The number one tennis player in the world and defending champion at the WTA 1000 tournament in Madrid, Belarusian Arina Sabalenka, easily advanced to the round of 16, defeating Romanian Jaqueline Cristian (WTA – 33rd) 6-1, 6-4 in the third round.
Sabalenka’s next opponent will be Japanese Naomi Osaka (WTA – 15th), who even more convincingly beat Ukrainian Anhelina Kalinina (WTA – 110th) 6-1, 6-3.
All smiles from Sabs! @SabalenkaA | #MMOpen pic.twitter.com/N2FO2fMtGe
— wta (@WTA) April 25, 2026
However, the round of 16 in Madrid was once again out of reach for the eighth seed, the Italian Jasmine Paolini (WTA – 9th), who was stopped in the third round by the American Hailey Baptiste (WTA – 32nd), defeating her 7-5, 6-3. In her five appearances in the main draw of Madrid, Paolini only managed to reach the round of 16 in 2024. For the first time in her career, the 24-year-old American managed to do it on clay, reports HRT.
The position of the eighth seed did not bring happiness to the Kazakh Aleksander Bublik either. He was defeated by Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-2, 7-5. The draw opens for the Greek, as he will play against the Spanish qualifier Daniel Merida Aguilar (ATP – 102nd), who knocked out Corentin Moutet (ATP – 30th) for a place in the round of 16.
ATP 1000 Madrid – 2nd round
Stefanos Tsitsipas (Greece) – Aleksander Bublik (Kaz/8) 6-2, 7-5
Daniel Merida Aguilar (Spain) – Corentin Moutet (France/26) 6-3, 6-4
Alejandro Davidovich Fokina (Spa/20) – Pablo Carreno-Busta (Spa) 6-3, 6-3
Casper Ruud (Nor/12) – Jaume Munar (Spain) 6-0, 6-1
Francisco Cerundolo (Arg/16) – Yannick Hanfmann (Nem) 6-1, 7-5
Luciano Darderi (Ita/18) – Juan Manuel Cerundolo (Arg) 6-1, 6-3
Alexander Blockx (Bel) – Brandon Nakashima (USA/28) 3-6, 6-3, 6-4
Felix Auger-Aliassime (Can/3) – Vilius Gaubas (Lit) 6-3, 6-4
Danjil Medvjedev (7) – Fabian Marozsan (Mađ) 6-2, 6-7 (3), 6-4
Nicolai Budkov Kjaer (Nor) – Denis Shapovalov (Kan/31) 6-2, 6-1
Daniel Vallejo (Pair) – Learner Tien (17) 6-4, 6-3
Flavio Cobolli (Ita/10) – Camilo Ugo Carabelli (Arg) 6-7 (7), 6-1, 6-4
Karen Khachanov (13) – Adam Walton (Aus) 6-2, 6-3
Jakub Menšik (Czech/23) – Martin Damm Jr. (USA) 6-3, 6-4
Terence Atmane (France) – Hugo Humbert (France/30) 7-6 (3), 7-6 (5)
Alexander Zverev (Nem/2) – Mariano Navone (Arg) 6-1, 3-6, 6-3
WTA 1000 Madrid – 3rd round
Arina Sabalenka (1) – Jaqueline Cristian (Rum/29) 6-1, 6-4
Naomi Osaka (Jap/14) – Anhelina Kalinina (Ukr) 6-1, 6-3
Belinda Bencic (Swi/11) – Diana Schneider (18) 6-2, 7-6 (6)
Hailey Baptiste (USA/30) – Jasmine Paolini (Ita/8) 7-5, 6-3
Ann Li (USA/31) – Iga Šwiatek (Poland/4) 7-6 (4), 2-6, 3-0, surrender
Leylah Fernandez (Kan/24) – Iva Jovic (USA/15) 3-6, 6-3, 6-2
Mira Andrejeva (9) – Dalma Galfi (Mađ) 6-3, 6-2
Anna Bondar (Maj) – Laura Samsonova (Czech Republic) 7-6 (3), 6-1
(Vijesti.ba)
