World No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka on Saturday played a superb attacking game to beat Iga Swiatek in the Madrid Open final for her first win on clay against her top-ranked rival.
The Belarusian prevailed 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 to capture the title in the Spanish capital for a second time.
Until Saturday, the 25-year-old had lost all of her three previous meetings with the Pole on clay without even winning a set.
Photo: Reuters
“It’s something unbelievable. I’m really happy that I’m able to fight against her, and I’m able to get this win so it’s not like so super boring for people to watch our matches,” Sabalenka said.
“I really enjoy playing on clay, because I have extra time. It’s not super fast, so I can go for my powerful shots. There are longer rallies. It’s like not just bomb, bomb,” she said.
The big-hitting Belarusian gained revenge for defeat by her Polish rival in the Stuttgart final two weeks ago with a thrilling triumph to end Swiatek’s nine-match winning streak ahead of her French Open defense.
Two-time Roland Garros winner Swiatek fought her way back into the match after an explosive start by Sabalenka, but the second seed came back strongly in the third set to win the first WTA 1000 final featuring the top two ranked players since 2014.
Sabalenka earned her 13th career title, and only her second on clay in 2 hours, 25 minutes, clinching victory on her fourth championship point with a forehand cross-court winner.
“Sometimes it’s tougher; sometimes it’s easier. That’s why we have variety in tennis, and that’s why sometimes players are playing better on some surfaces and some on different,” Swiatek said.
The world No. 1 aimed a jab at the tournament organizers for some of the late nights over the past week, with matches regularly finishing in the early hours.
“It’s not fun to play at 1am though,” she said. “I’m happy anyway I was able to get past this experience and survive and be in the final.”
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