When the match concluded and the thrilled spectators at La Caja Mágica rose to their feet in applause, Aryna Sabalenka showed no extravagant celebration – she didn`t drop to the clay, scream, or pump her fists. Instead, she simply lifted her arms into a perfect V, signaling victory.
After blowing kisses to the camera, she walked calmly to her chair, took a camera from her bag, went across the court, and took a photo of her team. Following her dominant 6-3, 7-6 (3) win against Coco Gauff on Saturday, Sabalenka secured her third Mutua Madrid Open title. This achievement matches the record held by Petra Kvitova, and notably, by Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic.
While victory is never assured, Sabalenka viewed this win as anticipated. Her strong resolve was evident during the crucial points. She has built this confidence through her performance, establishing herself as the sport`s leading player by a considerable margin.
As of Monday, the World No. 1 will become only the third woman to accumulate over 11,000 ranking points, holding a lead of almost 4,000 points over World No. 2 Iga Swiatek in the PIF WTA Rankings. This points difference is expected to increase, especially since Swiatek will be defending 3,000 points from her titles in Rome and Paris next month, while Sabalenka, having missed Wimbledon last year, stands to gain a significant number of ranking points there this year.
Sabalenka also leads the PIF Race to the WTA Finals in Riyadh by over 1,600 points ahead of Madison Keys, who is currently No. 2. She is the only player on the Hologic WTA Tour this season with three titles (Brisbane, Miami, and Madrid) and has won consecutive WTA 1000 events on vastly different playing surfaces. Furthermore, her 31 match victories lead all players on the tour.
This match marked the tenth encounter between Gauff and Sabalenka over the past six years. Gauff commented on how Sabalenka`s game has progressed.
“I feel she has improved significantly in all aspects of her game,” Gauff stated. “I believe she`s also gained more confidence, which is contributing to her consistent strong performances.”
Looking back, it`s interesting to note that the turning point for this surge in performance, perhaps surprisingly, stemmed from a previous loss.
