American Hailey Baptiste pulled off the biggest win of her career Tuesday night, stunning world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka 2-6, 6-2, 7-6 (8-6) to reach the semifinals of the Madrid WTA 1000.
Baptiste, ranked No. 32 in the world and seeded 30th in Madrid, saved six match points before closing out the defending champion in a dramatic quarterfinal at the Caja Mágica. The victory sends the 24-year-old American into her first WTA 1000 semifinal, where she will face Russia’s Mirra Andreeva.
Andreeva advanced earlier in the day with a 7-6 (7-1), 6-3 victory over Canada’s Leylah Fernandez. “It was just about insisting, insisting and insisting,” Baptiste said after the two-and-a-half-hour battle.
Sabalenka looked in control early, taking the first set 6-2 with the power and precision that have made her one of the most dominant players on the tour. But the match shifted sharply in the second set, as Baptiste raised her level and Sabalenka began to lose command of her service games.
The Belarusian dropped serve three times in the second set, allowing Baptiste to level the match and force a decider.
The third set turned into a test of nerve. Sabalenka created six match points but failed to convert any of them, with Baptiste holding firm in the key moments and forcing the match into a final-set tiebreak.
Baptiste completed the upset by taking the tiebreak 8-6, ending Sabalenka’s title defense and denying the world No. 1 a chance to move closer to a fourth Madrid crown. Sabalenka had previously won the tournament in 2021, 2023 and 2025.
“I think she played some really good points. I mean, I had some opportunities that I didn’t take, and I think she played very brave tennis on those points,” Sabalenka said after the loss.
“I think I had my chances in the third set, but maybe I rushed too much,” she added.
For Baptiste, the win marks a breakthrough result on one of the biggest stages of the clay-court season. It was her first victory over a top-five opponent and continued a Madrid run that has now put her one win away from the final.
Sabalenka’s defeat also leaves the women’s draw without its defending champion and opens the door for a new Madrid winner, with Baptiste and Andreeva now set to meet for a place in the final.
