Aryna Sabalenka has solidified her status as a dominant force in Madrid, securing her third title, though she faced a tough challenge to clinch the victory.
World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka claimed her third Mutua Madrid Open title by defeating No. 4 seed Coco Gauff 6-3, 7-6(3) in Saturday`s WTA 1000 final.
Sabalenka successfully defended against a strong push from Gauff in the second set. Gauff was aiming for her first title of the season and potentially reclaiming the World No. 2 spot. Sabalenka saved a set point while trailing 5-4 before sealing the win in one hour and 39 minutes.
`I`m always incredibly excited to return to Madrid and play on this magnificent court,` Sabalenka said after the match. `I truly love this court and the support here; I believe that`s the key.`
Milestone Achievement: This victory represents Sabalenka`s significant 20th career Hologic WTA Tour singles title. Furthermore, she now shares the record for the most Mutua Madrid Open women`s singles titles, joining Petra Kvitova, who won in 2011, 2015, and 2018.
Sabalenka maintains her trend of winning the Madrid title in odd-numbered years this decade. She secured the trophy in 2021 by defeating then-World No. 1 Ashleigh Barty and overcame another reigning No. 1, Iga Swiatek, in the 2023 final. She almost achieved a hat-trick of consecutive wins last year but narrowly lost to Swiatek in a memorable final.
Season Leader: This win is Sabalenka`s third title of the season, making her the tour`s leader in titles won this year. Her previous victories came in Brisbane and the WTA 1000 event in Miami. Sabalenka is only the second player, after Serena Williams in 2013, to win both the Miami and Madrid tournaments in the same season.
Sabalenka also leads the Hologic WTA Tour in match victories this year. Her win against Gauff on Saturday was her 31st match-win in 2025, putting her significantly ahead of the second-ranked player, Jessica Pegula, who has 27 wins in 2025.
`I`ve dedicated my entire life to reaching this goal, and being at the top of the ranking means a great deal,` Sabalenka stated.
Match Synopsis: Heading into Saturday`s final, Gauff held a slight 5-4 advantage in their previous encounters, including their only clay-court match in Rome in 2021, which Gauff won.
After Gauff secured a difficult hold in the opening game, Sabalenka quickly asserted control in the first set. Aggressively attacking second serves, the World No. 1 won 17 consecutive points to establish a commanding 4-1 lead.
Gauff managed to break back once and had another opportunity in Sabalenka`s service game at 4-3. However, Sabalenka recovered from a momentary dip and won three straight games to take the first set.
This set the stage for a tightly contested second set. Gauff elevated her game, hitting her shots with more intensity, particularly her forehand. She secured an early break and served for the set at 5-4.
The service game at 5-4 was particularly tense. Sabalenka had a triple break point opportunity (0-40), but Gauff fought back, even after a moment where Sabalenka`s racquet visibly slipped from her grasp.
In that critical game, Gauff remarkably saved three break points to reach set point.
Undeterred, Sabalenka kept fighting. On her fifth break point of the game, she broke Gauff to level the score at 5-5. Two games later, Sabalenka earned her first match point. Gauff, however, displayed resilience, forcing a crucial tiebreak just as light rain started.
In the tiebreak, Sabalenka again saw an early lead (3-0) disappear as Gauff drew even at 3-3. But the top seed capitalized on errors from Gauff to regain control, earning three more championship points at 6-3. The compelling match concluded with an unfortunate eighth double fault from Gauff.
This season, Sabalenka boasts an impressive 6-0 record against Top 10 opponents. While Gauff hit four more winners in the final, she also accumulated seven more unforced errors, contributing to Sabalenka`s hard-fought victory.
Sabalenka also reflected on her development: `I`m extremely pleased that we`ve managed to enhance my game in every aspect – my movement and touch shots are significantly better now… I`m even attempting to approach the net, although I`m not sure how successful that`s been yet,` she added with a chuckle.
