Iga Swiatek defeats Kudermetova to reach Madrid Open finals

Iga Swiatek, the No. 1 player in the world, defeated No. 12 seed Veronika Kudermetova in the semifinal match 6-1, 6-1 to secure a spot in her first career Madrid Open final.

Swiatek won the opening WTA 1000 clay-court match of the season in just one hour and 19 minutes. Swiatek took a 5-1 lead after winning the game’s first seven points. In the following game, he later used a rally backhand winner to save a break point and complete the set.

Top-seeded in the second set, Swiatek again established a dominating 4-1 lead, but Kudermetova fought off four break points. In the nightcap, Swiatek eliminated each of those opportunities as she systematically advanced to win without dropping a serve.
Swiatek will meet World No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka in the final. Sabalenka won her semifinal clash against No. 9 seed Maria Sakkari. Before this event, Swiatek and Sabalenka faced each other in the Stuttgart Open final, where the World No. 1 defended her title against her Russian opponent with a 6-3, 6-4 victory in a hard-hitting victory.

This will be the third time in the last 40 years that World Nos. 1 and 2 will face each other twice on clay during a single season. It is also the first time that world ranks one and two will play against each other in the WTA 1000 final since top-ranked Serena Williams beat second-ranked Li Na for the 2014 Miami Open title.

Earlier in the other semifinal, Aryna Sabalenka overpowered No. 9 seed Maria Sakkari, 6-4, 6-1, in Thursday’s semifinals to advance to the championship match at the Madrid Open for the second time in the past three years. Sabalenka extended her head-to-head advantage against Sakkari to 6-3 in 1 hour and 25 minutes, beating the Greek in straight sets for the fifth time.