As the final point concluded and the enthusiastic crowd at La Caja Magic rose to their feet in applause, Aryna Sabalenka’s reaction was notably composed. She didn`t drop to the crushed red clay, nor did she shout, pump her fists, or display overt signs of triumph. Her arms simply lifted into a perfect V shape – the symbol of victory.
Following this, she blew kisses towards the camera, walked calmly to her seat, retrieved a camera from her bag, crossed the court, and took a picture of her team. With her commanding 6-3, 7-6 (3) win over Coco Gauff on Saturday, Sabalenka secured her third Mutua Madrid Open championship. This achievement places her alongside the record holders Petra Kvitova, and significantly, also Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic.
While winning is never guaranteed, Sabalenka approached this match with an air of expectation. Her determined mindset was evident in the crucial moments. She has earned this strong self-assurance because she is currently, by a remarkably wide margin, the premier player in the sport.
On Monday, the World No. 1 will become only the third woman ever to accumulate over 11,000 ranking points and holds a lead of nearly 4,000 points over the second-ranked player, Iga Swiatek, in the PIF WTA Rankings. This lead is anticipated to grow further. Swiatek faces the challenge of defending 3,000 points from her titles in Rome and Paris over the next month. Conversely, Sabalenka missed Wimbledon last year, meaning any positive result there this year will provide a substantial increase in her ranking points.
In the PIF Race to the WTA Finals in Riyadh, Sabalenka is more than 1,600 points ahead of the second-placed Madison Keys. She is the only player this season to have won three titles so far – in Brisbane, Miami, and Madrid – securing consecutive WTA 1000 tournaments on significantly different surfaces. Her total of 31 match victories is also the highest among players on the Hologic WTA Tour.
This recent match was Gauff’s tenth encounter with Sabalenka over the past six years. Gauff reflected on the evolution of Sabalenka`s game.
Gauff commented, “I feel like she has just improved significantly in every aspect. I think she`s probably just more confident now, and that`s why she`s achieving such consistent results.”
Looking back at the events, it seems that the catalyst for this period of dominance, somewhat surprisingly, was a previous defeat.
Jasper Hawthorne 
Dominic Ashworth