Aryna Sabalenka produced a statement victory in tennis’s blossoming heavyweight rivalry, maintaining her composure to secure her first clay-court win against Iga Swiatek and triumph at the Madrid Open for the second time.
After three intense, quality sets, Sabalenka, the No 2, edged out the No 1 6-3, 3-6, 6-3. As the Belarusian denied her rival the only big clay-court title missing on her résumé, their head-to-head narrowed to 5-3 in Swiatek’s favour.
It is the latest victory in a breakout year for the 25-year-old. Sabalenka has now won three titles, including her maiden grand slam tournament at the Australian Open. She has also reached the final in five of her seven tournaments so far, compiling a supreme 29-4 (88%) record, and has five WTA 1000 titles and 13 overall.
“I definitely respect her a lot. She’s a great player, and what she did last season and what she’s kept doing, it’s really motivated me a lot to improve, to keep working hard, to keep fighting. Yeah, I know that it’s always battles against her. It’s always really great matches,” said Sabalenka.
“To have this win, especially on clay, that’s something unbelievable. I’m really happy that I’m able to fight against her and I’m able to get these wins so it’s not like so super boring for people to watch our matches.”
A day before the pair travelled to Madrid, Swiatek edged out Sabalenka in the final of the Stuttgart Open. This meeting marked the first time in 23 years that the top two players have faced each other in consecutive finals.
Andy Murray guaranteed a return to the world's top 50 with victory over Harold Mayot to reach the final of the ATP Challenger event in Aix-en-Provence.
Murray took a late wild card into the tournament after losing in the first round of the Madrid Open, and has made the most of the opportunity with four victories in a row. In the semi-final Murray comfortably brushed aside world No 241 Mayot 7-5, 6-1.
The Scot took charge of the match when his 21-year-old opponent double-faulted to surrender the first set. Murray wobbled late on, missing two match points at 5-0 up in the second set before sealing victory at the fifth time of asking.
Murray will now face American Tommy Paul, a top-20 player who reached the Australian Open semi-finals in January. Should he prevail, it would be his first Challenger title win for 18 years. PA Media
While players rarely state their preferred opponents, as she awaited the winner of the second semi-final Sabalenka had made it clear that she wanted to face Swiatek again and take her revenge. In Madrid’s high altitude, where the ball flies faster through the air and aids bigger ball-strikers, the conditions were as favourable as the Belarusian could hope for against the two-time French Open champion.
She started brilliantly, dominating the opening set without facing a single break point. But it was in the decisive moments that Sabalenka demonstrated the progress she has made this year. Despite wearing her heart on her sleeve for so much of her career, Sabalenka has paired her technical improvements on her serve with a newfound calmness and maturity under pressure.
In the final set Sabalenka calmly searched for solutions even as a resolute Swiatek pulled a 3-0 lead back to 3-3.
When the Pole made her last stand in the final game, spectacularly saving three match points, Sabalenka rose to the challenge and closed off one of the most significant wins of her career.
After years of unpredictable results on the tour, Swiatek and Sabalenka have set themselves apart from the field because of their ball-striking prowess, athleticism and consistency, with Elena Rybakina also looming on the faster surfaces. As the action heads to Rome, with the French Open to come, they remain the competitors everyone wants to beat.Swiatek said: “I’m pretty happy that people are watching. I think with our level we are getting better and better. So there are more exciting matches.”
