"It’s okay—sometimes you have to learn. I’ll take the best from this week and move on" - Aryna Sabalenka reflects on tough loss to Baptiste at Madrid Open

Aryna Sabalenka was on the receiving end of a brutal defeat to the hands of Hailey Baptiste, missing six match points in the process before exiting the Madrid Open at the quarterfinal stage 2-6, 6-2, 7-6(6).

The three-time champion came with a vast lead as world number one but still defending 1000 points from her prior triumph last year. After the Sunshine double, she was in red-hot form and looking to continue that on the big stage.

She was the overwhelming favourite to defend her title, with the likes of Iga Swiatek, Coco Gauff and Elene Rybakina having previously been dumped out of the tournament. After the four-time Grand Slam champion's exit, just one top 10 player remains in the tournament - Mirra Andreeva.

That reality seemed far off after the first set concluded. Sabalenka had no trouble breezing past her American foe in the early stages of the match, comfortably racing clear and sealing the opening set. Her lead would not remain intact for long. Baptiste responded magnificently, playing some incredible tennis to take a 4-0 lead. She broke back after Sabalenka thought she had a foothold in this clash and inevitably forced a final set decider to decide who would be playing Andreeva in the semi-final.

After meeting in the quarterfinal of the Miami Open just over a month ago, Baptiste wanted revenge. After breaking back in the opening couple of games, she broke the Sabalenka serve twice more throughout the set, once even giving herself a chance to serve it out. That was right after Sabalenka failed to convert an astonishing five match points on the Baptiste serve. However, the 24-year-old could not see it out for herself as Sabalenka showed her grit and determination to force a tiebreak.

Another match point came and went for the Belarusian as Baptiste showed her how it was done moments later, securing a first WTA 1000 semi-final and leaving Sabalenka distraught after a hugely painful defeat to swallow.

Her mind was cleared sometime after the match as she spoke to the media, reflecting on a frustrating night that would be fuel for future competitions.

"It was a tough match. She played great, I played great," she admitted. "I think I had some opportunities in the third set, and I felt like I was maybe a little bit rushing the points there. But it’s okay—sometimes you have to learn. I’ll take the best from this week and move on."

Those six match points will keep Sabalenka tossing and turning at night. She was adamant that her opponent did brilliantly to fend them off. "I think she played great points. I had some opportunities, but I didn’t use them. She played really brave tennis on those match points."

Going back to their meeting in Miami, Sabalenka was dominant, not letting up on her serve. Nevertheless, the tides had turned in Madrid, and Baptiste got more belief. "In Miami, I didn’t give her many opportunities—she couldn’t break my serve, I believe," she said. "But here, in the first game of the second set, I double-faulted twice out of nowhere, and I felt like that gave her belief. After that, she started playing more aggressively. As I said, she was playing brave tennis. What can I say? Well done to her."

It is just Sabalenka's second defeat in 2026, along with the Australian Open final. Her 15-match unbeaten streak has come crashing down, but that was not on her mind when on court. "Not really. I was just playing tennis, trying to find a way in this match. It didn’t work today. As I said, it never crossed my mind."

Her attention will turn to the two upcoming tournaments in Rome and Paris. Roland Garros is the main one, with that being one of the Grand Slams, she has failed to lift, having come so close last year against Gauff in the final. She will look to get another streak of wins and momentum under her belt ahead of the second Grand Slam of the year at the Rome Open, another tournament where she has never lifted silverware.