Wednesday 29 / April / 2026
Madrid: United States player and World No. 30 Hailey Baptiste pulled off one of the biggest upsets of the ongoing Madrid Open 2026, defeating top seed Aryna Sabalenka in a dramatic three-set women's quarter-final clash on Tuesday, according to Olympics.com.
Baptiste edged past Sabalenka 2-6, 6-2, 7-6 (8-6) in a match that lasted two hours and 30 minutes at the Caja Magica, overcoming six match points and staging a remarkable comeback after losing the opening set comfortably.
Sabalenka, a four-time Grand Slam champion, started strongly and took the first set 6-2 with aggressive baseline play, breaking Baptiste twice. The Belarusian looked in control as she pushed for a straight-sets win.
However, Baptiste shifted momentum in the second set, breaking Sabalenka three times to level the contest 6-2 and force a decider.
The third set turned into a gripping battle, with Sabalenka earning five match points at 5-4, but Baptiste held firm under pressure. The American stayed resilient through extended rallies and crucial break points to push the match into a tie-break.
In the tie-break, Sabalenka again reached match point at 6-5, but Baptiste responded with three consecutive points to complete a stunning comeback victory, handing the world No. 1 her first defeat in 16 matches.
After sealing the win, Baptiste acknowledged the crowd with a slight grin and a roar of celebration, marking a breakthrough moment in her career. It was also her first win against a top-five-seeded player in a women's singles match. She will also play in a WTA 1000 semifinal for the first time.
"In the beginning it was a little difficult for me to find the ball and get comfortable," Baptiste told the Tennis Channel in an interview after the match as quoted by Olympics.com. "But once I did, I was able to execute the game plan really well. And she (Sabalenka) just was unhappy."
"I've been close to these moments and I've been able to kind of smell it," she explained to the Tennis Channel. "I've definitely put in a ton of work and I've been in the gutter and had to climb out of it a thousand times. So yeah, I feel like I've earned this."
The 24-year-old American overcame 10 double faults and saved 17 break points to script one of the most memorable wins of the tournament.
With this result, Baptiste advanced to her maiden Madrid Open semi-final, where she will face world No. 9 Mirra Andreeva, who defeated Leylah Fernandez 7-6 (7-1), 6-3 in the other quarter-final.
