Aryna Sabalenka, the world No.2 in women’s tennis, has advanced to the next round of the Madrid Open after a hard-fought victory over Sorana Cirstea. Sabalenka was determined to put behind her the disappointment of her recent defeat to Iga Swiatek in the Stuttgart Open final, as well as her loss to Cirstea at the Miami Open.
The Belarusian started strongly, breaking Cirstea’s serve in the opening game and holding her own serve without reply. However, Cirstea fought back to level the first set at 3-3, before Sabalenka regained her composure and broke once more to win the set 6-4.
In the second set, Sabalenka had to save three break points early on, but she held firm and eventually broke Cirstea’s serve again to take control of the match. Despite some sloppy play from both players, Sabalenka held on to win the second set 6-3 and secure her place in the next round, where she will face Camila Osorio.
Aryna Sabalenka’s performance against Sorana Cirstea at the Madrid Open demonstrated her determination and resilience in the face of tough opposition. Despite losing to Cirstea earlier this year, Sabalenka refused to be intimidated and started the match with great intensity, breaking Cirstea’s serve in the very first game.
Although Cirstea managed to fight back and level the scores at 3-3, Sabalenka regained her focus and managed to break Cirstea’s serve once more to take the first set. In the second set, Cirstea had a few chances to break Sabalenka’s serve, but the Belarusian held firm and eventually secured another break of her own to take control of the match.
Sabalenka’s powerful serve and aggressive style of play proved too much for Cirstea, and she closed out the match with a comfortable 6-3 victory in the second set. Sabalenka’s next opponent, Camila Osorio, will surely provide another tough test, but the Belarusian will be confident of continuing her winning run in Madrid.
