By Richard Pagliaro | Saturday, May 6, 2023
World No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka topped No. 1 Iga Swiatek 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, to win her second Madrid crown with her first clay-court win over the top seed.
Photo credit: Mutua Madrid Open Facebook
Spending the offseason recharging her mind and reshaping her body, Aryna Sabalenka didn't flinch facing a physical final against top-ranked Iga Swiatek today.
In a rematch of the Stuttgart final, Sabalenka put Swiatek on a tennis treadmill.
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Commanding the center of the court with a stinging serve and jolting forehand, the second-ranked Sabalenka ran through the final three games defeating world No. 1 Swiatek 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 to capture her second Mutua Madrid Open crown in the past three years.
It is Sabalenka's 13th career title, including her fifth WTA 1000 crown, and solidifies this as a riveting rivalry ahead of Rome and Roland Garros.
In a blockbuster battle that exceeded the hype, Sabalenka channeled her power with patience and continuing slamming heavy strikes.
"I have to be patient. I have to wait for a better shot to go for my heavy shot," Sabalenka told Tennis Channel's Prakash Amritraj afterward. "So I was kind of trying to not over-rush things and it worked really well today. I'm super happy with the win, especially against Iga on clay, it's something special.
"I'm super happy with the level and hopefully we gonna keep meeting each other in the finals this season. I'm gonna do everything I can to make it happen because I think it's really great the first two seeds of the tournament reached the final that's something amazing."
Australian Open champion Sabalenka not only avenged her straight-sets loss in the Stuttgart final, she beat the two-time Roland Garros champion on a red clay court for the first time.
"Congrats Aryna amazing match you always play such intense tennis every match is a challenge," Swiatek said afterward. "Congrats you fully deserve it.
"We both had a season so hopefully there are gonna be many more finals when we play against each other."
The second-ranked Sabalenka stated her goal is to rise to No. 1 and today Sabalenka delivered first-class tennis raising her 2023 record to a WTA-best 29-4 with an impressive close.
"It's always tough you always push me to the limit," Sabalenka told Swiatek afterward. "I hope we're gonna keep playing many more times this season."
In her two Madrid finals, Sabalenka has conquered two world No. 1 players defeating top-ranked Ash Barty 6-0, 3-6, 6-4 in the 2021 final to capture her first career clay-court crown.
It was the second straight final clash between the world's top two coming after Swiatek stopped Sabalenka in the Stuttgart final last month.
The last time the WTA's top two men in consecutive tournaments was in 2000 when Martina Hingis and Lindsay Davenport squared off in Indian Wells and again in Miami.
Thirteen days ago, Swiatek unloaded a flurry of forehands fighting off Sabalenka 6-3, 6-4, to successfully defend her Stuttgart title in a final rematch that buzzed with brilliant running strikes and bubbled with bad blood between tennis' two top players.
In the rematch, Sabalenka took a few steps further back to give herself more time on her return.
The combination of Sabalenka's return adjustment, combined with the fact Swiatek consistently hit the body serve as a second serve, helped the Belarusian earn 12 break points and break four times today.
Three-time Grand Slam champion Swiatek competed with vigor and overcame a 0-3 third-set deficit to level, but Sabalenka served with more ambition, lasered damaging drives down the line and fought off a break point to serve out the title on her fourth championship point. Playing amid Madrid's slightly higher altitude, Sabalenka made shrewd use of her kick serve wide on the ad side to set up first-strike opportunities.
What a difference a couple of weeks makes.
A chilly handshake ended a fiery final that saw Swiatek raise her Stuttgart record to an immaculate 8-0 becoming the first woman since Angelique Kerber in 2016 to defend Stuttgart.
An assertive Sabalenka came out crashing the lines in her second Madrid final in the last three years.
The Australian Open champion fired a forehand down the line and ace down the T capping a love hold for 2-1.
The dagger down the line helped Sabalenka earn a pair of break points in the sixth game.
The top seed was up to the test curling a crosscourt forehand winner and inducing an error. Swiatek stood strong holding for 3-all.
Adopting a slightly deeper return position than she did in the indoor Stuttgart final, Sabalenka was reading the Swiatek body serving and banging deep returns back at the Pole's shins.
Rushing Swiatek into a netted backhand down the line, Sabalenka gaining two more break points in the eighth game. Targeting the top-seed's two-hander again, Sabalenka drew a backhand error carving out the first break of the final for a 5-3 lead.
A primary difference between the 2023 Sabalenka and the sometime fretful implosive character of the past is her ability to keep calm and stay aggressive at crunch time.
These days, Sabalenka is competing with a relaxed intensity. It showed when she served out the set with command.
Slamming down her second ace brought Sabalenka two set points. The second seed needed only one, closing a confident set in 42 minutes.
Contesting her fifth final of the season, Sabalenka was clearly outplaying Swiatek.
The world No. 1 held her ground, waited for Sabalenka's level to dip and when it did, Swiatek struck.
Crunching a heavy crosscourt forehand winner for her first break point, Swiatek drew the error breaking for a 2-0 second-set lead.
Swiatek stretched her lead to 3-0, but Sabalenka gained a cluster of break points in the fifth game.
The two-time Roland Garros champion was trying to jam up the second seed with the body serve, but Sabalenka was side-stepping it crushing crackling returns. On her fourth break point, Sabalenka blistered a backhand strike down the line breaking back with a clenched fist for 2-3.
Staring down double break point at 3-all, Swiatek played a brilliant, aggressive point to save the second break point and draw even at deuce. Swiatek survived the storm holding for 4-3.
Empowered by that stand, Swiatek slammed a forehand return down the line for her second break and a 5-3 lead.
On her second set point, Swiatek served out the set to force a decider after one hour, 33 minutes.
Undaunted, Sabalenka broke in Swiatek's opening service game of the final set then fought off two break points holding for a 3-0 lead in the decider.
The three-time Grand Slam champion is one of the best clay-court movers in the world, but Sabalenka showed her strength on the move in the eighth game.
Holding double break point, Sabalenka scorched a running forehand strike that settled inside the line. That bold blast gave her the break and a 5-3 lead.
Serving for her second Madrid title at 30-all, Sabalenka roped a forehand down the line that was initially called good. Swiatek successfully challenged as replay showed the ball landed long for break point.
Refusing to wilt, Sabalenka again stepped up and crashed another forehand down the line that helped her fend off break point.
Throwing an ace down the middle brought Sabalenka to championship point. The second seed attacked, but Swiatek was waiting and whipped a heavy forehand struck from nearly her knees to save championship point.
The Pole put a forehand into net handing Sabalenka a second championship point. Sabalenka netted a forehand as tension ratcheted.
A jolting backhand brought her a third championship point, but Swiatek knocked a backhand return down the line for another deuce.
On this night, nothing would stop Sabalenka.
Collecting her fourth championship point, Sabalenka slashed a clean forehand into the corner, dropped her racquet and raised her arms in triumph.
No. 2 was too much for No. 1 on her best surface.