Although Jasmine Paolini and Katie Boulter had previously split their four encounters evenly, their first match on clay in Madrid showed a clear advantage for Paolini. The sixth seed progressed to the third round of the Mutua Madrid Open with a dominant 6-1, 6-2 victory that took just one hour.

Paolini, a finalist at Roland Garros last year, started strongly, hitting five clean winners to establish a 2-0 lead. Boulter, fresh off her first main-draw clay win against Katerina Siniakova, briefly responded with a well-played rally culminating in a backhand winner to get a break back.

However, this proved to be Boulter`s only significant resistance. Paolini then won nine consecutive games, showcasing powerful forehands and skillful drop shots that challenged Boulter`s movement. In the second set, Paolini lost only four points in the opening five games as Boulter struggled with her control, accumulating 21 unforced errors throughout the match.

Leading 5-0, Paolini faltered slightly with two double faults, allowing Boulter to win two games. But this minor hiccup didn`t change the outcome; Paolini confidently served out the match shortly after. Aiming to match or surpass her previous best performance in Madrid (reaching the fourth round last year), Paolini`s next opponent will be either 29th seed Magda Linette or Maria Sakkari.