Chaos and a Comeback: Baptiste Battles Past Bencic Into Madrid QFs

Hailey Baptiste has reached back-to-back WTA 1000 quarterfinals in Miami and Madrid—but not without a serious mental test.

The Washington, D.C. native squandered six match points in the second set on Monday, yet regrouped to defeat Belinda Bencic, 6-1, 6-7(14), 6-2, in two hours and 43 minutes.

The victory sets up a quarterfinal clash with World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka.

“That was such a roller coaster of a match,” Baptiste said. “It was very difficult mentally to come back from that in the third—I’m just really happy to turn things around.”

Baptiste needed a Herculean effort to move past the chaos of the second set. She served for the match, failed to convert a match point, and moments later found herself locked in a marathon tiebreak.

She appeared on the brink of victory once again after winning five straight points to lead 6-4, but the chances slipped away. A double fault erased one match point, followed by a missed return on another—6-6 at the changeover.

From there, the tension only escalated. Baptiste saved three set points to reach 9-9, then earned additional match points at 10-9 and 11-10—only to see them slip away, including another double fault on match point.

The tiebreak stretched deep into extra time. Baptiste saved further set points to reach 13-13, but at 14-13 (after four change of ends on a warm, sunny afternoon in Madrid), Bencic struck a forehand winner to earn another opportunity—and two points later, a missed drive volley from Baptiste handed the Swiss the set, 16-14.

“The tiebreak took years off my life, for sure,” Baptiste said on Tennis Channel. “I knew if I wanted to win that match, I had to shake it off quickly. I couldn’t sit in that feeling for long, and that’s what I did.

“I just needed a short-term memory and to move on.”

Baptiste, 24, said she has developed the tools to manage those emotional swings.

“It’s been years of practicing and testing different methods,” she said. “Sometimes I have to let the anger out—but then I have to reset immediately for the next point. I wasn’t able to close out the second set, but I regrouped in the third and turned things around. I’m really proud of that.”

Baptiste continues to thrive on her preferred surface. Armed with a heavy kick serve and a topspin forehand, she is particularly dangerous in warm clay-court conditions. She owns a 15-8 record on clay since the start of last season.

“Clay has always been my favorite surface,” she said. “I had some really good results last year, and I’ve carried that confidence into this clay swing.”

As for her upcoming clash with Sabalenka, Baptiste hopes to build on her experience from their previous meeting—a 6-4, 6-4 loss in the Miami quarterfinals earlier this spring.

“I had the chance to play her in Miami, so I know a bit more what to expect,” she said. “That gives me a little more comfort.”