Sabalenka ties Madrid Open record with final win over Gauff

Looking to match Petra Kvitova's three triumphs in the Spanish capital and add to her successes in Spain in 2021 and 2023, Sabalenka threatened to make Saturday's showpiece match a procession with a stunning start.

After Gauff held in the opening game, Sabalenka won the next four to love as part of a streak of 17 successive points, with her power from the baseline proving too great.

But Gauff had more joy when she began to pull out the drop shot more frequently, with her speed and agility catching Sabalenka out as she took back-to-back games.

Though Sabalenka earned a third break to take the opening set, Gauff continued with that approach in the second, with a great passing shot putting the American a break up at 2-1.

With Sabalenka's play becoming erratic, Gauff had a set point against her opponent's serve in the ninth game, but she failed to convert and was duly punished.

Gauff struck the net on Sabalenka's seventh break-point opportunity of the second set, and though the Belarusian wasted a championship point on Gauff's serve, she stepped things up a notch in the tie-break.

Though Gauff rallied after giving up the first three points, she was given no chance by two crushing Sabalenka serves, then the American double-faulted on the first of three championship points for Sabalenka.

joining elite company @SabalenkaA | @serenawilliams | #MMOPEN pic.twitter.com/Kfi4Pm242k

— wta (@WTA) May 3, 2025

Sabalenka, who fell short of an Australian Open three-peat in January, has now won the Madrid Open for a record-equalling third time, with all of her clay-court titles coming in the Spanish capital.

She is just the second player in the Open Era to win her first three clay-court titles at a grand slam, Tier I or WTA 1000 event, after Serena Williams.

Indeed, she is only the fourth player in the last 40 years to win her first six top-10 matches to start a season in straight sets (only counting completed matches).