The stage is set for a thrilling climax at the 2025 Madrid Open, where world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka and No. 4 Coco Gauff will lock horns in a highly anticipated women’s singles final. This blockbuster showdown, scheduled for Saturday, May 3, at 6:30 PM local time at the Caja Mágica, marks the 10th chapter of their riveting rivalry, with Gauff holding a narrow 5-4 edge in their head-to-head. Both players, fresh off commanding semifinal performances, shared their thoughts on facing each other, expressing mutual respect and readiness for a fierce battle that could redefine their seasons and reshape the WTA rankings.
Sabalenka, a two-time Madrid champion (2021, 2023), punched her ticket to her fourth Madrid final with a gritty 6-3, 7-5 victory over Elina Svitolina, snapping the Ukrainian’s 11-match winning streak. The Belarusian, who has reached her sixth final of 2025, is the first woman since Martina Hingis in 2001 to achieve this feat in the season’s opening four months. Reflecting on her matchup with Gauff, Sabalenka acknowledged their history of intense encounters. “We had a lot of great battles against each other, very tough ones, very close ones,” she said, emphasizing her approach: “I’ll just go out there and I’ll fight for every point—that’s the best preparation you can have against someone like Coco.” Her confidence is buoyed by a tour-leading 30 wins this season, including titles in Brisbane and Miami, and a stellar 22-4 record at Madrid since her 2018 debut.
Gauff, meanwhile, stormed into her first Madrid final with a stunning 6-1, 6-1 demolition of defending champion Iga Swiatek, a performance that marked her first clay-court win over the Pole and flipped their head-to-head from 11-1 to a more competitive 11-4. The 21-year-old American, who lost the first set 6-0 to Dayana Yastremska in her opener, has since won 10 consecutive sets, showcasing newfound consistency in her serve and forehand. “Obviously Aryna is world No. 1, so it would be cool to play her in the final and give myself that challenge,” Gauff said before Sabalenka’s semifinal win, her words reflecting a hunger to test herself against the best. She added, “I’m going to be honest, it’s not important to me. I mean, the only number that would mean a lot to me is 1 at this point,” signaling her ambition to climb to the top spot.
Their rivalry, which began in 2020 at Lexington, has produced electrifying moments, from Gauff’s 2023 US Open final triumph to Sabalenka’s comeback win in the 2024 Australian Open semifinals. Their sole clay-court meeting, a 7-5, 6-3 Gauff victory in Rome 2021, adds intrigue to this high-altitude clash, where Madrid’s fast clay suits Sabalenka’s power but rewards Gauff’s defensive tenacity. “Coco played good, but I think it’s, you know, on me that I didn’t move well,” Swiatek admitted after her loss, a testament to Gauff’s ability to disrupt even the most formidable opponents. Sabalenka, too, praised the Madrid crowd for fueling her drive:
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