Aryna Sabalenka achieved a remarkable feat at the Mutua Madrid Open. The World No. 1 claimed her third Madrid title on Saturday, demonstrating her consistent excellence at the event and further solidifying her position atop the PIF WTA Rankings.
Sabalenka has continued her trend of winning the season`s first WTA 1000 clay-court tournament in odd-numbered years, having previously hoisted the champion`s trophy in 2021 and 2023.
The top seed is now level with Petra Kvitova for the most Mutua Madrid Open titles, and it appears she has no intention of stopping there.
“This year it was just incredible every time I was out there, I felt all the support,” Sabalenka said on Saturday. “It just gives me an extra energy and power to fight, no matter what. To see all of those posters kids are holding, it`s just like a dream, and it`s so enjoyable playing in front of all the people, and feel the support, I think that`s the best thing in life.”
Here are some additional notable points from a memorable two weeks in the Spanish capital:
Stats Corner
- Since the WTA 1000 Madrid event joined the calendar in 2009, Sabalenka is only the second player to win both Miami (the preceding WTA 1000 event) and Madrid in the same season. The only other player to do so was Serena Williams in 2013.
- Sabalenka has now won 31 matches at the tour level this year, leading the field. She is comfortably ahead of Jessica Pegula, who was second with 27 wins entering Madrid and was the tour`s match-win leader beforehand.
- Sabalenka successfully saved 40 break points during the Madrid fortnight. She is the first player to save 40 or more break points at a single WTA 1000 tournament since Maria Sakkari saved 42 at Guadalajara in 2022.
- Coco Gauff reached her first clay-court WTA 1000 final in Madrid. She is just the fourth American woman to reach a WTA 1000 final on clay since the format`s inception 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, making it to the quarterfinals at the WTA 1000 event. She has reached more WTA Tour quarterfinals in the last three weeks (Rouen and Madrid) than in her entire career before this run (one, Monastir in 2022).
Social Buzz
As is often the case, Sabalenka was prominent on social media, complementing her success on the court.
She also handled a moment of racquet slipping during her final victory with a smile.
Meanwhile, some other players took the opportunity to practice pronouncing Spanish place names.
Perhaps Ons Jabeur put that practice to good use when she joined Demi Schuurs and other players on a visit to Real Madrid City.
Honor Roll
Sabalenka wasn`t the only player who excelled over the past two weeks:
Coco Gauff: The American impressively defeated defending champion Iga Swiatek 6-1, 6-1 to reach her first clay-court final since her match against Swiatek at the 2022 Roland Garros. Gauff has a strong chance of returning to her career-high ranking of World No. 2 in the coming weeks.
Elina Svitolina: The Ukrainian`s clay-court season has been remarkable so far. She extended her winning streak on the surface at WTA Tour events to nine consecutive victories (winning 18 straight sets) before her perfect clay run was finally ended by Sabalenka in the semifinals.
Marta Kostyuk: She joined her fellow Ukrainian Svitolina in reaching the Madrid quarterfinals and presented a tough challenge for the eventual champion Sabalenka in an excellent quarterfinal match that included two tiebreak sets.
Moyuka Uchijima: The surprise standout of the fortnight, Uchijima earned her first two wins against Top 25 players on her way to her inaugural WTA 1000 quarterfinal, including a straight-sets upset of the No. 3 seed, Jessica Pegula.
Sorana Cirstea and Anna Kalinskaya: Playing doubles together for the first time, they started by defeating the top seeds in the first round and went all the way to claim the title, overcoming Veronika Kudermetova and Elise Mertens in a thrilling final.
Naomi Osaka: The four-time Grand Slam champion is back in the winner`s circle for the first time since 2021, winning the WTA 125 Saint Malo title after entering as a wild card.
Dalma Galfi: The Hungarian won the WTA 125 Vic title this past weekend and is currently on a 10-match winning streak. She began this impressive run by winning the WTA 125 Oeiras title two weeks prior.
Hot Shot
Elisabetta Cocciaretto produced an incredible passing shot against Yuliia Starodubtseva following a smash in their second-round match.
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Next Up
The spring clay-court season continues with another WTA 1000 tournament in a beautiful 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 Swiatek, who has dominated in Rome in recent years, secure her fourth title at the Foro Italico? The main draw competition is scheduled to begin on Tuesday, May 6.
Rupert Caldwell