Sabalenka fights back to set up Swiatek final
- Sabalenka displays resilience to secure a spot in the final, poised to face off against Swiatek in an electrifying showdown.
Iga Swiatek and defending champion Aryna Sabalenka will face off in the Madrid Open final after Sabalenka’s incredible comeback against Elena Rybakina.
After trailing a set and a break, the second-seeded player from Belarus rallied to win 1-6, 7-5, 7-6 (7-5).
Sabalenka, the two-time champion in the Spanish capital, will play world No. 1 Swiatek in a rematch of last year’s championship match.
Swiatek of Poland defeated Madison Keys 6-1, 6-3, earlier on Thursday to cruise into the Madrid main event.
In her interview after the match, Sabalenka declared, “It’s definitely going to be a great battle.”
“We battle to the best of our abilities in every match—always amazing matches. I am eagerly anticipating this final and will stop at nothing to secure the victory.”
The clay-court expert Swiatek dominated the entire match against Keys, requiring just seventy-minutes to guarantee her spot in her third WTA 1,000 final of the year.
Keys, a 2017 US Open finalist, was unable to take advantage of the little opportunities she had; she wasted three break points and committed 28 unforced errors compared to Swiatek’s eight.
‘Super special spot’ for Sabalenka is Madrid.
Rybakina, the fourth seed from Kazakhstan, won the first set in a whirlwind 25 minutes, and looked as though Sabalenka’s title defence was about to collapse.
Sabalenka made a late push to stay in the match, breaking three times in a row to force a decision, but her explosive forehand finally found its rhythm.
It took a third set tiebreak to separate the two, and Sabalenka prevailed to go to her first final since winning the Australian Open in January.
After Petra Kvitova, Sabalenka is vying to become the second player in history to win three women’s singles titles in Madrid.
The two-time major champion stated: “It’s a super special place for me, I feel the support, and today, honestly, if not for the people, I would probably leave this court with a 6-1 6-1 [defeat] and be very sad.”
With the win, Sabalenka will continue to be ranked second in the world, ahead of Coco Gauff of America.
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