WTA Madrid: Ashleigh Barty and Aryna Sabalenka - reunion is a pleasure
In the final of the WTA 1000 tournament in Madrid there will be a duel betweenAshleigh Barty and Aryna Sabalenka . The two only faced each other less than two weeks ago in the final of the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart.
by Nikolaus Fink
last edit: May 08, 2021, 01:53 pm
Without a doubt, Ashleigh Barty and Aryna Sabalenka are the two best clay court players of the year to date. The Australian and Belarusian had already faced each other in the final of the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix on April 25th, and less than two weeks later the two will meet again in the final in Madrid.
In Stuttgart, Barty prevailed in three sets after losing the first round, but she is not the big favorite in the new encounter with Sabalenka. The 23-year-old has played too well in the Spanish capital so far, with only 18 lost games in five matches.
Sabalenka still without a win against Barty this year
"I think that my clay court game has improved a lot. That certainly gives me a little self-confidence. But there are still so many things that I have to work on. With my level in Madrid, I'm just happy so far," said Sabalenka, who also said had lost the first meeting of the current calendar year against Barty in Miami.
#VIDEO#
Nevertheless, the world number seven knows what to expect on Saturday from 6:30 p.m. ( live in the match tracker ): "Physically, I have to be ready for this match. She is number one and great. I played against her in Stuttgart It won't be an easy game. I'll do everything I can to prepare as well as possible. I'm looking forward to this fight. "
Barty with a strong run
It is similar for Barty, who has been unbeaten for 16 games on red sand. "Without a doubt, you grow with every match you play and every opportunity to try something new and to fix mistakes from previous matches," said the world number one, explaining her successful run.
But the 25-year-old knows that this is in danger in the Spanish capital. "She has played an exceptional week so far. She has been extremely dominant considering the results I've seen," said Barty of Sabalenka. But the Australian has already come up with a match plan: "The challenge is to get into a position from which she cannot control the court."
The game will be available in the match tracker from 6:30 p.m.
Here the single tableau in Madrid
madridmap