Mayar Sherif sees historic Madrid Masters run ended in brutal fashion by Aryna Sabalenka

Mayar Sherif saw her historic run to the Madrid Masters quarter-finals ended in ruthless fashion by world No 2 Aryna Sabalenka on Tuesday.

After becoming the first Egyptian to reach a WTA 1000 quarter-finals when she beat Elise Mertens on Monday, Sherif headed into the match against Sabalenka knowing she would have to hit new highs to overcome the in-form Belarusian.

And the world No 59 made a flying start to the match in the Spanish capital as she powered to an impressive first-set victory but it was downhill from there as Sabalenka took charge of the match and powered to a 2-6, 6-2, 6-1 triumph.

Australian Open champion Sabalenka struggled badly at first but turned the two-hour match around convincingly to reach the semi-finals.

“I was just trying to keep fighting to keep playing my game and find my rhythm,” said Sabalenka. “She's a clay-court specialist and I'm very happy with this win. It was a very tough one.”

Sherif capitalised on Sabalenka's erratic start to break in the first game. The 26-year-old became the first player to take a set off Sabalenka in Madrid, breaking again for 4-1 and missing set point at 5-1 before clinching it on serve.

Getting it done