No. 1 Sabalenka moves past Stearns into Madrid quarterfinals

The last time Aryna Sabalenka faced Peyton Stearns, Sabalenka was nearly upset by the American. However, on Tuesday at the Mutua Madrid Open, Sabalenka secured the win more easily.

World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka defeated the 44th-ranked Stearns with a score of 6-2, 6-4 at the Caja Magica, advancing to the Madrid quarterfinals for the fourth time in the past five years. As the champion in Madrid in 2021 and 2023, Sabalenka now holds 20 career match victories at this tournament.

Sabalenka is now the sole leader in tour-level match wins this year. Tuesday`s victory was her 28th on tour in 2025, placing her one win ahead of Jessica Pegula, who has 27.

The top-seeded Sabalenka is set to face the winner of Tuesday`s late match between No. 24 seed Marta Kostyuk and 39th-ranked Anastasia Potapova. Sabalenka`s head-to-head record is 2-0 against Kostyuk and 1-0 against Potapova.

Top seed wins rematch: In their only prior encounter, during the second round of Indian Wells in 2024, Stearns pushed Sabalenka hard. Stearns even served for the match twice and held four match points, but the then-World No. 2 Sabalenka managed to win in a third-set tiebreak.

Despite the straight-sets score, Tuesday`s rematch was more contested than it appeared, with Stearns creating numerous chances in Sabalenka`s service games. However, Sabalenka generally proved more resilient on crucial points and maintains a perfect 14-0 record this season against opponents ranked outside the Top 40.

Resilience on break points: Sabalenka`s composure when facing break points was key to achieving the seemingly straightforward scoreline in the first set, despite the games themselves being anything but simple.

In the first set, Stearns had 10 break point opportunities, but Sabalenka successfully defended all of them. Although Sabalenka`s first-serve percentage in the opening set was a moderate 53%, she won 83% of the points when her first serve landed in, effectively neutralizing Stearns` chances.

On her thirteenth attempt, Stearns finally broke serve to level the second set at 3-3. The American then held serve to take a 4-3 lead, raising the possibility of another extended, three-set match.

However, Sabalenka quickly shut down that possibility, playing some of her most concentrated and potent shots to win the next three games consecutively and seal the match. Overall, Sabalenka converted four out of her seven break point chances and hit 22 winners compared to Stearns` 13.