Hailey Baptiste, the 24-year-old Washington, DC native, saved six match points against World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka and handed her just the second loss of her 2026 season. The previous loss was to Elena Rybakina at the Australian Open.
Baptiste earned the win with her head, heart, and guts. Her body language was always positive. Even when things did not go her way, she keep plugging away and upset Sabalenka in just their second career meeting. Sabalenka beat her in straight sets in this year’s Miami Open quarterfinals.