Aryna Sabalenka Advances to Madrid Open Final After Defeating Elina Svitolina

Sabalenka Secures Final Spot

World number one Aryna Sabalenka has successfully reached the final of the Madrid Open by overcoming 17th seed Elina Svitolina.

According to the WTA, Sabalenka triumphed with a score of 6-3, 7-5 in the semifinal match. The match lasted one hour and 32 minutes, marking the end of Svitolina's impressive nine-match winning streak on clay this season.

With this victory, Sabalenka is set to face fourth seed Coco Gauff in the title match on Saturday. Gauff secured her place in the final by defeating defending champion Iga Swiatek with a dominant score of 6-1, 6-1 in just 64 minutes.

In their head-to-head encounters, Gauff holds a slight edge with a 5-4 record, having won their only previous clay match in Rome back in 2021. Gauff also emerged victorious in their latest meeting at the 2024 WTA Finals in Riyadh.

Sabalenka has shown remarkable performance at this tournament over the years, boasting 22 wins against only four losses. She clinched the title in both 2021 and 2023 and reached the finals last year.

Currently, she leads the WTA tour in terms of victories and has become the first player to achieve 30 main-draw wins in WTA events for the year 2025.

A three-time Grand Slam champion, Sabalenka has won the Australian Open twice consecutively and is the reigning champion. She also holds the title of defending champion at the US Open.

In the men's quarterfinals, Casper Ruud progressed by defeating Daniil Medvedev with a score of 6-3, 7-5, making him the first player born in 1990 or later to reach 30 tour-level semifinals on clay.

"I reviewed our stats last night and noted that he had beaten me on grass, outdoor hard, and indoor hard. The last surface was clay, so I thought, please don’t let it be 4-0," Ruud remarked.

Ruud's next opponent will be Francisco Cerundolo, who came back to defeat teenager Jakub Mensik with scores of 3-6, 7-6 (5), 6-2.