TENNIS: Baptiste's variety drags Sabalenka out of comfort zone in Madrid shock

MADRID – Hailey Baptiste delivered one of the biggest wins of her career on Tuesday, saving six match points to upset world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka 2-6, 6-2, 7-6(6) in the Madrid Open quarterfinals.

The 24-year-old American ended Sabalenka’s 15-match winning streak with a bold and unpredictable performance, using frequent net approaches, serve-and-volley tactics, and changes of pace to disrupt the Belarusian’s powerful baseline game.

Baptiste’s inventive style proved especially effective under pressure, as she repeatedly forced Sabalenka out of her rhythm during critical points, including the decisive tiebreak.

With the French Open set to begin on May 24, Baptiste’s performance served as a reminder that variety and tactical risk-taking can challenge even the most dominant power hitters on clay.

“I played her a few weeks ago (in Miami) and it was a close match. I had a better idea of how to play her and the adjustments I needed to make,” Baptiste said.

Despite that earlier meeting shaping her preparation, Baptiste said her most decisive choices on court came instinctively.

“The plan comes to my head when I get to the line,” she said. “That’s what my brain was telling me to do. And it worked. It doesn’t always, but in that moment it did.”

She added that her aggressive approach at key moments was intentional.

“It was an uncomfortable situation for her, me serving and volleying, hitting a drop shot on one of the match points. It’s not the easiest position to put her in, which is the plan.”

Sabalenka, a four-time Grand Slam champion, was gracious in defeat as she shifts focus to her next tournament in Rome ahead of Roland Garros, where she finished runner-up last year.

“She played really brave tennis on those match points,” Sabalenka said. “In Miami I didn’t give her many opportunities. Here, in the first game of the second set, I just double-faulted twice out of nowhere. That gave her belief. She started playing aggressively. Well done.”

Baptiste will next face Mirra Andreeva in the semifinals. -Reporting by Shrivathsa Sridhar in Bengaluru; Editing by Peter Rutherford/Reuters