Sabalenka Advances in Madrid, Rublev Suffers Upset

Aryna Sabalenka demonstrated resilience, overcoming a sluggish start to triumph over her former doubles partner, Elise Mertens, with a score of 3-6, 6-2, 6-1 on Sunday. This victory propels her into the round of 16 at the Madrid Open.

The world’s top-ranked player and a two-time Madrid champion, Sabalenka initially struggled but eventually discovered her form on the Caja Mágica’s center court.

This win sustains Sabalenka’s aspirations for a third consecutive final appearance in the Spanish capital. She previously secured titles in 2021 and 2023 and was the runner-up to Iga Swiatek last year.

“I think it was just one of those days where I wasn’t at my peak, and I became very emotional early in the first set, which put me in a challenging position,” Sabalenka commented.

“I’m very pleased that I managed to elevate my game in the second and third sets, especially against a strong opponent like Elise,” she added.

This victory marks Sabalenka’s ninth successive win against Mertens, her former doubles partner. Together, they claimed the 2019 US Open and the 2021 Australian Open titles.

Despite their competitive history, Sabalenka acknowledged Mertens as “a formidable player” and praised their encounters as “great battles.”
Sabalenka is set to compete against either Rebeka Masarova or Peyton Stearns in the next round for a quarterfinal berth.

On the men’s side, top-seeded Andrey Rublev experienced a surprising defeat, falling to world No. 75 Alexander Bublik with a score of 6-4, 0-6, 6-4.

Although Rublev dominated the second set, he couldn’t maintain his momentum and was ousted in the round of 32.

Bublik, celebrating his tenth career victory against a top-10 player, is scheduled to face either Ben Shelton or Miami Open champion Jakub Mensik in the fourth round.

Separately, Brandon Nakashima has progressed to the fourth round of a Masters 1000 event for the fifth time in his career after defeating Flavio Cobolli.

The American, ranked 32nd, is slated to compete against either Daniil Medvedev or Juan Manuel Cerundolo in his next match.