After almost three hours and 15 minutes of a final that rightfully ranks among the matches of the year at WTA level, Iga Swiatek dethrones Aryna Sabalenka as champion of the WTA 1000 in Madrid. 7-5 4-6 7-6(9) the score of the final at the Caja Magica: for the Pole, the number 1 in the world ranking is increasingly solid, since she now has three thousand points or more ahead of the Belarusian. However, what remains is the large number of emotions given by the two players on a Spanish afternoon that few will forget.
Already a very high level first set between the two, which starts to heat up straight away, because the two exchange breaks in their debut service rounds. Neither really leaves room for the other, with each trying to impose its own game: variations and geometries for one, power for the other. Swiatek saves three balls from the 2-4 Sabalenka with great precision, just as the Belarusian pushes from the back, especially with the forehand, to cancel two of the 4-3 for the Pole immediately afterwards. The spectacle increases as the crucial phases approach, but right here Sabalenka has an empty pass that costs her the eleventh game. Swiatek doesn’t have to wait: 7-5.
Definitely not without anger for having wasted the final part of the first part in this way, in the second part the number 2 in the world literally starts to board. Of course, on the other hand Swiatek is no different and it is also with the collaboration of the world number 1 that there are some film library points. In all this, service is almost diligently put aside, since between the second and fifth game neither of them holds it. The world number 1, however, always remains behind in all this and, this time, the power of the Belarusian means that at the Caja Magica we can go to the decisive set.
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While the public can definitely say they are entertained, because we are faced with the best possible in this phase of the WTA, for Swiatek and Sabalenka the strength is starting to diminish to a certain extent. Despite this, there are no innings, or almost no innings, that end without one of the two winning at least two runs. And, at 4 all 30-15, Sabalenka commits a very dangerous double fault, which however she promptly makes up for to go 5-4. Then, at 6-5, the Belarusian has two non-consecutive match points: on one she makes a mistake in width, on the other it is the Pole who concedes nothing with her serve and forehand.
This leads to a tie-break that reaches the three-hour mark, and which follows serves for the first six points. After the change of court, however, Sabalenka manages to gain meters and finish with the smash for 4-3 with minibreak. However, there is the double fault that rebalances everything immediately afterwards, then the score is 5-5. The Belarusian’s long forehand brings Swiatek to match point, canceled out by an ace. The Pole makes a forehand mistake: she can close Sabalenka, who however has to give up the last three points to a deluxe version of number 1, although the last one is a backhand error by number 2. And the images of Swiatek lying on the red Madrid go around the planet.
There isn’t much to talk about in terms of numbers, other than the 121 points to 116 for Swiatek. We simply have to admire the quality of two players who represented, ideally and with great ability, the best of today. And they did it by giving the WTA a spot that the women’s association should exploit to great advantage to relaunch itself in a moment that, as we know, is difficult.
