Mutua Madrid Open: Iga Swiatek beats Madison Keys to set up final with Aryna Sabalenka | Tennis News

Defending champion Aryna Sabalenka and world number one Iga Swiatek will face off again at the Mutua Madrid Open in a repeat of last year’s final.

World No. 1 Swiatek needed just 71 minutes to reach his third final of the year, winning 6-1 6-3 in a lopsided semi-final to move closer to his third WTA 1000 title of the year. One step forward.

The Pole finished runner-up to Sabalenka in Madrid last year and now the second seed will meet the Belarusian in the rematch after a thrilling victory over former Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina in the final.

Swiatek broke serve in the second game and took a 4-1 lead after saving two break points. She was never in danger of giving up her advantage against a strong opponent.

“(I feel) really good,” Swiatek said in a live courtside interview. sky sports tennis. “I don’t really think about what happened last year, but for sure it would be great to repeat this great result and I’ll have the opportunity to play a good game in two days, so it’s really impressive. It was exciting, and I was generally satisfied with the entire game.

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“Svatek plays with confidence”

“As expected, Iga Swiatek got off to a fast start and never looked back,” Anne Keothavong said on the show sky sports tennis.

“She’s the better player in every way. For Madison Keys, she’s been through so much, and in some of her interactions, she’s tried her best to live with her, and there are times when you think she Will beat Iga on her own terms, but she just can’t play that kind of tennis consistently.

sky sports tennis Critic Colin Fleming added: “Iga Swiatek is the ultimate clay-court test in the women’s game right now. Keys’s shot was good enough, but the margin was slim. She won the match. He had three break points but was unable to fully exploit them.

Sabalenka ends Madrid rematch

It took Sabalenka more than two hours to defeat Rybakina and continue to defend her title. She fought back after losing a set first and won 1-6 7-5 7-6 (5), locking the week. A spot in the six-finals.

This will also be the first meeting between Swiatek and Sabalenka in 2024. They won 6-3 3-6 6-3 in last year’s final. This is also the 10th meeting in their careers.

“I’m happy that we were able to get to the finals against the top players,” Swiatek said Thursday before learning her final opponent. “It shows consistency. Of course, it’s going to be a challenge no matter who it is. I’m going to be ready. I’m going to focus on myself.”

In the first set, Rybakina broke Sabalenka twice and easily led 6-1. Sabalenka then trailed 1-3 and 2-4 in the second set but won five of the next six games to level the match.

Both players held their serve in the third set, but two-time Australian Open champion Sabalenka led 5-1 in the tie-break and won on the third match point.

What’s coming to Sky Sports Tennis?

Ahead of the second Grand Slam of 2024 – the French Open at Roland Garros on May 26 – you can watch all of tennis’s biggest stars in action sky sports live When they play during the clay court season.

• Internazionali BNL d’Italia in Rome (ATP and WTA Masters 1000) – May 7-19
• Geneva Open (ATP 250) – May 20-26
• Lyon Open (ATP 250) – May 20-26
• Strasbourg International (WTA 500 w/Emma Raducanu) – May 20-2
• Morocco Open (WTA 250) – May 20-26

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