Picture Credit: Twitter
Top-seeded Iga Swiatek clinched her fourth consecutive title and her 23rd straight match with a 6-2, 6-2 victory over no. three seeded Aryna Sabalenka in the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix final on Sunday. The Polish star made her Stuttgart tournament debut a triumphant one by completing her week with a commanding 84-minute victory over the fourth-ranked Sabalenka and collected her seventh career Hologic WTA Tour singles title.
The 20-year-old Swiatek saved both break points she faced and never trailed in a powerful one hour, 24-minute performance. After playing the winning shot, Swiatek was seen jumping in the air in delight and hugged her father and coach. She also expressed gratitude to the crowd for cheering and showing so much support.
Watch her winning moment from the final:
"I wanted to also thank you guys because the atmosphere here on this night is amazing," Iga Swiatek said. "Now I know why everybody is calling this like one of the best tournaments in the season. So thank you for, you know, giving us energy. I do see many Polish flags, as usual; it's always surprising me," she said in a post-match interview.
Iga Swiatek has now clinched her seventh final on the trot in straight sets and will now head into the Madrid Open undefeated on clay this season. Speaking about her win in her on-court interview, the 20-year-old champion said, playing against Sabalenka was never easy before adding that she was already looking forward to their next encounter. "It's always super tough to play against you, Aryna."
"Yeah, I mean, it was a tough match, and we fought for every game, so hopefully, there are many more to come," she said in a post-match interview. She also thanked her father for travelling with her at the tournament and being her backbone. "And thank you to my dad, who finally decided that he's gonna come with me at tournaments," World No. 1 said.