Sloane Stephens and Taylor Townsend joke about jet lag as they land in Spain ahead of Madrid Open 2023

Sloane Stephens and Taylor Townsend have joked about being affected by jet lag after landing in Spain ahead of the 2023 Madrid Open.

With the qualifiers for the WTA 1000 Madrid Open scheduled to begin on Monday, April 24, players have made their way to Spain to compete at the tournament. Iga Swiatek leads the top half of the draw, setting up a possible quarterfinal encounter against Elena Rybakina. Sloane Stephens also features in the top half alongside Elina Svitolina, Jessica Pegula and Bianca Andreescu, among others.

At the other end of the draw, Aryna Sabalenka and defending champion Ons Jabeur could potentially lock horns in the semifinals. Coco Gauff, Petra Kvitova and Caroline Garcia also find themselves in the bottom half of the draw.

After arriving in Madrid, Sloane Stephens joked about needing help to deal with her "very serious" jet lag.

"Jet lag very serious right now babes. Send help," Steohens posted.

Taylor Townsend was also not immune to the debilitating effects of the lengthy trip.

"Jet lag got me man," she wote.

Stephens' and Townsend's Instagram stories

Townsend will begin her campaign in Madrid by taking on Andrea Lazaro Garcia in the qualifiers.

Meanwhile, Stephens will be up against Jaqueline Cristian in the first round of the tournament. The former World No. 3 has previously enjoyed success at the Madrid Open, reaching the semifinals in 2019 where she was defeated by eventual champion Kiki Bertens.

How Sloane Stephens has fared in 2023

Stephens at the 2023 Miami Open

Sloane Stephens commenced her 2023 season with first-round losses at the ASB Classic, Hobart International and Australian Open. The American notched her first win of the season against Leolia Jeanjean at the Merida Open. She then battled past Varvara Gracheva before falling to Camila Giorgi.

Competing at the ATX Open next, Stephens enjoyed straight-sets victories over Taylor Townsend and Heather Watson. However, she was unable to progress further in the tournament as she lost her third-round encounter against Gracheva.

The former World No. 3 was unable to get going at the WTA 1000 events in Indian Wells and Miami, losing her opening matches to fellow Americans Sofia Kenin and Shelby Rogers.

Stephens began her clay court season at the Charleston Open. She came through with a win against compatriot Louisa Chirico after a closely contested three-set battle. She was unable to keep the momentum going against Victoria Azarenka in the second round, losing 3-6, 6-3, 6-2.

Sloane Stephens currently holds a 5-8 win/loss record for the 2023 season.