Aryna Sabalenka, World No. 1, has been eliminated from the Madrid Open by Hailey Baptiste, in a remarkable two and a half hours match that started as business as usual for three-time Madrid champion Sabalenka, then turned upside down, and then it was all decided in a tie-break in which the 24-year-old Baptiste saved six match points: 2-6, 6-2, 7-6 (6).
It was by far the biggest win in Baptiste's career, her fourth victory against a top ten, two of those coming in this Madrid Open (he defeated World No. 9 Jasmine Paolini earlier in Madrid), and reflects the improvement of the American player: first WTA Masters 1,000 semi-final, also her best Masters 1,000 result since the Miami Open quarter-finals last month, the only two times she has passed beyond third round at this level.
In her interview, via WTA, Baptiste said that she had a better idea how to play against her after a recent match which was "kind of close", only breaking her once in each set. "I had a better idea of how to play her, and how I should play, adjustments I needed to make. 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."
Baptiste will next face Mirra Andreeva at the Madrid Open semi-finals on Thursday.
