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Iga Swiatek defeated Aryna Sabalenka in straight sets to successfully defend her title at Stuttgart Open, a WTA500 event, on Sunday.
READ – 365 days as World No. 1: Iga Swiatek’s champion run on and off the court
World No.1 Swiatek, who missed Miami Open due to a rib injury, won 6-3, 6-4 against World No.2 Sabalenka in an hour and 50 minutes. The 21-year-old from Poland leads 5-2 in the head-to-head record against the Belarusian.
A rare clash between WTA top two
The Stuttgart final between Swiatek and Sabalenka was the first time the world’s top two-ranked players met in a WTA singles final since the No.2 Caroline Wozniacki beat No.1 Simona Halep for the 2018 Australian Open crown.
It was also the first clay-court final between the world’s top two-ranked players in almost a decade, the last one came at 2013 French Open, where No.1 Serena Williams won against No.2 Maria Sharapova in the final.
Three-time Major winner Swiatek converted two of the six break points while saving one on her own serve to edge Australian Open champion Sabalenka in a rematch of last year’s final.
Swiatek has won 23 out of her last 24 matches on clay with her sole defeat coming against Frenchwoman Caroline Garcia in the quarterfinals of last year’s Poland Open.
More to follow…
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