World number 2 Aryna Sabalenka won the Madrid tournament by taking revenge on world number 1 Iga Swiatek 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 on Saturday, three weeks before Roland-Garros (May 28-June 11) of which Europe 1 is the official radio. Two weeks ago, Swiatek won 6-3, 6-4 in the final in Stuttgart (Germany), already on clay. The double champion of Roland-Garros (2020 and 2022) knows her first defeat on ocher in 2023, after nine victories in a row.
Third trophy of the season for Sabalenka
Sabalenka, she pockets her third trophy of the season, after the Australian Open, the first Grand Slam of her career, and Adelaide just before. Never before the Belarusian, who celebrated her 25th birthday the day before, had beaten Swiatek on clay. Her two previous victories against the 21-year-old Pole had taken place on hard at the Masters, in 2021 and 2022.
Sabelenka scrapped nearly two and a half hours with the world number 1 to overcome it on Saturday evening. Until the last game, in which Swiatek saved three match points, including one from a snatch passing almost sitting on Madrid clay, and another from a winning return on a serve at 196 km / h , before giving way on the fourth.
Sabalenka, the player with the most wins in 2023
Before that, Sabalenka had made the best start before Swiatek, who had become more solid, came back up to one set everywhere. In the decisive, intense round, where the two players went blow for blow, Sabalenka escaped three games to nil, Swiatek recovered well once again, but she ended up dropping her flag in the face of the repeated overpowering assaults of the world number 2.
With this 29th match won in 2023, Sabalenka confirms her status as the player who has accumulated the most wins since the start of the season.