It figured to be more of the same at the start of Madrid. Dayana Yastrameska of Ukraine bageled her in the first set of their opening match, 6-0. Gauff managed to steady herself and survive that day, though it was dicey to the end, with Gauff failing to serve out the match on her first attempt.

Sabalenka, who fell short of an Australian Open three-peat in January, has now won the Madrid Open for a record-equalling third time, with all of her clay-court titles coming in the Spanish capital

Aryna Sabalenka powered through the first set and edged the American in a tiebreaker for a 6-3, 7-6 (3) win on Saturday.