Tennis
Elena Rybakina scripts another escape story, downs Zheng Qinwen to advance in Madrid
Elena Rybakina scripted yet another escape as she came from a set down to shut out Zheng Qinwen in a thrilling three-set victory at the Mutua Madrid Open in Madrid on Sunday night.
Rybakina needed 2 hours and 21 minutes to complete the comeback, earning a 4-6, 6-4, 6-3 victory to reach the fourth round of the tournament. The win is her fourth over the Olympic Games gold medalist in five meetings at the WTA Tour, and it makes her the first player to defeat Zheng on all three surfaces.
“I think the level of the match was better than the first one,” Rybakina said in her on-court interview. “I think my serve was better, but Qinwen, she is a tough opponent. She was serving really well. She was also returning all my serves. I don’t think that the serve was really an issue today.”
With her tour-leading 27th win of the season, Rybakina will face lucky loser Anastasia Potapova for a spot in the quarterfinals.
For the record, Zheng finished with more winners (24 to 19) and aces (nine to seven), but her 45 unforced errors, 15 more than Rybakina, proved decisive. Nine came on double faults, contributing to a 38%-win rate on second-serve points.
Zheng finished with more winners (24 to 19) and aces (nine to seven), but her 45 unforced errors, 15 more than Rybakina, proved decisive. Pics: WTA Tour
Rybakina wasn’t flawless, but her lack of errors allowed her to stay within reach even after the former World No. 4 took the opening set and went up a break in the second. It gave her room to capitalize when Zheng faltered, including in the final game of the second set where three double faults helped Rybakina break to steal the set.
That break came shortly after a bit of electric line-calling controversy. Serving down 4-3, Zheng was awarded an ace for 40-0 despite the mark appearing well out. She held at love, much to Rybakina’s frustration.
“Well with this thing, I won’t trust it at all,” Rybakina told reporters. “Because there was no mark even close to what the TV showed. It was, I think, similar to what (Alexander) Zverev had last year because it was in front of her nose. You can’t not see it. It was pretty frustrating. It’s kind of a stolen point. I understand it was her serve and she was serving really well, but it’s really frustrating.”
Only Jessica Pegula (seven) and Mirra Andreeva (six) have more comeback wins than Rybakina this season.
Gauff learns to win at all costs
Elsewhere, Coco Gauff, the World No.3, also learnt a lesson on a very difficult day. The American learnt that she could find a way to win from even an impossible situation. Battling an illness as well as being down a set and a break against No. 25 seed Sorana Cirstea in third-round action, Gauff looked headed for an early exit from this year’s tournament.
It was Coco Gauff’s eighth three-set match win of 2026. Only Jessica Pegula (10) and Magda Linette (nine) have won more WTA main-draw matches in three sets this year. Pic: USOpen.org
But the American, a Madrid finalist one year ago, fought back to win 4-6, 7-5, 6-1 and advance to the fourth round, where she will meet No. 13 seed Linda Noskova.
It was Gauff’s eighth three-set match win of 2026. Only Jessica Pegula (10) and Magda Linette (nine) have won more WTA main-draw matches in three sets this year. This is the third straight year, and fourth overall, that Gauff has reached the fourth round in Madrid.
Cirstea, who had lost both of her previous career meetings against Gauff, got off to a quick start, breaking the American’s serve to take a 4-2 lead. Although Gauff fought back to level at 4-4, Cirstea earned a second break and served out the opening set 6-4. In the second set, the Romanian, who is playing her final season on tour before retiring, broke early to move ahead 2-0.
But, as she has so many times before, Gauff battled back even after throwing up on court in the middle of the second set. The American recovered from a break down on three occasions before rallying to win the set 7-5.
She went on to dominate the third set, winning the final five games to complete a 4-6, 7-5, 6-1 victory in 2 hours, 21 minutes and improve to 3-0 lifetime against Cirstea. All three of Gauff’s wins over Cirstea have come in three sets.
Gauff will meet Noskova, who advanced by walkover as Liudmila Samsonova withdrew because of illness. Gauff holds a 2-0 career head-to-head edge over the Czech.
Marta downs Jessica, faces Caty
In another match, Marta Kostyuk and Jessica Pegula faced off for a spot in the Round of 16. Both women entered the match with a 6-0 match record on the surface in WTA events this spring after taking home trophies in Rouen and Charleston, respectively, and winning their second-round matches.
Marta Kostyuk earned a 6-1, 6-4 victory over Jessica Pegula to be the one who kept her winning streak intact. Pic: WTA Tour
After 1 hour and 13 minutes on Arantxa Sanchez Stadium, Kostyuk earned a 6-1, 6-4 victory to be the one who kept her winning streak intact. “I think it took me many years to learn how to play Madrid,” Kostyuk said to press. “It’s very tricky, very different conditions here. I’m happy with how tactically played today, and how I used my strengths,” she added.
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With her 13th career Top 10 victory, Kostyuk advances to face Pegula’s compatriot, Caty McNally, for a spot in the quarterfinals. While Kostyuk will be bidding to reach the quarterfinals in Madrid for the second year in a row, McNally advanced to the fourth round of a WTA 1000 event for the first time in her career after saving two match points in a 6-3, 2-6, 7-6(2) win over Katerina Siniakova.