On Saturday, World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka is set to compete against World No. 4 Coco Gauff in the final of the Mutua Madrid Open, which is the fifth WTA 1000 event of the 2025 season.
Sabalenka is appearing in her 37th career final, her 10th on clay, and her sixth of 2025 (out of eight events). This season, she has claimed titles in Brisbane and Miami and finished as runner-up at the Australian Open, Indian Wells, and Stuttgart. With a tour-leading 30 wins this year, her overall record stands at 30-5.
This marks Gauff`s 11th career final, her third on clay (and first since Roland Garros in 2022), and her first final since winning the 2024 WTA Finals in Riyadh. Her current season record is 19-6.
Match Timing
The women`s singles final is scheduled for Saturday, May 3, not before 6:30 p.m. CEST (12:30 p.m. ET). It will take place at the Caja Mágica in Madrid.
Madrid operates on Central European Summer Time (GMT +2).
Prize Money and Ranking Points
By reaching the Madrid final, both Sabalenka and Gauff have secured 650 PIF WTA Ranking points and €523,870 in prize money.
The winner on Saturday will receive a total of 1,000 points and €985,030.
Sabalenka is guaranteed to maintain her World No. 1 ranking. Gauff has a chance to rise to World No. 2 if she wins the title.
Road to the Final
Aryna Sabalenka (lost only one set)
- Defeated Anna Blinkova 6–3, 6–4
- Defeated World No. 28 Elise Mertens 3–6, 6–2, 6–1
- Defeated Peyton Stearns 6–2, 6–4
- Defeated World No. 24 Marta Kostyuk 7–6(4), 7–6(7)
Longest two-set match of 2025 so far at 2 hours and 34 minutes. Saved one set point in the first set and three in the second. - Defeated World No. 17 Elina Svitolina 6–3, 7–5
Coco Gauff (also lost only one set)
- Defeated Dayana Yastremska 0–6, 6–2, 7–5
- Defeated Ann Li 6–3, 6–2
- Defeated Belinda Bencic 6–4, 6–2
- Defeated World No. 7 Mirra Andreeva 7–5, 6–1
Saved two set points in the first set. - Defeated World No. 2 Iga Swiatek 6–1, 6–1
Marked Swiatek’s fewest games won in a clay match since 2019.
Key Statistics and Achievements
- Gauff could become only the second player this century to win a WTA title after dropping her first set 6–0 (Angelique Kerber achieved this in Linz 2013).
- The last player to accomplish this at a WTA 1000/Tier I event was Arantxa Sánchez Vicario at Hilton Head in 1996.
Head-to-Head Analysis
Gauff holds a 5-4 advantage in their overall head-to-head record, including a 1-0 lead on clay and a 1-0 lead in finals.
Their first encounter was in the second round of Lexington in 2020. Ranked No. 53 at the time, Gauff secured her third career Top 20 win by defeating the No. 2 seed Sabalenka 7-6(4), 4-6, 6-4. Sabalenka got her revenge later that year at the same stage in Ostrava, recovering from a 5-2 deficit in the third set to beat Gauff 1-6, 7-5, 7-6(2).
Their only previous clay court match took place in 2021. Gauff ended Sabalenka`s seven-match winning streak with a 7-5, 6-3 victory in the third round in Rome.
Since then, all their matches have been on hard courts. In the third round of Toronto in 2022, Gauff came back from 3-0 down in the third set to win 7-5, 4-6, 7-6(4). In 2023, they split results: Sabalenka dominated Gauff 6-4, 6-0 in the Indian Wells first round, but Gauff won her first Grand Slam title by defeating Sabalenka 2-6, 6-3, 6-2 in the US Open final.
All three of their 2024 meetings were in semifinals. Sabalenka narrowly defeated Gauff 7-6(2), 6–4 at the Australian Open before winning her second major. She then overcame a set and 4-2 deficit to deny the American 1-6, 6-4, 6-4 in Wuhan. However, in their most recent match at the 2024 WTA Finals in Riyadh, Gauff won 7-6(4), 6-3 on her way to the title.
Potential Milestones
Sabalenka has reached her fourth final in Madrid, matching Simona Halep for the most finals appearances at the tournament since its start in 2009. She is aiming for her third Madrid trophy, which would tie her with Petra Kvitova (2011, 2015, 2018) for the most titles won here. Sabalenka previously won in 2021 and 2023 and was runner-up to Iga Swiatek in 2024.
At 20 years old, Gauff is the second-youngest Madrid finalist in the tournament`s history, only older than Caroline Wozniacki, who was 18 when she was runner-up in 2009.
Sabalenka has an undefeated 5-0 record against Top 10 opponents in completed matches in 2025, a feat not achieved since Serena Williams in 2014. She is also the first player since Martina Hingis in 2001 to reach six finals in the first four months of a season.
Gauff holds a 2-1 record against Top 10 opponents this year, with both wins occurring this week (against Andreeva and Swiatek). She is seeking her fourth win against a reigning World No. 1, having previously defeated Ashleigh Barty (Rome 2021, via retirement), Iga Swiatek (Cincinnati 2023), and Aryna Sabalenka (2024 WTA Finals Riyadh).
Gauff will be looking to improve her outstanding 9-1 record in career finals (her only loss was to Swiatek at Roland Garros 2022). Should Gauff win, it would be her 10th title from 11 finals. In the Open Era, only Nancy Richey and Anna Smashnova reached this milestone in fewer finals (both won their first 10).
Between 2020 and 2024, only six players defeated both Sabalenka and Swiatek in the same tournament: Victoria Azarenka (2020 US Open), Garbiñe Muguruza (Dubai 2021), Maria Sakkari (2021 WTA Finals Guadalajara), Barbora Krejcikova (Dubai 2023), Elena Rybakina (Indian Wells 2023), and Coco Gauff (2024 WTA Finals Riyadh). However, in the first four months of 2025 alone, three players have already achieved this “double”: Madison Keys (Australian Open), Mirra Andreeva (Dubai), and Jelena Ostapenko (Stuttgart).
Gauff has a chance to become the first player to defeat both Sabalenka and Swiatek in a single tournament on two separate occasions. A victory for Gauff would also mark the first calendar year in the Open Era where four different players have defeated both the World No. 1 and World No. 2 in the same event.
