Elena Rybakina continues her Madrid Open campaign with a third-round clash against Zheng Qinwen. Fresh off her triumph in Stuttgart, Rybakina will have her sights set on making a deep run in at the WTA 1000 tournament. But Zheng has shown glimpses of her quality on her return after a long injury layoff and could present a tough test to the world No. 2.
Elena Rybakina vs Zheng Qinwen Match Details
Date: April 26, 2026
Tournament: Madrid Open 2026
Round: Third Round (Round of 32)
Venue: La Caja Mágica, Madrid, Spain
Surface: Outdoor Clay
Category: WTA 1000
Live Telecast: Tennis Channel, Sky Sports, TSN
Rybakina vs Zheng Head-to-Head Record
Rybakina holds the head-to-head lead against Zheng, having won 3 of their 4 matches on the WTA Tour. These two players last met in Doha earlier this year, with Rybakina winning a tight match 4-6, 6-2, 7-5.
This will be their first match on clay, and Rybakina arrives in this contest on a five-match winning streak. The 2026 Australian Open champion dominated proceedings in Stuttgart to claim her fifth clay-court title. She was given a tough test by Elena-Gabriela Ruse in her Madrid opener but managed to come from behind and claim the win.
Zheng also holds a decent clay-court record and won the gold medal in women’s singles at the Paris Olympics. She is still slowly finding her feet again after a lengthy layoff due to an elbow injury.
The 23-year-old started her clay-court swing with a 1-6, 6-3, 6-3 win over Sofia Kenin, taking her win-loss record in 2026 to 5-3.
Rybakina vs Zheng Prediction and Pick
Rybakina will be the overwhelming favorite going into this match, with Zheng’s comeback from injury still only 8 matches old. But the Chinese star has shown grit and resilience throughout her career and will be eager to pull off an upset on Sunday.
Despite her clay-court skills and her dominant serve, Rybakina remains susceptible to mistakes. She made 58 unforced errors in her second-round match against Ruse and cannot afford to make a similarly slow start against Zheng.
After showing her offensive prowess from the baseline and finding the right angles with her topspin against Kenin in the last round, it will be interesting to see if Zheng adopts a similar strategy against the hard-hitting Rybakina.
Zheng nearly pulled off an upset when these two players met in Doha. But she is still finding her feet at the top level following a lengthy injury layoff, with this being only her second clay-court match of 2026. Rybakina will have the momentum on her side following her triumph in Stuttgart. And she looks primed to continue her run on Sunday.
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The PFSN Tennis Simulator gives Rybakina an 84% chance of getting the win.
Pick – Rybakina in straight sets.
