Madrid Open: Aryna Sabalenka Rubs Shoulder With Serena Williams as She Proves to Be the Ultimate Caja Magica Champion

“I really love Madrid, you guys are unbelievable. You make this tournament special.” This is exactly what Aryna Sabalenka said after putting an end to Danielle Collins’ 15-match winning streak. After that, she defeated the Russian teenage tennis sensation, Mirra Andreeva in the QF by 6-1,6-4. Her incredible performances in Madrid year after year depict why the tournament is as special to her as she is for this tournament! Aryna Sabalenka is the ultimate champion in Madrid and her records speak for herself!

Aryna Sabalenka currently has a win-loss record of 16-3 in the Spanish capital. And if we take a deeper look at her statistics in this tournament, well then only Serena Williams and Simona Halep have won more consecutive matches at the Mutua Madrid Open than the Belarusian tennis beauty!

American tennis legend, Serena Williams won 19 matches between  2010-2015 in this tournament. While the Romanian superstar, Simona Halep has won a total of 15 matches between 2016-2018. The two-time champion of the Madrid Open, Aryna Sabalenka currently sits at the third spot with a 10-match winning streak. Can she extend it further with a win in her next match?

Well, Aryna Sabalenka has either won it all in Madrid as she did in the 2021 and 2023 seasons or she has gone out in the first round of the tournament (as she did in the 2018,2019 and 2022 editions). So, either she loses her first match or she wins the title. The first possibility is already ruled out, but the second one is still alive!

Sabalenka will take on the world number 4, Elena Rybakina in her next match. Currently, the Aryna Sabalenka leads their head-to-head with a 5-3 margin. Aryna Sabalenka’s powerful and aggressive style of play will be tested against a player with a similar style of play. Sabalenka’s game style was in the news after her emphatic Madrid Open triumph last year.

Is Aryna Sabalenka the new Serena Williams?

Aryna Sabalenka has always idolized Williams. During a press conference at the 2023 Italian Open, Sabalenka’s playing style was compared to ‘The Queen of the Court.‘ Replying to those murmurs, she clearly stated, “I don’t know. I don’t think about that. That sounds good, you know (smiling)? I don’t know. I’m not thinking about that. I’m not focusing on that.”

Sabalenka smiled and added, “I’m just focusing on improving myself and getting better every day. Yeah, that’s it. I’m not really thinking about that. It sounds crazy and it sounds good to be really strong.” Serena Williams’ similar style of play landed a total of 23 Grand Slam titles in her trophy cabinet. Aryna Sabalenka has won 2 major titles so far in her career. It will be interesting to see if she can add more to her bags this season. But talking about breaking records, she loves demolishing them and rebuilding them on her own terms!