Iga Swiatek’s Dominating Victory over Aryna Sabalenka in Rome 2024
Iga Swiatek defeated Aryna Sabalenka to win the Internazionali BNL d’Italia, completing the rare Madrid-Rome sweep.
Since Rafael Nadal and Serena Williams accomplished the double in 2013, she is the first player to accomplish it in the same year.
Two weeks prior, Iga Swiatek survived a nail-biting 7-5, 4-6, 7-6 final in Madrid after fighting for over three hours and saving three match points against Aryna Sabalenka (7).
There were no turns or detours in today’s Rome final.
After taking the Italian capital by storm in 2021 and 2022, Swiatek easily defeated Sabalenka in 6-2, 6-3 fashion to win the Internazionali BNL d’Italia for the third time in the previous four years.
And the win gave her a lot of accomplishments.
She is the first player of either gender to win four tour-level championships this year, to start with. She has won four titles at WTA 1000 events, including Madrid, Doha, Indian Wells, and now Rome. She shared the same three titles for the year as Jannik Sinner and Elena Rybakina.
Second, it’s her historic tenth WTA championship. Prior to this year, she had won six WTA 1000 titles: in Rome in 2021; in Doha; in Indian Wells; in Miami; in Rome in 2022; and in Beijing in 2023. With 21 tour-level titles under her belt, the world No. 1 now leads the field.
Most remarkably, though, is that she is the only tennis player since 2013—male or female—to win both Madrid and Rome in the same year. Rafael Nadal and Serena Williams pulled out the sweep on the men’s and women’s circuits that year, and both went on to win Roland Garros a few weeks later.
And things don’t stop there. Swiatek has won her previous six matches against Top 3 players since losing to Jessica Pegula, ranked No. 3, in the Montreal quarterfinals last August.
SWIATEK’S WINNING STREAK VS TOP 3 PLAYERS:
* No. 3 Gauff in 2023 Beijing SFs, 6-2, 6-3
* No. 3 Gauff in 2023 WTA Finals RR, 6-0, 7-5
* No. 1 Sabalenka in 2023 WTA Finals SFs, 6-3, 6-2
* No. 2 Sabalenka in 2024 Madrid F, 7-5, 4-6, 7-6 (7)
* No. 3 Gauff in 2024 Rome SFs, 6-4, 6-3
* No. 2 Sabalenka in 2024 Rome F, 6-2, 6-3
And Swiatek has now won her last eight finals in a row after placing second to Sabalenka in Madrid the previous year.
SWIATEK’S WINNING STREAK IN FINALS:
* Muchova in 2023 Roland Garros F, 6-2, 5-7, 6-4
* Siegemund in 2023 Warsaw F, 6-0, 6-1
* Samsonova in 2023 Beijing F, 6-2, 6-2
* Pegula in 2023 WTA Finals F, 6-1, 6-0
* Rybakina in 2024 Doha F, 7-6 (8), 6-2
* Sakkari in 2024 Indian Wells F, 6-4, 6-0
* Sabalenka in 2024 Madrid F, 7-5, 4-6, 7-6 (7)
* Sabalenka in 2024 Rome F, 6-2, 6-3
Swiatek defeated Sabalenka in the Italian capital, controlling the match from beginning to end. Unlike her epic victory in the Spanish capital two Saturdays prior, Swiatek broke the game open at love for a 2-1 lead and eventually broke again for a 5-2 lead to win the first set. She then won four games in a row to close up the second set, which had begun with five holds in a row.
Throughout the entire game, Swiatek hit 11 wins to just 8—yes, 8—unforced errors, while Sabalenka was in the losing end, 18 to 28. Break points, however, may have been the most crucial statistic: Sabalenka converted 0 of 7 whereas Swiatek converted 4 of 7.
Also Read: The Intense Showdown Between Iga Swiatek and Aryna Sabalenka at Mutua Madrid Open 2024
Regarding her break point statistics, Swiatek remarked, “Well, generally I try to treat these points as any other point.” I don’t feel as pressured, perhaps also because I know that I’m a fantastic returner, so even if things go wrong, I can still work things out.
“I was definitely benefiting from my serve in this competition. Our diligent efforts have culminated in those pivotal occasions. Hence, I’m rather pleased with that as it is the goal we have been pursuing.
Iga Swiatek Dominates WTA After Completing Madrid-Rome Double
Together, the Pole and Aryna Sabalenka topped the tour when they first met in Madrid. Not anymore.
Following last month’s Madrid final between Iga Swiatek and Aryna Sabalenka, I wrote that although Swiatek had emerged victorious, the true winner had been the competition between the two women. The top two seeds in the WTA had put up their most exciting match to date.
It was a three-hour match that featured both players at their peak and was decided by a few shots. It appeared as though Iga vs. Aryna would finally establish themselves as a defining aspect of the modern tennis scene after two years at the top together. Their respective returns to the final in Rome only seemed to support that theory.
The key word in the last phrase is “seemed.” Instead than validating the intensity of their competition, Swiatek’s victory on Saturday, 6-2, 6-4, reinforced what we have known for the past two years: she is unmatched on clay.
From the first ball to the last, Swiatek’s superiority was evident. In the opening set, she broke for 3-1 and then again for 5-2. She made seven break point saves with deft and strategic serving, frequently with powerful first serves that found their way straight into Sabalenka’s body.
She was the more aggressive player and more adept at striking the ball in the opening set, breaking the serve with a string of strong, deep backhands. She was the superior clutch player in the second set, stepping up her play every time Sabalenka seemed to be putting together a comeback. Swiatek held off seven break points, saving six of them with game-winning shots.
Swiatek stated, “I was playing solidly and well.” “I took use of my opportunities. This contest definitely had a slightly different appearance than the one in Madrid. I felt like I was asking for too much. I basically kept acting in that manner the entire game.
To be really honest, Madrid, I didn’t think I could handle everything. Regarding the slower clay in Rome, which she has now won three times, she remarked, “Here I kind of did.”
Swiatek was, as she put it, “solid,” playing inside herself. While Sabalenka had 28 errors in the first set and never recovered from the opening set’s poor start, she made only 11 winners and only eight errors. Sabalenka went for the clean sweep, but Swiatek countered with a less dangerous move that nevertheless moved her opponent out of position.
“I didn’t play my best at all; it wasn’t the final I really expected,” Sabalenka remarked.
Sabalenka attributes part of that to Swiatek’s lack of inaccuracy or space to strike into, as well as the pressure she places on her to complete points with flawless shots.
“I have to continue being aggressive and pushing because I know she’s moving well,” Sabalenka remarked. It is unlikely that she will provide me with a simple point. Perhaps knowing that causes me to move a little too quickly.
With this match, Swiatek’s record against Sabalenka is at 8-3. As they travel into Paris, the space that appeared to be so small between them after Madrid has widened once more. Sabalenka seemed to sense that separation immediately. She was so frustrated by the third game that she destroyed a racquet.
You may question whether Swiatek peaked too soon in one tournament if he were to play with another player. However, in 2022, she managed to maintain Peak Iga for 37 consecutive games; she easily won Rome and repeated the feat in Paris. Given her current style of play and communication, there’s no reason to believe she won’t be able to complete her maiden Madrid-Rome-Roland Garros treble in 2024.
Regarding her ten days in Rome, she remarked, “I came to every match with a positive attitude and high confidence.” “I felt like I can do anything because of that.”
There were two at the top of the WTA standings last month. These days, only one remains.
