MADRID — No. 1-ranked Aryna Sabalenka beat No. 4 Coco Gauff in straight units to win her record-tying third Madrid Open and twentieth profession title on Saturday.
Sabalenka powered by way of the primary set and edged the American in a tiebreaker for 6-3, 7-6 (3) on the Caja Mágica clay courtroom.
Sabalenka added to titles in Madrid in 2021 and 2023 and equaled Petra Kvitova’s match document. It was additionally Sabalenka’s tour-leading third title of the 12 months after Brisbane and Miami. She additionally pulled stage with Gauff on head-to-head with 5 wins apiece.
Gauff may have risen to No. 2 with a victory. The 2023 U.S. Open champion misplaced just one set this week till the ultimate. Gauff’s nice document in finals slipped to 9 wins in 11.
Sabalenka battered Gauff together with her drive early on, profitable 17 consecutive factors throughout one part for a 4-1 begin. When Gauff discovered her weak spot by spreading her pictures round, the previous champion dug in to pressure a second-set tiebreaker and crush any probability of a comeback.
Sabalenka missed a championship level on a break probability within the second set, recalling her failure to transform three championship factors in a loss to Iga Swiatek in final 12 months’s remaining. After yelling at herself for her missed alternative, the three-time Grand Slam winner shook off her demons, settled down and completed off her tour-high thirty first win of 2025.
When Gauff’s remaining shot hit the web, Sabalenka thrust her arms into the air.
“It was a extremely powerful match,” Sabalenka stated. “On the finish of the second set it was actually intense and I used to be very emotional. I’m completely satisfied I used to be capable of deal with my feelings.”
Within the males’s remaining on Sunday, Casper Ruud performs Jack Draper.
