World No 1 Aryna Sabalenka suffered a shock 2-6 6-2 7-6 (8-6) defeat to Hailey Baptiste to be knocked of the Madrid Open at the quarter-finals.
It was 30th seed Baptiste’s biggest win of her career to date, her first over a top-five player, as she saved a staggering six match points before clinching victory.
The 24-year-old American will face Mirra Andreeva in the semi-finals, after the world No 9 beat Canada’s Leylah Fernandez 7-6 (7-1) 6-3 earlier on Tuesday.
Hailey Baptiste celebrates her quarter-final victory over world No 1 Aryna Sabalenka at the Madrid Open
“Incredible. Super proud of myself,” Baptiste said. “It was a super tight match, 7-6 in the third. Had to fight off match points; I’m really happy right now.
“It just shows me where my game lies. I’ve always believed it. Now I’m starting to put it into action and the world is seeing it as well.”
Defending-champion Sabalenka’s defeat is the latest upset at the WTA 1000 clay tournament that has seen the top seven seeds all knocked out.
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