Fiesta Fever: Andreeva Beats Baptiste for Maiden Madrid Final
By Richard Pagliaro | Thursday, April 30, 2026
Photo credit: Mutua Madrid Open Facebook
The day after celebrating her 19th birthday, Mirra Andreeva kept the party pumping with a heart-racing finish in Madrid.
Andreeva saved three set points in the tiebreaker, subduing Hailey Baptiste 6-4, 7-6(8) to battle into her maiden Mutua Madrid Open final today.
Linz champion Andreeva improved to a WTA-best 12-1 on clay this season becoming the second-youngest woman to reach the Madrid Open final after 2009 runner-up Caroline Wozniacki.
“Honestly, I feel so much adrenaline inside. I feel like I’m still nervous,” Andreeva said. “Honestly, I’m just so happy I won. I’m just so happy I was able to save all those set points.
“I feel like the serve helped me a lot. I’m just so, so happy. I can’t really find the words to describe how I’m feeling right now.”
The 2025 Dubai and Indian Wells champion will play for a third WTA 1000 championship when she faces either 26th-seeded Marta Kostyuk or luck loser Anastasia Potapova in the Madrid final.
Playing for her sixth career title, Andreeva is 0-1 lifetime vs. Kostyuk. Andreeva has beaten Potapova in three of their four meetings, including a three-set win in the Linz final earlier this month.
Ahead of her 19th birthday yesterday, Andreeva said her birthday wishes were clear: “I don’t want to grow up.”
Today, Andreeva showed match maturity at crunch time in a match that featured just three breaks and some bold serving by both women.
Though she failed to serve out the semifinal at 5-4 in the second set, Andreeva did not press the panic button when she fell behind 0-4 in the tiebreaker and later faced three set points.
Six weeks after imploding in her Indian Wells title defense defeat to Katerina Siniakova, Andreeva hung tough and served big to close in 100 minutes.
Andreeva, who was a perfect 17 for 17 on first-serve points in the first set, served 70 percent, dropped only eight points on first serve and faced just one break point.
“That’s pretty good statistics, a lot of [high] percents on my first serve,” Andreeva said. “Honestly in the first set I felt like there were a couple of games I didn’t even serve a second serve.”
In her first Madrid semifinal, Baptiste unleashed her heaviest forehands in the latter stages of the second set.
The 24-year-old American earned the biggest win of her career by saving six match points dethroning Madrid Open champion Aryna Sabalenka 2-6, 6-2, 7-6(6) in the quarterfinals. Twice, Baptiste saved match points by serving-and-volleying for her first win over a world No. 1.
Today, Baptiste saved a match point hammering a heavy forehand and eventually holding for 4-5. Though she built that 4-0 tiebreaker lead, Baptiste came up a shot short and sometimes a half-step slower than Andreeva.
Locked in a seven-minute service game midway through the first set, Baptiste tried to attack but could not find the finishing volley. Andreeva spun a backhand pass down the line breaking for 4-3 after 28 minutes.
Banging an ace down the T, Andreeva backed up the break with a strong hold at 15.
Flawless on first serve, Andreeva served 77 percent and was a perfect 17 for 17 on first serve points in the opening set.
The smooth-moving Andreeva was suffocating Baptiste shrinking the space the American had to hit. Andreeva created some sharper angles than the top-seeded Sabalenka did in a thrilling quarterfinal and stretched Baptiste side-to-side.
Drawing successive forehand errors, Andreeva broke for a 3-2 second-set lead.
Andreeva’s two-handed backhand down the line is one of her best weapons and it was impactful when Baptiste, hunting her forehand, camped out too far in her backhand corner.
Throughout the tournament, Baptiste has found freedom teetering on the ledge of loss. It’s as if being match point down frees Baptiste up to just let loose.
The American did exactly that throwing down crackling forehands to erase the match point. Baptiste hit a forehand winner to hold for 4-5.
In her first show of stress, Andreeva double faulted and bungled a smash to face the first break point of the day. Playing a proactive point, Baptiste took it too Andreeva drawing the errant lob to break and level, 5-all.
Firing three winners in the first four points powered Baptiste to a 4-0 tiebreaker lead.
Eyes riveted on the ball, Andreeva looped a rainbow lob to save the first set point at 5-6. Baptiste ended a 13-shot rally netting a backhand on her second set point. Baptiste held a third set point at 7-6, but Andreeva answered with an ace.
Credit Baptiste, who should be a factor at Roland Garros if she plays with this variety, with saving a second match point by pumping an ace wide.
Still, Andreeva belted a backhand down the line for a third match point and sealed it on a backhand error.
Aiming for another WTA 1000 championship, Andreeva has already hit new heights thanks to a birthday gift from her agent.
“My agent, Juan, he was very thoughtful and he got me a pair of high heels,” Andreeva said. “So I was extremely happy to receive that gift. I’ll try to go out somewhere next week to wear them and feel pretty.”
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