Swiatek, who picked up the 20th title of her career, and ninth at the WTA 1000 level, has now won her last eight consecutive finals
Top-ranked Iga Swiatek came through"the most intense and crazy final" she has ever contested to avenge her loss to Aryna Sabalenka in last year's Madrid final with a gruelling three-hour 11-minute victory in the Spanish capital on Saturday.
"I was surprised that in the third set I felt the best mentally," said Swiatek, who improved to 7-3 lifetime against two-time Madrid champion Sabalenka."I remember exactly when he was playing Medvedev in Australia and it clicked for him. He also struggled for a bit of time, he was tense and I think stressed. That kind of gave me hope that maybe it will click, even after two hours.
It was the fifth time in six matches this fortnight that Sabalenka found herself embroiled in a three-set duel and she was clearly ready to go the distance.The defending champion broke for 3-1 in the decider, peppering Swiatek with deep, powerful shots, but her lead was short-lived. Moments later, the Polish world number one flung herself to the ground in disbelief as she sealed a heroic victory on a long backhand from Sabalenka.Despite the loss, Sabalenka feels she has recaptured her best form that saw her successfully defend her Australian Open title in January.
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