World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka suffered a stunning quarterfinal exit at the Mutua Madrid Open on Tuesday, April 28, 2026, falling to American Hailey Baptiste in a three-set thriller.
The Belarusian, who entered the match as the heavy favorite and defending champion, saw her 15-match winning streak come to an abrupt conclude. Despite dominating the opening set, Sabalenka ultimately succumbed to Baptiste, world No. 32, with a final score of 6-2, 2-6, 6-7(6).
The match, which lasted two and a half hours, was defined by a dramatic collapse in the final set. Sabalenka held six match points—five of which occurred while leading 5-4—but failed to convert any of them. Baptiste showed remarkable resilience, fighting back to force a tie-break and eventually securing the win, marking her first career WTA 1000 semifinal appearance.
“I would say it wasn’t my best performance today. But You’ll see no excuses, I tried my best.” Aryna Sabalenka, World No. 1
The loss carries significant implications for the WTA rankings. Having won the title in 2025, Sabalenka was defending 1,000 ranking points. Her quarterfinal exit results in a loss of 785 points, bringing her total to 10,110. While she maintains her hold on the world number one spot, her lead over world No. 2 Elena Rybakina has shrunk to 1,555 points.
Following the defeat, Sabalenka took to Instagram to share her thoughts with fans. In a post that quickly garnered over 145,000 likes, she wrote:
“Not the ending I wanted, but proud of the work I put in. We’re just getting started with clay season. Thank you Mutua Madrid Open” Aryna Sabalenka, via Instagram
The post drew immediate support from her fiancé, Georgios Frangulis, who responded with a red heart emoji. When asked about the end of her winning streak, Sabalenka remained unfazed, stating that the streak never crossed my mind
and that she was simply focused on finding a way to win the match.
The defeat is only Sabalenka’s second of the 2026 season, following the Australian Open final. Her exit leaves Mirra Andreeva as the sole remaining top-10 player in the tournament.
Sabalenka now shifts her focus to the Italian Open in Rome, where she looks to regain momentum and reclaim lost points before heading to Paris for Roland Garros, where she will defend 1,300 points from her run to the final last year.
“It’s okay—sometimes you have to learn. I’ll capture the best from this week and move on” Aryna Sabalenka, World No. 1
