Madrid Open—Madrid, Spain
Swiatek Wins Madrid Open Over Sabalenka
World No. 1 Iga Swiatek won her first-ever title at the Madrid Open on Saturday, defeating No. 2 seed Aryna Sabalenka 7-5, 4-6, 7-6(7)
In an instant classic that lasted three and 11 minutes, Swiatek slammed two aces, won 67 percent of her first serve points and broke serve on five occasions.
After winning a nail-biting semifinal encounter over Elena Rybakina, it was apparent that Sabalenka wasn’t as fresh for her Polish opponent.
Falling to 3-7 against Swiatek in lifetime meetings, Sabalenka will be ranked No. 2 in the world on Monday. Swiatek, who will enter Roland Garros later this month as the overwhelming favourite to capture her fourth title, will be the top seed at the Italian Open in Rome next week.
Sunday’s men’s final will feature No. 7 seed Andrey Rublev taking on Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime.
Rublev defeated No. 2 seed Carlos Alcaraz in the quarterfinals, while Auger-Aliassime reached the finals after receiving one walkover and two retirements earlier in the event.
The 23-year-old from Montreal, Canada is currently ranked No. 35 in the world. Auger-Aliassime will move up to No. 20 in the world at the minimum next week after reaching this week’s final in Madrid.
Watch all the action live this week from Madrid on Tennis TV.
Get ready for the year’s second Major today, with great tickets to the French Open in Paris. Nadal is set to play his most successful event for perhaps the last time in his career.
