A year ago on Spanish clay, in the final, Swiatek lost 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 to Sabalenka.
On the throne of world tennis for the 101st week, the triple winner of Roland-Garros conquers her third title of the year, her third in WTA 1000, after Doha and Miami.
At the meeting of the final of the Madrid tournament as in 2023, the two best players in the world did not reach there at the same tempo.
Apart from a quarter-final in three sets lasting two and a half hours (against Haddad Maia), Swiatek experienced it at a cruising pace: four matches in two sets, only twenty games left on the way, and barely more than '1h15 min spent on the court at most.
On the contrary, four of Sabalenka's five face-to-face matches until the final stretched over three sets, like her semi-final lasting more than two and a quarter hours against world No.4 Elena Rybakina, came within two points of victory.
Before Roland-Garros, Swiatek and Sabalenka are now expected in Rome next week.
