Sabalenka beats Gauff in straight sets to win Madrid Open for 20th career title

MADRID (AP) — No. 1-ranked Aryna Sabalenka beat No. 4 Coco Gauff in straight sets to win her record-tying third Madrid Open and 20th career title on Saturday.

Sabalenka powered through the first set and edged the American in a tiebreaker for 6-3, 7-6 (3) on the Caja Mágica clay court.

Sabalenka added to titles in Madrid in 2021 and 2023 and equaled Petra Kvitova’s tournament record. It was also Sabalenka’s tour-leading third title of the year after Brisbane and Miami. She also pulled level with Gauff on head-to-head with five wins apiece.

Gauff could have risen to No. 2 with a victory. The 2023 U.S. Open champion lost only one set this week until the final. Gauff's great record in finals slipped to nine wins in 11.

Sabalenka battered Gauff with her drive early on, winning 17 consecutive points during one section for a 4-1 start. When Gauff found her weakness by spreading her shots around, the former champion dug in to force a second-set tiebreaker and crush any chance of a comeback.

Sabalenka missed a championship point on a break chance in the second set, recalling her failure to convert three championship points in a loss to Iga Swiatek in last year's final. After yelling at herself for her missed opportunity, the three-time Grand Slam winner shook off her demons, settled down and finished off her tour-high 31st win of 2025.

When Gauff’s final shot hit the net, Sabalenka thrust her arms into the air.

“It was a really tough match,” Sabalenka said. “At the end of the second set it was really intense and I was very emotional. I am happy I was able to handle my emotions.”

In the men's final on Sunday, Casper Ruud plays Jack Draper.

AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis

Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus holds a trophy after winning the Madrid Open tennis final in Madrid, Spain, Saturday, May 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Jose Breton)

Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus holds a trophy after winning the Madrid Open tennis final in Madrid, Spain, Saturday, May 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Jose Breton)

United States' Coco Gauff, left, and the winner Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus stand on the podium after the Madrid Open tennis final in Madrid, Spain, Saturday, May 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Jose Breton)

Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus returns to United States' Coco Gauff during the Madrid Open tennis final in Madrid, Spain, Saturday, May 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Jose Breton)

United States' Coco Gauff reacts during the Madrid Open tennis final against Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus in Madrid, Spain, Saturday, May 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Jose Breton)

Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus reacts after winning the Madrid Open tennis final against United States' Coco Gauff in Madrid, Spain, Saturday, May 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Jose Breton)

United States' Coco Gauff reacts during the Madrid Open tennis final against Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus in Madrid, Spain, Saturday, May 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Jose Breton)

Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus makes a selfie after winning the Madrid Open tennis final against United States' Coco Gauff in Madrid, Spain, Saturday, May 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Jose Breton)

Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus holds a trophy after winning the Madrid Open tennis final in Madrid, Spain, Saturday, May 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Jose Breton)

Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus reacts during the Madrid Open tennis final against United States' Coco Gauff in Madrid, Spain, Saturday, May 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Jose Breton)

United States' Coco Gauff returns to Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus during the Madrid Open tennis final in Madrid, Spain, Saturday, May 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Jose Breton)

Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus returns to United States' Coco Gauff during the Madrid Open tennis final in Madrid, Spain, Saturday, May 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Jose Breton)

YEREVAN, Armenia (AP) — European leaders on Monday said that U.S. President Donald Trump’s snap decision to pull thousands of U.S. troops out of Germany came as a surprise but is a fresh sign that Europe must take care of its own security.

The Pentagon announced last week that it would pull some 5,000 troops out of Germany, but Trump told reporters on Saturday that “we’re going to cut way down. And we’re cutting a lot further than 5,000.”

He offered no reason for the move, which blindsided NATO, but his decision came amid an escalating dispute with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz over the U.S-Israeli war on Iran, and Trump’s anger that European allies have been reluctant to get involved in the conflict in the Middle East.

Asked about the decision to pull out 5,000 troops from Germany, Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre said: “I wouldn’t exaggerate that because I think we are expecting that Europe is taking more charge of its own security.

“I do not see those figures as dramatic, but I think they should be handled in a harmonious way inside the framework of NATO,” he told reporters in Yerevan, Armenia, where European leaders are holding a summit.

The European Union’s foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, said “there has been a talk about withdrawal of U.S. troops for a long time from Europe. But of course, the timing of this announcement comes as a surprise.”

“I think it shows that we have to really strengthen the European pillar in NATO,” she said.

Asked whether she believes that Trump is trying to punish Merz, who said that the U.S. has been humiliated by Iran in talks to end the war, Kallas said: “I don’t see into the head of President Trump, so he has to explain it himself.”

Over the weekend, NATO spokesperson Allison Hart said that officials at the 32-nation military alliance “are working with the U.S. to understand the details of their decision on force posture in Germany.”

European allies and Canada have known since just after he came to office again last year that Trump would pull troops out of Europe — indeed some left Romania in October — but U.S. officials had pledged to coordinate any moves with their NATO allies to avoid creating a security vacuum.

NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte played down the move, saying that “there has been at this point disappointment on the U.S. side” about European support for the war on Iran.

Notably France, Spain and the U.K. have declined to give U.S. forces free rein to use bases on their territory to attack Iran. Spain has denied them the use of its airspace and bases there for the war.

But Rutte, who has championed Trump’s leadership at NATO despite the U.S. president's criticism of the majority of the allies, said: “I would say the Europeans have heard a message. They are now making sure that all the bilateral basing agreements are being implemented.”

Rutte added that European nations “have decided to pre-position assets, key assets, close to the theater for the next phase.”

He provided no details, but the Europeans have insisted they would not help police the Strait of Hormuz, a key energy trade route, until the war is over.

French President Emmanuel Macron said “if the United States is ready to reopen Hormuz, that’s great. That’s what we’ve been asking for since the beginning.” But he underlined that the Europeans are not ready to get involved in any operation “that does not seem clear to us.”

In another sign of friction with Merz, Trump has accused the EU of not complying with its U.S. trade deal and announced plans to increase tariffs next week on cars and trucks produced in the bloc to 25%, a move that would be particularly damaging to Germany, a major automobile manufacturer.

Without mentioning Trump or the United States, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen listed recent trade deals that the bloc has sealed with Australia and India, and is now working on with Mexico.

“With like-minded friends, you have stable, reliable supply chains and Europe has the biggest network of free trade agreements,” von der Leyen, who is from Germany, told reporters.

Cook reported from Brussels.

French President Emmanuel Macron speaks with the media as he arrives for a meeting of the European Political Community in Yerevan, Armenia, Monday, May 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Anthony Pizzoferrato)

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen speaks with the media as she arrives for a meeting of the European Political Community in Yerevan, Armenia, Monday, May 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Anthony Pizzoferrato)

European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas speaks with the media as she arrives for a meeting of the European Political Community in Yerevan, Armenia, Monday, May 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Anthony Pizzoferrato)

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte speaks with the media as he arrives for a meeting of the European Political Community in Yerevan, Armenia, Monday, May 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Anthony Pizzoferrato)

Norway's Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store speaks with the media as he arrives for a meeting of the European Political Community in Yerevan, Armenia, Monday, May 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Anthony Pizzoferrato)

Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer arrives for a meeting of the European Political Community in Yerevan, Armenia, Monday, May 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Anthony Pizzoferrato)