Top-seeded Aryna Sabalenka encountered difficulty against her former doubles partner, Elise Mertens, at the Mutua Madrid Open before eventually defeating the No. 28 seed with a score of 3-6, 6-2, 6-1 to advance into the fourth round.
Entering the match, Sabalenka held a substantial 9-2 lead in their career head-to-head matchups against Mertens. This included a streak of eight straight wins dating back to 2018, highlighted by a 6-4, 6-1 victory in the Stuttgart quarterfinals just the previous week. Furthermore, Sabalenka had claimed 14 consecutive sets against the Belgian player, a count that rises to 15 if including a 4-0 retirement in 2021. For over five years, this pairing had typically lacked competitive tension.
Their twelfth meeting initially appeared set to follow this pattern, with Sabalenka dominating early to win 10 of the first 11 points. However, after falling behind 2-0, Mertens began to challenge the narrative. She won six of the subsequent seven games, remarkably taking the first set – something she hadn`t achieved against Sabalenka since Zhuhai in 2019.
Despite dropping the opening set, two-time Madrid champion Sabalenka quickly regained control of the match. By increasing her intensity and improving her shot placement, she dominated the latter stages, winning 12 of the final 15 games. This performance secured her place in the Round of 16 in Madrid for the fourth time in her career. Her next opponent will be the winner between Peyton Stearns and qualifier Rebeka Masarova.
