Sabalenka has barely broken a sweat on her way to round three, dropping a total of only seven games in outclassing Erika Andreeva and Moyuka Uchijima, but Paula Badosa may serve up a challenge.
Badosa, a French Open quarter-finalist in 2021, looks on her way back after an injury-ravaged spell and the 26-year-old looks capable of returning to the world’s top ten.
The Spaniard has impressed on her way to three-set wins over Katie Boulter and Yulia Putintseva and there is plenty of hope that she can give Sabalenka a scare.
The pair clashed on the indoor clay of Stuttgart in April, and Badosa was forced to retire, with the scores locked at 3-3 in the deciding set.
Badosa also took world number three Gauff the distance in Rome two weeks ago, and both players have won a set in seven of the former world number two’s last eight clay-court matches.
