MADRID -- World No.2 Aryna Sabalenka ended No.15 Danielle Collins' 15-match winning streak in the fourth round of the Mutua Madrid Open, coming from a set down to defeat the red-hot American 4-6, 6-4, 6-3. The victory moved Sabalenka into her first WTA 1000 quarterfinal of the season.
A champion in Madrid in 2021 and 2023, Sabalenka is bidding to become the first three-time champion at the Caja Magica since Petra Kvitova. She will face 17-year-old Mirra Andreeva on Wednesday for a spot in her first WTA 1000 semifinal since 2023 Cincinnati. It will be a rematch of last year's fourth-round duel, which Sabalenka won handily, 6-3, 6-1.
Tale of the tape: Buoyed by back-to-back titles in Miami and Charleston, No.15 Collins came into her fifth meeting against Sabalenka looking for her first win. All four of Sabalenka's previous victories came on hard courts, including three at the US Open.
Match notes: Sabalenka was slow out of the blocks, quickly falling behind 3-0 in the opening set. Collins took advantage of Sabalenka's 52 percent first-serve percentage to pound away at second-serve returns. Sabalenka won just 33 percent behind her second serve, but found a way to claw back and get back on serve. But serving down 5-4, Sabalenka was broken and Collins took the intense 45-minute set.
Collins struck 13 winners to 10 unforced errors, while holding Sabalenka to nine winners and nine unforced errors.
Collins, saving break point: LET'S GOOO 🗣️
— wta (@WTA) April 29, 2024
Sabalenka, the very next point: LET'S GOOOOOO 🗣️#MMOPEN pic.twitter.com/bLLVPc1k6P
Turning point: Sabalenka steadied her game through the early stages of the second set, with the key duel coming in the eighth game. Serving at 4-3, Sabalenka saved two break points and held on back-to-back stunners. Serving at deuce, Sabalenka struck a pitch-perfect lob to earn game point and converted with a searing forehand winner. She broke in the next game to take the match to a decider.
After being dominated in the first set, Sabalenka's trademark aggression took over in the second set. She struck 17 winners and held Collins to nine.
Sabalenka continued her surge to break Collins in the opening game of the third set and consolidated with her fourth ace of the night to lead 2-0. Collins finally stopped Sabalenka's run of six consecutive games by breaking to close the gap to 3-1.
Sabalenka cruised through her remaining service games to snuff out any chance for an American comeback and broke Collins for the sixth and final time to seal the win after 2 hours and 24 minutes.
Defending champ things 👊@SabalenkaA stops the Collins streak at 15 wins to advance to the Madrid quarterfinals once again.#MMOPEN pic.twitter.com/6GXpHyZPN2
— wta (@WTA) April 29, 2024
Final stats: In a remarkable display of first-strike tennis, Sabalenka finished the match with 39 winners to just 20 unforced errors. Collins answered with 30 winners to 27 unforced errors. Collins generated more break points, 11 in total, but Sabalenka proved more efficient when it mattered, converting six of her nine.