Top Seeds Zverev and Sabalenka Advance with Easy Victories at Madrid Open

 Tennis - Madrid Open - Park Manzanares, Madrid, Spain - April 25, 2025 Germany's Alexander Zverev serves during his round of 64 match against Spain's Roberto Bautista-Agut. (Reuters)
Tennis - Madrid Open - Park Manzanares, Madrid, Spain - April 25, 2025 Germany's Alexander Zverev serves during his round of 64 match against Spain's Roberto Bautista-Agut. (Reuters)
TT
20

Top Seeds Zverev and Sabalenka Advance with Easy Victories at Madrid Open

 Tennis - Madrid Open - Park Manzanares, Madrid, Spain - April 25, 2025 Germany's Alexander Zverev serves during his round of 64 match against Spain's Roberto Bautista-Agut. (Reuters)
Tennis - Madrid Open - Park Manzanares, Madrid, Spain - April 25, 2025 Germany's Alexander Zverev serves during his round of 64 match against Spain's Roberto Bautista-Agut. (Reuters)

Top seeds Alexander Zverev and Aryna Sabalenka scored comfortable victories in their opening matches at the Madrid Open on Friday.

Zverev cruised to a 6-2, 6-2 win over home favorite Roberto Bautista Agut, while Sabalenka triumphed 6-3, 6-4 against qualifier Anna Blinkova.

Zverev, the Madrid champion in 2018 and 2021, needed only 69 minutes to extend his winning streak to six matches. The German player moved to No. 2 in the world after capturing the Munich title last week.

"A good match, I knew I had to focus against Roberto," said Zverev, who improved to 24-5 in Madrid. "I knew that it was going to be a tough challenge. This is my favorite center court in the world, I only lost twice here in my entire life. I hope that stays the way throughout the next 10 days and that I can continue playing good tennis."

In the third round, Zverev faces Nuno Borges or Alejandro Davidovich Fokina.

Sabalenka tops Blinkova Sabalenka, winner in Madrid in 2021 and 2023 and last year's runner-up to Iga Swiatek, converted three of her seven break opportunities to defeat the 76th-ranked Blinkova.

The top-ranked Sabalenka will face No. 28 seed Elise Mertens in the third round.

Anastasia Potapova upset eighth-seeded Qinwen Zheng, while 15th seed Amanda Anisimova lost 6-2, 2-6, 7-5 to fellow American Peyton Stearns. Sixth-seeded Jasmine Paolini eased past Katie Boulter 6-1, 6-2.

In other action on the men's side, fourth-ranked Taylor Fritz of the U.S. routed Christopher O'Connell of Britain 6-1, 6-4, and Casper Ruud beat Arthur Rinderknech 6-3, 6-4.

Juan Manuel Cerundolo beat Felix Auger-Aliassime in straight sets, while Danill Medvedev advanced after Laslo Djere withdrew.



Liverpool Teammates Gather in Portugal for Jota Funeral

People wait next to flowers to enter at a church where the bodies of Liverpool forward Diogo Jota and André Silva have been brought for a wake and funeral in Gondomar, near Porto, Portugal, on Friday, July 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)
People wait next to flowers to enter at a church where the bodies of Liverpool forward Diogo Jota and André Silva have been brought for a wake and funeral in Gondomar, near Porto, Portugal, on Friday, July 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)
TT
20

Liverpool Teammates Gather in Portugal for Jota Funeral

People wait next to flowers to enter at a church where the bodies of Liverpool forward Diogo Jota and André Silva have been brought for a wake and funeral in Gondomar, near Porto, Portugal, on Friday, July 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)
People wait next to flowers to enter at a church where the bodies of Liverpool forward Diogo Jota and André Silva have been brought for a wake and funeral in Gondomar, near Porto, Portugal, on Friday, July 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)

Liverpool players were gathering in the small Portuguese town of Gondomar on Saturday for the funeral of their English Premier League soccer teammate Diogo Jota, who died with his younger brother in a car crash in Spain on Thursday.

Club captain Virgil Van Dijk, goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher and manager Arne Slot were among teammates past and present who arrived in Portugal late on Friday to pay their respects to the striker and his brother, Andre Silva.

They are expected to join the grieving family and hundreds of residents of Gondomar, a small town in northern Portugal where Jota grew up, for the funeral at the Igreja Matriz church, Reuters said.

Rute Cardoso, who married Jota just weeks ago, is expected to be accompanied by the couple's three young children.

Jota's death at the age of 28 sent shock waves through the world of football and beyond, with messages of condolences pouring in from national leaders as well as across the sport.

The brothers were believed to have been driving to a ferry in Spain to travel to Britain when their Lamborghini veered off the road and burst into flames after midnight on Thursday. Police said they suspected a tire had burst.