The first round of the WTA 1000 in Madrid delivered plenty of drama from the opening salvos. On the Caja Mágica's red clay, several favorites fell and matches produced scripts worthy of the tour's biggest stages.
The match of the day belonged to Solana Sierra. The Argentine, coming through qualifying, toppled Dayana Yastremska, seeded 26th, in a breathtaking encounter: 7-6(10), 7-6(8). Two tiebreaks that defied belief, with Sierra accumulating 118 points to Yastremska's 108. In the first set, Sierra broke early to lead 3-0 before the Ukrainian fought back. The tiebreak stretched to 12-10. The second set followed a similar rollercoaster pattern, with Sierra claiming five mini-breaks in the decisive game. She will face Magdalena Frech in the second round.
Spain's Jessica Bouzas Maneiro produced the most commanding display of the day, dismissing Brazil's Beatriz Haddad Maia 6-1, 6-1. Roared on by the Madrid crowd, Bouzas Maneiro left her opponent with nothing, confirming her rise on Spanish clay.
In another upset, former world number two Paula Badosa fell at the first hurdle on home soil, losing to Austria's Julia Grabher 7-6(3), 4-6, 6-0 for the Austrian. After dropping the first set in a tiebreak, the Spaniard levelled at one set all, only to collapse in the decider without winning a single game.
Among other notable results, dispatched Léolia Boisson 6-1, 6-3, while 19-year-old Alexandra Eala from the Philippines beat Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 6-3, 6-3. Romania's Gabriela Ruse saw off Ana Ruzic 6-3, 4-6, 6-0, and Sofia Kenin found form with a 7-6(2), 6-4 victory over Ashlyn Krueger.
