© Getty Images Sport – Julian Finney
The Iga Swiatek and Aryna Sabalenka Madrid Open final has been voted as the 2023 WTA Match of the Year. In early May, Sabalenka beat Swiatek 6-3 3-6 6-3 in the Madrid final. Two weeks earlier, Swiatek beat Sabalenka in the Stuttgart final to improve to 3-0 against the Belarusian in their clay-court matches.
Going into the Madrid match, Swiatek was considered the favorite to beat Sabalenka again. But Sabalenka delivered a big performance to upset Swiatek and beat the Pole on clay for the first time. Throughout the entire match, both Sabalenka and Swiatek were playing at a very high level.
Your 2023 WTA Match of the Year, as voted by you 🥇
When the World No.1 met the World No.2 in a SPECTACULAR @MutuaMadridOpen final!
Watch the full match between Swiatek & Sabalenka on our YouTube channel from 7pm GMT 🎥👇 — wta (@WTA) December 18, 2023
How Sabalenka beat Swiatek in the Madrid final?
The first to claim a break was Sabalenka, who broke Swiatek in the eighth game before serving out for the opener in the following game.
In the second set, Swiatek took a 3-0 lead – Sabalenka tied the set to three games apiece – but the Pole still won it after winning the next three games. After losing the second set, Sabalenka started the third set with a 3-0 lead.
Swiatek responded by winning the next three games and tying the set to three games apiece. However, Sabalenka kept her focus as she broke Swiatek again in the eighth game for a 5-3 lead and a break point in the following game before converting her fourth match point to complete her win.
After the match, Sabalenka acknowledged that it was a tough battle and that Swiatek pushed her to the limit. “Yeah, of course I’m super happy. Yeah, it was great match, super tough battle. Yeah, just super happy right now with this title (smiling).
Yeah, it was really intense. It’s always, as I said, it’s always tough battles against Iga. She always push me to the limits. I really enjoying our battles. Hopefully we can play many more finals this season,” Sabalenka said after the Madrid final.
