Aryna Sabalenka kicked off her quest for a third Madrid Open title with a 6-3, 6-4 victory over Anna Blinkova in second-round action at the Caja Magica on Friday.
The world number one improved her record at the tournament to 18-4, having lifted the trophy in 2021 and 2023, alongside her runner-up showing to Iga Swiatek last year.
After racing to a double-break 5-0 advantage against Blinkova in the opening set, Sabalenka lost one of her breaks before taking the lead on her third set point on the 48-minute mark.
The second set was a straightforward affair, with an early break of serve enough for Sabalenka to punch her ticket to the third round, where she awaits either her former doubles partner Elise Mertens or Colombia’s Camila Osorio.
The 26-year-old admits the French Open has proven to be a ‘challenge’ for her and she feels she has unfinished business there after losing in the 2023 semi-finals to Karolina Muchova and the 2024 quarter-finals to Russian teenager Mirra Andreeva.
‘Every time I go there, it’s like a challenge for me, even though I love playing on clay and I feel really good,’ said Sabalenka of Roland Garros.
Earlier in the day, world number nine Paula Badosa delivered another blow to the tournament as she was forced to withdraw from her home event due to a lower back injury.
Badosa joins her fellow Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz, who pulled out of the Madrid Open on Thursday citing a left hamstring issue and a right adductor injury.
Meanwhile, Tunisian 2022 Madrid champion Ons Jabeur crashed out in her opener to Moyuka Uchijima 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 while Greece’s Maria Sakkari took a positive step towards recapturing her form by dismissing 29th-seeded Magda Linette 7-6(5), 6-3.
Anastasia Potapova upset eighth-seeded Qinwen Zheng, while 15th seed Amanda Anisimova lost 6-2, 2-6, 7-5 to fellow American Peyton Stearns. Sixth-seeded Jasmine Paolini eased past Katie Boulter 6-1, 6-2.
On the men’s side, last week’s Munich champion Alexander Zverev fired 32 winners against just 24 unforced errors in a dominant 6-2, 6-2 win over Spain’s Roberto Bautista Agut.
The top-seeded Zverev awaits Nuno Borges or Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in the third round.
Last year’s finalist Felix Auger-Aliassime stumbled at the first hurdle, losing to Argentina’s Juan Manuel Cerundolo 7-6(5), 6-4. It was a good day for Argentines overall as Cerundolo’s brother, Francisco, also advanced to the third round with a 6-3, 6-4 result against qualifier Harold Mayot.
Francisco Cerundolo will next take on his compatriot Francisco Comesana, who rallied back from 1-5 down in the opening set to upset 13th-seeded Arthur Fils 7-6(4), 6-4.
Djokovic flying the flag for older guys amid generational shift: Novak Djokovic acknowledges the generational shift in tennis that has brought a new crop of players into the limelight but the 24-time Grand Slam champion says he has no intention of quietly fading into the background.
The 37-year-old won three out of the four major titles in 2023 but has not been able to reproduce that kind of form since, being shut out of the game’s biggest tournaments last year as Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz took two apiece.
With the retirements of Roger Federer, Rafa Nadal and Andy Murray, Djokovic is the last member of the ‘Big Four’ still standing and the Serb said he wanted to continue giving to the sport.
‘The last 20 years were dominated mostly by the four of us and when three of my biggest rivals retired you can feel there’s a shift,’ Djokovic said at the Madrid Open.
‘Not only in terms of the generations of players (who now have) the main focus and attention on them, but it takes a bit of time for people to accept the fact that Roger and Rafa are not playing, and Murray, and one day myself.
‘But I’m still trying to stay and represent the older guys, the older generation. Hopefully that brings the positive effect to the tournaments and to the tour itself,’ he added.
‘That’s also one of the reasons why I keep on playing, because I feel like it also helps tennis still thrive on the attention and crowd coming in and watching tournaments and getting interested.’