Three-time title holder sweating it out against Stearns!

Sabalenka did not dominate her first match. Against Stearns, she had to come back from a break down in each set over 1h35 of play, 7-5 6-3, with some hesitation on return and a few unforced errors that are unusual for a player with her current level of confidence. The first contact with the Madrid clay wasn’t immediate, and that’s exactly what Cristian will look to exploit, by constructing points, targeting second serves, and making use of her 13-7 clay record this season to impose a rhythm that unsettles. The Romanian showed against Starodubtseva that she can turn desperate situations around with solid mental strength.

But Sabalenka is a three-time defending champion at the Caja Mágica for one simple reason: she adapts faster than anyone else. 16-3 on clay over the last 52 weeks, the best record of her career on the surface, and a familiarity with Madrid that allows her to correct her mistakes from one match to the next. Cristian against top-10 players is 0-7 in the last 52 weeks. The glass ceiling doesn’t shatter in a single night.