“She played brave tennis” – Aryna Sabalenka
The win over Sabalenka in Madrid did not come from nowhere. A few weeks earlier, in Miami, Baptiste had fallen to Sabalenka in a tight two-setter in the quarter-finals.
She had registered wins over other top-10 foes in recent weeks in Elina Svitolina (Miami) and Jasmine Paolini (Madrid), and had pushed her longtime friend Gauff to three sets in the third round of the Australian Open in January, the first time she had made it that far.
“She was dictating a lot; especially on her forehand,” Gauff said of Baptiste’s power after the match.
Baptiste does play with a plethora of power, but also with a court sense that few others possess: She has a wicked slice backhand that can neutralise and confound, which pairs well with that aforementioned forehand and a booming, tricky first serve.
Her variety, she says, comes from playing at the JTCC with the likes of Tiafoe and other big-hitting older guys.
“She played great,” described Sabalenka after the Madrid match, where Baptiste saved six match points. “She played really brave tennis on those match points.”
Baptiste will look for more of that brave tennis as she aims to push even higher. She’s now the No. 6 American behind Gauff, Jessica Pegula, Anisimova, Iva Jovic and Keys. While we’re far from it, it’s a worthy reminder that only up to four singles spots will be available to Team USA at LA28.
No matter the progress on paper, Baptiste remains committed to the kind of game she wants to play, even if it remains uniquely hers.
“Tennis has always been somewhere where I’m expressing myself,” she explained in Australia.
“Coaches sometimes don’t agree with the way that I play, or my shot selection, but I kind of just have the mindset of doing what I want on the court, like hitting the shots that I want even if it’s a crazy shot or it makes zero sense.”
“Sometimes that’s what I want to do, and I do it.”