Belarusian tennis player Aryna Sabalenka, the world’s WTA leader, won the WTA Masters 1000 title in Madrid, the capital of Spain, after an exciting final with her American rival Coco Gauff.
Aryna defeated her with 6-3, 7-6 (3) and claimed her third WTA tournament victory this year, following those in Miami and Brisbane, making it her second 1000-type Masters of the year.
The world leader needed one hour and 39 minutes to overcome Gauff, marking her 5th direct victory against the 21-year-old, ranked 4th in the world.
Sabalenka now holds three Madrid titles, surpassing Simona Halep, who triumphed twice on the clay courts of the Spanish capital.
The Belarusian athlete, 26 years old, is undoubtedly the standout performer in the WTA circuit this year, participating in eight tournaments, reaching the final in six of them, and winning three trophies.
The victory in Madrid adds a substantial sum to Aryna's accounts: $1,132,785. The Eastern European athlete now has 11,118 points in the WTA rankings, well above Swiatek, with only 6,773 points, just over half of what the Belarusian accumulated in the WTA rankings.
Romania could have a winner today at the Madrid Open. Sorana Cîrstea and Anna Kalinskaya are playing the doubles final. Starting at 4:30 PM, they will compete for the trophy against the pair formed by Veronika Kudermetova (Russia) and Elise Mertens (Belgium).