MADRID (Reuters) – Aryna Sabalenka said she was relishing the challenge of playing Iga Swiatek in Saturday’s Madrid Open final, with revenge on her mind having lost to the world number one in the Stuttgart title clash last month.
Swiatek cruised past Belarusian Sabalenka 6-3 6-4 to win the Stuttgart crown in a repeat of last year’s final to confirm her status as favourite for the French Open later this month.
World number two Sabalenka said she was prepared for another tough battle in the pair’s latest clash, as she bids to improve her 2-5 win-loss record against Swiatek.
“I really want to have this revenge. I think I would just play with more passion. I wouldn’t rush things. I would just go one more time, try better and fight for this title,” Sabalenka said after beating Maria Sakkari 6-4 6-1 in the semi-final.
“It’s really good that we’re playing so consistently so we’re meeting each other in the finals. Hopefully it can be the same. But it’s always tough. You have to fight really hard against Iga and I’m ready for that.”
Sabalenka, whose wins over Swiatek have come in the season-ending WTA Finals in 2021 and 2022, said improving her serve in the last year had given her the confidence that she can defeat the Polish player.
“Before, like our first matches last season when I didn’t feel my best, it was really tough because I didn’t have so many weapons. I had my character and that’s it,” Sabalenka said.
“Later in the season, when I fixed my serve, I understood that actually I can play well against her, I can beat her. Right now it’s a different mentality.”
(Reporting by Shrivathsa Sridhar in Bengaluru; Editing by Michael Perry)
