 "Simona Halep and Paula Badosa to meet in second round of Madrid Open")
Two-time Madrid Open champion Simona Halep and second-ranked Paula Badosa will meet in the tournament's second round after opening with victories on Thursday.
Halep beat Zhang Shuai 6-2 6-3 and Badosa defeated Veronika Kudermetova 6-3 6-0.
It will be the first time Halep and Badosa meet. Halep won consecutive Madrid titles in 2016 and 2017 and was runner-up in 2014 and 2019. Badosa, a semifinalist in Madrid last year, made it to No. 2 in the world for the first time this week.
Halep won her opening match under a closed roof on a rainy morning in the Spanish capital.
Badosa advanced after saving all five break points she faced.
Top-ranked Iga Swiatek withdrew from the clay-court tournament on Wednesday because of a sore arm.
Also, Coco Gauff defeated Anna Karolina Schmiedlova 6-0 6-2 and Victoria Azarenka beat Viktorija Golubic 7-6 (5) 6-3.