Daijiworld Media Network - Madrid

Madrid, May 4: World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka added another milestone to her stellar season by winning her third Madrid Open title, defeating American Coco Gauff 6-3, 7-6(3) in a gripping final.

This latest triumph marks Sabalenka’s 20th career WTA Tour singles title and her third tour-leading crown of the year, having already won in Brisbane and at the WTA 1000 event in Miami. The 26-year-old Belarusian now joins Petra Kvitova as only the second player to lift the Madrid trophy three times (2021, 2023, and 2025).

Sabalenka’s victory also places her in elite company as just the second woman, after Serena Williams in 2013, to win both the Miami and Madrid titles in the same season.

Dominant from the outset, Sabalenka unleashed a barrage of powerful forehands and controlled the baseline to take the first set with relative ease. Gauff, chasing her first title of 2025 and aiming to reclaim the World No. 2 ranking, mounted a stronger challenge in the second set. But Sabalenka saved a crucial set point at 4-5 before closing out the match in a tight tiebreaker, completing the win in 1 hour and 39 minutes.

Her victory in Madrid significantly strengthens her position atop the WTA Rankings. With over 11,000 ranking points, Sabalenka is now nearly 4,000 points ahead of second-ranked Iga Swiatek, who faces heavy pressure to defend points in Rome and Paris over the next month. Meanwhile, Sabalenka stands to gain from Wimbledon, where she did not compete last year.

In the Race to the WTA Finals in Riyadh, Sabalenka leads by a wide margin, sitting more than 1,600 points ahead of Madison Keys. She is the only WTA player with three titles this season and leads the tour with 31 match wins, showcasing her dominance across various surfaces.