Rybakina advances to WTA Madrid's quarterfinals progression.
Sparky's Take: The badass Belarusian bomb-shell, Arina Sabalenka, thumped the American Peyton Stearns (#44) in the round of 16, sweeping the sets like nobody's business - 6-2, 6-4. This mammoth tussle took an hour and 20 minutes, with Arina serving up three aces and nailing four out of seven break points.
Next up for the No. 1 on the planet, Arina, is the indomitable Ukrainian, Marta Kostyuk (#36). If she manages to clinch this one, Arina will be in the semifinals.
The cat-and-mouse game between Arina and Kazakhstan's fab tennis player, Elena Rybakina, has been going on for a while now. They've had ten matches, and so far, it's Arina leading with a 6-4 head-to-head score.
Now, let's talk about the coach-drama surrounding Elena. Despite Stefano Vukov, her long-time coach from 2019-2024, receiving a one-year suspension by the WTA in early 2025 for mental abuse allegations, you can still find him training alongside Elena. This has, understandably, stirred up fan criticism and caused some access issues during tournaments.
Between Vukov's suspension and the departure of Goran Ivanisevic who coached Elena from late 2024 until January 2025, Elena's coaching scene seems to be in a bit of a transitional phase. No full-time head coach has been officially announced since Ivanisevic's departure, leaving the question of Elena's primary tactical guidance hanging in the air.
- Arina Sabalenka, currently the top-ranked athlete, aims to extend her success in the sports world by advancing to the tennis semifinals.
- In her past matches against Kazakhstan's Elena Rybakina, Sabalenka has demonstrated her dominance, securing a 6-4 head-to-head score in their ten encounters.
- Despite controversies surrounding her coach, Stefano Vukov, who received a one-year suspension for mental abuse allegations, Elena Rybakina continues to train with him, causing stirs among fans and creating access issues during tournaments.
- The coaching situation for Elena Rybakina seems to be in flux following the departure of Goran Ivanisevic, leaving her primary tactical guidance unclear since January 2025.
