Aryna Sabalenka of Minsk, Belarus might have been considered the more emotional player on Saturday in the final of the 2021 Madrid Open. However, it was Sabalenka, the fifth seed, who got the better of the world number one, Ashleigh Barty of Australia, in a three-set thriller, 6-0, 3-6, 6-4.
At the Madrid Open, Sabalenka beat former world number two, and two-time grand slam finalist Vera Zvonareva of Russia, 6-1, 6-2 in the first round; Daria Kasatkina of Russia 6-3, 6-3 in the second round; 2021 Australian Open quarterfinalist Jessica Pegula of the United States 6-1, 6-2 in the third round; 2018 Australian Open semifinalist Elise Mertens of Belgium 6-1, 4-0 in the quarterfinals, and Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova of Russia 6-2, 6-3 in the semifinals. In the win over Barty on Saturday, Sabalenka broke Barty five times, including a key time in the third and deciding set.
Sabalenka has not won a grand slam title as of yet. However, she has won three Premier 5 titles in the past. Sabalenka won back-to-back Whuan Opens in 2018 and 2019. She defeated Anett Kontaveit of Estonia, 6-3, 6-3 at the 2018 Wuhan Open, and then Alison Riske of the United States, 6-3, 3-6, 6-1 at the 2019 Wuhan Open. Sabalenka’s other Premier 5 title came at the 2020 Qatar Open, where she beat two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova of the Czech Republic, 6-3, 6-3. Do not forget in 2021, the WTA changed the name of their tiers to align with the ATP Tour.
A fifth seed on the men’s side won in three sets at the 2021 Madrid Open as well. There we had Alexander Zverev of Germany defeat the eighth-ranked Matteo Berrettini of Italy, 6-7, 6-4, 6-3 on Sunday.
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