World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka faced a challenge from her former doubles partner, 28th seed Elise Mertens, at the Mutua Madrid Open. Despite dropping the first set, Sabalenka ultimately advanced to the fourth round with a hard-fought 3-6, 6-2, 6-1 victory.
Sabalenka entered the match with a commanding 9-2 head-to-head record against Mertens, having won their previous eight meetings since 2018, including a straight-sets win just last week in Stuttgart. She had also won 14 consecutive sets against the Belgian (15 if including a retirement in 2021), suggesting a one-sided rivalry in recent years.
However, their 12th career encounter didn`t start according to the script. Although Sabalenka quickly took a 2-0 lead, Mertens mounted a strong comeback, winning six of the next seven games to surprisingly claim the first set 6-3. This marked Mertens` first set won against Sabalenka since their meeting in Zhuhai in 2019.
The two-time Madrid champion swiftly regained control in the second and third sets. Sabalenka elevated her powerful game and improved her accuracy, dominating the remainder of the match by winning 12 of the final 15 games. This performance secured her spot in the last 16 in Madrid for the fourth time. Her next opponent will be the winner of the match between Peyton Stearns and qualifier Rebeka Masarova.
