World number one Aryna Sabalenka is set to lock horns with Coco Gauff in the Finals of Madrid Open 2025.
Gauff overpowered defending champion Iga Swiatek 6-1, 6-1 to reach the women’s singles final in the tournament for the first time on Thursday.
Gauff broke Swiatek’s serve three times in the first set and twice in the second in a 64-minute semifinal encounter and took the victory over the world number two player. It was Gauff’s first win over Swiatek on clay.
“The mentality that I had in the whole match was aggressive,” the fourth-ranked Gauff said. “Maybe it wasn’t her best level today, but I think I forced her into some awkward positions.”
“For me,” Gauff added, “it was just making sure my level stayed the same. In the second, I raised it.”
Sabalenka returned to the final after ending Elina Svitolina’s unbeaten run on clay this year.
The Belarusian defeated Svitolina 6-3 7-5 on Thursday (May 1) to set up a blockbuster clash with world number four Gauff.
Sabalenka won the Madrid Open title in 2021 and 2023, and was runner-up to Swiatek last year.
By beating Svitolina, Sabalenka became the first player to obtain 30 main-draw wins at WTA events in 2025. She is now 22-4 at the Madrid Open.
The 26-year-old will mark her fourth appearance in the event’s final match on Saturday. She has now won 30 main-draw matches at WTA events in 2025, becoming the first player on the Tour to hit that mark this season.
Gauff will enter the final on the back of a 5-4 record against Sabalenka. The 21-year-old won their only prior meeting on clay, in Rome in 2021. The American also won their most recent meeting, at the 2024 WTA Finals in Riyadh.
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Madrid Open 2025 Prize Money: Women’s singles
- Champions: USD 1.13 million
- Runner-up: USD 602,451
- Semi-finals: USD 334,696
- Quarter-finals: USD 190,521
- Round 4: USD 104,012
- Round 3: USD 60,864
- Round 2: USD 35,529
- Round 1: USD 23,943
- Qualifiers 2: USD 13,904
- Qualifiers 1: USD 7,211
