The first two quarterfinals have been played out at the
Madrid Open. Incredibly, one top 10 player remains – and that is not Aryna
Sabalenka. The world number one and reigning champion relinquishes her title
after missing six match points enroute to a devastating 2-6, 6-2, 7-6(6) loss
to a brilliant Hailey Baptiste.
After a positive start, Sabalenka quickly found herself one set all against the American. She would go on to miss a handful of match points late on, including one in the tiebreak, right before Baptiste capped off a thriller of a tie and the biggest win in her tennis career.
Baptiste stuns Sabalenka on the big stage
The signs early on were not for great reading if you were in
the Baptiste camp. A hold to love to kick off proceedings was swiftly
compounded by a break of serve. Baptiste managed to get on the board with a
hold to love herself, but there was no pathway onto the Sabalenka serve who
dropped just two points in her opening three service games.
It could have gotten worse for Baptiste but pinned against
the wall she came out with no more lasting damage. The gap again closed to two
games with the 24-year-old eyeing up a chance. She earned two break points of
her own in a very long game, but a pair of clutch Sabalenka aces ended those
fleeting dreams. She edged one game away from confirming the first set, sealing
it on her opponents serve.
While on paper it looked simple, Sabalenka pictured a
frustrated figure at times on court, not happy when she was unable to complete shot,
mirroring her high standards set. This was again showcased in the flesh as a
double fault gifted Baptiste a cheap break. The American backed this up with a hold
before breaking again, stunning the three-time champion.
Sabalenka made an effort to get back level. She got one of
the breaks back to make it 4-2. It was a great ordeal with her clinching it the
fifth time of asking. She was then broken for the third time in the set with
her serving not even close to the expected levels normally seen. Baptiste was a
huge outside before the match started but now forced Sabalenka into a deciding
set.
Baptiste had played a sensational set of tennis, but her
form would slightly dip as a resurgent Sabalenka came charging back. She held
to love before breaking thanks to an untimely double fault by her opponent,
opening the door for a slender advantage.
Emphasis on the world slender, as it was set to be swiftly
abolished. Baptiste broke back and levelled at 2-2. She then soared into a 0-40
lead, but Sabalenka reeled her back in. The sense that a huge opportunity had
been missed as the four-time Grand Slam champion won five points on the trot to
move 3-2 to the good.
Hailey Baptiste is into a first WTA 1000 semi-final
More breaks of serve continued to dominate the narrative in
this match. Baptiste moved 4-3 ahead with a break to love and put herself in a
commanding position. Sabalenka was ruthless, getting straight back level to
halt any momentum the world number 32 would have cherished. Sabalenka moved 5-4
in front, with match winning opportunities on the way. All five were coped
with, and the match plodded on.
Those match points will give Sabalenka restless nights for
some time. Baptiste broke instantly after and now had the chance to serve it
out. She fluffed her lines and a tiebreak was needed to split these two
warriors. Sabalenka had a sixth chance to see out the match but it was again spurned. Baptiste was then afforded the chance to win, and took it impeccably. In a rematch from the Miami Open quarterfinal just over a month ago, it is Baptiste who finds her revenge and reigns the rule of Sabalenka in Madrid for another year.
Early birthday present for Andreeva
Mirra Andreeva and Leylah Fernandez played out a very topsy
turvey match where the advantage kept swinging from one player to another. In
the end, it was the soon to be birthday girl who confirmed a third WTA 1000
semi-final with a 7-6(1), 6-3 triumph.
After the emotion and turbulence from a traumatic match against
Anna Bondar the day before, Andreeva was hoping for a much simpler victory which
would see her continue the fine clay swing she was enjoying. Already with a title
secured in Linz, she was one of just two top 10 players remaining in a wide-open
field. Fernandez was very much hoping to capitalise on this with the former US
Open finalist finally finding a patch of form following from a troubling start
to 2026.
In contrast, she was the faster out of the blocks. The
Andreeva serve was very vulnerable early on. That can be pictured by four break
opportunities Fernandez had in the second game alone. They were all squandered,
but two games later the Canadian had a 3-1 lead.
It was short lived as back came Andreeva. She got back on
level terms as the match headed into a hugely dramatic and ultimately pivotal
period. Andreeva believed that her chance may have come and gone with four
break points all not converted. However, Fernandez would one-up her, spurning
three set points in the next set. That may have played a part in the tiebreak
which Andreeva had no problem winning with ease.
The second set commenced with four consecutive breaks of
serve. After all that trouble the pair had in the latter stages of the first
set, this was a welcoming break on some circumstances.
Mirra Andreeva celebrating the victory in the game, she raises her arms during the Mutua Madrid Open reaching her first Madrid semifinal
Andreeva would have been feeling the better concluding it,
breaking back on two occasions. She then ended this theme with a confident hold
to love. She would lose just one more game, upping the tempo as Fernandez’s
level started to drop off slightly. However, she was still a threat. After failing
to take another two break points, Andreeva stamped her authority by sailing
into a 5-3 lead before wrapping it up with her second match point.
At the end of the day, this match was there for the taking
for both players. Only three break points converted from a possible 15 was grim
reading for Fernandez. Her first serve percentage was also a little down on Andreeva’s
at 51% compared to 64%. Overall, Andreeva proved to have the credentials needed
to seal another WTA 1000 semi-final. The last two times that happened she went
on to win the tournament.