Former world number one Karolina Pliskova turned back the clock at the Madrid Open on Monday.
Pliskova, who missed almost the entirety of the 2025 season with an injury, made her first WTA 1000 quarterfinal in over two years after beating Solana Sierra in straight sets.
The Czech star clinched the top spot in the WTA rankings back in 2017, but has since plummeted outside the top 100, having undergone two surgeries on her left ankle following a big setback she sustained at the 2024 US Open.
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She returned towards the end of 2025 and has since featured at seven WTA events, including the 2026 Australian Open.
Pliskova has recorded a mixed bag of results in her comeback season, but now at the Madrid Open, the two-time Grand Slam finalist appears to be making great headway.
Karolina Pliskova achieves incredible feat at the Madrid Open
Pliskova has enjoyed a fantastic campaign so far in Madrid, which started with a comeback win against Sinja Kraus.
She then knocked out Maria Sakkari in straight sets, before defeating 19th seed Elise Mertens to book her place in the fourth round.
There, Pliskova earned another win in straight sets versus Sierra, which saw her secure an amazing WTA record.
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According to Opta Ace, Pliskova, who is currently the world number 197, has become the lowest-ranked quarterfinalist at the Madrid Open since the tournament’s inception in 2009.
She surpassed Patricia Maria Tig, who reached the last eight of the Madrid Open back in 2016, ranked 134th in the world.
Karolina Pliskova’s next opponent at the Madrid Open
In the quarterfinals of the Madrid Open, Pliskova will either face world number two Elena Rybakina or Anastasia Potapova.
She has faced Potapova just once before, with their sole meeting coming at the Qatar Open back in 2024, where Pliskova came out on top.
Against Rybakina, however, Pliskova has had no joy, with the head-to-head between the two currently 4-0 in favour of the Kazakh.
Their last meeting came at the Australian Open in 2024, where Rybakina triumphed in straight sets.
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