World No 1 Iga Swiatek faces defending champion Aryna Sabalenka for the second successive year; watch the final live on Saturday from 5.30pm on Sky Sports Tennis or follow updates via our live blog on the Sky Sports App
Saturday 4 May 2024 17:26, UK
The two stars of the women’s game will clash for the second successive year at the Mutua Madrid Open, as world No 1 Iga Swiatek faces defending champion Aryna Sabalenka in Saturday’s final.
Swiatek made light work of Madison Keys as she sprinted into the final with a straight-sets victory, while Sabalenka battled back from a set down to edge fourth seed Elena Rybakina in a final-set tiebreak.
Sabalenka is looking for a third title in four years in Madrid, having defeated the then-world No 1 Ash Barty in 2021's final before coming through a three-set thriller with Swiatek last year.
It's the first meeting between the top two of the year and the 10th of their careers, with Sabalenka winning 6-3 3-6 6-3 in the 2023 final but losing their last meeting when Swiatek claimed a straight-sets victory at the WTA Finals.
Swiatek holds a 6-3 advantage in the head to head record, with the 22-year-old looking to extend her winning streak and claim her 20th career title and third of the season.
"Pretty confident," Swiatek said ahead of the final. "Every tournament that I play, I have a pretty good result in, so yeah, really confident and kind of happy that I can play consistently the semi-finals, finals, and sometimes win.
"Yeah, it's a great place to be, honestly. I'm happy that hard work pays off. So, yeah, really confident."
Swiatek has already won the Qatar Open and Indian Wells this year, while Sabalenka started the year with Australian Open victory and has come through four three-set matches during a marathon run to the Madrid final.
Sabalenka's first three matches went to the final set and she came within two points of defeat against Rybakina, with the Belarusian's 60 games dropped the most by player to reach the final at the Madrid Open since its inception in 2009.
She can join Rybakina as the only players to have beaten Swiatek twice on clay, while victory would see her join Petra Kvitova as the only three-time champions in Madrid.
"I mean, it's going to be great final," Sabalenka said. "We had so many great matches with Iga [Swiatek]. Always tough battles.
"I'm super excited for this final. Once again, I'm going to do everything to get this win.
Speaking about last year's final, Sabalenka added: "I would say [last year's final] was the best match I ever played, especially on clay court. I think the level was just super high. It was clean, it was intense, powerful game."
Who will win the Mutua Madrid Open? Watch the final live on Saturday from 5.30pm on Sky Sports Tennis, with game-by-game updates available via our live blog on the Sky Sports App.
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