WTA Madrid: Aryna Sabalenka beats Iga Swiatek and takes the title
The winner of the WTA 1000 tournament in Madrid isAryna Sabalenka . The second in the world rankings beat Iga Swiatek in three sets in the final.
by Nikolaus Fink
last edit:
May 06, 2023, 09:09 pm
Just one day after her 25th birthday, Aryna Sabalenka can be happy about the title at the WTA 1000 tournament in Madrid: The reigning Australian Open winner defeated the world number one Iga Swiatek 6: 3 in a high-class final on Saturday, 3:6 and 6:3 through.
Sabalenka got off to a better start in the Caja Magica and knew how to dominate Swiatek at times with her powerful game. After 42 minutes of play, the first round deservedly went to the Belarusian, who took a set from her Polish opponent for the first time on clay.
Back and forth at the highest level
In the second period Swiatek managed the first break, Sabalenka immediately hit back. In the seventh game, the 25-year-old found more breakballs, but Swiatek countered in the style of a world number one and secured the second set 6:3.
In the third round, Sabalenka quickly took a 3-0 lead, this time Swiatek had the right answer ready and equalized to make it 3-3. However, the Pole could not keep the momentum: Sabalenka won the last three games of the final and was able to celebrate the triumph in Madrid after around two hours and 20 minutes of play.
Here is the individual tableau in Madrid
madrid map