Sabalenka Triumphs for the Third Time in Madrid!

Aryna Sabalenka claimed her third WTA 1000 title in Madrid and the 20th trophy of her career this Saturday. The world No. 1 defeated Coco Gauff (6-3, 7-6) in a 1-hour, 38-minute final.

A finalist for the third consecutive year and competing in her fourth final in the tournament over the last five editions, Sabalenka was the clear favorite against Gauff, who had never previously advanced past the round of 16 in the Spanish capital.

The Belarusian started the match strongly, leading 4-1 with a double break after just 15 minutes of play. Despite losing one of her breaks in the next game, Sabalenka quickly closed out the first set.

Gauff didn’t give up in the second set, breaking the world No. 1’s serve for the second time in the match. She even had a set point at 5-4 to level the match but ultimately lost her serve. In the tiebreak, Sabalenka relied on her experience to seal the victory, capitalizing on Gauff’s shaky serving.

With this win, she becomes the second player in history to claim the Madrid title three times, after Petra Kvitova.

Thanks to this third title of the year—following victories in Brisbane and Miami—Sabalenka will now surpass 11,000 points in the WTA rankings. A milestone only Serena Williams and Iga Świątek have achieved since the ranking system was reformed in 2009.