Iga Swiatek, ranked #1 in the world, defeated Aryna Sabalenka again, winning the Italian Open in straight sets and proving that she deserves the top spot. The 22-year-old easily defeated Sabalenka with a performance record of 6-2 6-3 to claim her 21st career title.
In the Madrid Open finals earlier, Swiatek also defeated Sabalenka in a thrilling match, which made their rematch a game to watch. With this, the athlete admitted: “After Madrid I knew it wasn’t going to be easy… I’m really happy that I was able to play consistently during the clay season. The final tournament is in front of us. I always enjoy playing here.”
Despite facing seven break points in the last set against Sabalenka, Swiatek was impressive throughout, committing just eight unintentional errors in the entire match.
On Swiatek
Sabalenka, despite her unfortunate loss, congratulated Swiatek: “Congrats on an incredible two weeks in Rome. I hope we make it to the final at Roland Garros and I’m going to beat you there! Just kidding but I want to do better than today.”
“I love this tournament and hopefully I am going to come back stronger next year,” she added.
Having won three Italian Open titles in a row and going undefeated in the 2024 tournament season, Swiatek is the defending champion going into the French Open. The competition will be held in Paris, and will commence on May 26.
Cover Photo: IG
Source: BBC