Aryna Sabalenka has officially cemented her status as a three-time champion in Madrid, though she faced a tough challenge to secure her latest victory.
The World No. 1 claimed her third career Mutua Madrid Open title by defeating the No. 4 seed, Coco Gauff, in Saturday`s WTA 1000 final. The match concluded with a score of 6-3, 7-6(3).
Sabalenka successfully defended against a second-set comeback attempt from Gauff, who was seeking her first title of the year and a potential return to the World No. 2 ranking. Sabalenka saved a set point at 5-4 before going on to win the match in 1 hour and 39 minutes.
“I`m just super excited every time to come to Madrid to play on this beautiful court,” Sabalenka commented after her win. “I don`t know, I just love this court, I love the support here, I think that`s the secret.”
Increasing Career Totals: This win marks a significant milestone for Sabalenka, her 20th career singles title on the Hologic WTA Tour. Furthermore, she is now tied for the most Mutua Madrid Open titles in women`s singles history, matching Petra Kvitova, who also won the event three times (in 2011, 2015, and 2018).
Continuing a recent pattern, Sabalenka has won this title in odd-numbered years this decade. She previously defeated the then-World No. 1 Ashleigh Barty for the 2021 title and overcame another reigning No. 1, Iga Swiatek, in the 2023 final. Sabalenka was close to a `hat trick` last year but was narrowly defeated by Swiatek in a memorable final.
Leading the Tour: Sabalenka secured her tour-leading third title of the year in Madrid, having previously lifted trophies in Brisbane and the preceding WTA 1000 event, Miami. She is now only the second player ever to win both Miami and Madrid in the same season, joining Serena Williams, who accomplished this in 2013.
Sabalenka also holds a significant lead in match wins on the Hologic WTA Tour this year. Her victory over Gauff on Saturday was her 31st match win in 2025, placing her comfortably ahead of Jessica Pegula, who is in second place with 27 wins in 2025.
“I`ve been working [my] whole life to achieve this goal, and to be on the top of the ranking, that means a lot,” Sabalenka stated.
Match Summary: Gauff entered Saturday`s final with a slight lead in their head-to-head record, 5-4, including a victory in their only prior clay-court encounter in Rome in 2021.
However, after Gauff managed a challenging hold in the opening game, Sabalenka took command of the first set. Attacking second serves effectively, the World No. 1 won 17 consecutive points to build a commanding 4-1 advantage.
Gauff managed to break back once and had another opportunity in Sabalenka`s service game at 4-3. Nevertheless, Sabalenka recovered from a brief struggle and won three straight games to close out the first set.
The first set was merely a prelude to a more intense second set. Gauff improved her play, hitting with more pace and power, particularly on her forehand. She secured an early break and later served for the set at 5-4.
That game proved to be particularly dramatic. Sabalenka saw a 0-40 lead slip away, even losing her racquet from her hand at one point.
In that tense game, Gauff fought back from facing triple break point to earn a set point opportunity.
Despite this, Sabalenka persisted, converting her fifth break point chance of the game to level the score at 5-5. Two games later, Sabalenka held her first championship point, but Gauff fought hard to force a crucial tiebreak, just as a light drizzle began.
In the tiebreak, Sabalenka`s early 3-0 lead was erased as Gauff pulled level at 3-3. However, the top seed then drew errors from Gauff to regain the lead and secure three more championship points at 6-3. The compelling battle unfortunately concluded with Gauff`s eighth double fault.
Sabalenka now boasts a perfect 6-0 record against Top 10 ranked players this season. Although Gauff hit four more winners in the final, she also recorded seven more unforced errors, which ultimately contributed to Sabalenka`s narrow victory.
“I`ve been working really hard and improving my game on bringing variety into my game,” Sabalenka stated. “I think that`s the biggest key in most of the matches right now.
“I`m super happy that we were able to improve my game in, honestly, in everything, the movement, my touch game is much better right now. … Kind of like trying to come to the net, I`m not sure if it`s really successful so far, but I`m trying,” Sabalenka added with a laugh.
