Aryna Sabalenka confident about winning her first Roland Garros after 3rd Madrid Open triumph
Aryna Sabalenka became the second woman since Serena Williams in 2013 to clinch the Miami Open and the Madrid Open in the same year.
Follow Us
Aryna Sabalenka (Image via X/The Tennis Letter)
Is there anything Aryna Sabalenka can’t do? At present, she is the strongest player on the WTA Tour. No one (except for Jessica Pegula) has come close to what she did so far this season.
On Saturday (May 3), Sabalenka entered her sixth final of this season. Inside Manolo Santana of the famous Caja Magica, Sabalenka ended the Madrid Open in her favor in an hour and 39 minutes by coming out on top of Coco Gauff with a 6-3, 7-6(3) scoreline.
It was the Belarusian’s third title of the season, following the Brisbane International and her first Sunshine Double singles title at the Miami Open. Sabalenka, the winner of two consecutive WTA 1000 titles in a season, became just the second woman since 23-time Grand Slam singles champion Serena Williams to take home the Miami Open and the Madrid Open the same year.
And now, after some celebration with her team and much-needed rest and recovery, Sabalenka will gear up for the Italian Open where last year, she lost the title to World No.2 Iga Swiatek, who denied her two consecutive Madrid Open titles by beating her in the final. Following Rome, the tennis world’s focus will shift toward the second Grand Slam event of the season: the Roland Garros. Sabalenka has never lifted the title in her career.
I hope it will be different this year compared to the others, but I have a lot of confidence in my game right now on clay. I’ve been in the semifinals there and was close to reaching the final. I’ll go there to compete and fight with everything I have. I’m ready to work on every point, and I hope to achieve a different result this year
Aryna Sabalenka said at the press conference
Sabalenka produced her best performance at the French Open in 2023 when she progressed to the semifinal where eventual runner-up Karolina Muchova beat her in three sets. Last year, Mirra Andreeva ended her campaign with a three-set win in the quarterfinals.
Aryna Sabalenka makes her feelings known about being the top player on the WTA Tour
Aryna Sabalenka only increased the gap in the WTA rankings after her recent Madrid Open triumph. She currently has 11118 points (in the live rankings), 4000-plus points ahead of Iga Swiatek, who would have dropped to the third position had Coco Gauff emerged victorious in the final.
It’s crazy for me. I’ve worked my whole life for this goal, and being at the top of the ranking means a lot to me. I feel like my life is not a waste of time, and I am where I was supposed to be.
Aryna Sabalenka said at the press conference
While for Sabalenka it was her third title of the season, Gauff’s hunt for her first trophy since the 2024 WTA Finals continues. Sabalenka, who lost to the American in the semifinals of last year’s WTA Finals, has now tied the head-to-head record to 5-5.
For the three-time Grand Slam singles champion, the Madrid Open was her third clay-court title after she won the same tournament in 2021 and 2023. But for Gauff, the match was her first clay-court singles final since the 2022 French Open, which she lost to Swiatek. The only title the 2023 US Open champion lifted on the red dirt was the 2021 Emilia-Romagna Open.
With her third Madrid Open title, Sabalenka tied the tally with Petra Kvitova, who won the first clay-court WTA 1000 of the season in 2011, 2015, and 2018. By beating Gauff, the 26-year-old, now a 20-time singles’ titles winner, registered her 31st win of this season, while second-placed Jessica Pegula has so far won 27 matches.
Also Read: Carlos Alcaraz’s ex-coach weighs in on the evolution of the Spaniard since his early years
/techfirstnow/media/agency_attachments/kATjCXskQdJKkXN0OuqW.png)