Aryna Sabalenka and Sorana Cirstea will take on each other in the second round of the 2023 WTA Madrid Open on April 27.
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For the third year in a row, Aryna Sabalenka was denied the opportunity to win the Stuttgart Open. The Belarussian, who finished second in Stuttgart in 2021 and 2022, had to settle for second place again at the German event last week. In a rematch of the 2022 final, she was defeated by world No. 1 Iga Swiatek, 6-3, 6-4. Regardless, she is arguably the season’s best player, with 23 wins and only four losses. She has made at least the quarterfinals in all six tournaments and has reached the finals in four of them. The world No. 2 won the Australian Open and Adelaide before storming into a WTA 1000 final in Indian Wells.
Sorana Cirstea blasted 31 winners and seven aces in just under two hours to defeat Lauren Davis, 6-3, 3-6, 6-1, and make a rare winning start to the Madrid Open. She has competed in almost every edition of this tournament, but has only advanced past the second round twice, reaching the quarterfinals in 2016 and 2017. In the first two months of the season, the Romanian won two main draw matches. She then had two stunning runs in March, defeating Caroline Garcia, Aryna Sabalenka, and Madison Keys in the quarterfinals of Indian Wells and the semifinals of Miami. She hadn’t made a quarterfinal since the beginning of March, in June.
| Aryna Sabalenka vs Sorana Cirstea | Match details |
|---|---|
| Date | April 27, 2023 |
| Surface | Clay |
| Tournament | Madrid Open |
| Stage | Round of 64 |
| Time (India) | 10:45 pm |
| Opponent | Score |
|---|---|
| Iga Swiatek | 6-3, 6-4 (L) |
| Anastasia Potapova | 6-1, 6-2 (W) |
| Paula Badosa | 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 (W) |
| Barbora Krejcikova | 6-2, 6-3 (W) |
| Sorana Cirstea | 4-6, 4-6 (L) |
| Opponent | Score |
|---|---|
| Lauren Davis | 6-3, 3-6, 6-1 (W) |
| Petra Kvitova | 7-5, 6-4 (L) |
| Aryna Sabalenka | 6-4, 6-4 (W) |
| Marketa Vondrousova | 7-6, 6-4 (W) |
| Karolina Muchova | 7-5, 6-1 (W) |
Sorana Cirstea has a 1-0 lead. Her 6-4, 6-4 win over Aryna Sabalenka in the Miami quarterfinals last month was her first top two defeat (1-5). It will be difficult to replicate that 85-minute victory. The Belarussian is the 2021 champion of Madrid, but her previous three visits all ended in the first round.
Aryna Sabalenka and Sorana Cirstea will take on each other in the second round of the 2023 WTA Madrid Open on April 27.
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