Aryna Sabalenka triumphs against rival Iga Swiatek to win Madrid Open

06.05.2023 - 20:17 theguardian.com

Aryna Sabalenka laid down a marker in the blossoming heavyweight rivalry in women’s tennis, maintaining her composure to secure her first clay-court triumph against Iga Swiatek and win the Madrid Open for the second time.

After three bruising sets Sabalenka, the No 2, edged out the No 1, Swiatek, 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 in a battle of the best players in the world.

In the process, Sabalenka denied her rival the only big clay-court title she is yet to win. Andy Murray guaranteed a return to the world's top 50 with victory over Harold Mayot to reach the final of the ATP Challenger event in Aix-en-Provence.

Murray took a late wild card into the tournament after losing in the first round of the Madrid Open, and has made the most of the opportunity with four victories in a row.

tennis Sporting rowing win Andy Murray Iga Swiatek Tommy Paul Scotland Usa Australia Madrid

The next instalment of a burgeoning three-way rivalry between world number one Iga Swiatek, Aryna Sabalenka and Elena Rybakina will play out at the French Open with the world number one spot up for grabs.

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Eurosport expert Barbara Schett believes it is between Iga Swiatek, Aryna Sabalenka and Elena Rybakina for the women's singles title at the French Open. The French Open gets underway on May 28 with the battle for the women's singles title set to be one of the most tightly contested in recent memory. Ad Defending champion and world No.

Noavk Djokovic, Iga Swiatek Into Italian Open Last 16

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