World number one Aryna Sabalenka made light work of Jaqueline Cristian in her third-round match at the Madrid Open.

Reigning champion Sabalenka won 6-1 6-4 to secure her place in round three in the Spanish capital on Saturday.

The Belarusian set the tone early, breaking Cristian at the first opportunity and following that up by getting the better of her opponent's serve at the next time of asking.

Sabalenka fended off four break points to hold in an epic sixth game of the second set.

Cristian could not hold on to force the tie-break, and having claimed the crucial break, Sabalenka served out the victory.

Sabalenka will now go up against four-time grand slam champion Naomi Osaka in an intriguing third-round clash. 

Osaka beat Anhelina Kalinina 6-1 6-3.

25 - Her most at a single WTA-1000 event, Aryna Sabalenka (25) is now the third player since 2009 to claim 25+ match wins at the Madrid Open, after Petra Kvitova (32) and Simona Halep (30). Accustomed.#MMOPEN | @MutuaMadridOpen @WTA pic.twitter.com/YyIuPVDzCR

— OptaAce (@OptaAce) April 25, 2026

Data Debrief: Sabalenka's Madrid magnificence 

Sabalenka is in the hunt for her fourth Madrid Open crown, and her victory now means she has won 25 matches at the event.

That makes the Madrid Open her favourite WTA 1000-level tournament in terms of match wins, while she is just the third woman to achieve as many victories at the event, after Petra Kvitova (32) and Simona Halep (30).

At +72, Sabalenka has the best winner-unforced error differential of any player at WTA 1000-level events so far in 2026 – Jessica Pegula (+59) is the only other player above +50 this season.

She has now won 25 matches this season, and 14 on the spin.