Friday's WTA action at the Madrid Open was headlined by Elena Rybakina's dramatic escape against Elena Gabriela Ruse, as the second seed rallied from a set down and 3-1 behind in the third to extend her winning streak to five. Coco Gauff wasted little time dispatching qualifier Leolia Jeanjean 6-3, 6-0, while Caty McNally delivered the feel-good story of the day - ending an 0-8 record against top 10 players in her first tournament back from wrist surgery, defeating the young star Victoria Mboko. Saturday's round of 32 promises even more firepower, with Aryna Sabalenka chasing her 14th straight win, Iga Swiatek facing Ann Li, and Naomi Osaka returning to clay against qualifier Anhelina Kalinina.
Rybakina survives Madrid thriller
Elena Rybakina needed every ounce of her championship experience to overcome Elena Gabriela Ruse 4-6, 6-3, 7-5 in a dramatic opening encounter. The second seed found herself trailing by a set and down 3-1 in the decider before mounting a stirring comeback on Manolo Santana Stadium. Rybakina's resilience under pressure proved crucial - she won 16 of 29 serve pressure points while capitalizing on 14 of 22 return pressure opportunities during a match that swung back and forth over 2 hours and 28 minutes. The Kazakhstani star acknowledged the rollercoaster nature of the encounter, particularly her slow start that saw her struggle early in both the first and third sets. Her ability to raise her level when facing elimination showcased the mental fortitude that has defined her career, extending her current winning streak to five matches as she continues her excellent clay court form from recent months.
Gauff powers past Jeanjean
Last year's Madrid finalist Coco Gauff wasted little time in her tournament opener, crushing qualifier Leolia Jeanjean 6-3, 6-0 in 82 minutes. The world No. 3 found her rhythm after an initially shaky start that saw both players broken multiple times in the opening set. Gauff's return game proved devastatingly effective against Jeanjean's unconventional rhythm, as she converted seven of 16 break point opportunities while the Frenchwoman managed just 50% of first serves. The American completely dominated the second set, winning the final nine games of the match to advance in comprehensive fashion. Despite winning just seven of 11 serve pressure points, Gauff's aggressive returning - capturing 18 of 30 return pressure points - demonstrated her ability to dictate play against opponents who try to disrupt conventional patterns. The victory improved her outstanding clay court record to 19-3 over the past 12 months.
Pegula handles Boulter challenge
Fifth seed Jessica Pegula continued her solid clay court form with a 6-4, 6-4 victory over Katie Boulter. The American showed her defensive resilience by not facing a single break point throughout the match, winning an exceptional 83% of first serve points while serving three aces. Pegula's consistency under pressure was evident as she won 11 of 15 serve pressure points, trying not to allow Boulter to gain momentum on return. The British player has created lot of opportunities, especially in second set when she was already a break down since a start. Boulter had breakpoints to come back in two consecutive return games, but managed to win just eight of 27 return pressure points as Pegula's solid baseline game proved too steady. Despite double-faulting four times, Pegula converted two of her eight break chances to secure straight-sets passage. The victory extended her current winning streak to five matches and improved her clay court record to an impressive 11-4 over the past year, underlining her continued improvement on the surface. The British star had put up a competitive fight in both sets, leaving the Madrid contest with head up high, but Pegula's composure in countable important moments in second set made the difference in the match outcome.
Saturday - Round of 32 preview
Third round is a contest for the weekend with a packed top half competing on Saturday. Three title contenders come on court for their second match appearances in Madrid this week. Despite one big upset in previous round, when Elina Svitolina got eliminated in straight sets by Anna Bondar, 12 out of 16 seeds are still in play, setting up a compelling line-up for Saturday.
The reigning champion looks foward to extend her winning streak into 14 matches in a row, playing against 29th seed Jaqueline Cristian. The Romanian became a specialist of coming out of threat, as Thursday's comeback in three sets against Yuliia Starodubtseva was her third escape from match points in 2026. Cristian has a decent record of 13-7 on clay in last 52 weeks, but Sabalenka is a huge favorite considering all the factors. The Belarusian needed to put up a fight against Peyton Stearns in first match, but ultimately moved past in straight sets. Sabalenka and Cristian has played once before, a few weeks ago in Indian Wells when the world number one won by 6-4 6-1.
A. Sabalenka (1) vs. J. Cristian (29) match preview
Fourth seed Iga Swiatek had a formidable opponent in first round, overcoming qualifier Daria Snigur after just one hour of play. Her next opponent comes quite under the radar with a very decent 11-8 record on main tour level clay competitions last year - mostly build in WTA 250 events like Rouen where she was quarterfinalist last week. Swiatek has not performed deeper run than quarterfinal in 2026 though, already suffering 7 losses in 21 matches played this season.
I. Swiatek (4) vs. A. Li (31) match preview
Mirra Andreeva continues her great start of clay season, being 8-1 this year including the WTA 500 title in Linz and semifinals run in Stuttgart last week. The 9th seed dispatched lucky loser Panna Udvardy in first round, facing another opponent from Hungary on Saturday. The qualifier Dalma Galfi has delivered a notable upset, defeating Anna Kalinskaya by 6-3 6-3 in previous round. The Hungarian is yet to lose a set in Madrid, already having 4 matches under her belt, starting from qualifiers field. Galfi was able to perform well on clay in last year, having 16-6 record in all the competitions including Vic 125 title, but in main draw matches on top level it is 5-3 with current run in Madrid being her best in this period.
M. Andreeva (9) vs. D. Galfi (Q) match preview
The 2026 season is a tough one for Jasmine Paolini so far, as the Italian has won just 9 out of 17 matches in this campaign so far. Interestingly, her first round comeback from a set down against Laura Siegemund was first victory scored against top 50-ranked opponent this season, which quite describes the struggles faced by Italian in the early months. Paolini has already matched her last year's run from Madrid when she lost in round of 32, although the difficult task waits for her in Rome as she defends 1000 points for last year's title won on the home soil. For now, she faces Hailey Baptiste who is on the rising curve this year, reaching out her career's best 32th ranking and being seeded in WTA 1000 for the first time. Baptiste defeated Spanish wild card Kaitlin Quevedo by 6-1 6-4 in first round, scoring excellent 87% of first serve points. The Miami quarterfinalist has a better season on paper than her favorized opponent, so this match can be a tough hurdle to take for Paolini.
J. Paolini (8) vs. H. Baptiste (30) match preview
Two top 20-ranked opponents clash as early as in round of 32 with lots of quality to anticipate between Belinda Bencic and Diana Shnaider. Bencic comes here with a decent run of back-to-back quarterfinals in Miami and Charleston. The Swiss has comfortably routined Petra Marcinko by 6-4 6-2 in first round. Diana Shnaider has needed to bounce back from a set down against local favorite Jessica Bouzas Maneiro, winning by 3-6 7-5 6-1. Shnaider was also a semifinalist in Charletson. Despite a very good 15-5 record in WTA competitions this year, Bencic has surprisingly not managed to move past quarterfinals phase this year, while Shnaider did it once in Adelaide at start of the season.
B. Bencic (11) vs. D. Shnaider (18) match preview
The rising American star Iva Jovic has proved to be as dangerous on clay as she is on hard courts, moving into semifinals in Charleston and putting a hard fight against eventual champion Jessica Pegula. The 18 years-old has a great 19-8 record in 2026 and plays against Leylah Fernandez who lives a disappointing year so far. The Canadian is 7-10 this season, but managed to make into her first quarterfinals this year in Stuttgart, tightly losing a marathon match against best player of this season so far - Elena Rybakina.
I. Jovic (15) vs. L. Fernandez (24) match preview
The former world number one Naomi Osaka came back to competition after one month of break, defeating Camila Osorio in second round by 6-2 7-5. Clay court is not a favorite surface of the Japanese looking back historically and also at the limited mileage in last year - 4 wins including three victories during run to round of 16 in Rome 2025. Her next opponent has already built a great streak in Madrid this week, moving from qualifiers where she defeated Sloane Stephens coming back from matchpoint, and defeating Marie Bouzkova in second round - the seeded Czech player who won the clay title in Bogota three weeks ago.
N. Osaka (14) vs. A. Kalinina (Q) match preview
There is only one match-up without any seeding player in Saturday's line-up, but it's an interesting one including the player who brought the most significant upset of the tournament so far and the one who wrote a history in previous round. Anna Bondar has defeated Elina Svitolina in straight sets, eliminating one of the tournament's favourites. Laura Samson is the Czech teenager who wrote herself as first one born in 2008 year to advance into third round of WTA 1000 level tournament.