The end for the American?

Marta Kostyuk is the in-form player of the tournament. After winning the title in Rouen last week while barely dropping a set, she followed up in Madrid with two clinical masterclasses: brushing aside Putintseva 6-1 6-3 in 1h13, then dismantling world No. 5 Pegula 6-1 6-4, also in 1h13. Two hours and twenty-six minutes of total play over three matches, zero sets lost, and a level of heavy baseline hitting that left two benchmark players with no answers.

Caty McNally has pulled off two exploits this week, beating Mboko and then saving two match points against Siniaková in a 2h46 marathon in the third set. But this heroic run comes with a considerable physical price, and on top of that McNally has been hit by the virus that has laid low Świątek, Samsonova, and several others in the Caja Mágica locker room. Up against a Kostyuk in this kind of dominant form, on this surface, the American is starting with two insurmountable handicaps.