Aryna Sabalenka aims to ‘learn’ after being stunned by Hailey Baptiste in Madrid Open quarter-finals

MADRID – Aryna Sabalenka may be a four-time Grand Slam champion, but she admitted that she will also have to “learn” sometimes when she is beaten by a less-heralded player.

On April 28, Hailey Baptiste ended her Madrid Open title defence and halted the world No. 1’s 15-match win streak with a 2-6, 6-2, 7-6 (8-6) quarter-final victory to deliver the biggest shock of the tournament so far.

“It was a tough match. She played very well, and I played well too. I think I had some opportunities in the third set. I felt like maybe I was a bit rushed in some points at that moment,” Sabalenka said.

“I think she played some great points. I had some chances and didn’t capitalise on them. I feel she played very courageous tennis in those match point moments, and that made the difference.

“But it’s okay; sometimes you have to learn, take the negatives from this week, and move on.”

On whether there was pressue to extend her winning run, she added: “Not really. I was just playing tennis, trying to find a way to win the match, but it didn’t work out today. At no point did I think about the streak.”

Baptiste saved five match points at 4-5 in the decider and a sixth in the tiebreak before she handed Sabalenka just her second defeat of the year, and her first since the Australian Open final three months ago.

Sabalenka is a three-time champion in Madrid and reached the final in the Spanish capital in each of the last three editions of the event but was unable to shake off the 30th-seeded Baptiste, who peppered her with huge serves and ultra-aggressive groundstrokes to reach a maiden WTA 1000 semi-final.

Baptiste came up with huge serves in several crucial moments – finishing the duel with a total of 12 aces and 10 double faults – and even saved a match point with a bold serve-and-volley approach on her way to a memorable 2hr 30min triumph.

“I feel incredible... It was a super tight match, 7-6 in the third, I had to fight off some match points,” Baptiste said. “It just shows me where my game lies, and I’ve always believed it. And I feel like now I’m starting to put it into action, and the world is seeing it as well. So I’m very confident right now.”

Next up for the 24-year-old is ninth-seeded Mirra Andreeva, who defeated Canadian Leylah Fernandez 7-6 (7-1), 6-3 to reach her first Madrid semi-final.

The Russian teenager was a recent champion in Linz and improved her clay-court record to 11-1 this season. REUTERS