The fourth round of the WTA Madrid Open was played in full with 16 players still standing in this last WTA 1000 tournament of 2026 at the beginning of Monday.
There were some tantalizing draws looming, notably current world number one Aryna Sabalenka taking on former world number one Naomi Osaka. Additionally, Elena Rybakina, Coco Gauff, Mirra Andreeva and Belinda Bencic were also in action.
But it was a day of shock in some moments, including notably right at the end, when Tallon Griekspoor even put on his glasses while looking at his girlfriend Anastasia Potapova in what people joked on social media was a can’t-believe-what-he-saw moment.
The now Austrian tennis star defeated Elena Rybakina in the last game of the day, who has only lost five games all year and has now lost six, including Potapova, who recovered after trailing 5-3 in the first quarter of the match to seal a 10-8 tie-break.
Then in the last set, she lost serve 3-2 and Rybakina went 4-2 up, but in the end, Potapova recovered at the right time and broke serve after being 40-30 down at the time and held for 5-4. This before she managed to take the win by breaking Rybakina again if she held, which would likely force her to hold on again or take it to a tiebreaker.
But this was not necessary as, in a minor headache for Rybakina, Potapova unceremoniously expelled her from the Madrid Open.
Linda Noskova also made a great escape. She saw Coco Gauff, who was sick in her last game against Sorana Cirstea, falling victim to the Shrimp Taco virus and vomiting on the court.
But this time it was Noskova who applied great pressure and that took effect, as after winning her first set in five against Gauff, she lost 10 of 12 games to lose the second set and then face a double break in the third.
But they managed to come back and, by forcing a tie-break, ended up winning seven of the last nine points to earn their first top 10 victory of the season. She will now face Marta Kostyuk on Wednesday. The Ukrainian ended Caty McNally’s run, which had been so good this week, but Kostyuk, the winner in Rouen, even made the American joke that she didn’t want to play her again when they were at the net after a resounding 6-2, 6-3 victory.
Sabalenka magnificent against Osaka
Aryna Sabalenka also passed. She came from a set down to continue her title defense earlier in the day. She won 6-7, 6-3, 6-2 in a popcorn clash with Naomi Osaka won by the current World No.1, who then joked that the Brazilian fans who are behind her because her fiancé is from the country perhaps got upset with Osaka.
Osaka continues to show good signs, but it seems like she still can’t take on the big names. While Mirra Andreeva also passed. Although he had a breakdown when he fired Anna Bondar. She lost the first 7-6 and then yelled at her team that she was going to lose and that she was not a champion.
