Aryna Sabalenka secured her third Mutua Madrid Open title this Saturday, completing a hat-trick at the event. The World No. 1 continued her strong performance in Madrid, further solidifying her top position in the PIF WTA Rankings.
Sabalenka has maintained her pattern of winning the season`s first WTA 1000 clay-court event in odd-numbered years, having previously lifted the champion`s trophy in 2021 and 2023.
The top seed is now tied with Petra Kvitova for the most Mutua Madrid Open titles, and she indicated that she doesn`t plan on stopping here.
“This year, every time I was out there, it was just incredible; I felt all the support,” Sabalenka said on Saturday. “It gives me extra energy and power to fight, no matter what.”
“To see all of those posters that kids are holding, it`s just like a dream, and it`s so enjoyable playing in front of all the people and feeling the support. I think that`s the best thing in life.”
Here are some more highlights from a memorable two weeks in the Spanish capital:
Stats Corner
- Since the WTA 1000 Madrid event was added to the schedule in 2009, Sabalenka is only the second player to win both Miami (the previous WTA 1000 event) and Madrid in the same season. The only other player to do so was Serena Williams in 2013.
- Sabalenka now leads the tour with 31 match wins this year. She is notably ahead of second-placed Jessica Pegula (27), who was the tour`s match-win leader coming into Madrid.
- Sabalenka saved 40 break points throughout the Madrid tournament. She is the first player to save 40 or more break points at a single WTA 1000 event since Maria Sakkari saved 42 at Guadalajara in 2022.
- Coco Gauff reached her first clay-court WTA 1000 final in Madrid. She is only the fourth American woman to make a WTA 1000 final on clay since the format was introduced in 2009, joining Serena Williams (Madrid 2012-2013 and Rome 2013), Madison Keys (Rome 2016), and Jessica Pegula (Madrid 2022).
- World No. 56 Moyuka Uchijima had a breakthrough performance in Madrid, reaching the quarterfinals of the WTA 1000 event. In the last three weeks (including Rouen), she has reached more WTA Tour quarterfinals than in her entire career before this run (which was just one, in Monastir in 2022).
Social Buzz
Sabalenka also generated significant buzz on social media, complementing her on-court success. She was featured in several posts showcasing her victory and interactions.
She also showed good humor when her racquet slipped during the final match.
Meanwhile, some other players were seen practicing their Spanish place-name pronunciations.
Ons Jabeur, among others, visited Real Madrid City.
Honor Roll
Sabalenka wasn`t the only player who stood out over the past two weeks:
Coco Gauff
The American decisively defeated defending champion Iga Swiatek 6-1, 6-1 to reach her first clay-court final since her loss to Swiatek at Roland Garros in 2022. Gauff has a strong possibility of returning to her career-high ranking of No. 2 in the coming weeks.
Elina Svitolina
The Ukrainian`s clay-court season has been exceptional. She extended her winning streak on the surface to nine consecutive victories at WTA Tour events (without dropping a set, 18-0) before her perfect clay run was finally ended by Sabalenka in the semifinals.
Marta Kostyuk
She joined her countrywoman Svitolina in the quarterfinals in Madrid and challenged eventual champion Sabalenka, pushing her to two tiebreak sets in an excellent quarterfinal match.
Moyuka Uchijima
The surprise player of the tournament, Uchijima achieved her first two wins against Top 25 opponents en route to her first WTA 1000 quarterfinal. This included a straight-sets upset victory over the No. 3 seed Jessica Pegula.
Sorana Cirstea and Anna Kalinskaya
Playing doubles together for the very first time, they eliminated the No. 1 seeds in the opening round and went all the way to claim the title, defeating Veronika Kudermetova and Elise Mertens in a thrilling final.
Naomi Osaka
The four-time Grand Slam champion returned to the winner`s circle for the first time since 2021 by winning the WTA 125 Saint Malo title as a wild card.
Dalma Galfi
The Hungarian won the WTA 125 title in Vic this weekend and is currently on a 10-match winning streak. She initiated this successful run by winning the WTA 125 Oeiras title two weeks earlier.
Hot Shot
Elisabetta Cocciaretto executed an incredible passing shot against a Yuliia Starodubtseva smash in the second round:
“`How has that happened?!` Cocciaretto`s miracle pass in Madrid”
Next Up
The clay-court season continues with a second consecutive WTA 1000 tournament spanning two weeks in another splendid European capital: the 82nd edition of the Internazionali BNL d`Italia in Rome, Italy.
Can Sabalenka maintain her momentum and win her first Rome title? Or will Iga Swiatek, who has been dominant in Rome recently, capture her fourth title at the Foro Italico? The main draw matches are scheduled to begin on Tuesday, May 6th.
