MADRID: World number one Aryna Sabalenka overcame a second-set fightback by fourth seed Coco Gauff to secure a 6-3, 7-6 (7/3) win and clinch her third Madrid Open on Saturday as the three-times major winner claimed her third title this year on the WTA tour.

A dominant Sabalenka won four games straight without conceding a point to build a 4-1 lead in the first set. Although former US Open champion Gauff battled back with a break to make it 4-2, the Belarusian secured the set with another break.

Gauff broke Sabalenka to go 2-1 up in the second set and held under pressure to build a 5-3 lead. But Gauff’s double faults while serving for the set allowed Sabalenka to break back and make it 5-5 before winning the WTA 1000 title in a tiebreak.

Sabalenka, who turns 27 on Monday, now shares the record for most Madrid Open titles with Petra Kvitova. She tied her head-to-head record with Gauff at five wins apiece after 10 meetings.

In Friday’s late action, Britain’s Jack Draper ousted Italian Lorenzo Musetti to set up a men’s title showdown with Norwegian Casper Ruud.

Draper, who advanced to his third final of the season, battled to a 6-3, 7-6 (7/4) victory over Monte Carlo runner-up Musetti.

The 23-year-old lefty, chasing a second Masters 1000 crown following his triumph at Indian Wells earlier this season, fired 20 winners against 19 unforced errors in a high-quality two-hour showdown with the Italian.

Published in Dawn, May 4th, 2025