American Hailey Baptiste earned the biggest win of her career on Tuesday at the Madrid Open, defeating world No. 1 and defending champion Aryna Sabalenka. The 32nd-ranked Baptiste reached a WTA 1000 semifinal for the first time after a stunning quarter-final victory, marking her first win over a top 5 opponent.
Baptiste rallied to a 2-6, 6-2, 7-6 (6) win, saving six match points in the process. The result ended a 15-match winning streak for Sabalenka and represents the Belarusian's second defeat of the year and her first since the Australian Open final three months ago. Baptiste is the first player to beat Sabalenka from match points down since Iga Swiatek did so in the 2024 Madrid final.
Sabalenka described the match as tough and noted that she felt she may have rushed points in the third set. The match followed a day of upsets on Monday, where the Australian Open champion fell to a shock defeat by Anastasia Potapova while Sabalenka had clinched a gripping battle to reach the quarter-finals.
In the semifinals, Baptiste will face No. 8 Mirra Andreeva, who advanced to her first Madrid semifinal with a straight-set victory over Leylah Fernandez.