Iga Swiatek sought redemption for her defeat in the previous year’s final against Aryna Sabalenka and emerged victorious in the Madrid Open on Saturday following a decisive third-set tiebreaker.
Swiatek, the top-ranked player, overcame Sabalenka, who held the No. 2 spot, with a score of 7-5, 4-6, 7-6 (7), securing her third title of the season. At just 22 years old, the Polish athlete achieved the milestone of becoming the youngest player to claim 20 titles since Caroline Wozniacki in 2012.
Swiatek found herself in a precarious position when she encountered two match points while battling with her serve at 5-6 in the third set. However, she managed to persevere and push the match into a tiebreaker, where she thwarted a third match point.
Following Sabalenka’s long shot, Swiatek crumbled onto the red clay, marking the conclusion of a 3-hour, 11-minute-long match, the lengthiest WTA final of 2024 thus far. Both players managed to break each other’s serve five times throughout the intense match.
Swiatek will seek her fourth French Open title later this month as the two-time defending champion at Roland Garros.
Swiatek extended her dominance over Sabalenka with a 7-3 head-to-head record. Her victory streak in finals now stands at seven, following her defeat to Sabalenka in 2023.
Madrid was the only European clay-court tournament at the WTA 500 level or above that Swiatek had yet to win. Now her collection is complete.
