'Like a dream': Aryna Sabalenka beats Coco Gauff to win third Madrid Open title

World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka secured her third Madrid Open title by defeating Coco Gauff 6-3, 7-6 (7/3) on Saturday in Madrid. The victory marked her tour-leading 31st win this season, adding to her previous titles in Brisbane and Miami, while also matching Petra Kvitova's record of three women's Madrid Open titles.
Sabalenka dominated the first set after Gauff's initial hold, winning 17 consecutive points and establishing a 4-1 lead with breaks in the third and fifth games.
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The 26-year-old Belarusian secured the first set in 35 minutes when Gauff sliced wide on the second set point.
"Getting to six finals sounds crazy, to be honest... I work hard and I know that if I bring my game and if I fight for every point that I'm capable of that. But to actually like do it for real, I was like, okay, this is cool. This is ... like a dream. I really hope that I'm going to keep doing what I'm doing and keep playing the way I'm playing right now."

21-year-old Gauff, the 2023 US Open champion, showed more resistance in the second set, breaking in the third game and consolidating for a 3-1 advantage.
At 5-4, serving for the set, Gauff faced difficulty with double faults and saved three break points before Sabalenka eventually claimed the break.

A notable moment occurred when Sabalenka dropped her racquet during a rally, looking at the crowd in bemusement.
The match concluded in a tie-break where Sabalenka secured multiple championship points before Gauff's double fault handed her the victory.
"You know, like now probably Iga is not doing well, which is absolutely fine, and I know that she's going to come back. I'm just working for the future, like trying to improve my game as much as I can, just so I'm ready for whoever is going to bring the challenge on court."

The victory was particularly significant as Sabalenka had finished as runner-up last year, losing to Iga Swiatek, whom Gauff defeated in this year's semi-final.
This win represented Sabalenka's sixth final appearance this year and the 37th of her career, marking her fourth final in five years at Madrid.
The three-time Grand Slam champion's current form positions her as a leading contender for the French Open, where Swiatek claimed her last title almost a year ago.

The result brought Sabalenka level at 5-5 in head-to-head matches against Gauff.
"Overall there's a lot of positives to take but I'm obviously disappointed with maybe how I played today. I feel like I could have showed up better," Gauff reflected after the match.