Aryna Sabalenka has cemented her status as a dominant force in Madrid, securing her third career Mutua Madrid Open title. Her latest victory, however, required a strong battle to finish the match.
The World No. 1 defeated No. 4 seed Coco Gauff with a score of 6-3, 7-6(3) in the WTA 1000 final held on Saturday. The match lasted 1 hour and 39 minutes.
Sabalenka successfully navigated a challenging second set initiated by Gauff, who was hoping for her first title of the year and a potential return to the World No. 2 position. Sabalenka saved a set point at 5-4 in the second set before ultimately clinching the win.
“I`m just super excited every time to come to Madrid to play on this beautiful court,” Sabalenka shared after her win. “I don`t know, I just love this court, I love the support here, I think that`s the secret.”
Increasing career achievements: This win represents a significant milestone for Sabalenka, marking her 20th career singles title on the Hologic WTA Tour. With this third Madrid title, she is now tied for the most women`s singles championships at the Mutua Madrid Open, equaling Petra Kvitova`s record (2011, 2015, and 2018).
Sabalenka continues a curious trend of winning this specific title in odd-numbered years throughout this decade. She previously defeated then-World No. 1 Ashleigh Barty for the title in 2021 and overcame reigning No. 1 Iga Swiatek in the 2023 final. While she nearly achieved a third consecutive title last year, she narrowly lost to Swiatek in a memorable final.
Leading the tour: This Madrid victory is Sabalenka`s tour-leading third title of the year, following her successes in Brisbane and the previous WTA 1000 event in Miami. This achievement places her in exclusive company; she is only the second player ever to win both Miami and Madrid in the same season, a feat previously accomplished only by Serena Williams in 2013.
Furthermore, Sabalenka is comfortably ahead in the race for most match wins on the Hologic WTA Tour this year. Her victory over Gauff on Saturday was her 31st win in 2025, placing her significantly ahead of the second-ranked player, Jessica Pegula, who has 27 wins this season.
“I`ve been working my whole life to achieve this goal, and to be on the top of the ranking, that means a lot,” Sabalenka commented on her success.
Match narrative: Entering Saturday`s final, Gauff held a slight 5-4 advantage in their head-to-head record, which included her victory on clay in Rome in 2021, their only previous clay-court encounter.
However, after Gauff held a tough opening service game, Sabalenka quickly asserted dominance in the first set. Aggressively targeting Gauff`s second serve, the World No. 1 won an impressive 17 consecutive points, establishing a commanding 4-1 lead. Gauff managed to break back once and had an opportunity in Sabalenka`s service game at 4-3, but Sabalenka regained her composure and secured three straight games to seal the first set.
The second set unfolded into a much tighter contest. Gauff elevated her game, hitting her shots with increased pace and depth. She secured an early break and served for the set at 5-4.
This game was particularly dramatic, with Sabalenka losing a 0-40 advantage and facing a set point. (During this tense game, her racquet even slipped out of her hand.)
A moment of intensity: Sabalenka recovers after her racquet slips.
Despite the setback, Sabalenka persisted, converting her fifth break point chance of the game to level the score at 5-5. Two games later, Sabalenka held her first championship point, but Gauff bravely fought to force a crucial tiebreak, just as light drizzle began to fall.
In the tiebreak, Sabalenka`s initial 3-0 lead was erased by Gauff, bringing the score to 3-3. However, the top seed capitalized on errors from Gauff to reestablish her lead, creating three more championship points at 6-3. The stirring final unfortunately concluded with Gauff committing her eighth double fault of the match.
Sabalenka now holds a perfect 6-0 record against Top 10 opponents this season. While Gauff recorded four more winners than Sabalenka in the final, the American also made seven more unforced errors, which ultimately proved costly in Sabalenka`s close victory.
“I`ve been working really hard and improving my game on bringing variety into my game,” Sabalenka remarked. “I think that`s the biggest key in most of the matches right now.”
“I`m super happy that we were able to improve my game in, honestly, in everything, the movement, my touch game is much better right now. … Kind of like trying to come to the net, I`m not sure if it`s really successful so far, but I`m trying,” Sabalenka concluded with a laugh, highlighting her ongoing efforts to diversify her play.
