Fresh off last week’s victory at the Stuttgart Open, World No. 2 Elena Rybakina returned back in action for the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix. The Kazakhstani is all set to open her campaign at the ongoing Madrid Open 2026 against Elena-Gabriela Ruse in the Round of 64 scheduled on April 24. Rybakina defeated Czech Republic Karolina Muchova in straight sets at the Stuttgart women’s singles final played on April 19.
Top seeded world tennis stars are headlining Europe’s clay-court at the 2026 Madrid Open. After winning her second Stuttgart title, Rybakina aims to continue with the same momentum ahead. The Kazakhstani has been impressive this season. Firsty she secured the 2026 Australian Open champion title after defeating World No.1 Aryna Sabalenka in Germany.
“Winning a tournament for the second time is something very special. It’s such a great tournament, I’d like to come back every year. We players really enjoy our time in Stuttgart,” Rybakina said.
The Madrid Open is the second main clay-court event after Stuttgart and will continue ahead with next week’s Italian Open in Rome and finally with the Paris Open in May 2026.
On the other hand, World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka is also set to make her 2026 clay debut on Thursday, April 23 against Peyton Stearns. The Belarusian is coming off a recent title victory at the Miami Open. On March 29 she defeated America’s Coco Gauff. The 2025 Madrid Open champion was absent from the Stuttgart event to recover from an injury suffered in last month’s Sunshine Double sweep.
Sabalenka said, “It was really sad for me to skip Stuttgart. The ideal plan is to maybe open up the schedule a little bit more to stay healthier, to be more ready to show my best tennis in each tournament.”
Besides Rybakina and Sabalenka, other seeded women tennis stars are also set to join the Madrid Open event this week as part of the main draw. The top-rank list includes reigning French Open winner Coco Gauff (3), No. Iga Świątek (4), Jessica Pegula (5), and No. 6 Amanda Anisimova.
