World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka called her red-hot form “like a dream” after beating Coco Gauff 6-3, 7-6 (7-3) on Saturday to claim her third Madrid Open title.
The top seed dominated the opening set and held her nerve in a tense second, sealing the win as fourth-ranked Gauff double-faulted in the tiebreak.
Sabalenka now leads the tour with 31 wins this season, adding the WTA 1000 trophy to earlier triumphs in Brisbane and Miami.
It marked her sixth final of the year and the 37th of her career – and her fourth in Madrid in just five seasons.
“(Getting to six finals) sounds crazy, to be honest ... I work hard and I know that if I bring my game and if I fight for every point that I’m capable of that,” Sabalenka told reporters.
“But to actually, like, do it for real, I was like, OK, this is cool. This is ... like a dream.
“I really hope that I’m going to keep doing what I’m doing and keep playing the way I’m playing right now.”
Last year, Sabalenka was beaten by Iga Swiatek in the final. Gauff thrashed the Pole in the semifinals on Thursday.
Swiatek is struggling for form, giving Sabalenka little competition for the No. 1 ranking and making her a leading contender for the French Open – the site of Swiatek’s last title nearly a year ago.
“You know, like now probably Iga is not doing well, which is absolutely fine, and I know that she’s going to come back,” Sabalenka continued.
“I’m just working for the future, like trying to improve my game as much as I can, just so I’m ready for whoever is going to bring the challenge on court.”
The three-time Grand Slam champion ripped through the first set after Gauff managed an initial hold.
Sabalenka won the next 17 points and raced to a 4-1 lead with breaks in the third and fifth games, as Gauff struggled to cope with her power.
The 21-year-old American, who won the U.S. Open in 2023, managed a break of her own to slow down the 2021 and 2023 Madrid champion.
Sabalenka broke again to wrap up the first set in 35 minutes, converting her second set point as Gauff sliced wide.
Gauff came out stronger in the second set, mixing up her serve and earning a break in the third game, then consolidating for a 3-1 lead.
She saved two break points under heavy pressure in the sixth game to hold for 4-2.
Serving for the set at 5-4, Gauff double-faulted twice, giving Sabalenka three break points.
Sabalenka dropped her racquet during a rally on the second of those, glancing toward the crowd in bemusement, as Gauff saved all three.
After squandering a set point, Gauff saved another break point, but Sabalenka eventually converted on her fifth chance to level the set.
The top seed held for 6-5, then missed a championship point before Gauff forced a tiebreak.
Sabalenka earned two mini-breaks before Gauff fought back on serve. But the 26-year-old Belarusian regained control, earning three more championship points and sealing the win when Gauff double-faulted.
Sabalenka pulled level 5-5 in her career head-to-head with Gauff and matched Petra Kvitova’s record of three women’s Madrid Open titles.
“Overall, there’s a lot of positives to take, but I’m obviously disappointed with maybe how I played today,” Gauff said. “I feel like I could have showed up better.”
