The crowd at La Caja Magica rose in ecstatic applause as the match concluded, but Aryna Sabalenka`s reaction was measured. She didn`t collapse onto the red clay or erupt in loud cheers. Instead, she calmly raised her arms in a clear `V` shape – a symbol of victory. Following her professional 6-3, 7-6 (3) win over Coco Gauff on Saturday, Sabalenka celebrated her third Mutua Madrid Open championship, matching the impressive record held by tennis legends Petra Kvitova, Roger Federer, and Novak Djokovic.
For Sabalenka, this win felt less like a surprise and more like a fulfillment of expectation. Her powerful will consistently came through in the match`s critical moments. This level of confidence is well-earned, as she currently stands out as arguably the sport`s best player by a significant margin.
Set to reach over 11,000 ranking points on Monday, the World No. 1 maintains a lead of nearly 4,000 points over second-ranked Iga Swiatek in the PIF WTA Rankings. This lead is likely to widen. With Swiatek needing to defend her titles in Rome and Paris, she faces the challenge of retaining 3,000 points over the next month. Conversely, Sabalenka, who missed Wimbledon last year, has an opportunity to gain substantial ranking points there this season.
In the PIF Race to the WTA Finals in Riyadh, Sabalenka holds a commanding lead of more than 1,600 points over second-place Madison Keys. She is the only player on the Hologic WTA Tour this year with three titles—captured in Brisbane, Miami, and now Madrid. Notably, she has secured back-to-back WTA 1000 titles on surfaces with distinct playing characteristics. Her total of 31 match wins this season is also the highest among all players on the tour.
Reflecting on her tenth encounter with Sabalenka, Coco Gauff commented on her opponent`s development, stating, “I feel like she just got a lot better in everything.” Gauff attributed Sabalenka`s recent consistent success to an evident increase in her overall confidence.
Interestingly, looking back at the timeline of her progress, the turning point for this period of dominance was, perhaps unexpectedly, a previous loss.
