MADRID, April 27 (Xinhua) — Top seed and defending champion Aryna Sabalenka had to come from a set down to book her place in the quarterfinals after a stern test from Naomi Osaka at the Madrid Open Monday.
Osaka took the first set in a tiebreak and threatened an upset, but Sabalenka raised her level, breaking twice in the second set before taking control of the decider to win 6-7 (1), 6-3, 6-2. She remains unbeaten in Madrid since 2023 and has now won 15 consecutive matches in 2026.
Third seed Coco Gauff, who battled illness in her previous match Sunday, may not have fully recovered as she lost in three sets to 13th seed Linda Noskova. Noskova took the opening set, Gauff hit back emphatically in the second and then led by a break in the third, only for the Czech player to respond, force a tiebreak and seal a 6-4, 1-6, 7-6 (5) victory.
Former world No. 1 Karolina Pliskova, unseeded in Madrid, reached the last eight with a 6-4, 6-3 win over Solana Sierra. Canada’s Leylah Fernandez also advanced after beating American Ann Li 6-3, 6-2.
There was a minor surprise as 30th seed Belinda Bencic beat 11th seed Hailey Baptiste 6-1, 6-7 (14), 6-3 in a match that included a marathon second-set tiebreak. Bencic will now face Sabalenka in the quarterfinals.
In the men’s draw, seventh seed Daniil Medvedev eased past unseeded Nicolai Budkov Kjaer 6-3, 6-2, handling the Dane’s serve well. Big-serving Francisco Cerundolo fired eight aces and proved too strong for Luciano Darderi in a 6-2, 6-3 win.
Twelfth seed Casper Ruud enjoyed a routine 6-3, 6-1 victory over local hope Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, while Greece’s Stefanos Tsitsipas continued his strong run in Madrid, reaching the quarterfinals with a 6-4, 6-2 win over Daniel Merida. ■
