Aryna Sabalenka suffered a shock quarter-final exit at the 2026 Madrid Open, and the result had implications for the Belarusian’s rankings battle with Elena Rybakina.
The world No 1 fell 6-2, 2-6, 6-7(6) to rising American star Hailey Baptiste, who is ranked 32nd, on Manolo Santana Stadium court on Tuesday night.
Sabalenka‘s defeat ended her title defence at the Madrid Open and snapped her 15-match winning streak that included titles in Indian Wells and Miami in March.
In her press conference, Sabalenka said: “It was a tough match. She played great, I played great.
“I think I had some opportunities in the third set, and I felt like I was maybe a little bit rushing the points there. But it’s okay, I guess sometimes you have to learn, take the best from this week and move on.”
Sabalenka also commented on being unable to convert six match points in the deciding set.
“I think she played great points,” Sabalenka assessed. “I mean, I had some opportunities, didn’t use them. She played really brave tennis, I feel like, on those match points.”
Madrid Open News
Aryna Sabalenka makes 22-word statement after shock Madrid Open loss to Hailey Baptiste
Madrid Open: Hailey Baptiste +8 in WTA Rankings after dramatic Aryna Sabalenka upset
Want more from Tennis365? Add us as a preferred source on Google to your favourites list for tennis coverage you can trust.
Sabalenka was on 10,895 points in the latest edition of the WTA Rankings, which put her 2,395 points clear of second-ranked Rybakina.
The four-time Grand Slam winner started the Madrid Open on 9,895 points in the Live WTA Rankings, though, as she was defending 1,000 points from winning the event last year.
Rybakina was on 8,435 points in the live rankings prior to the start of her campaign in Madrid as she dropped the 65 points she earned for reaching the third round in 2025.
The world No 2 progressed to the fourth round this year, where she was beaten by lucky loser Anastasia Potapova. This result earned the two-time major champion 120 points, which leaves her with 8,555 points.
Sabalenka collected 215 points for her run to the last eight in the Spanish capital, and she now sits on 10,110 — 785 points fewer than she had in the latest rankings.
The gap between Sabalenka and Rybakina is now 1,555 points, which is 840 points narrower than it was before the tournament.
READ NEXT: Madrid Open: What ranking points and prize money did Sabalenka, Rybakina and Gauff earn?