Gauff dumped out of Madrid Open by Badosa, Andreeva continues dream run on 16th birthday

Sixth seed Coco Gauff slumped to a third-round exit at the hands Paula Badosa at the Madrid Open on Saturday, while Mirra Andreeva celebrated her 16th birthday by setting up a meeting with Aryna Sabalenka.

Badosa – the highest-ranked Spanish player in the women's draw – needed just 71 minutes to wrap up a 6-3 6-0 win over last year's Roland Garros runner-up, thrilling a supportive home crowd at the Manolo Santana Stadium.

Badosa edged a competitive start on the clay, with each of the first five games featuring break points, before the 25-year-old forced a series of errors from Gauff to take the opener.

The second set was far more straightforward, the error-prone Gauff rounding out the match by losing eight consecutive games to miss out on a spot in the last 16.

2 - @paulabadosa has achieved the second 6-0 set of her career against an opponent ranked in the WTA's top 10. The only other time came against Aryna Sabalenka at the WTA Finals in 2021. Panadería.#MMOPEN | @MutuaMadridOpen @WTA @WTA_insider pic.twitter.com/9TH1RGlbRT
— OptaAce (@OptaAce) April 29, 2023

Gauff was not the only seed to be humbled on Saturday, with Caroline Garcia falling to a 7-6 (7-2) 6-3 loss in her meeting with Egypt's Mayar Sherif.

Sabalenka – the highest-ranked player in action on Saturday – enjoyed a more productive outing, however.

She saw off a spirited challenge from Colombia's Camila Osorio to clinch a 6-4 7-5 victory, teeing up a last-16 meeting with surprise package Andreeva.

Playing on her 16th birthday, wildcard Andreeva celebrated in style with a 6-3 6-3 win over Poland's Magda Linette, continuing a dream run which has also seen the Russian eliminate Leylah Fernandez and Beatriz Haddad Maia.

16 - On her 16th birthday, Mirra Andreeva is now the youngest player to reach a WTA 1000 R16, and only the fourth player under 17 to do so since the format began in 2009, after Amanda Anisimova, Cori Gauff and Linda Fruhvirtova. Raw.#MMOPEN | @MutuaMadridOpen @WTA @WTA_insider pic.twitter.com/cEReAmpbcv
— OptaAce (@OptaAce) April 29, 2023