Sabalenka and Sakkari cruise to Madrid Open R3

It was a very good day of tennis for Sabalenka and Sakkari who advanced to the 3rd round of the Madrid Open.

Aryna Sabalenka was the first one to step onto the clay courts of Madrid today taking on Daria Kasatkina. The Russian is a strong clay player but Sabalenka proved her Stuttgart final run was no fluke with a decisive straight set victory. The Belarussian plays well against Kasatkina whom she defeated in all but one meeting and today was no different.

Playing her signature aggressive style from the start, Sabalenka won the first set with 6-3. Boosted by that efficient set she continue to play well and cruised to a 6-3 2nd set win as well. All in all, a very good match for Sabalenka who looks poised for a deep run in Madrid.

Joining her in R3 will be Maria Sakkari who played a great match as well. She looked a bit slow and shaky at the start but once the Greek found her rhythm she was unstoppable. Kontaveit is a capable clay player but from the middle of the 1st set, she was simply overmatched.

Sakkari was hitting winners and moving well on the court. The opening set concluded after 9 games with Sakkari winning 6-3. She completely dismantled Kontaveit in the 2nd set with 6-1 to move at the Madrid Open. It was another win for Sakkari against Kontaveit taking a 5-4 H2H lead.