Belarusian second seed Aryna Sabalenka beat Iga Swiatek 6-3 3-6 6-3 to win the Madrid Open yesterday, avenging her defeat by the Polish world number one in last month’s Stuttgart final.
Sabalenka produced a great performance to beat Swiatek for the first time on clay, proving that she will be a serious title contender when the French Open begins later this month.
The 25-year-old Sabalenka made things rather uncomfortable for Swiatek from the outset with her aggressive tactics, breaking the two-time Roland Garros champion’s serve in the eighth game en route to bagging the first set.
Swiatek fought back in the second as she raced into a 3-0 lead before levelling the contest at one set all.
However, Australian Open champion Sabalenka dug in to show that she was no pushover as she opened up a 3-0 lead in the decider.
Swiatek kept everyone on the edge of their seats as she made it 3-3 in a thrilling third set.
Sabalenka then went on to break Swiatek’s serve with a brilliant crosscourt forehand before wrapping up the win on her fourth match point.
“I am just super happy with this win, especially against Iga on clay,” Sabalenka said.
“Women’s tennis needs this kind of consistency, to see the world No.1 and world No.2 facing (off) in the finals.
“That’s something amazing, and hopefully we can keep doing what we are doing this season.”
The WTA Tour said yesterday that former French Open semi-finalist Amanda Anisimova was taking an indefinite break from tennis due to burnout and mental-health concerns. The WTA said the 21-year-old world No.46 had given no time-frame for a return to the tour.
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