Aryna Sabalenka powered through her second‑round encounter at the Madrid Open on Saturday, dispatching Romania's Jaqueline Cristian in straight sets, 6-1 6-4, in a match that lasted just one hour and 25 minutes. The Belarusian, who entered the tournament as the defending champion, will now meet fellow Grand Slam winner Naomi Osaka in the round of 16, a clash that promises to decide who will move on to the quarter‑finals of the prestigious clay‑court event.
Sabalenka, who is currently the world number one, has now compiled an impressive streak of 14 consecutive match wins across all surfaces. Reflecting on her dominant performance, she said, "The first set was especially amazing for me – I felt I was playing at an incredible level. I even managed to hit a one‑handed backhand, which is a bit crazy for me. That shot was probably the highlight of my career so far." In the doubles draw, veteran American Venus Williams celebrated her first win since the US Open, partnering with Britain's Katie Boulter.
The pair entered the tournament as a last‑minute partnership after Boulter asked Williams to team up for the event. Despite dropping the opening set 4-6, they rallied to take the second set 6-3 and then clinched the match tiebreak 10-7, overcoming the Chinese duo of Jiang Xinyu and Xu Yifan in the opening round. Williams, now 45, has endured a 10‑match losing streak in singles at the Madrid Open, having been eliminated in the first round again this year. Her doubles form, however, had been dormant since reaching the US Open quarter‑finals with Leylah Fernandez last summer, making this victory a refreshing resurgence.
Boulter expressed her delight, stating, "It was wonderful and a lot of fun. Being on the same side of the net with a legend like Venus is a privilege – I certainly don’t want to be on the opposite side! Playing with her was an unforgettable experience, and I savored every minute." The tournament also saw a dramatic withdrawal from former world number one Iga Swiatek, who pulled out of her third‑round match against American Ann Li in tears.
Swiatek, who has not progressed beyond the quarter‑finals in any event this season, disclosed after the match that she has been battling a virus. She reported that her temperature and blood pressure were monitored after she lost the first two games of the deciding set.
Although she took medication and attempted to continue, she appeared fatigued and ultimately retired while trailing 6-7(4) 6-2 0-3 0-30. "The past two days have been terrible," Swiatek said. "I think I have a virus. Some hours I feel fine, other hours I feel really bad.
I heard there might be an illness circulating among players on site. I'm confident I’ll recover in a few days, but I had zero energy today. Yesterday was even worse, and I hoped today would be better, but it still wasn’t enough to compete." Swiatek had shown signs of a comeback after dropping a tightly contested first set, but her physical condition made it clear that continuing was unrealistic. When asked whether she considered not stepping onto the court at all, the fourth seed admitted, "I knew it would be tough, 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 dramatically." Looking ahead, Swiatek will focus on recovery before turning her attention to the Italian Open in Rome next month, where she hopes to regain form under the guidance of her new coach, Francisco Roig, ahead of the French Open at Roland Garros.
"It’s disappointing not to be able to play because I felt good with my game and was making progress," she lamented. "The tournament has just started, and I couldn’t even compete today, which is very sad." In the men’s singles, second seed Alexander Zverev faced a brief setback, dropping the second set to Argentina’s Mariano Navone before rebounding to win 6-1 3-6 6-3. Defending champion Casper Ruud continued his dominant run, cruising to a 6-0 6-1 victory over Spain’s Jaume Munar, while third seed Felix Auger‑Aliassime also advanced to the third round. Overall, the Madrid Open continues to deliver high‑quality tennis, with both established stars and emerging talents showcasing their skills on the clay courts.
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