World No. 1 Ashleigh Barty and Aryna Sabalenka will meet for the second time in less than two weeks, in the final of the WTA Mutua Madrid Open. Can the Belarusian power-hitter avenge defeat in Stuttgart and capture her second title of the season?
WTA Madrid Open Final Prediction
Ashleigh Barty vs Aryna Sabalenka
Head-to-head: Barty 4-3 Sabalenka
Another week and another final for Australia’s Ashleigh Barty. The top seed posted her ninth consecutive match win (her 16th straight win on red clay dating back to Rome 2019) with victory over Paula Badosa in the semifinals. Badosa, a Spanish wild card who stunned Barty on the green clay of Charleston a month ago, had put together a tremendous week on home soil. However, Barty smothered the World No. 62 with her vast toolbox of shots and craft to reach her fourth final of the season.
Aryna Sabalenka, on her part, has played immaculate tennis throughout the week. She is yet to drop a set and has not lost more than three games in a set. The Belarusian–guaranteed to reach a career-high world ranking of No. 5 regardless of Saturday’s outcome–scaled past in-form players including Daria Kasatkina, Jessica Pegula, and Elise Mertens.
Sabalenka, who won this year’s curtain-raiser–the inaugural Abu Dhabi Open–came within a set of beating Barty at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart less than two weeks ago, before an adductor injury swung the pendulum in the Australian’s favor.
This should be an intriguing clash of styles. Barty’s ascent was startlingly sudden, but she has held the number one spot without any sort of interruption since mid-2019. At 5 feet 5, she is not the most imposing player out there, nor the most powerful in comparison to her opponent Sabalenka. But in 2021, her tennis has stood taller than the rest.
We haven’t seen Sabalenka’s level dip this week, and it will be fascinating to see how the fifth seed copes with fighting off a deficit. All things considered, Sabalenka hits a heavier a ball, and possesses the ability to overpower the top seed. However, she remains prone to unforced errors.
Surprisingly, Sabalenka’s ratio of winners to unforced errors this week has been positive. Barty’s tactical nous is unmatched, but the Belarusian should have the measure of the World No. 1 in a tightly contested final.
Prediction: Sabalenka in 3
Main Photo from Getty.
