WTA Rome Masters Final: Iga Swiatek vs Aryna Sabalenka
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For the second time in two weeks, the best women in the world will meet in a few hours for the Rome Masters title. Iga Swiatek and Aryna Sabalenka collide for an 11th time and second time of the month after their epic at the Madrid Masters won by the Polish star.
Swiatek leads 7-3 in this blossoming rivalry (neither player has faced another opponent on more occasions) and clay is her best surface — she’s a 3-time French Open champion and is 4-1 over the Belarussian on the dirt. But Sabalenka had three match points in Madrid.
“That match definitely hurt me,” Sabalenka admitted. “It was really tough loss, especially after having some match points, even though she played great tennis. Yeah, was tight match. Hopefully here in Rome I can get the win and get the title.”
Swiatek won but quickly moved on.
“I didn’t have much time to analyze it and to think about it,” Swiatek said of Madrid. “It’s like you win a tournament and you go straightaway to another place. It’s hard to sometimes really think about the past when you constantly have to focus on the future.
“I think this match gave me confidence that I can win even though I’m not feeling the best way or I’m stressed at the beginning. I can still get the score back.”
“Maybe I’m less worried before matches because I know even if I’m going to be in trouble, I’ll be able to recover from it maybe if I’m going to work hard. This is the kind of feeling that I have.”
Sabalenka is playing in her 8th WTA 1000 final (5 titles, 2 runner-up) while Swiatek is playing in her
12th WTA 1000 final (9 titles, 2 runner-up). And Swiatek has won her last eight finals since losing to Sabalenka at Madrid last year.
Sabalenka is seeking her 15th title and first in Rome, Swiatek her 21st and third in Rome.
This is the first No. 1 vs No. 2 women’s match in Rome.
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