Aryna Sabalenka will get a chance to get perfect revenge against Iga Swiatek in the 2023 Madrid Open final.
Along with Elena Rybakina, the trio seems to be forming a very strong three on the WTA Tour. Currently, they are the three leading players in the 2023 WTA Race, by some margin, as currently third Swiatek has a chance to overtake the second Kazakh.
To do that, she will need to beat Aryna Sabalenka in the 2023 Madrid Open. The Belarusian has been the most dominant player this season, but one obstacle keeps standing in her way, and that's the young Pole who currently sits atop the WTA Rankings.
Only a couple of weeks ago, the two met in the 2023 Porsche Tennis Grand Prix final in Stuttgart, and it was Swiatek who emerged victorious. After the match, Sabalenka jokingly pretended to smash her opponent's new Porsche, and ahead of the 2023 Madrid Open final, she spoke about her ambition to get revenge.
"Yeah, I really want to have this revenge. I think I would just play with more passion. I wouldn't rush things. Yeah, I would just go one more time, try better, and fight for this title."
Swiatek is different than most of the opponents that Sabalenka faces and that's because of many reasons. The Pole's semifinal opponent compared her game to the men's, and current world no. 1 also spoke about her ahead of the final.
"I mean, it's going to be really amazing if I can beat a player like Iga on clay court. Yeah, as I said, I don't have to rush things. Like I just have to wait for my opportunity and I just have to, yeah, take it and go for it."
The Belarusian also reflected on their meeting in Germany as she wants to learn from that loss and overcome the challenges that will arise during the final match at La Caja Magica in the Spanish capital.
"I think in Stuttgart I was like going crazy when I had this like slower shot or like shorter shot or like this approach shot. I was just like going crazy. I was rushing things. I tried to go for winners. This time I'll just play with more passion, and I'll just wait for a better shot to finish the point."
One thing that Sabalenka will want to rely on is her experience from playing in the Madrid Open final. She won the title there in 2021 after beating Ashleigh Barty in the final, while for the young Pole it's going to be the first final appearance in this WTA 1000 event. Nonetheless, the reigning Australian Open champion expects a difficult match.
"Yeah, I think it's a different match, and of course I prefer play against her in the final than in the quarters. I think it's really good that we are playing so consistently so we are meeting each other in the finals, and hopefully it can be the same. But, yeah, it's always tough. It's always great battles. You always have to fight really, really hard against Iga. I'm ready for that."
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