Iga Swiatek's success in Stuttgart follows her triumphs in Doha, Indian Wells and Miami, and makes her a firm favourite for this year's French Open at Roland Garros starting on May 22; the world No 1 from Poland has won her last seven finals in straight sets
Sunday 24 April 2022 19:38, UK
Iga Swiatek captured her fourth straight title of the season by beating Aryna Sabalenka 6-2 6-2 in the Stuttgart Open final on Sunday, extending her winning streak to 23 matches.
Swiatek, the 2020 French Open champion, came through the opening rounds of the WTA 500 clay-court tournament before beating US Open champion Emma Raducanu in the quarter-finals and then battling back from a set down to overcome Ludmilla Samsonova on Saturday.
The Polish 20-year-old showed little signs of fatigue from that marathon clash as she saved an early break point and raced to a 3-0 lead before holding firm and taking the opening set when third-seeded Sabalenka, last year's runner-up, double-faulted.
The pair had split their previous meetings - in last year's WTA Finals and the Qatar Open in February - but it was the in-form Swiatek who excelled in their first clay-court match, dealing effortlessly with her opponent's big hitting.
The error-prone Sabalenka looked to mount a comeback after a crucial hold of serve at the start of the second set but Swiatek switched gears to break for a 4-2 lead and completed the victory when the Belarusian sent a shot long.
Swiatek is now the first player to hit 30 match wins this season, as she improved her 2022 win-loss record to a sensational 30-3.
She will take home a Porsche as well as her prize money and will have a lead of more than 2,000 points in the rankings on Monday.
World No 1 Novak Djokovic remains without an ATP Tour title this season after losing to Russia's Andrey Rublev in the final of the Serbia Open.
Djokovic fought back from a set down for the fourth time this week in front of his home fans in Belgrade, but ran out of steam in the decider as Rublev powered to a 6-2 6-7 (4-7) 6-0 victory in two hours and 29 minutes.
It was Rublev's first win over a world No 1 and gives the 24-year-old a third tour-level title of the season - equalling the tally of Rafael Nadal - following previous victories in Marseille and Dubai in February.
Rublev broke Djokovic's serve twice in the opening set and saved five set points in the second to force a tie-break, but Djokovic roared into a 5-2 lead and let out a roar of delight as he levelled the contest.
However, the efforts of the week then seemed to catch up with Djokovic, and Rublev crucially saved two break points in the opening game of the third set before breaking his opponent's serve three times to storm through the decider without losing a game.
Spain's Carlos Alcaraz had more luck on home soil than Djokovic, the brilliant teenager defeating compatriot Pablo Carreno Busta 6-3 6-2 in the final of the Barcelona Open.
Alcaraz, who has now won three titles this season, is projected to reach ninth in the world rankings on Monday, making the 18-year-old the youngest player to crack the top 10 since Rafael Nadal did it 17 years ago after lifting his first Barcelona trophy.
"It means a lot," Alcaraz said after his win. "I've watched this tournament since I was a kid. I always wished to play in and of course to be able to win this tournament."
While the final was a relatively routine affair, Alcaraz had earlier saved two match points in his semi-final against Australian Alex de Minaur, which had been delayed until Sunday due to rain. Alcaraz eventually prevailed 6-7 (4-7) 7-6 (7-4) 6-4 after a contest lasting three hours and 40 minutes.
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