Haitian-American Hailey Baptiste achieved the feat of her career by eliminating world number 1 Aryna Sabalenka in the quarterfinals (2-6, 6-2, 7-6) of the Madrid Masters 1000. After defeating Jasmine Paolini (7-5, 6-3) and Belinda Bencic (6-1, 6-7, 6-3) in a wild match, Hailey Baptiste disposed of world number 1 Aryna Sabalenka in three sets at the WTA 1000 in Madrid (2-6, 6-2, 7-6) on April 28, 2026.
The match scenario will go down in the annals of the Madrid tournament. Dominated in the first set (6-2), Baptiste managed to reverse the momentum against a formidable Sabalenka, who was the defending champion. Playing more aggressively, she inflicted a harsh 6-2 in the second set. The third act then turned into a tug-of-war, punctuated by repeated breaks. At 5-4 in favor of Sabalenka, the world number 1 obtained five consecutive match points, and then a sixth in the tie-break. But Hailey Baptiste withstood the pressure before taking advantage of two unforced errors from her opponent to conclude the encounter.
At 24 years old, the player, who does not yet hold any singles titles on the main circuit, reaches the semifinals of a WTA 1000 tournament for the first time, where she will face Russia’s Mirra Andreeva. Born in Washington D.C. on November 3, 2001, Hailey Baptiste is the daughter of Quasim and Shari Baptiste, both from the Haitian diaspora. Her parents played a decisive role in her career, going as far as making significant financial sacrifices to allow her to pursue her dream of professional tennis. Her father, Quasim Baptiste, was her first coach. It was he who, when she was only four years old, introduced her to tennis on public courts. Even today, he remains very involved in her career as a manager.
