Overview
- Aryna Sabalenka beat Peyton Stearns 7-5, 6-3 to reach the Madrid Open third round in her first match on clay this season.
- The defending champion next faces 29th seed Jacqueline Cristian, whom she defeated last month at Indian Wells.
- She said the altitude and time away left her searching for rhythm and she plans to sharpen movement plus serve and return timing before the next round.
- The victory was her 50th WTA 1000 match as world No. 1 and came during her 87th week at the top ranking.
- Iga Swiatek also advanced in straight sets, reinforcing a strong field that could produce heavyweight clashes later in the tournament.