PREVIEW | WTA Madrid Open 2025 - Sunday, April 27 featuring Sabalenka, Rybakina-Svitolina and Pegula
WTASunday, 27 April 2025 at 09:30
The Madrid Open 2025 is in full swing, and this Sunday, April 27, many of the top players are playing for a place in the round of 16. World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka goes up against Elise Mertens. In one of the star matches, Svitolina takes on Rybakina.
Tension is mounting in the Caja Mágica as the tournament begins to enter the definitive phase. On Sunday, some of the top 10 players who came to the Spanish capital will take to the court to maintain their hopes of winning the title in the first WTA 1000 on clay of the season.
Here's a look at the key matchups ahead of another day of action on the Madrid clay.
Aryna Sabalenka - Elise Mertens
The world number 1, Aryna Sabalenka, wants to continue being one of the great attractions of the tournament and for that she will have to defeat her former doubles partner, the Belgian Elise Mertens. The Belarusian, two-time Australian Open champion and last US Open champion, has been playing sensational tennis, but in Madrid she will be looking to crown it with a title, avoiding being left at the gates as in Stuttgart.
Interestingly, it was in Germany last week that the two players met, with Sabalenka winning again to go 9-2 in their Head-to-Head.
Match Info:
Aryna Sabalenka - Elise Mertens
Start time (local): Sun, 27 Apr, 11:00 AM
Start time (your time): Sun, 27 Apr, 5:00 PM
Court: Manolo Santana Stadium
Tournament: Mutua Madrid Open
Round: Round of 32
Head-to-Head
| Sabalenka | Mertens | |
|---|---|---|
| H2H Record | ||
| Total Wins | 9 | 2 |
| Win Streak | 8 | 0 |
| Ranking | ||
| Official Ranking | 1 | 26 |
| Race Ranking | 1 | 17 |
| Live Ranking | ||
| Live Ranking | 1 | 24 (+2) |
| Live Race Ranking | 1 | 17 |
| Bios | ||
| Age | 26 (5 May 1998) | 29 (17 Nov 1995) |
| Birthplace | Minsk, Belarus | Leuven, Belgium |
| Residence | Miami, Florida, US | Hamont-Achel, Belgium |
| Height | 5'11" (182cm) | 5'10" (179cm) |
| Weight | 176lbs (80kg) | 148lbs (67kg) |
| Plays | Right-handed (two-handed backhand) | Right-handed (two-handed backhand) |
| Turned Pro | 2015 | 2013 |
| Coach | Anton Dubrov | Christopher Heyman |
| YTD W/L | 24-5 (83%) | 18-8 (69%) |
| YTD Titles | 2 | 1 |
| Career Titles | 19 | 9 |
| Prize Money | US$33,287,633 - 9th in all-time rankings | US$15,830,855 - 36th in all-time rankings |
| Past Meetings | ||
|
A Sabalenka d E Mertens WTA Stuttgart - Quarterfinal6-4 | 6-1 19 Apr 2025 |
||
|
A Sabalenka d E Mertens US Open - Round of 166-2 | 6-4 1 Sep 2024 |
||
|
A Sabalenka d E Mertens Australian Open - Round of 326-2 | 6-3 21 Jan 2023 |
||
|
A Sabalenka d E Mertens US Open - Round of 166-4 | 6-1 5 Sep 2021 |
||
|
A Sabalenka d E Mertens WTA Madrid - Quarterfinal6-1 | 4-0 5 May 2021 |
||
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A Sabalenka d E Mertens WTA Linz - Final7-5 | 6-2 15 Nov 2020 |
||
|
A Sabalenka d E Mertens WTA Dubai - Round of 166-4 | 6-3 19 Feb 2020 |
||
|
A Sabalenka d E Mertens WTA Elite Trophy -6-4 | 3-6 | 7-5 25 Oct 2019 |
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|
E Mertens d A Sabalenka WTA Montreal - Round of 162-6 | 7-6 | 6-0 10 Aug 2018 |
||
|
A Sabalenka d E Mertens WTA Eastbourne - Round of 167-5 | 2-6 | 7-6 27 Jun 2018 |
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|
E Mertens d A Sabalenka WTA Lugano - Final7-5 | 6-2 15 Apr 2018 |
||
Maria Sakkari - Jasmine Paolini
Greece's Maria Sakkari continues her road back to the elite after a shoulder injury kept her off the circuit after last year's US Open. The former No. 3 is now ranked 82nd, but in her last match she showed flashes of her latest version.
Jasmine Paolini, seeded sixth in the tournament, comes from overcoming Katie Boulter without major difficulties and is looking to continue to consolidate her position in this tour on clay, one of the surfaces that favors her the most.
They are tied at 1 in head-to-head meetings, so tomorrow's match will break the parity that exists between the two.
Match Info:
Maria Sakkari - Jasmine Paolini
Start time (local): Sun, 27 Apr, 1:00 PM
Start time (your time): Sun, 27 Apr, 7:00 PM
Court: Arantxa Sanchez Stadium
Tournament: Mutua Madrid Open
Round: Round of 32
Head-to-Head
| Sakkari | Paolini | |
|---|---|---|
| H2H Record | ||
| Total Wins | 1 | 1 |
| Win Streak | 0 | 1 |
| Ranking | ||
| Official Ranking | 82 | 6 |
| Race Ranking | 45 | 15 |
| Live Ranking | ||
| Live Ranking | 89 (-7) | 5 (+1) |
| Live Race Ranking | 41 (+4) | 15 |
| Bios | ||
| Age | 29 (25 Jul 1995) | 29 (4 Jan 1996) |
| Birthplace | Athens, Greece | Castelnuovo di Garfagnana, Tuscany, Italy |
| Residence | Monte Carlo, Monaco | Bagni di Lucca, Tuscany, Italy |
| Height | 5'7" (172cm) | 5'2" (160cm) |
| Weight | 137lbs (62kg) | - |
| Plays | Right-handed (two-handed backhand) | Right-handed (two-handed backhand) |
| Turned Pro | 2015 | 2011 |
| Coach | Thomas Johansson (2017–2018),, Tom Hill (2018–2024), Mark Philippoussis (2023), David Witt (2024) | Renzo Furlan (2020-Apr 2025), Marc López (Apr 2025-) |
| YTD W/L | 7-11 (39%) | 13-7 (65%) |
| YTD Titles | - | - |
| Career Titles | 2 | 2 |
| Prize Money | US$ 12,868,331 | US$ 9,687,524 |
| Past Meetings | ||
|
J Paolini d M Sakkari WTA Dubai - Round of 166-4 | 6-2 21 Feb 2024 |
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|
M Sakkari d J Paolini French Open - Round of 646-2 | 6-3 3 Jun 2021 |
||
Jessica Pegula - Moyuka Uchijima
One of the most consistent players on Tour returns to the court in Madrid. Jessica Pegula emerges as the best American player of the moment next to Coco Gauff, although her consistency in many moments gives her a plus over the Atlanta-born player;
Uchijima has been going under the radar, but is having a very positive year this 2025, gaining games and experience on the circuit;
The Japanese plays without pressure, which makes her an opponent to watch out for. Pegula is in great form on clay and starts as favorite to move forward in the Caja Mágica. This will be the first meeting between the two.
Match Info:
Jessica Pegula - Moyuka Uchijima
Start time (local): Sun, 27 Apr, 2:10 PM
Start time (your time): Sun, 27 Apr, 8:10 PM
Court: Arantxa Sanchez Stadium
Tournament: Mutua Madrid Open
Round: Round of 32
Head-to-Head
| Pegula | Uchijima | |
|---|---|---|
| H2H Record | ||
| Total Wins | 0 | 0 |
| Win Streak | 0 | 0 |
| Ranking | ||
| Official Ranking | 3 | 56 |
| Race Ranking | 5 | 62 |
| Live Ranking | ||
| Live Ranking | 3 | 59 (-3) |
| Live Race Ranking | 5 | 55 (+7) |
| Bios | ||
| Age | 31 (24 Feb 1994) | 23 (11 Aug 2001) |
| Birthplace | Buffalo, New York, US | Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia |
| Residence | Boca Raton, Florida, US | Tokyo |
| Height | 5'6" (170cm) | 5'7" (171cm) |
| Weight | 154lbs (70kg) | - |
| Plays | Right-handed (two-handed backhand) | Right (two-handed backhand) |
| Turned Pro | 2012 | - |
| Coach | Mark Knowles, Mark Merklein (2024–) | - |
| YTD W/L | 25-7 (78%) | 15-11 (58%) |
| YTD Titles | 2 | - |
| Career Titles | 8 | 13 ITF |
| Prize Money | US$ 17,753,964 - 32nd in all-time rankings | US$ 1,286,888 |
| Past Meetings | ||
|
First meeting |
||
Elina Svitolina - Elena Rybaknia
The main duel this Sunday in the ladies' draw will be between Ukraine's Elina Svitolina and Kazakhstan's Elena Rybakina. Both players are going through a great present, with Svitolina being crowned in Rouen last week.
Rybakina is one of the most dangerous players on Tour, and although she recently dropped in the rankings due to a no-show in Stuttgart, she has the results on clay to worry any opponent.
The record is in favor of the former Wimbledon champion 3-2. Rybakina also won the last two meetings between them. The extra spice is that both eliminations were in consecutive Grand Slams, first at Roland Garros, and then on the All England grass.
Match Info:
Elena Rybakina - Elina Svitolina
Start time (local): Sun, 27 Apr, 8:00 PM
Start time (your time): Mon, 28 Apr, 2:00 AM
Court: Manolo Santana Stadium
Tournament: Mutua Madrid Open
Round: Round of 32
Head-to-Head
| Rybakina | Svitolina | |
|---|---|---|
| H2H Record | ||
| Total Wins | 3 | 2 |
| Win Streak | 2 | 0 |
| Ranking | ||
| Official Ranking | 11 | 17 |
| Race Ranking | 10 | 16 |
| Live Ranking | ||
| Live Ranking | 12 (-1) | 17 |
| Live Race Ranking | 10 | 16 |
| Bios | ||
| Age | 25 (17 Jun 1999) | 30 (12 Sep 1994) |
| Birthplace | Moscow, Russia | Odesa, Ukraine |
| Residence | Moscow, Russia | London, England,Odesa, Ukraine |
| Height | 6'0" (184cm) | 5'8" (174cm) |
| Weight | 159lbs (72kg) | 132lbs (60kg) |
| Plays | Right-handed (two-handed backhand) | Right-handed (two-handed backhand) |
| Turned Pro | 2016 | 2010 |
| Coach | Davide Sanguinetti (2025–) | Raemon Sluiter (2023–present) |
| YTD W/L | 16-7 (70%) | 19-6 (76%) |
| YTD Titles | - | 1 |
| Career Titles | 8 | 18 |
| Prize Money | US $16,848,828 - 34th in all-time rankings | US$ 25,082,844 - 14th in all-time rankings |
| Past Meetings | ||
|
E Rybakina d E Svitolina Wimbledon - Quarterfinal6-3 | 6-2 10 Jul 2024 |
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E Rybakina d E Svitolina French Open - Round of 166-4 | 6-3 3 Jun 2024 |
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E Svitolina d E Rybakina Olympic Tournament - 3rd place playoff1-6 | 7-6 | 6-4 31 Jul 2021 |
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E Rybakina d E Svitolina WTA Eastbourne - Round of 166-4 | 7-6 23 Jun 2021 |
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|
E Svitolina d E Rybakina WTA Strasbourg - Final6-4 | 1-6 | 6-2 26 Sep 2020 |
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