World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka claimed her third Madrid Open title with a 6-3 7-6(3) victory over Coco Gauff in Saturday’s final, marking her 20th career title. This victory adds to her impressive history in the Spanish capital, having won the tournament in 2021 and 2023, and coming back from being last year’s runner-up.
The match started with Sabalenka asserting her dominance, racing to a 4-1 lead with a double break. Gauff found some rhythm to claim two consecutive games, but Sabalenka quickly regained control, reeling off two more games to take the first set. The fourth-seeded Gauff struggled with her serve, as indicated by her stats, giving Sabalenka the upper hand in the opening set.
The second set saw Gauff mount a comeback, taking a 4-2 lead. However, double faults in the 10th game gave Sabalenka a triple break point. Although Sabalenka couldn’t convert those opportunities, she seized the moment shortly after Gauff failed to capitalize on a set point, breaking back to level the score at 5-5. Sabalenka even had a match point on Gauff’s serve, but the set ultimately went to a tiebreak.
In the end, Gauff’s eighth double fault proved costly, and it allowed Sabalenka to easily seal the match and the title in the tiebreak.
On her way to the title, Sabalenka defeated Anna Blinkova, Elise Mertens, Peyton Stearns, Marta Kostyuk, Elina Svitolina, and, finally, Gauff. The Belarusian’s recent results have been nothing short of impressive, as Madrid was her fourth consecutive final, following appearances at Indian Wells, where she finished as a runner-up, a victory in Miami, and a final in Stuttgart on the clay.
Sabalenka’s winning apparel: the Nike Summer Advantage Tank and Nike Summer Advantage Ace Skirt.
