In a repeat of last year's final, the world numbers one and two go head to head in a heavyweight clash.
For the second year in a row, the Madrid Open final will see Iga Swiatek and Aryna Sabalenka face off for the WTA 1000 title in the Spanish capital. Sabalenka will be hoping to retain her title while Swiatek will be seeking revenge after losing last year's final 6-3 3-6 6-3.
After that match, Sabalebka told Talking Tennis how she took inspiration and belief from her Australian Open final win, where she needed four championship points before sealing the title against Elena Rybakina.
But will she prevail in the Spanish capital once more, after also winning the title in 2021, as well as her success last year?
Head to head
Swiatek has a commanding 6-3 lead in the head to head over Sabalenka with their most recent clash being a comfortable win for the Pole with the loss of just five games as the three-time Grand Slam winner wrenched the world number one status back from the Belarussian en route to the WTA Finals title.
On clay, they have faced off four times, with Sabalenka's only win (in fact the only time she even took a set) coming in Madrid last year.
Path to the final
Sabalenka has certainly had the bumpier ride to the final, needing three sets to see off Magda Linette, Robin Montgomery, Danielle Collins and then a deciding set tie-break to get over the line against Elena Rybakina.
Swiatek's only blip came in losing the first set in her quarter-final against Beatriz Haddad Maia. But even then she stormed back winning the next two sets for the loss of just two games.
Prediction
Sabalenka is playing arguably her best tennis of the season, particularly in the latter stages of her matches against Collins and Rybakina, as well as her demolition of Mirra Andreeva in the quarter-final.
But Swiatek is the Queen of Clay, albeit that Madrid is the outlier in terms of conditions, where big servers with power games like Sabalenka's can often excel, hence the Belarussian's more impressive record in the Spanish capital than the world number one.
A hunch for Swiatek is emboldened, however, when analysing their matches on the dirt, with Iga so comfortable in all but one of their matches.
Therefore, Swiatek in three.
Who's winning the final?
Swiatek
Sabalenka
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