Madrid Open: Iga Swiatek advances to Round of 16, outplays Sorana Cirstea

Madrid [Spain], April 27 : World No.1 Iga Swiatek reached the Round of 16 at the Madrid Open after overpowering Romania's Sorana Cirstea 6-1, 6-1 on Saturday.

Swiatek will face Sara Sorribes Tormo for a spot in the quarterfinals on Monday.

"We still weren't sure actually before the match if the roof was going to be opened or closed. They only told us, like, 15 minutes before, and at that point they were sure, but before they were kind of looking for how the forecast looks like. I was ready for both scenarios, but for sure it felt a little bit like Roland Garros 2020 because of the weather today, and I knew that I can play well in these conditions," Swiatek said as quoted by WTA.

Cirstea, a two-time quarterfinalist in Madrid, faced constant pressure in her service games. Swiatek recorded 14 break points in the match, breaking Cirstea's serve five times. Cirstea, on the other hand, had only two chances to break Swiatek's serve and converted one of them.

Meanwhile, No.5 seed Maria Sakkari sealed a spot in the Round of 16 on Saturday, defeating American Sloane Stephens 6-1, 6-3.

Sakkari played flawlessly in Saturday's first set, making only three unforced errors, her lowest total in an opening set this year. Sakkari also broke Stephens in the first game of the second set, giving him a comfortable advantage.

In the following game, former World No.3 Stephens fought back on serve as last week's Rouen champion tried to extend her winning run. However, Sakkari regained her break advantage at 4-3 after forcing an error long, and the Greek sailed home from there.

No.9 seed Jelena Ostapenko also claimed a spot in the Round of 16 with a victory over Argentine qualifier Maria Lourdes Carle 6-3, 6-3 in a match that lasted for one hour and 29 minutes on Saturday.

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