“She played brave tennis” – Aryna Sabalenka<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
She had registered wins over other top-10 foes in recent weeks in Elina Svitolina<\/a> (Miami) and Jasmine Paolini<\/a> (Madrid), and had pushed her longtime friend Gauff to three sets in the third round of the Australian Open\u00a0in January, the first time she had made it that far.<\/p>\n “She was dictating a lot; especially on her forehand,” Gauff said of Baptiste’s power after the match.<\/p>\n Baptiste does\u00a0play 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.<\/p>\n Her variety, she says, comes from playing at the JTCC with the likes of Tiafoe and other big-hitting older guys.\u00a0<\/p>\n “She played great,” described Sabalenka after the Madrid match, where Baptiste saved six match points. “She played really brave tennis on those match points.”<\/p>\n 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<\/a>, Anisimova, Iva Jovic<\/a> 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<\/a>.<\/p>\n No matter the progress on paper, Baptiste remains committed to the kind of game she wants to play, even if it remains uniquely hers.<\/p>\n