Iga Swiatek stands alone on the WTA after completing Madrid-Rome double

After Iga Swiatek and Aryna Sabalenka faced off in the Madrid final last month, I wrote that while Swiatek had been the victor, the real winner had been the rivalry between the two women. The WTA’s No. 1 and 2 had staged their most dramatic encounter to date. It lasted three hours, was decided by just a couple of shots, and showcased both players at their best. After two years at the top together, it felt like Iga vs. Aryna was finally going to become a defining feature of today’s tennis landscape. The fact that they each made the final again in Rome only seemed to confirm that idea.

“Seemed” is the operative word in that last sentence. Rather than confirming the competitiveness of their rivalry, Swiatek’s 6-2, 6-4 win on Saturday reconfirmed what we’ve known for two years: She stands alone on clay.

Swiatek’s superiority was clear from first ball to last. She broke for 3-1 in the first set, then again for 5-2. She served intelligently and effectively, saving all seven break points she faced, often with strong first serves right into Sabalenka’s body. In the first set, she was the more aggressive player and better ball-striker, breaking serve with a series of deep, powerful backhands. In the second set, she was the better clutch player, raising her game each time Sabalenka threatened to to rev herself into a comeback. On six of the seven break points she faced, Swiatek saved it with a winning shot.

“I was playing well and solid,” Swiatek said. “I used my chances. For sure this match looked a little bit differently than in Madrid. I felt like I’m putting a lot of pressure. I just continued doing that throughout the whole match.”

“Honestly, Madrid, I didn’t feel like I could do everything. Here I kind of did,” she said of the slower clay in Rome, where she has now won three times.

Swiatek played within herself—as she said, “solid.” She hit just 11 winners, but made just eight errors, compared to 28 for Sabalenka, who started slowly in the first set, and could never get over the break-point hump in the second. While Sabalenka went for the outright winners, Swiatek counterpunched in a way that was lower-risk, but still pushed her opponent out of position.

“It wasn’t the final I really expected; didn’t play my best at all,” Sabalenka said.

Part of that, Sabalenka says, is how little Swiatek gives her in terms of errors or space to hit into, and how much pressure she puts on her to finish points with perfect shots.

“I know that she’s moving well and I have to stay aggressive, I have to keep pushing,” Sabalenka said. “There’s little chance that she’s going to give me an easy point. Maybe knowing that, it makes me rush things a little bit.”

Swiatek improved her record to 8-3 against Sabalenka. The distance between them that seemed so narrow after Madrid has opened up again as they head for Paris. Sabalenka seemed to feel that distance right away. By the third game, she had already broken a racquet in frustration.

With another player, you might wonder if Swiatek has peaked one tournament too early. But in 2022, we saw her sustain Peak Iga for 37 straight matches; she won Rome easily that year, and did it again in Paris. The way she’s playing and talking now, there’s no reason to think she can’t do it again in 2024, and complete her first Madrid-Rome-Roland Garros triple.

“I came to every match with a positive attitude and high confidence,” she said of her 10 days in Rome. “Because of that, I felt like I can do anything.”

Last month, there were two at the top of the WTA totem pole. Only one stands there today.