MADRID, April 23 (Xinhua) -- Top seed and reigning champion Aryna Sabalenka won her opening match in the Madrid Open on Thursday, defeating Peyton Stearns 7-5, 6-3 to reach the third round.
Sabalenka struggled to get on top in the opening set, before finally moving 6-5 ahead and then closing out the set in the next game, while the second set was more straightforward.
Fourth seed Iga Swiatek had no problems in her second round tie against Daria Snigur of Ukraine, winning 6-1, 6-2, and Switzerland's 11th seeded Belinda Bencic also breezed through 6-4, 6-2 against Petra Marcinko, but there was a surprise when No. 7 seed Elina Svitolina went out 6-3, 6-4 to Anna Bondar of Hungary, as Svitolina struggled to get her serve working effectively.
Eighth seed Jasmine Paolini was forced to fight back from losing her opening set against Laura Siegemund, but then battled back to win 3-6, 6-2, 6-4 in a closely fought match. Naomi Osaka, the 14th seed, and 15th seed Iva Jovic also moved into the third round.
China's 28th seed Wang Xinyu looked to be on track for victory against Laura Samsonova of the Czech Republic when she won the opening set 6-2, but her rival fought back to claim the second 6-3, and Wang's game then fell apart as she lost the final set 6-0. ■
