What's making Hailey Baptiste so good at saving match points?

Much has been made of Hailey Baptiste's spring surge up the WTA rankings, with the American crediting commitment to her playing style and self-belief as chief driving factors.

But not far behind? Great escapes. Just over a month after she saved six match points in knocking off Aryna Sabalenka in the quarterfinals of the Mutua Madrid Open, Baptiste did it again in the opening round of Roland Garros on Sunday.

The No. 26 seed was the last of the Top 32 to be placed when the women's draw was made, with a murmur of excitement filling the room when her name landed opposite that of Barbora Krejcikova, the 2021 Roland Garros champion. And the two talented shot-makers lived up to the buzz.

After nearly three on court in the sweltering Parisian heat—on-court temperatures felt about 90 degrees Fahrenheit at the peak of the afternoon—Baptiste came from a set and a break down to win 6-7(7), 7-6(6), 6-2.

Krejcikova had a 6-4 lead in the second set tiebreaker to score just her second match win in Paris since winning the title five years ago.

Baptiste cut a frustrated figure on court after losing serve to trail 7-6, 2-0, after failing to convert two opportunities to win the first set herself. But while in past years she may have let that frustration linger on too long, Baptiste's mental transformation was soon once again apparent when it mattered most.

That, coupled with a fading Krejcikova across the net short on match play, saw the American sprint to the finish line.

"I just refuse to let myself be the reason that I lose a match and really focusing on being mentally strong and very positive even in the very tight, close moments," she said after scoring her sixth win from a set down in 2026, one-third of her total match wins.

"In my head I would love to break a racquet and scream, but I know that's not going to help me. Me maybe laughing it off or just being super positive immediately after, it's made a huge difference for me. I'm able to kind of just forget about it right away."

Read more: Believing, for Hailey Baptiste, may start coming as easily as breathing

"I think that everybody kind of has the same thoughts, I mean, similar thoughts closing out a match," she continued. "There's nerves, for sure. You know, there's certain ways to approach it. Some people maybe don't go for their shots. Another, okay, I just need to make balls. Me, I try to go after my shots and, you know, try to create something to get to the net or hit a winner somehow."

"I feel like I'm old enough and experienced enough to know how I should play and know what's right when I'm on the court," she continued. "I really think I should just trust my gut whenever I'm on the court. ... I feel like I've learned a lot about myself over the last few years and my game. It all boils down to just trusting my mind and what I've done in the past."