The 2024 Madrid final kicked off with a high-intensity start, marked by breaks from both competitors. Displaying prowess in their return games, they maintained pressure throughout the match. However, it was Iga Swiatek who secured the first set with a 7-5 score. In the subsequent set, Aryna Sabalenka staged a remarkable comeback, capitalizing on three breaks of her opponent’s serve to level the match at 4-6.
As the final set progressed, the top-ranked players countered each other’s strategies, though Sabalenka experienced some remorse. At 5-6, she squandered two match points on Swiatek’s serve and later missed a third chance in the decisive game.
Final just started
— Michal Samulski (@MichalSamulski) May 4, 2024
Iga Swiatek vs Aryna Sabalenka@MutuaMadridOpen pic.twitter.com/gYMPNvjDgM
Last year’s defeat to Aryna Sabalenka in the final of the Madrid Masters 1000 was overturned by Iga Swiatek on Saturday. The current top-ranked player secured her inaugural victory in the tournament, marking her 20th career title achievement. Aryna Sabalenka, who had previously claimed consecutive titles at the Madrid Masters 1000, had been dominant at the Caja Magica, winning eleven straight tournaments since 2022.
However, her upcoming match against Iga Swiatek doesn’t bode well for her hopes of retaining the crown for another year. Despite her victory over Swiatek at the same stage last year, Sabalenka’s record against the world No. 1 on the WTA Tour stands at just three wins out of nine meetings. Their most recent clash, at the Cancun Masters on November 6th, saw Swiatek emerge victorious with a 2-0 scoreline.
Swiatek was bestowed with the Masters 1000 as a birthday milestone, marking her 20th. However, facing off against the world No. 1, such recklessness bore weighty repercussions. She let slip her initial match point at 6-5 during the tie-break. Conversely, she promptly capitalized on the second chance, capitalizing on a mistake by her Belarusian opponent (7-5, 4-6, 7-6(7)).
Overwhelmed by emotion after her triumph, Iga Swiatek jubilantly celebrates clinching her first-ever Madrid Masters 1000 title. With victories already under her belt at the Doha and Indian Wells tournaments earlier this year, she now boasts an impressive tally of 20 titles at the young age of 22.
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