Photo Source: TC
Last year when they met at Indian Wells, Aryna Sabalenka needed to save four match points to get past Peyton Stearns. Tonight in Madrid it wasn’t as dramatic, but Sabalenka still needed to pull out the goods when it mattered most.
The World No.1 saved 12 of 13 break points to push into the quarterfinals, where a showdown with Marta Kostyuk is next. “She’s a great player,” Sabalenka said of 44th-ranked Stearns. “I knew going into this match it was going to be a tough battle – I’m really happy with the win today.”
In cold and breezy conditions, Sabalenka was able to dial in her game at crucial junctures to earn her tour-leading 28th win of the season.
“It was super windy and super cold,” she said. “It was really difficult conditions.”
Sabalenka, the 2021 and 2023 champion at Madrid, improved to 20-4 lifetime at Madrid.
Kostyuk, who defeated Anastasia Potapova 6-3, 6-2, in the last eight — Sabalenks has won the pair's two previous meetings in straight sets.