Hailey Baptiste has pulled off one of the year’s biggest surprises, taking down world number one Aryna Sabalenka in the Madrid Open quarter-finals.
Sabalenka, who came into the match on a 15-match winning streak and having completed the Sunshine Double just last month, had already taken care of business against No. 11 seed Mirra Andreeva in straight sets to book her place in the last eight.
Baptiste also faced an uphill battle to get here. She had to come from behind after losing her first set 1-6 against Elina Svitolina before rallying back to win in three sets. Just two days earlier, she’d beaten Caroline Garcia in a tough three-set match that ended with a final set tie-break.
Baptiste dropped that first set 2-6, but turned things around with a quick 6-2 win in the second. The final set was close all the way through before she finally clinched it on her sixth match point after a dramatic tie-break.
The Americans are having quite the tournament, as Madison Keys and Coco Gauff have also made deep runs in this year’s event.
Hailey Baptiste follows in Serena Williams’ footsteps at the Madrid Open
According to statisticians OptaAce, Hailey Baptiste is only the second American to beat a world number one at the Madrid Open.
The first was none other than Serena Williams, who pulled off that feat back in 2012.
Williams was seeded ninth that year and defeated top-ranked Victoria Azarenka 6-1, 6-3 in the final.
Baptiste, appearing in her first semi-final, spoke with pride after the match when speaking to Tennis Channel
“Incredible. Super proud of myself,” she said. “It was super tight. 7-6 in the third. Had to fight off match points.
When asked what this win meant for her confidence, Baptiste added: “It just shows me where my game lies. I’ve always believed it. Now I’m starting to put it into action and the world is seeing it as well.”
Baptiste spoke about her strategy for taking on Sabalenka while speaking with Tennis Channel after the match.
“I think going in I definitely wanted to make her feel uncomfortable in any way that I could,” she said. “Trying to hit drop shots, short slices, heavier balls.”
Hailey Baptiste’s previous meeting with Mirra Andreeva
Mirra Andreeva has put together a strong run in the Spanish capital, highlighted by a win over Leylah Fernandez on her way to the semi-finals.
She’ll be up against Hailey Baptiste next, a familiar opponent she’s already beaten once before.
Their previous meeting came in the third round at Wimbledon 2025, where Andreeva won comfortably 6-1, 6-3.
“I felt like I was playing great,” she said. “I knew that the match is going to be tough because I felt like she was playing super free and she was going for her shots.
“My goal for the match was just to stay focused and also be aggressive. So I’m super happy with my level today.”
Andreeva went on to reach the quarter-finals before losing to Belinda Bencic.
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