Iga Sviontek lost after a great performance in Madrid. Successful revenge of the Belarusian

Iga Swiatek and Arina Sobalenko are currently the top two tennis players in the WTA rankings. Interestingly, in the case of the WTA 1000 tournaments, for the first time in a decade, it so happened that “one” and “two” met in the final battle. The favorite was Iga Swiatek, who sacked the Belarusian thirteen days earlier in the title match in Stuttgart.

Strong opening of the final in Madrid by Arina Sobolenko

The pre-match draw was won by a Minsker who chose her serve. So it became clear that Swiatek would play the chase role in the first set. Already the first game showed that there will be tough competition on the central site of Madrid. The game on Sobolenka’s serve lasted for seven whole minutes, and although the Belarusian managed to defend herself, it was only due to an advantage.

However, as it turned out later, these were… the first worms for Swiatek’s opponent. Sobolenko impressed with her surprisingly calm choice. It was not enough madness that plunged the Belarusian, including in the final in Stuttgart. Instead of nervous strokes, Sobolenko consistently carried out her plan.

The thing is that Swiatek didn’t have a single chance to break in the first set. From Sobolenko’s side it was quite different. The Belarusian interrupted Swiatek’s serve in the eighth game (5:3), after some time completing the whole game in her favor (6:3).

Instant response from Iga Sviontek

Before the second set, the Pole decided to take advantage of the break to visit the locker room. A few minutes later, Swiatek left in a completely different mood. It is worth noting that even in the first game the coach Tomasz Wiktorowski prompted our player, offering a calmer and, at the same time, an attack on the opponent’s second pass.

Sviontek this time started the game with a score of 3:0, i.e. with a “closed” break with two victorious innings. However, the Belarusian was not going to surrender without a fight. She approached Świątek (3:1) and then pressed hard in the fifth installment. From 30:00 to a break at 40:30. On the fourth chance, the Belarusian managed to break the polka and get closer to the distance of one game (3:2).

Even worse, from the point of view of the Polish fan, Sabolenko equalized the score (3:3) a moment later, put additional pressure on Swiatek, and in the seventh game there were chances for a break. However, the polka managed to defend herself (4:3).

Sensational completion of the leader of the WTA rankings

The next minutes of the second set showed how unpredictable tennis is. It seemed that Swiatek was in crisis, and Sobolenko was approaching a break. Nothing else is wrong. Having defended herself from oppression, the Polish won the eighth game, taking the lead (5:3), which she secured in the match with a score of 1:1 in sets (6:3).

We had another twist at the opening of the third installment. Sobolenko again found a way out for the polka, breaking Swiatek after 1.5 hours of play (2:0). However, at the key moment, Rashinyan made a little mistake, which was shown on the big screen.

The pace of the match did not slow down, but became even faster. And this despite the fact that both ladies entered the third hour of the duel.

Fans in Madrid are delighted with the match between Swiatek and Sobolenko

Despite the deficit from the start of the decisive set, the Pole was not going to give up. The growing pressure on Sabalenka forced Swiatek to beat the Belarusian (2:3), and a few minutes later to even the score (3:3).

The Polish opponent once again showed that she has a great desire to compete with our tennis player on an equal footing in the coming months and years. In the eighth game there was a breakthrough of Swiatek, confirmed by the excellent game of the Belarusian (5:3). Sobolenko withstood the pressure and finished the final in Madrid with a successful serve game (6:3) - having defended break points.

Masterful completion of the battle of worthy opponents. Ladies in Stuttgart and Madrid… they gave themselves a chance.