Aryna Sabalenka ultimately defeated Iga Swiatek on clay in a match between the top two women tennis players in the world.
To reclaim the Madrid Open title, Sabalenka, who is rated second, shocked Swiatek, who is ranked first, 6-3, 3-6, 6-3. Two weeks ago, Sabalenka lost the Stuttgart final despite never having defeated her Polish opponent in a set during their three prior encounters on clay courts.
But in the two and a half hour final, the Belarusian showed no mercy, hitting hard for winners and broke Swiatek four times.
The Australian Open champion won her 13th career championship, including her second in Madrid after winning here in 2021, and third trophy this year,
“I am just super happy with this win, especially against Iga on clay,” Sabalenka said.
She told Swiatek on the court, “It is always tough against each other and you always push me to my limits. I hope we will play many more times this season.”
It was the first WTA 1000 final between the top two ranked players since No. 1 Serena Williams beat No. 2 Li Na at the 2014 Miami Open. It was also only the third time in the last 40 years that the top two women met twice on clay in a single season. Swiatek, a three-time Grand Slam winner, entered the match with a 5-2 record against Sabalenka. But she was clearly flustered early on by Sabalenka’s superb hitting. She shook her head and talked to her coach in the stands after costly hitting errors.
