Madrid Open: Baptiste stuns world No. 1 Sabalenka to reach SF

American Hailey Baptiste delivered a stunning upset to knock out World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka and book a place in semifinals of the Madrid Open, continuing her dream run at the WTA 1000 event.
The 24-year-old came from a set down and saved six match points to secure a hard-fought 2-6, 6-2, 7-6(6) victory in a contest lasting two hours and 30 minutes. The win not only marked the biggest triumph of her career but also ended Sabalenka’s 15-match winning streak on the tour.
Baptiste, who had never beaten a Top 5 opponent prior to this week, has now registered back-to-back wins over top-tier players in Madrid. She had earlier ousted Jasmine Paolini in the third round and, with this result, advanced to her maiden WTA 1000 semifinal.
Sabalenka looked in control early in the match, racing through the opening set with a dominant display on serve and from the baseline. The top seed dictated play and capitalised on a slow start from Baptiste to take the set comfortably.
However, the momentum shifted in the second set as Baptiste raised her level and began to trouble Sabalenka with aggressive shot-making. A series of errors from the Belarusian allowed Baptiste to seize control, as she broke early and maintained her advantage to level the match.
The decider proved to be a tense and closely fought affair. Sabalenka secured the first break and later moved within a game of victory, earning multiple match points while serving for the match. Baptiste, however, showed remarkable composure under pressure, saving all opportunities against her to force the set into a tiebreak.
In the tiebreak, Sabalenka again held a match point, but Baptiste continued her resilient display and won three successive points to seal the victory and complete a memorable comeback.
With this result, Baptiste moves a step closer to a potential Top 30 ranking and will now face ninth seed Mirra Andreeva in the semifinals, who progressed after a straight-sets win over Leylah Fernandez.
Lucky loser Potapova makes history with semi-final run
Anastasia Potapova has turned tennis heartbreak into history by becoming the first lucky loser to reach a WTA 1000 semi-final ‌after her thrilling 6-1 6-7(4) 6-3 victory over Karolina Pliskova at the Madrid Open on Wednesday.
The Russian-born Austrian, who lost in qualifying last week, has capitalised on her unexpected main draw entry, stunning former world number one Pliskova in a roller-coaster clash despite squandering three match points.
Potapova’s run has included impressive victories over former French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko and world number two Elena Rybakina.
After cruising through the opening set, Potapova appeared destined for a straightforward victory when she earned three match points in the second.
But Pliskova clawed back to force a tiebreak and level the match.
Potapova trailed 3-1 in the decider, only to reel off five consecutive games and seal victory with her 10th ace before collapsing to her knees.
Potapova will face Marta Kostyuk or Linda Noskova in the semi-finals.