The great revelation of Madrid reveals her big goal: "I am going to win a WTA title this year"

Carlos Navarro | 30 Apr 2026 | 18.36

"What does Baptiste dream of? She confesses herself." Source: Getty

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Hailey Baptiste has been one of the great stories of this Mutua Madrid Open 2026. We always noticed a certain potential in the game of the American, a strange mix of finesse and good touch with a significant build, a rare bird trying to find her identity in a circuit where the power player profile is increasingly predominant. That cocktail finally exploded in the Spanish capital, where she showed a renewed mental strength to become stronger than ever in the crucial moments of each match.

This is the only way to explain her dominant and spectacular victory over Aryna Sabalenka, a clear baptism of fire in the elite. Saving six match points, under the lights of the Caja Mágica... it was Baptiste's match of a lifetime, one of those nights where all the hard work makes sense, one of those battles that announce you to the world.

However, the control and precision in her shots were not as present today, as she yielded to Mirra Andreeva in the semifinals. We did see traces of her warrior spirit and her ability to never give up on a match; she turned around a match she seemed to have lost (down a set and 3-5, saving match points), extending the evening to an agonizing second-set tiebreak... where she experienced the other side of tennis: having set points to extend the contest and not being able to capitalize on them. Is it possible to leave Madrid with a sweet taste after not seizing such opportunities? What conclusions does she draw from the week of her life? The American answered these questions and more in an interesting press conference.

Baptiste reflects on her defeat against Andreeva and reveals her main objective

- About the missed set point, dominating the point but not closing it and ultimately surprised by a lob from Andreeva

"I don't feel like I did anything wrong or incorrectly. I went for my shots, I was brave, and I just couldn't capitalize on them. I did what I wanted to do, I have no regrets about that point or those points."

- How she managed to turn the match around: Andreeva served to win the match and had match points... but she fought back to force a tiebreak

"I wouldn't know how I did it. She made a couple of errors, I hit a couple of winners, and there was clearly a small shift in positive momentum, the tide turned. I started playing a little better, and in the tiebreak, I had that advantage, I made a couple of errors, she played a couple of great points, and that's ultimately what happens in a tennis match."

- About the missed shot by Andreeva while serving to win the match: Did she think that could be a turning point to reverse the match?

"When someone serves to close out the match, there are always nerves involved. It wasn't something that surprised me greatly, but I knew I needed to capitalize on that moment and that advantage, I was convinced that she was feeling some nerves. On the contrary, I was not... but the truth is it didn't make a difference in the end."

- Refections and conclusions from a Mutua Madrid Open 2026 where she defeated Sabalenka and reached historic semifinals

"I cannot be disappointed with the results I achieved in this tournament. Today I didn't play at my best level, but you can't always be at your best. This is my best result so far, so I gain a lot of self-confidence from this week. I feel that I will have many more results like this one soon, and I am convinced that I will win a title this year. That is a huge goal for me, so I will keep working to achieve it."

- How comfortable she feels playing on clay courts

"Yes, clay courts are my favorite surface. When I was growing up, even though it may not seem like it, I played quite a bit on clay. I didn't compete much, but I trained a lot at the JTCC. We had two clay courts, and many green clay courts (hard-tru), so we played a lot on clay. I am really enjoying this clay court swing, and I am confident that I will carry this positive momentum to the next two tournaments, hoping to achieve it."

This news is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, La gran revelación de Madrid desvela su gran meta: "Voy a ganar un título WTA este año"