Aryna Sabalenka keeps having a bizarre issue that has happened again after her Madrid Open exit.
Sabalenka is the dominant world number one and was the favorite to win the Madrid Open title, particularly following her biggest rivals Elena Rybakina, Iga Swiatek and Coco Gauff’s exits from the tournament.
However, the Belarusian suffered just her second defeat of the 2026 season in the quarterfinals, as Sabalenka was beaten by Hailey Baptiste.
Sabalenka has admitted she made mistakes against Baptiste, and now she appears to be starting to develop somewhat of a curse.
Aryna Sabalenka keeps losing when she is on a 15-match winning streak
Sabalenka was on a 15-match winning streak before losing to Baptiste in the Madrid Open quarterfinals.
This had seen the world number one collect two titles, with Sabalenka completing the Sunshine Double at Indian Wells and the Miami Open.
While not winning 16 matches in a row is nothing to be ashamed of for Sabalenka, it is actually the third time it has happened in her career.
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The first time this happened was in 2021, when Sabalenka looked on track to win her 16th consecutive match at the WTA 500 tournament in Melbourne.
Instead, Sabalenka was beaten by Estonian Kaia Kanepi in a shock first round defeat to bring her 15-match winning streak to an end.
Over three years later, Sabalenka would go on another 15-match winning streak and would have another opportunity to win a 16th match in a row in the China Open quarterfinals.
Sabalenka looked to be on track to beating Karolina Muchova, leading 4-2 in the third, but would lose four matches in a row to see her streak come to an end once again.
The same has now happened again to Sabalenka again in Madrid, despite being the overwhelming favorite to beat Baptiste.
It will be interesting to see if Sabalenka ever goes on a streak like this again and if she is able to overcome the hurdle of winning a 16th consecutive match.
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Hailey Baptiste is now one of five players to beat Aryna Sabalenka in Madrid
Sabalenka’s overall winning streak is not the only thing that was ended by Baptiste, but also her run at the Madrid Open.
The Belarusian is a three-time former champion at the Madrid Open, and Sabalenka was looking to become the first woman to win a fourth title in the Spanish capital.
However, it was not meant to be for Sabalenka, with Baptiste now becoming the fifth player to beat her in Madrid.
The four other players to beat Sabalenka in Madrid are Iga Swiatek, Amanda Anisimova, Svetlana Kuznetsova and Bernarda Pera.
| Year | Aryna Sabalenka’s result at the Madrid Open |
| 2018 | First Round – Lost to Bernarda Pera |
| 2019 | First Round – Lost to Svetlana Kuznetsova |
| 2021 | Won the title |
| 2022 | First Round – Lost to Amanda Anisimova |
| 2023 | Won the title |
| 2024 | Final – Lost to Iga Swiatek |
| 2025 | Won the title |
| 2026 | Quarterfinal – Lost to Hailey Baptiste |
Sabalenka has now exited a tournament that she has won three times before, to now move on to one of the big tournaments she has never won before at the Italian Open.
In her seven previous appearances at the Italian Open, Sabalenka has never won the title, with her best result coming in 2024 when she reached the final.
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