One of the reasons Aryna Sabalenka has been able to sustain her rise to WTA No. 1, other than her metronomic trend of making deep runs in every tournament she enters is that she never gives up. She might be beaten from time to time by a player in top form, but matches are never easy for her opponents.
Peyton Stearns, a feisty 24-year-old who is currently No. 43 but with the skill set to be a top-20 player for a long time, learned the above in the second round of the Madrid Masters. Stearns kept pushing Sabalenka early in sets, getting a break in the second to make it seem as if tennis fans might be about to watch a three-set match, only to have Sabalenka come rushing back.
In fact, after trailing 1-2 in set two, Sabalenka only dropped one more game. She did so by taking advantage of a relatively weak second serve by Stearns. The American has a bombastic forehand and a good, but inconsistent, first serve, but to be great, she has to learn to be more like the Belarusian.
Aryna Sabalenka defeats Peyton Stearns in the second round of the 2026 Madrid Masters
While Sabalenka can dip in form at times, like all players, her ability to repeat shots is what has pushed her to the top ranking. She rarely beats herself, even against players with the power that Stearns is capable of.
This was the case in the second round, especially in the bigger points. The first set was tied at 5-all, but then Sabalenka held and followed that with a break of Stearns to take set one 7-5. This is what great players do. At the end of tight sets, they rise in form and precision; their focus becomes sharpened.
One is either born with that ability and then able to harness it for many years, or not. Aryna Sabalenka clearly does. Her reign atop the WTA is probably set for the long run, and players like Peyton Stearns will try to take advantage of a lower-form Sabalenka when they can.
That rarely happens, however, especially over the course of an entire match. The American learned that lesson on Thursday.
Next for Aryna Sabalenka will be Jaqueline Cristian in the third round. The two have met once before, at Indian Wells this year. The WTA No. 1 won in straight sets.
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