Sabalenka Sets Three Records To Win Madrid Open
Aryna Sabalenka earned a record-setting 6-3, 7-6 victory over Coco Gauff to win the 2025 Madrid Open tournament.
It was a dominant performance from the top ranked Belarusian who won 17 points in a row to secure the victory which earned her a third title in Madrid.
The 27-year-old set three new records in the tournament to win it in style.
Sabalenka equaled Czech Petra Kvitova’s record for most titles at the Madrid Open. Kvitova had won in 2011, 2015, and 2018.
She also has the joint second-most titles at the Madrid Open (men or women), with Kvitova, Roger Federer, and Novak Djokovic. Only Rafael Nadal is ahead of them, with five titles.
She also became the second player in the Open Era to win their first three clay-court titles at Grand Slams, Tier I, or WTA 1000 events. She won all three in Madrid.
Sabalenka is only behind the legendary Serena Williams, who won the Italian Open and Roland Garros in 2022, as well as Charleston in 2008.
The world number one was delighted to win her third title in Madrid.
“I’m super happy. It wasn’t an easy match today and I’m so happy to get this trophy. Before the match, I saw they had a new trophy and I was like, ‘I need this one, I want to win this trophy’, and I’m super happy.
“The match was going really well until that early break in the second set and then I was just trying to come back into the match. I found my rhythm on the serve and then I was just trying to put as much pressure on her serve as possible. I’m just really glad I was able to break her back in that tricky game at 4-5 and it was a really intense end to the match.”
Coco Gauff, who had won five out of their last nine meetings, congratulated Sabalenka for winning the tournament.
She said: “I’d like to congratulate Aryna on an incredible tournament. You’re always tough to face. Congrats to your team. You’re always doing well, but the last four straight finals, I think. Congrats on all the success you’ve been having.
“I feel like she just got a lot better in everything. Probably every time I play her is tough and, yeah, I don’t think today she played me any different than the other few, or 10 times we played.
“I think last time we played [in the semi-finals of the 2024 WTA Finals] I was serving better and it went my way.
Sabalenka also became the second player to win three titles in two different WTA 1000 events since the format’s introduction.
She has won 20 WTA Tour-level singles titles, including three majors at the 2023 Australian Open, 2024 Australian Open, and 2024 US Open, as well as nine WTA 1000 events.
Sabalenka Sets Three Records To Win Madrid Open is first published on The Whistler Newspaper
