by Iga Swiatek successfully defended her title in Stuttgart, beating Aryna Sabalenka in straight sets, 6-3, 6-4. Heartbreak is compounded for Aryna Sabalenka who has finished the tournament as runner-up for the third consecutive year. Swiatek came into the tournament following a rib injury that took her out of Miami but seems to have successfully put it behind her and kicked off her clay season in style.
A Late Break Decides the First Set
It was the first time the world number one and two met this year and the match caught plenty of interest with many wondering whether Aryna Sabalenka would manage to reverse last year’s defeat, following her strong start to the year.
Both players started the match with confidence and held serve to get to 4-3. The critical point in the first set came as Aryna Sabalenka served to take her fourth game of the set. Iga Swiatek hit her stride with an emphatic forehand winner to get to 30-30. Swiatek then put up a fantastic defence which drove Sabalenka into hitting a smash straight into the net, handing the world number one a break point. A powerful serve was enough to save the point for Aryna Sabalenka, however she could not hold on for long and yielded the game.
At this point, Iga Swiatek needed to only hold serve to take the first set. On her part Aryna Sabalenka failed to deal with the situation and instead overhit shots, yielding a 40-0 lead to Iga Swiatek and ultimately handing her the comfort of 3 set points to the world number one. Swiatek dealt with her own nerves and missed the first with a wide backhand. However, she took the second set point as Aryna Sabalenka forced a change in direction which was too wide.
Contrasting Composures
Having clearly let the break get into her head to yield the first set, it was critical for Aryna Sabalenka to use the interval between the sets to take a step back and recover mentally. However, this did not transpire and instead, Sabalenka was broken on the first game of the second set, a set she needed to win to be able to force a decider. The fact that she was broken by her own double fault only cemented the fact that the required composure eluded her.
Iga Swiatek revved up her aggressive stance and though Sabalenka attempted to put pressure, the world number one held on convincingly. She had a chance for a second break during Sabalenka’s second service game but the Belarussian ultimately held on. Despite this, she could not recover the initial break and Iga Swiatek cruised to victory in straight sets without having been broken a single time.
Cheeky Comments Relieve the Tension
It was the first time the two players faced each other this year, which ended in yet another defeat for Aryna Sabalenka, who now trails in head-to-head by three games. The tension between the two players on the court has also been underlined by Iga Swiatek’s political stand against the Russian invasion of Ukraine, which Sabalenka has been in the direct crosshairs of due to her Belarussian nationality. Both players shook hands at the end of the match and congratulated each other on their performance, which is great to see considering the tension that has split the tennis camps over the last year.
The players took to the post-match interview with cheeky grins and focused speeches on the all-blue Porsche. The Belarussian joked about the fact that she has yielded the keys in the final for the third consecutive year. In her post-match speech the Belarussian joked to the organisers, ”Can we make a deal if I make another final, I just get an extra car?”
Swiatek still sported the Ukrainian flag ribbons on her cap throughout the final but refrained from making any comments war-related comments in front of runner-up and Belarussian Aryna Sabalenka. This is in contrast to what has become customary in speeches following many of Swiatek’s tournament victories. Instead, the world number one focused her speech on the tournament and her recovery from injury, while thanking her native fans and sponsors for following her journey. She also hinted that having already won a Porsche last year, this year’s prize might just go to her father who stood in support on the sides.
The world number one looked just as confident behind the steering wheel of her new car as she did throughout the match, honking the horn to the delight of the crowd and taking it for a spin on the court, before joining Sabalenka for the customary victory photos.
Photo: CFP
