Field Level Media - Professional sports content solutions | FLM

No. 1 seed Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus was among the seeded players to start the Mutua Madrid Open with straight-sets wins on Friday in Spain.

Following a first-round bye, Sabalenka topped Russia’s Anna Blinkova 6-3, 6-4. Sabalenka won 27 of 36 first-service points (75 percent) and saved 6 of 7 break points.

Sabalenka said before the tournament that she is working to add more finesse moves to a game currently ruled by her power.

“It’s a learning process and I’m not afraid to make mistakes,” Sabalenka said. “I think with time I will learn how to make the right decisions. It’s going to benefit my game. I think on the clay court (of Madrid), it’s like a good practice with those shots. You just have to make sure you pick the right one at the right moment.”

American third seed Jessica Pegula needed just 72 minutes to defeat Germany’s Eva Lys 6-2, 6-2. Pegula, who saved 6 of 8 break points while converting 6 of 10 opportunities to break Lys, could rise to No. 2 in the world rankings for the first time depending on the results of this WTA 1000 tournament.

Five seeded players were knocked out Friday, with the biggest upset belonging to Russia’s Anastasia Potapova, who dismissed eighth-seeded Qinwen Zheng of China 6-4, 6-4.

“This win doesn’t feel crazy and something out of this world,” Potapova said, “only because the last matches that we played it was such a battle, always the tiebreak was involved, over three hours. Maybe this gave me the feeling that I’m actually on the same level as her.”

Also, Peyton Stearns outlasted No. 15 seed Amanda Anisimova 6-2, 2-6, 7-5 in an all-American battle; Switzerland’s Rebeka Masarova beat No. 22 Yulia Putintseva of Kazakhstan 6-3, 6-3; Japan’s Moyuka Uchijima toppled No. 26 Ons Jabeur of Tunisia 4-6, 6-3, 6-4; and Greece’s Maria Sakkari edged No. 29 Magda Linette of Poland 7-6 (5), 6-3.

Italian sixth seed Jasmine Paolini defeated Great Britain’s Katie Boulter in an hour flat, 6-1, 6-2. No. 10 Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan turned back Canada’s Bianca Andreescu 6-3, 6-2.

Other winners included No. 17 seed Elina Svitolina and No. 24 Marta Kostyuk, both of Ukraine; No. 14 seed Daria Kasatkina of Australia; No. 21 seed Ekaterina Alexandrova of Russia; No. 28 seed Elise Mertens of Belgium; No. 32 seed Sofia Kenin of the U.S.; and Russian Veronika Kudermetova.

–Field Level Media