Among the 2,640 matches played on the Hologic WTA Tour last year, the final of the 2024 Mutua Madrid Open might well be considered the finest.
The match featured the world`s top two players, who have held the No. 1 ranking for over three years. Given the outcome, it`s perhaps unsurprising that this epic encounter is viewed differently by the two participants.
Iga Swiatek commented last week when the subject was brought up, “Honestly, I just think about it from time to time, but not in a really specific way.”
Aryna Sabalenka gave a similar response to the same question: “Honestly, I didn`t really think about it that much until this moment.”
It was Swiatek who ultimately won the 2024 Mutua Madrid Open title, prevailing 7-5, 4-6, 7-6(7) in a grueling 3 hours and 11 minutes, after saving three match points. This made it the longest final of the previous season and one of only two where the winner saved match points, a rare combination of high quality and duration.
With both players having advanced to Thursday`s semifinals, there is a thrilling possibility of them meeting in the Madrid final for the third consecutive year. To make this happen, Sabalenka needs to defeat No. 17 seed Elina Svitolina, while Swiatek faces the task of getting past No. 4 seed Coco Gauff.
This would be a rare feat, making them the first pair of players in a quarter-century to face each other in the final of any WTA tournament for three years running.
The last time it happened on clay was in 1994, when Arantxa Sanchez Vicario ended Steffi Graf’s 36-match winning streak in a third-set tiebreaker in Hamburg.
One year ago, the unique conditions at La Caja Magica created a more balanced playing field. Swiatek, a four-time Roland Garros champion, is typically dominant on slower red clay. However, Madrid`s altitude causes the ball to travel faster, which slightly diminishes Swiatek`s advantage and enhances Sabalenka`s powerful game.
It`s no coincidence that Sabalenka`s only two career clay titles came in Madrid, in 2021 and 2023 – the second one being a victory over Swiatek in the final. While Swiatek largely dominated European clay from 2020-23, winning multiple titles in Paris, Rome, and Stuttgart, Madrid had remained elusive for her. Meanwhile, Sabalenka was attempting to tie Petra Kvitova`s record of three Madrid titles. Before that match, Swiatek led their head-to-head record 7-2 and had won seven consecutive finals since her loss to Sabalenka in Madrid in 2023.
After splitting the first two sets, the match nearly concluded before the third-set tiebreak. With Swiatek serving at 5-6, Sabalenka earned two match points.
Swiatek recalled thinking about her idol Rafael Nadal`s comeback from two sets down against Daniil Medvedev in the 2022 Australian Open final.
“I remember exactly when he was playing Medvedev in Australia, and it clicked for him,” Swiatek said. “That kind of gave me hope that maybe it will click, even after two hours.”
After saving a total of three match points, Swiatek managed to escape and secure the win when a Sabalenka backhand went long. Swiatek fell to the court, covering her face with her hands.
“Who is going to say that women`s tennis is boring now?” Swiatek told the crowd. “Congrats as well to Aryna because we both had an amazing effort today.”
A memorable moment from the final captured in a video titled: Watch This: Swiatek saves three championship points in Madrid final.
Later, Swiatek reflected, “I was surprised that in the third set I felt the best mentally. Because, yeah, I actually felt like I needed to dig through for these two hours and it didn`t really work. I was, like, `Oh, my God, am I going to feel a little bit more loose soon?`”
Sabalenka, on the other hand, was stoic after the loss.
“I`m going to suffer for a day, and tomorrow I`m leaving to Rome, so I`m going to forget it quickly,” Sabalenka told reporters. “It`s my birthday tomorrow. I hope I`m going to be in a good mood.”
She then added with a touch of humor, “I`m going to be in a bad mood. I am 26 tomorrow. It sucks.”
This victory marked Swiatek`s ninth WTA 1000 title and 20th overall in her career. She became the youngest player since Caroline Wozniacki twelve years prior to achieve 20 titles.
One year later, both players paid tribute to the quality of the match.
“That match was, yeah, it was a ball-buster,” Sabalenka said. “That was amazing match, even though I lost it. This is like nothing I can be upset with, to be honest. I did my best there, and she just outplayed me.”
Swiatek commented, “It`s hard to relive it, because there are not many matches that are so intense and on such a high level. Sometimes the finals are actually a bit worse level than quarterfinals or semis, because the players are a little bit tight.”
“But me and Aryna, we put on a great show, for sure. Also for the fans, I think it was great to watch it.”
