May 04, (THEWILL) – World number one Aryna Sabalenka defeated Coco Gauff 6-3 7-6 (7/3) on Saturday to win the Madrid Open for the third time.
The Belarusian dominated the first set before overcoming a strong challenge in the second, ultimately prevailing when Gauff double-faulted on match point.
This victory adds to her 2021 and 2023 Madrid titles, bringing her level with Petra Kvitova’s record of three women’s championships at this tournament.
The 26-year-old has now collected her third trophy of 2025, following earlier wins in Brisbane and Miami. Sabalenka recorded her tour-leading 31st victory on Madrid clay and reached her sixth final this year.
After losing to Iga Swiatek in last year’s final, Sabalenka told Gauff during the presentation: “I am pretty sure we are going to play many more times in the finals – although I hope I am going to get all the wins.”
Sabalenka controlled the opening set with her powerful groundstrokes, winning 17 consecutive points to build a 4-1 lead.
Though Gauff managed a break back, the world number one closed out the set in 35 minutes. The American responded strongly in the second set, mixing up her serve and taking a 4-2 lead, but faltered when serving for the set at 5-4 despite having a set point.
The match featured a memorable moment when Sabalenka dropped her racquet during a crucial rally at 5-4, looking at the crowd in apparent confusion.
After forcing a tie-break, Gauff fought back briefly before Sabalenka created three championship points. The contest ended with Gauff’s double fault, giving Sabalenka her 37th career title and improving their head-to-head record to 5-5.
Despite the defeat, US Open 2023 champion Gauff remained positive about her performance. “I think this is a step in the right direction,” said the 21-year-old American, who had impressively defeated Iga Swiatek in the semi-finals.
“It is one of my favourite tournaments to come to and one of my favourite cities.”
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.