Defending champion Aryna Sabalenka failed to convert six match points during her shock fourth round exit from the Madrid Open on Tuesday.
The world No.1 was stunned 2-6, 6-2, 7-6(5) by America’s Hailey Baptiste in what is only her second loss of the year to a top 50 player out of 22 played. Sabalenka’s other defeat was to Elena Rybakina in the Australian Open final. It brings an end to her 15-match winning streak on the Tour after the Belarusian won both Indian Wells and Miami last month.
Taking on 24-year-old Baptiste, Sabalenka had four match points opportunities when leading 5-4 in the final set and then another two in the decisive tiebreaker, but failed to convert all of them. Coincidentally, the last time she lost after having match points was also at the Madrid Open. In 2024 she lost to Iga Swiatek.
“It was a tough match. She played great. I played great,” said Sabalenka.
“I think I had some opportunities in the third set. I felt like I was maybe a little bit rushing the point over there. But it’s okay, sometimes I guess you have to learn, take the bad stuff from this week and move on.
“She played great points. I had some opportunities, but didn’t use them. She played really brave tennis on those match points.”
As for the pivotal moment of the match, Sabalenka believes a mistake she made during the second set instilled belief in her opponent, who she beat in straight sets earlier this year in Miami.
“In Miami I didn’t give her many opportunities. She couldn’t break my serve. Here (in Madrid), the first game, second set, I just double faulted twice out of nowhere. It felt like that gave her belief. After that, she just started playing more aggressively.” Sabalenka explained.
Baptiste is currently ranked 32nd in the world. Three of her four wins over top-10 players on the Tour have occurred this season, with two of those being in Madrid. Earlier in the tournament, she also beat Jasmine Paolini. She has yet to win a WTA title in singles, with her best Grand Slam run being to the fourth round of the French Open in 2025.
“I had a better idea of how to play her, and how I should play, adjustments I needed to make,” Baptiste said of beating the top seed.
“So I think I just went in trying to play my game, still doing the same things that I’ve been doing, but I had a few adjustments I needed to make from the last time we played.”
According to the WTA, Baptista is the lowest-ranked player to produce a comeback win over a world No.1 player on clay in the last 40 years. In the quarter-finals, she will play ninth seed Mirra Andreeva, who is the highest-ranked player remaining in the tournament.
