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.
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Murray into Challenger final and back in top 50
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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. In the semi-final Murray comfortably brushed aside world No 241 Mayot 7-5, 6-1.
The Scot took charge of the match when his 21-year-old opponent double-faulted to surrender the first set. Murray wobbled late on, missing two match points at 5-0 up in the second set before sealing victory at the fifth time of asking.
Murray will now face American Tommy Paul, a top-20 player who reached the Australian Open semi-finals in January. Should he prevail, it would be his first Challenger title win for 18 years. PA Media
It is the latest victory in a breakout year for the 25-year-old. Sabalenka has now won three titles this season, including her maiden grand slam at the Australian Open. She has also reached the final in five of her seven tournaments so far, compiling a supreme 29-4 (88%) record. Madrid is Sabalenka’s fifth WTA 1000 title and her 13th overall.
Sabalenka’s newfound calmness guided her through this encounter. After dominating the opening set and then missing opportunities in the second set, Sabalenka relinquished an early 3-0 third-set lead as a resolute Swiatek pulled her back to 3-3. But Sabalenka remained clear-headed and composed as she pulled ahead once more before closing off one of the bigger wins of her career.
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Full report to follow