Aryna Sabalenka, the World No. 1, advanced to the Madrid Open final for the fourth time by defeating Elina Svitolina (seeded 17th) in the semifinals on Thursday night, 6-3, 7-5, at the Caja Magica.
The 1 hour and 32 minute match saw Sabalenka halt Svitolina`s impressive undefeated streak on clay this season. Svitolina had entered the contest with a flawless 9-0 record (18-0 in sets) on the surface at WTA events in 2025, but Sabalenka ended her run.
The victory sets up a highly anticipated final on Saturday against fourth seed Coco Gauff. Gauff reached the final by decisively beating defending champion Iga Swiatek 6-1, 6-1 earlier on Thursday in only 64 minutes.
In their previous encounters, Gauff holds a slight 5-4 edge over Sabalenka. Their only clay-court match took place in Rome in 2021, which Gauff won, and the American also claimed victory in their most recent meeting at the 2024 WTA Finals in Riyadh.
Sabalenka`s performance in Madrid has been exceptional this decade. She now boasts a 22-4 career record at the event, having lifted the trophy in 2021 and 2023 and reaching the final again last year.
Furthermore, Sabalenka has solidified her position as the WTA tour`s leader in match victories this year. Her win over Svitolina made her the first player to achieve 30 main-draw wins at WTA events in 2025.
Recapping the match: Playing the final match of the day on Court Manolo Santana, Sabalenka established an early 4-1 lead. However, Svitolina fought back, hitting a strong crosscourt backhand return to break serve and narrow the gap to 4-3.
In the subsequent game, Svitolina faced three break points and double-faulted on the third, allowing Sabalenka to immediately regain her advantage.
Serving for the first set at 5-3, Sabalenka saved three break points with powerful serves and a backhand winner. She secured the set with her fourth ace and another unreturned serve.
As Sabalenka built a 5-3 lead in the second set, her victory appeared imminent. She had shown resilience throughout the match, consistently escaping trouble in her service games.
However, serving for the match at 5-4, Sabalenka faltered, allowing Svitolina to break back and level the set. Svitolina`s momentum was brief, as Sabalenka responded immediately by breaking serve with a powerful backhand to lead 6-5.
Given a second chance to serve for the match, Sabalenka made no mistake. She quickly reached 40-0 and sealed her spot in the final on her second match point with a final backhand that forced an error.
Demonstrating her composure under pressure throughout the tournament, Sabalenka saved five of the seven break points she faced against Svitolina. Her total of 39 break points saved in this event is the highest for any player at a single WTA tournament this season.
