Yuliia Starodubtseva had a surprising run to the quarterfinals at the China Open last fall. After successfully qualifying, she won four consecutive matches, all in straight sets, including a victory over the No. 14-ranked player in the Round of 16 in Beijing. This marked her best professional tournament result, propelling her into the Top 100, before she was defeated by Coco Gauff.
Following this success, she experienced a significant drought – seven months, or 203 days, without a main-draw victory on the Hologic WTA Tour. The engaging 25-year-old from Ukraine competed in 15 professional events across four continents and 10 different countries during this period, failing to qualify eight times and going winless in the seven main draws she reached.
However, at the Mutua Madrid Open, her fortunes changed. After winning two qualifying matches, she achieved a breakthrough with a dominant 6-2, 6-2 first-round win over wild card Linda Fruhvirtova. She then defeated Elisabetta Cocciaretto 7-6 (5), 6-4, advancing to the third round.
Despite being a set and a break down, she mounted a comeback to defeat No. 18 seed Liudmila Samsonova with a score of 2-6, 7-6 (2), 6-0. Her opponent in Monday’s Round of 16 is the formidable No. 7 seed Mirra Andreeva, who has already claimed two WTA 1000 titles this year.
For the past few years, Starodubtseva`s ranking has hovered around No. 100, which typically secures direct entry into Grand Slam main draws. She entered Madrid ranked No. 99 and is now guaranteed to rise to at least No. 80, just one spot shy of her career-best ranking.
Above all, Starodubtseva demonstrates remarkable resilience. Last year, she made history as the only player in the Open era to qualify for all four Grand Slams in a single calendar year. She also earned her first major main-draw win at Wimbledon.
While Starodubtseva is the most unexpected player among those reaching the Round of 16 on Monday and Tuesday, she is joined by four of the top five seeds: No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka, No. 2 Iga Swiatek, No. 4 Coco Gauff, and No. 5 Madison Keys.
As a mid-tournament update from Madrid, this report highlights the week`s surprises and offers a glimpse into what the future might hold.
Swiatek-Eala II: A Rematch
The significant upset at the Miami Open saw Alexandra Eala defeat No. 2-ranked Iga Swiatek in straight sets in the quarterfinals. One month later, they faced off again, this time on Swiatek’s preferred surface, red clay. The 19-year-old Filipina led by a set and a break but ultimately lost 10 of the final 13 games. Eala acknowledged afterwards that there were “Things to take back and to learn.”
Match of the Tournament (So Far)
Despite trailing 4-1 in the third set and suffering a rough fall, unseeded Belinda Bencic, returning from maternity leave, defeated No. 16 seed Beatriz Haddad Maia in a thrilling third-round match on Saturday with a score of 6-3, 4-6, 7-6 (2). The epic contest lasted 3 hours and 3 minutes.
Comeback Story V2
This is one of the reasons we love tennis: Anastasija Sevastova, who entered the tournament unranked, defeated Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in the first round in straight sets, despite having an 0-8 head-to-head record against her. Sevastova gave birth to her daughter Alexandra in December 2022 and returned to the tour after a 22-month absence, only to tear her ACL in her fourth event back in Austin last year. After rehabilitation and another 13-month break, the 35-year-old Latvian played two matches at a W75 event in Koper, Slovenia before arriving in Madrid. Her win over Pavlyuchenkova was a big surprise, but an even bigger one was yet to come…
Peak Penko Meets Unexpected Defeat
Jelena Ostapenko is consistently one of the most unpredictable and entertaining players on tour. The week prior, she reached a high point by defeating No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka and No. 2 Iga Swiatek to win the title in Stuttgart. However, at the Madrid Open, the No. 23 seed unexpectedly lost her first match to the unranked Sevastova 7-6 (2), 6-2. This set the stage for the next turn of events…
Order Restored
The feel-good story of Sevastova`s comeback, understandably, reached its limit in the third round. She was defeated by No. 13 seed Diana Shnaider 6-0, 6-0 in just 44 minutes.
Notable Upsets
There were several impressive upsets in the tournament, including Peyton Stearns` three-set win over No. 15 Amanda Anisimova. However, Anastasia Potapova achieved one of the most significant by defeating No. 8 Zheng Qinwen 6-4, 6-4 in the second round. This loss followed Zheng`s last red-clay match at Roland Garros, where she was awarded the Olympic gold medal for singles.
Heading into the second week, all of the Top 7 seeds remained. Then, quite suddenly, two were eliminated: No. 3 Jessica Pegula and No. 6 Jasmine Paolini. They were defeated by Moyuka Uchijima and Maria Sakkari, respectively. For Uchijima, it was her first win against a Top 25 player, while for Sakkari, it ended a streak of eight consecutive losses against Top 10 opponents.
