Mirra ANDREEVA outmatched by Aryna SABALENKA’s brilliance in Madrid Open quarterfinals

Aryna Sabalenka (No. 2) defeated Mirra Andreeeva (No. 43) 6-1, 6-4 to advance to the semifinals of the Madrid Open. The defending champion dominated the match from start to finish, and despite the resistance from the young Russian, she ultimately secured the victory, putting her in her third Madrid Open semifinal.

The 17-year-old teenager had been having a brilliant tournament, eliminating notable players such as seeded Linda Noskova (30th), Marketa Vondrousova (7th), and Jasmine Paolini (12th). On Sabalenka's side, she had been showing an upward trend in Madrid and displayed her best tennis against Danielle Collins, ending her streak of 15 consecutive victories.

The first set began with both players defending their service games well, but it took Sabalenka only a few minutes to adjust her shots with the return, causing problems for Andreeva. The Belarusian won 69% of points on serve and 55% on return, leading to a streak of five consecutive games won to comfortably take the set 6-1.

Sabalenka imposed differences with the power of her shots; Andreeva barely won 31% of points on return and struggled to put the ball in play with both the first and second serves of Sabalenka.

In the second set, Andreeva showed her character, improving her points won on serve, winning 63% of first service and 47% of second service. The young Russian kept the set level for several games without any break points played from either side, but the former world No. 1 capitalized on her first opportunity to take a break and then move ahead 4-2 with her service.

Despite the pressure, Andreeva held her next service games, and even saved a couple of match points with the score 3-5. However, it wasn't enough to stage a comeback, and she didn't manage to trouble Sabalenka much when serving. The 2-times Grand Slam champion struggled to find her first serve (55%), but maintained her great effectiveness, winning 80% of service points, which was crucial to advance to the Madrid Open semifinals by 6-1, 6-4.

For a spot in the final, she will face Elena Rybakina (No. 4), who overcame Kazakh Yulia Putintseva (No. 50) 4-6, 7-6(4), 7-5 in nearly three hours of play. So far, Sabalenka leads the head-to-head with Rybakina 5-3, although they have never faced each other on clay.