The 4 women to win multiple Madrid Open titles: ft. Aryna Sabalenka, Serena Williams, Petra Kvitova

Oli Dickson Jefford 23 Apr 2025 4:11 PM

Aryna Sabalenka and Petra Kvitova in Madrid.

The Madrid Open women’s singles event launched in 2009 and, since then, only four WTA stars have managed to win the title more than once.

With both Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek looking to emulate historic company in 2025, we look back at Madrid’s most successful champions to date.

=2) Serena Williams – Two titles (2012-13)

Following the launch of the tournament in 2009, tennis icon Williams became the first woman to win multiple titles in the Spanish capital.

The American claimed the title for the first time in the infamous ‘blue clay’ year of 2012, downing Maria Sharapova in the quarter-final before a 6-1, 6-3 triumph over Victoria Azarenka in the final.

Williams went on to successfully defend her title in 2013, defeating Sara Errani in the last four before defeating Sharapova 6-1, 6-4.

=2) Simona Halep – Two titles (2016-17)

The Madrid Open proved to be one of the most successful events of Halep’s career, with the Romanian following in Williams’ footsteps by successfully defending her title.

Halep won the tournament for the first time in 2016, dropping just two games in the semi-final against Sam Stosur before dispatching Dominika Cibulkova 6-2, 6-4.

The former world No 1 returned to the final in 2017 and successfully defended her crown with a battling 7-5, 6-7(5), 6-2 victory over Kristina Mladenovic.

Halep was also a runner-up to Sharapova in 2014, and Kiki Bertens in 2019.

=2) Aryna Sabalenka – Two titles (2021, 2023)

Sabalenka has been the most successful WTA star in Madrid in recent years, with the Belarusian winning the title in two of the last four years.

The world No 1 claimed the title for the first time in 2021, breezing past Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in the last four before battling her way to a 6-0, 3-6, 6-4 win over Ashleigh Barty.

Sabalenka returned to the final in 2023 thanks to a semi-final triumph over Maria Sakkari and then battled past leading rival Iga Swiatek to regain her title, prevailing 6-3, 3-6, 6-3.

She was close to a third title in 2024, spurning three championship points in a three-set loss to Swiatek.

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1) Petra Kvitova – Three titles (2011, 2015, 2018)

The most successful WTA champion in Madrid to date is Kvitova, who is the only woman to have lifted three titles at the tournament.

Kvitova triumphed for the first time in 2011, defeating Li Na in their semi-final clash before a 7-6(3), 6-4 victory over Azarenka in the final.

The Czech then stormed to a second title in 2015, stunning Williams in the last four before an emphatic 6-1, 6-2 triumph against Svetlana Kuznetsova.

Kvitova would claim her third and final title three years later in 2018, seeing off compatriot Karolina Pliskova before beating Kiki Bertens 7-6(6), 4-6, 6-3 in a thrilling contest.

History on the line for Sabalenka and Swiatek

Sabalenka and Swiatek are the two favourites for the title in 2025, and both women would make Madrid history should they win.

Should Sabalenka triumph, she would match Kvitova – who fell in round one – on three titles inside the Caja Magica, having just missed out on matching the Czech in 2024.

Meanwhile, Swiatek would join Williams and Halep by becoming just the third woman in tournament history to successfully defend her Madrid Open title.

The Pole would also join all the women above by becoming just the fifth WTA star to lift the title on multiple occasions.