Baptiste beats No. 1 Sabalenka in Madrid quarters

American Hailey Baptiste defeated world number one Aryna Sabalenka 2-6, 6-2, 7-6 (8-6) in the Madrid Open quarterfinals on Tuesday, saving six match points to advance to her first WTA 1000 semifinal.

The 24-year-old 30th seed from the United States overcame a slow start, dropping the opening set before dominating the second. In the decisive third set, Baptiste saved five match points at 4-5 and a sixth in the tiebreak, relying on 12 aces and aggressive groundstrokes in the 2-hour, 30-minute match. She even employed a serve-and-volley on a key second serve to stay alive. The victory marked Baptiste's biggest career win, her fourth against a top-10 player and first over a top-five opponent. It ended Sabalenka's 15-match winning streak and handed the Belarusian, a three-time Madrid champion, her second loss of the season after the Australian Open final.

"Incredible. Super proud of myself," Baptiste said afterward. "It was a super tight match, 7-6 in the third. I had to fight off match points. 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."

Sabalenka, the defending champion who completed the...