(Reuters) -World number one Aryna Sabalenka overcame a second-set fightback by fourth seed Coco Gauff to secure a 6-3 7-6(3) win and clinch her third Madrid Open on Saturday as the three-times major winner claimed her third title this year on the WTA tour.
A dominant Sabalenka won four games straight without conceding a point to build a 4-1 lead in the first set. Although former U.S. Open champion Gauff battled back with a break to make it 4-2, the Belarusian secured the set with another break.
Gauff broke Sabalenka to go 2-1 up in the second set and held under pressure to build a 5-3 lead. But Gauff’s double faults while serving for the set allowed Sabalenka to break back and make it 5-5 before winning the WTA 1000 title in a tiebreak.
Sabalenka, who turns 27 on Monday, now shares the record for most Madrid Open titles with Petra Kvitova. She tied her head-to-head record with Gauff at five wins apiece after 10 meetings.
(Reporting by Chiranjit Ojha in Bengaluru; Editing by Ken Ferris)
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