Hailey Baptiste stuns WTA Madrid crowd with Aryna Sabalenka masterclass
Tennis fans that did not know who Hailey Baptiste is now do. Baptiste, the 24-year-old Washington, DC native, saved six match points against World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka and handed her just the second loss of her 2026 season.
The…
Tennis fans that did not know who Hailey Baptiste is now do. Baptiste, the 24-year-old Washington, DC native, saved six match points against World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka and handed her just the second loss of her 2026 season.
The previous loss was to Elena Rybakina at the Australian Open. Baptiste earned the win with her head, heart, and guts. Her body language was always positive.
Even when things did not go her way, she keep plugging away and upset Sabalenka in just their second career meeting. Sabalenka beat her in straight sets in this year’s Miami Open quarterfinals. MORE: 3 Americans rank in Top 10 “Most Handsome ATP Player of the 2020s” list Baptiste becomes fifth American to beat Sabalenka in past two years Baptiste is in good company.