World No.2 Aryna Sabalenka advanced to the Round of 16 at the Madrid Open after defeating Colombia's Camila Osorio 6-4, 7-5, here on Saturday.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
A champion in 2019, Sabalenka will face either Magda Linette or Mirra Andreeva for a spot in the quarterfinals.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
"I'm happy with the win. She's a great player and she fought for every point. It was a really great match," said Sabalenka.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Coming off a strong 6-4, 6-3 win over Sorana Cirstea in her opening round, Sabalenka held off a spirited challenge from Osorio. Now ranked No.115 and coming off a one-month injury break, Osorio made good on her main-draw wild card to advance to the third round of Madrid for the first time.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Sabalenka's power game ultimately proved too tough to solve for Osorio. After falling behind an early break at 3-1, Osorio gamely battled her way back into the match. She fended off two break points to close the gap to 3-2 and then, with the Spanish crowd behind her, the 22-year-old broke Sabalenka to level the first set.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Sabalenka quickly settled herself after her error-prone stretch. She broke Osorio for a second time to lead 5-4 and held her nerve in a deuce game to serve out the opening set.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
With a set in the pocket, the reigning Australian Open champion clinically moved through the early stages of the second set. After Sabalenka built a double-break lead at 4-1, Osorio took a medical timeout to assess her left hip and leg.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
On the resumption, Osorio broke Sabalenka for the first time in the set and closed the deficit to 4-3. Osorio continued her march towards a comeback, breaking Sabalenka again as she served for the match at 5-4.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
"That's something that I expected, especially against players like her. She can return, she can play long rallies, and she can come back to the match. I just kept telling myself I have to keep going for my shots and I just have to make her move because she's not going to move all day long. Once I will get this approach shot and I will be able to finish the point," said Sabalenka.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
"So I was just telling myself to keep going for my shots and don't start panicking," she added.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
That would be as far as Osorio's comeback would go. Smartly opting to keep the points shorter, Sabalenka pounded her way to a fifth and final break of Osorio's serve to earn a second opportunity to serve out the win. This time she did not falter.<\/p>\r\n\r\n