Aryna Sabalenka has qualified for the WTA 1000 final in Madrid

We believed it a little when Maria Sakkari (9th player in the world) came back level (3-3) in the first set, but no. Aryna Sabalenka (2nd) was far too strong and finished the match as she had started, with a bang. The Belarusian is therefore the first qualified for the final of the WTA 1000 in Madrid while waiting to find out who from Iga Swiatek (n°1) or Veronika Kudermetova (n°12) will join her there.

The feeling at the start of the match, when they were leading 3-0 after a tornado-shaped start, was the right one. Sakkari made the effort to come back up to par, but she couldn’t do more. Even in her highlight, the Greek still had to save four break points in a game where she made three double faults. Still, it looked like she had cleverly let the storm p***. Obliging Sabalenka to often hit too many shots, Sakkari was in the game.

But it was an illusion. A final break offered the first set to Sabalenka. Launched, the winner of the Australian Open was not going to stop. Sakkari was no longer going to keep up the pace, multiplying backhand faults and suffering in return (29% of points won behind Sabalenka’s first ball which showed 70% success in the field). The day before her birthday, she therefore offered herself a fifth final after those of Adelaide (won), the Australian Open (won), Indian Wells (lost) and Stuttgart (lost). Waiting maybe better.