Aryna Sabalenka advances to quarterfinals in Stuttgart

Aryna Sabalenka, currently the world number two in women's tennis, got her clay court season off to a strong start with a convincing victory against Barbora Krejcikova in the first round of the Stuttgart Open. 

The match marked the pair's fourth meeting of 2023, with Sabalenka winning three of the four encounters. Sabalenka defeated her Czech opponent 6-2, 6-3 in a quick 75-minute match to become the first player to secure a spot in the quarterfinals.

Despite having lost to Krejcikova earlier in the year, Sabalenka was in top form, hitting 10 aces and never facing a break point. This was their first meeting on clay, and Sabalenka was in control throughout the match.

Sabalenka, the runner-up in Stuttgart in both 2021 and 2022, is determined to take home the title this year. So far this season, Sabalenka has won 21 matches, trailing only Jessica Pegula and Elena Rybakina, who have each won 22 matches.

Rybakina, the reigning Wimbledon champion, won her second-round match against Jule Niemeier to advance to the quarterfinals. Coco Gauff, the world number six, also won her first-round match against Veronika Kudermetova in a three-set thriller that included a total of 15 breaks of serve.

Gauff, who committed 53 unforced errors, will face Anastasia Potapova in the next round. Meanwhile, top-ranked Iga Swiatek, the defending champion of the Stuttgart Open, will begin her title defense against Zheng Qinwen on Thursday. 

Swiatek missed the Miami Open and Billie Jean King Cup qualifiers due to a rib injury but is now fully recovered.

"I'm not injured anymore, so that's the most important thing for me," said Swiatek, who won both the French Open and US Open last year.