Women’s tennis has been criticized in recent years for its lack of true rivalries and constant changeover at the top of the rankings. But over the past two seasons, a strong group of elite players has emerged.
And that was even more evident on Saturday, after a truly epic Madrid Open final between world No. 1 Iga Swiatek and No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka, cementing their collective dominance in the sport and their ability to bring out the best in one another’s games.
This is so, so good 🐯@SabalenkaA | #MMOPEN pic.twitter.com/wdgB5Yq9eP
— wta (@WTA) May 4, 2024
In a rematch of the 2023 final, the two battled and pushed one another to the brink for well over three hours, trading winners and celebratory screams, and ultimately needing a third-set tiebreak to determine the champion. Swiatek, the three-time French Open champion, took the first set, but Sabalenka — who won last year’s title — stormed back to force a decider.
And what followed in the final set was a pure battle of wills and jaw-dropping moments with neither player ready to concede.
With Sabalenka just seconds away from successfully defending her title, Swiatek saved two match points at 5-6 in the third set and ultimately forced the tiebreak. Facing yet another match point in the breaker, Swiatek found a way to remain in the match and then win 7-5, 4-6, 7-6 (7). When it was finally over, Swiatek collapsed onto the ground in what appeared to be a mix of elation and relief. She later called it the “most intense and crazy final” she had ever played.
#1GA ➡️🏆🇪🇸@iga_swiatek secures her 20th career title on the Hologic WTA Tour!#MMOPEN pic.twitter.com/jZMjXVjE0V
— wta (@WTA) May 4, 2024
“Who is going to say that women’s tennis is boring now, right?” Swiatek said moments later in an on-court interview. “Congrats as well to Aryna because we both had an amazing effort today.”
The victory marked the 20th career title for the 22-year-old Swiatek. She is the youngest WTA player to achieve the milestone since Caroline Wozniacki in 2012, and the first player — male or female — born in this millennium to do so. Swiatek has now won nine 1000-level titles, trailing just Victoria Azarenka for most among active players. Saturday also gave Swiatek a 7-3 career edge over Sabalenka — but it seems certain we’ll see much more of this rivalry.
Here’s what else you might have missed from Madrid and around the tennis world last week:
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