Who is Sara Bejlek? A Beginner's Guide to Elena Rybakina's next opponent in Madrid

In a section of the draw that included Miami Open semifinalist Ekaterina Alexandrova and Dubai runner-up Anna Kalinskaya, No.4 seed Elena Rybakina's fourth-round opponent at the Mutua Madrid Open will instead be 18-year-old qualifier Sara Bejlek of the Czech Republic.

The young left-hander, making her WTA 1000 main-draw debut this week, has been punching above her weight throughout as she's scored the first three WTA main-draw wins of her career at any level. Standing at just 5-foot-2, she's beaten Anna Blinkova, Kalinskaya and Ashlyn Krueger to earn her shot at Stuttgart champion Rybakina, who's won her last six matches. Rybakina is not only her first-ever Top 10-ranked foe; she is also her first in the Top 20.

Her win against Kalinskaya, the world No. 25, was Bejlek's first-ever match against a Top 30 player. (She had, in fact, been winless against Top 50 opposition before this tournament; Blinkova is ranked No. 45.)

The Basics:

• DOB: Jan. 31, 2006
• Birthplace: Hrušovany nad Jevišovkou, Czechia
• Height: 5'2" (1.57 m)
• Left-handed (two-handed backhand)
• Career-high rank: No. 128 (Nov. 27, 2023)

The Bio:

Born in a town of just over 3,000 people near the Czech border with Austria, Bejlek had a decorated junior career not that long ago. She and compatriot Lucie Havlickova won the girls' doubles title at Roland Garros in 2022, where she also reached the singles semifinals.

But Bejlek had previously made waves as as a pro that year, too. She was the youngest player to compete in the US Open main draw two years ago after coming through qualifying, in what was her first-ever trip to the United States. That year, she defeated a pair of former Top 50 players, Heather Watson and Kristina Mladenovic (once the world No. 10), to reach her first Grand Slam main draw.

It's no surprise that Bejlek's biggest breakthrough thus far has come on clay. Dubbing it her favorite surface, all nine of her previous finals on the ITF circuit came on the surface, and last fall, she won her first WTA 125-level title on the dirt in Chile. Unseeded there, she defeated three seeds en route, including former Roland Garros semifinalist Nadia Podoroska in the semifinals, and France's Diane Parry in the final.

Coming In:

Madrid is just Bejlek's sixth tournament of 2024, and there was little to suggest she'd bubble up in this fashion. She was just 6-5 on the year entering Madrid, and in fact, had lost three of the four matches she played on her beloved clay. (One of those losses, though, came to another breakout Madrid player: Maria Lourdes Carle, who upset Emma Raducanu and Veronika Kudermetova to reach the third round out of qualifying herself.)

Bejlek turned that around quickly when she arrived at the Caja Mágica, where she eased to an opening qualifying win over former US Open semifinalist Yanina Wickmayer, the No. 12 seed, and outlasted China's Bai Zhuoxuan, seeded 14th, in three sets to reach the main draw.

After losing her first set in the main draw against Blinkova, she's won her next six in a row to get into the last 16. Further still? She's only lost a combined 15 games in those winning sets.

Fun Fact:

Bejlek is an avid dog lover, and her Yorkshire terrier pups have played a starring role on her social media. She's also a talented juggler.