Aryna Sabalenka has two Madrid Open trophies, but she hopes for a third next year after losing out to Iga Swiatek this year.
This year's Madrid Open gave the Belarusian a chance to win her third trophy at this WTA 1000 event. She won her first in 2021 when she beat Ashleigh Barty in the final and the second last year when she beat Swiatek in the final.
This year's final was a repeat of last year's final. We once again saw the Polish player battle Sabalenka, and it was a true battle. They played for over three hours, and Swiatek was able to win the match in the end.
After the match, Sabalenka congratulated Swiatek on the trophy, admitting she hopes it returns to her hands next year.
"Actually I’m supposed to start from Iga. Congrats on another great tournament. You did an incredible job. Hopefully next year it goes to me. 3 hours. That’s a long one. Hopefully we recover fast for the next tournament."
It's been a really strange week for Sabalenka because she started with some really shaky performances. As the event progressed, world no. 2 found her best tennis, cruising to yet another final in the Spanish capital.
It wouldn't ultimately be enough, but it's a much-needed confidence-boosting result for her. She's been struggling with her tennis for a while, especially after the Miami Open with the tragedy there.
In that sense, this is a result she'll take despite failing to win the trophy. It was a pretty close match that ended in a third-set tiebreak, so about as close as possible for the Belarusian.
Now, she'll move to Rome for the Italian Open, and as she alluded to in her speech after the match, it's going to be a short turnaround and crucial for both players to recover as best as possible.