Iga Świątek claimed her first-ever Madrid Open title last weekend, as she squeezed past Aryna Sabalenka to dethrone the reigning champion.
It was a battle for the ages, and a true spectacle for the neutral.
However, in the end it was the world number one reaffirming her spot at the pinnacle of women’s tennis, whilst also reestablishing her dominance on clay.
And yet, despite the final being lauded for all the right reasons, what happened after it has still stolen some of the headlines.
Iga Świątek stunned during Madrid Open trophy presentation
Writing in her column for Sky Sports, pundit Gigi Salmon naturally focused in on the stunning showpiece final on the women’s side.
Pitting Świątek and Sabalenka against one another, the top two female tennis players in the world, was always bound to draw intrigue… but few could have expected it would be so dramatic.
Forced into a third-set tiebreaker, it was the 22-year-old who came out on top in triumphant fashion.
However, Salmon was more focused on what happened after the match during the trophy presentation, as she wrote: ‘One observer remarked that ‘it’s the kind of match that brings people into tennis’. It was a pleasure to be courtside in the Caja Magica and I’ve been wracking my brain ever since to try and come up with a match I’ve watched live that was better.
‘One observer remarked that ‘it’s the kind of match that brings people into tennis’. It was a pleasure to be courtside in the Caja Magica and I’ve been wracking my brain ever since to try and come up with a match I’ve watched live that was better.
‘Something that did comes as a surprise to Swaitek was the cannon that was moved into position beside the court and right next to where we were standing, ready to shoot out celebratory ribbons onto the court.
‘We had been warned that this was going to happen and that it would be loud a number of times, but when the time came it didn’t stop Anne ducking for cover, I jumped and Colin didn’t move a muscle!’
Iga Świątek’s clay court dominance continues
Although she may have been thwarted by Elena Rybakina in Stuttgart, Swiatek is comfortably the most dangerous female player on clay at the moment.
Going one step further than she did last year in Madrid has only emphasised that, and with Rome just around the corner, the Polish player will have her eyes set on adding to her sprawling trophy cabinet.
It is remarkable how much she has already won at such a young age, and with three French Open titles to her name too, this year represents a fine opportunity to make it a fourth, and a third in succession.
Such proficiency on this surface makes her the unsurprising favourite to once again taste victory in these two top tournaments and further solidify her spot atop the WTA world rankings, having already cited clay-court master Rafael Nadal as an inspiration for her latest victory.
But given how Rybakina and Sabalenka have pushed her to her limit in recent weeks, we can expect fireworks at the very least as she battles for further glory.
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