'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Day 6 of the 2025 Madrid Open saw the underdogs take some big scalps, as World No. 3 Jessica Pegula, 13th-seeded Ben Shelton, defending champion Andrey Rublev, among other top players, exited in the third round of the 1000-level event. The Americans, in particular, lost in quite a listless fashion at Caja Magica as their opponents, Moyuka Uchijima and Jakub Mensik, put up an inspiring display.
On that note, let's do a recap of some of the most surprising results from the Madrid Open on Sunday (April 27).
#5 Jasmine Paolini wins only three games in her Madrid Open 3R exit to Maria Sakkari
World No. 4 Jasmine Paolini suffered a blowout 2-6, 1-6 loss to former World No. 3 Maria Sakkari in their third-round encounter on Day 6 of the 2025 Madrid Open. The Italian had won their previous clash in straightforward fashion at last year's Dubai Tennis Championships, but that mattered little as the resurgent Greek broke her six times en route to victory.
Trending
Sakkari, meanwhile, had failed to win back-to-back matches on the WTA Tour since the Paris Olympics last August and had also endured a serious shoulder injury a few months later.
Having dropped to as low as 82nd in the women's rankings, she will be determined to get closer to emulating her career-best result of reaching the last four in Madrid when she faces 17th-seeded Elina Svitolina next week.
#4 Elena Rybakina's form woes continue in latest defeat to Elina Svitolina
Elena Rybakina, meanwhile, has regressed considerably this year as off-court struggles persist in her career. The Kazakh suffered her third loss in her last four WTA Tour outings at Caja Magica on Sunday, April 27, going out 3-6, 4-6 to former World No. 3 Elina Svitolina, who achieved her career's best result at the tournament this week.
The former Wimbledon champion, who recently exited the top 10 of WTA rankings, failed to break the Ukrainian's serve during their third-round contest. She will be eager to bring her 2025 season back on track at next week's Italian Open - where she reigned supreme two years ago.
#3 Defending champion Andrey Rublev exits to mercurial Alexander Bublik in Madrid Open 3R
Andrey Rublev is set to fall outside the men's top 10 for the first time since 2022 when the ATP rankings are updated. The Russian suffered a 4-6, 6-0, 4-6 defeat to the unseeded Alexander Bublik on Day 6, bringing his title defense to an unceremonious end at Caja Magica.
Bublik, meanwhile, will likely be satisfied with his performance against the 27-year-old, considering he himself suffered a freefall in the men's rankings not too long ago. Ranked 75th in the world, he will be eager to match his career-best result of reaching the last eight in Madrid when he takes on fellow giant-killer Jakub Mensik next week.
#2 Ben Shelton drops NextGen battle in Madrid to fast-rising Jakub Mensik
Jakub Mensik impressed tennis fans last month by winning his maiden ATP singles title at the Miami Open against all odds by beating five-time champion Novak Djokovic in the final. While the Czech 19-year-old didn't immediately follow up on the above run, he has come into his own at the Madrid Open this week, as evidenced by his convincing 6-1, 6-4 win over World No. 12 Ben Shelton.
The American, on his part, had shown improvement in his claycourt game by making it to the title match in Munich last week. However, the 22-year-old couldn't bring the same vein of form into Madrid this week as he dropped serve four times en route to his defeat.
#1 Jessica Pegula suffers upset at the hands of Moyuka Uchijima in Madrid Open 3R
Jessica Pegula has perhaps been the most consistent player on the WTA Tour in 2025. The World No. 3 American finished runner-up in Miami last month before backing the result up with a title run in Charleston. Unfortunately, she has since dropped two of her last four matches, with her 2-6, 3-6 loss to World No. 56 Moyuka Uchijima being by far her worst.
Although Pegula was quick to break her Japanese opponent in the first set to get off to a 2-1 lead, the 30-year-old saw their third-round clash slip away from her hands as she was subsequently dropped serve five times. She will next play at the Italian Open next week, which is the final 1000-level tune-up event to the French Open.
