Day 2 at the Mutua Madrid Open delivered a mix of expected dominance and genuine shocks. The favourites held serve, an outsider toppled a major seed, and a Paraguayan qualifier produced the men's upset of the day.
Aryna Sabalenka opened proceedings on Manolo Santana against Peyton Stearns. The world No. 1 prevailed 7-5, 6-3 in a match that was tighter than the scoreline suggests. Stearns matched the Belarusian through a first set in which Sabalenka committed twenty-six unforced errors and dropped serve twice. But once the American showed signs of fading, the Sabalenka machine kicked into gear. Her 2026 record now stands at twenty-four wins and a single defeat, with thirteen consecutive victories since her Doha final loss in March.
Iga Swiatek left no room for drama. The Pole, preparing her clay season with a new coaching setup after working with Toni Nadal in Majorca, dismantled Daria Snigur 6-1, 6-2 in sixty-one minutes. Sixteen winners, total control of rallies. She will face Ann Li next, who edged Alycia Parks in three sets.
The biggest upset came from Anna Bondar. The Hungarian, ranked sixty-third, eliminated 6-3, 6-4, recording her first career Top 10 victory. The numbers tell the story: twenty-seven winners against just nine unforced errors. Bondar saved all six break points she faced, displaying remarkable mental fortitude. Svitolina, the seventh seed, required a medical timeout at 2-3 in the second set to treat an ankle issue, but could not turn the tide. It was the first Top 10 win by a Hungarian woman since Timea Babos at the 2018 Australian Open.
On the men's side, the shock came from Paraguayan qualifier Adolfo Daniel Vallejo, who dispatched Grigor Dimitrov 6-4, 6-4 — the first Paraguayan player in the tournament's history. Stefanos Tsitsipas, currently ranked 80th and enduring a difficult stretch, needed three tight sets to overcome Patrick Kypson 3-6, 7-6(6), 7-6(4), saving two match points along the way. Camilo Ugo Carabelli ended Gaël Monfils' final Madrid appearance with a 6-3, 6-4 win, while launched her clay campaign by defeating Camila Osorio 6-2, 7-5.
Two other performances deserve mention. Laura Samson, born in 2008, became the youngest player of her generation to reach the third round of a WTA 1000 after a stirring comeback against Wang Xinyu (2-6, 6-3, 6-0). And Jaqueline Cristian saved three match points against Yuliia Starodubtseva before prevailing 3-6, 7-6(5), 6-4 in over three hours.
Day 3 promises even more drama with , , and all making their tournament debuts.
