MADRID, Spain — The opening day of main draw action at the 2025 Madrid Open delivered a slew of unexpected results on Tuesday, headlined by an upset of tennis legend Venus Williams at the hands of local wildcard hopeful Kaitlin Quevedo. The 45-year-old seven-time Grand Slam champion, who was competing in her first clay-court event in five years, could not find her rhythm against the 20-year-old, falling in straight sets 6-2, 6-4.
Currently ranked 479th in the WTA global rankings, Williams’ first-round exit extends a disappointing 2025 season to date, marking her seventh consecutive loss in competitive matches this year. Play on the iconic Estadio Manolo Santana was hampered by gusty cross-court wind, which contributed to a string of unforced errors from both competitors. Quevedo, ranked 140th in the world and competing in her first ever WTA 1000 main draw, proved far more consistent through the choppy conditions, taking the first set comfortably.
Williams appeared to turn the tide early in the second set, jumping out to a commanding 3-0 lead, but a sudden rain shower forced a stoppage as crews closed the centre court roof. When play resumed, Quevedo shifted into high gear, winning five straight games to close out the match and book her spot in the tournament’s second round.
Williams was not the only high-profile name to exit early on Spanish clay. Former world number two Paula Badosa, a native of Spain competing in her hometown tournament, was eliminated in a three-set battle against Julia Grabher. Badosa dropped the opening set in a tiebreak 7-3, bounced back to take the second set 6-4, but collapsed in the final set, surrendering six consecutive games to lose 0-6, bowing out in the first round.
Another former Grand Slam semifinalist also suffered a shocking early exit: 2023 Roland Garros semifinalist Beatriz Haddad Maia was dominated 6-1, 6-1 by Spain’s Jessica Bouzas Maneiro, never finding traction in the lopsided defeat. In another opening round clash, 2024 French Open breakout star Lois Boisson struggled mightily in her first match back from a long injury layoff, falling 6-1, 6-3 to American Peyton Stearns in just 63 minutes on court. Boisson, who stunned the tennis world by reaching the Roland Garros semifinals last year as the world number 361, had not competed since September and only managed to win four games total against Stearns.
With the victory, Stearns advances to a highly anticipated second round matchup against top-ranked defending champion Aryna Sabalenka, who has claimed the Madrid Open title three times in her career.