Iga Swiatek continued her impressive run at the Madrid Open by defeating Bernarda Pera 6-3, 6-2 in the round of 32. Swiatek, who is currently the world No. 1, only gave up one break point and converted on four of the 13 she earned against Pera. This win comes after her 6-3, 6-2 victory over Julia Grabher in her opening match at the tournament. Swiatek has now won six consecutive matches in her clay-court season while dropping only one set.
Pegula’s Hard-Fought Victory
Third-seeded Jessica Pegula had a tougher time in her match against Marie Bouzkova, but still managed to come out on top with a 6-4, 7-6 (2) win. The American saved 12 of the 14 break opportunities she conceded against her 31st-ranked opponent. Pegula acknowledged that it was a long, physical game and that playing against Bouzkova is always difficult.
Zverev and Rublev Cruise to Victory
In the men’s draw, Alexander Zverev, a two-time Madrid Open champion, defeated qualifier Hugo Grenier 6-1, 6-0 in under an hour. Zverev had 26 winners and broke Grenier’s serve six times. He will face Carlos Alcaraz or Grigor Dimitrov in his next match.
Andrey Rublev, the fifth-seeded player, also had a dominant performance in his match against Yoshihito Nishioka, winning 6-2, 7-5. Rublev has improved to 10-1 on clay this season and will next face Karen Khachanov, the 10th-seeded player who defeated Roberto Bautista Agut in a three-hour match.
Swiatek’s Next Opponent
Swiatek’s next opponent will be either 22nd-seeded Zheng Qinwen or 16th-seeded Ekaterina Alexandrova. Despite her dominant performance in her previous matches, Swiatek acknowledged that every match at the Madrid Open is tricky and that she is happy to be getting into her rhythm. Playing against a lefty, like Pera, is never easy, but Swiatek remained disciplined and focused throughout the match.
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