Aryna Sabalenka has picked up her 20th career title after defeating Coco Gauff in the Madrid Open final.
The world number one defeated Gauff in straight sets, capturing a third Madrid Open title in four years, tying Petra Kvitova for most titles in the Spanish capital.
The Belarusian enjoyed a comfortable first set, and after squandering a match point in the second, was able to emerge victorious in a tiebreak.
Sabalenka said focusing on herself was the key to beating Coco Gauff in straight sets, but former British tennis player Annabel Croft noticed something else the three-time grand slam champion was doing to get over the line in Madrid.
Ayrna Sabalenka was almost ‘squeezing out’ double faults, says Annabel Croft
Speaking after the final, Croft said: “I think noticeable when you watch Sabalenka on return of serve, she is much closer to the baseline. Threatening those second serves. She almost squeezed out some of those double faults, just by her sheer presence.”
“And it’s almost psychology going into those moments. Whereas Coco Gauff was standing much further behind the baseline.”
That rearing kick serve of Sabalenka is quite dangerous, so you can understand the differences between the two. But when Coco Gauff gets a bit tight, the forehand starts to come really spinny up the back of the ball and lands a lot shorter and that enables Sabalenka to come in and give it a good crank.”
“She is brave on those big moments. She does not hold back. She will live and die by the sword, accept her mistakes, and that doesn’t stop her going for more when it matters.”
Aryna Sabalenka vs Coco Gauff by the numbers
Sabalenka bettered Gauff in most areas of the stat sheet, most noticably on double faults where Gauff tallied eight across the match compared to the champions’ two.
In the first set, Sabalenka managed to string together 17 straight points to give herself a commanding 4-1 lead. Gauff managed a maximum of eight points won in a row during the contest.
| Sabalenka | Stat | Gauff |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | Aces | 2 |
| 2 | Double Faults | 8 |
| 69% | First Serve % | 55% |
| 68% | Win % on First Serve | 57% |
| 75% | Win % on Second Serve | 53% |
| 4/13 | Break Points | 2/3 |
| 1 | Tiebreaks Won | 0 |
| 42 | Receiving Points Won | 19 |
| 81 | Points Won | 61 |
| 13 | Games Won | 9 |
| 4 | Max Games won in a row | 3 |
| 17 | Max Points won in a row | 8 |
The world number one held strong on her serve, with a 68% win percentage on first serves, and 75% on second serves. Gauff put up 57% and 53% respectively.
Sabalenka won a total of 42 receiving points to Gauff’s 19, and won four out of 13 break points.
Both players will now look on to Rome, the last WTA 1000 event before the second major of the year at Roland Garros.
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