The top two seeds face off in a blockbuster final on Saturday, in a rematch from the Stuttgart final just two weeks ago.
In Stuttgart, Iga Swiatek comfortably defeated Aryna Sabalenka 6-3, 6-4. Will the altitude in Madrid empower Sabalenka’s game to overcome the World No.1?
Also on Saturday, the men’s doubles championship match features Rohan Bopanna and Matthew Ebden (7) vs. Karen Khachanov and Andrey Rublev at 3:30pm local time. Bopanna and Ebden have already won two titles this season. Khachanov and Rublev have played four events this year as a team, and this is easily their best showing.
Iga Swiatek (1) vs. Aryna Sabalenka (2) – Not Before 6:30pm on Manolo Santana Stadium
Swiatek is 25-4 on the year, and 9-0 on clay, losing only two of 18 sets completed on this surface. She had previously only played in Madrid once, losing in the third round to then-World No.1 Ash Barty. Iga is a superb 13-3 in finals, and 5-1 in 1000-level finals, with her only loss coming in her most recent one, earlier this year in Dubai at the hands of Barbora Krejcikova.
Sabalenka is 28-4 on the year, and 8-1 on clay, with that loss of course to Swiatek in the Stuttgart final. The only other time Aryna has advanced beyond the first round of Madrid in her four prior appearances, she won the title, which happened in 2021 when she defeated Ash Barty. Sabalenka is 12-10 in finals, and 4-1 in 1000-level finals, with her only loss also coming in her most recent one, two months ago at Indian Wells to Elena Rybakina.
Swiatek leads their head-to-head 5-2, and 3-0 on clay, claiming all six clay court sets they’ve contested. As mentioned before, the altitude in Madrid may be a significant factor in enabling Sabalenka to better compete against Swiatek on this surface. However, Iga still must be considered the favorite to win her sixth WTA 1000 title on Saturday.
Saturday’s full Order of Play is here.
