Stuttgart Open: Iga Swiatek defeats Aryna Sabalenka to extend winning streak to 23 matches | Tennis News

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

Iga Swiatek overpowered Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka to win the WTA clay-court title in Stuttgart on Sunday

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.

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