WTA Finals: Sabalenka grabbed her first win over Swiatek this season

Iga Swiatek lost to Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka 1:2 (2:6, 6:2, 1:6) after a long and action-packed match, ending her participation in the WTA Finals tournament. The Belarusian’s rival in the deciding match will be Frenchwoman Caroline Garcia.

It was the second time for Swiatek to appear in the WTA Finals, a tournament for the top eight players of the season. Last year, recording one win and two losses, she dropped out in the group stage. Then she also lost to Sabalenka, but in the current season, the Iga defeated the Belarusian as many as four times, including in the semifinals of the US Open. 

This time, Swiatek went through the group stage like a storm. She scored three quick victories without losing a set. However, Sabalenka played with extraordinary energy, she had trouble from the beginning. 

The Belarusian quickly took a 4:1 lead, she served powerfully and as much as 82 per cent of the first serves she hit ended in a point. In the first game alone, she sent five aces. 

In the break between sets, Swiatek took a toilet break. She decided on the same step in the semifinals of the US Open when she also lost the first game. Again, it had an effect, as in the second set it was the Pole who quickly led 4:0. It seemed that Sabalenka used almost her entire set of successful plays in the first set. She let herself be dominated by Swiatek, who levelled the match. 

In the third set, the fourth game was crucial, at 2:1 for Sabalenka. The 21-year-old from Raszyn, with her serve, had three balls in it at 2:2, but eventually, she let herself be broken. 

Sabalenka started to show her best tennis again and did not give her rival even a shadow of a chance to make up for the loss. The Belarusian showed off another break in the sixth game, and moments later she used the first match ball. 

Aryna Sabalenka (Belarus, 7) – Iga Swiatek (Poland, 1) 6:2, 2:6, 6:1