seed Felix Auger‑Aliassime also advanced to the third round. Overall, the Madrid Open continues to deliver a mix of dominant performances and unexpected setbacks.
Sabalenka's commanding win sets up a tantalizing clash with Osaka, while Swiatek's withdrawal underscores the physical toll the tour can exact. Fans can follow live action on Sky Sports, stream via NOW, or use the Sky Sports app for additional coverage, including highlights, scores, and exclusive video content.