Nick Kyrgios continued his strong return to clay courts on Wednesday, defeating Tommy Paul 6-4 6-2 to progress to the quarter-finals of the US Men's Clay Court Championships in Houston.
Before Tuesday's victory over Mackenzie McDonald, Kyrgios had not played on clay since his infamous meltdown against Casper Ruud at the Rome Masters in 2019, where he threw a chair across the court and walked off during a change of ends.
The 26-year-old Australian wild card's serve kept him in relative control, saving all six break points he faced in the 70-minute match, as well as serving 10 aces and winning 88 per cent of points on his first serve.
"I had to be locked in today and I knew that I had to serve well," Kyrgios said post-match. "It's probably one of the better matches I've played on clay in my career, so I'm pretty happy with the way I came out here today, just put my head down and went to work.
"I've been serving really well, so I just wanted to keep to good habits."
The world number 94 will now face Michael Mmoh, who defeated Sam Querrey 6-2 6-4.
Meanwhile, third seed Reilly Opelka did it relatively tougher in the other all-American clash on Wednesday, coming back from a set down to defeat Mitchell Kreuger 3-6 6-2 6-4.
Opelka came into the match having lost just 13 service games in 19 matches this season, but was broken twice in the opening set against Krueger. The world number 18 has been dealing with a right shoulder injury that forced him to retire at the Miami Open against Francisco Cerundolo.
The 24-year-old still managed 15 aces for the match, including a big serve out wide in the Ad court on match point.
"He played well, I think he came out swinging," Opelka said afterwards. "I think he was free, I wasn't. It's a different situation.
"It was a good opportunity for him to play free and get a win and I'm a guy who hasn't always been the most consistent, especially changing surfaces, so I think it was a good win."
He will face Gijs Brouwer, who progressed past J.J. Wolf with a 6-1 6-1 win.
Alcaraz begins Madrid Open campaign with emphatic win
Carlos Alcaraz continued his fine record at the Madrid Open with an emphatic 6-2 6-1 victory over Alexander Shevchenko on Friday.
The two-time defending champion made it 12 straight wins at his home tournament to ensure he will face Brazilian Thiago Seyboth Wild in the last 32.
Alcaraz was playing his first match on the ATP Tour since March 28 after being unable to compete in the Monte-Carlo Masters and Barcelona Open due to an arm injury.
But he was still able to make a fine start to his clay-court season, breaking serve in the first game and racing to victory in only one hour and eight minutes.
Data Debrief
Sometimes the scoreline can be harsh on a beaten player, but on this occasion Alcaraz was clearly dominant, breaking the Kazakh seven times in the match and forcing 11 break-point opportunities while conceding only three for his opponent.
That allowed the Spaniard to claim a dominant victory despite being broken once in each set. He will now turn his attention to a clash with Seyboth Wild, who battled past Lorenzo Musetti with a 6-4 6-4 win.
Reigning champion Sabalenka pushed by Linette at Madrid Open
Aryna Sabalenka got her Madrid Open campaign started with a 6-4 3-6 6-3 win over Magda Linette on Friday.
Sabalenka could not quite hit her peak form against Linette, but the world number two nevertheless got the job done after going the distance.
The Belarusian is hunting a record-equalling third title in Madrid, where she is the reigning champion, though she has not won back-to-back matches at a tournament since winning the Australian Open.
"It's not about being confident," Sabalenka said. "It's about how much you're ready to do to get it. It's about the hard work and to be ready, be ready for the big fights. I feel like confidence is not going to help you in those big matches. It's about staying there and fighting for it."
Data Debrief
Sabalenka (70 per cent, 56-24) is now one of five active players since 2020 to hold a winning percentage of 70 per cent or higher at WTA-1000 events.
Iga Swiatek, Simona Halep, Elena Rybakina and Jessica Pegula are the other players to feature on that list.
Rybakina continues clay winning streak with victory over Bronzetti
In-form Elena Rybakina has moved into the last 32 of the Madrid Open after a straight sets victory over Italian Lucia Bronzetti.
Number four seed Rybakina triumphed 6-4 6-3 on Friday and will next face either Marta Kostyuk or Mayar Sherif.
Rybakina was broken early in each set but ultimately had few problems getting over the line, converting four of her five break points to continue an impressive run of results after winning the Stuttgart Open last week.
She has now won five consecutive WTA matches and has 13 straight wins on clay courts to her name in a superb streak that started one year ago.
Data Debrief: Rybakina in elite company
Since the start of 2020, only two other players have claimed as many 13 consecutive WTA wins on clay, and they are Iga Swiatek and Simona Halep, so Rybakina is in elite company.
Rybakina's last defeat on this surface came in the 2023 edition of the Madrid Open, when she fell to Anna Kalinskaya in her first match, so this win represented a better start to her campaign in the Spanish capital.
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