Madrid: Sabalenka ends Barty’s streak

Ashleigh Barty therefore stops at sixteen. Unbeaten on clay since the Rome 2019 tournament and her loss in the round of 16 to Kristina Mladenovic, the world number 1 gave in to Aryna Sabalenka in the final of the WTA tournament in Madrid. The Australian appeared to be absent on the Manolo-Santana Court during the first leg, failing to put the Belarusian in trouble on serve and being incredibly crumbly on her own face-off.

The result was a first round dispatched in 26 short minutes by the world number 7, who did not concede a single play in the maneuver. But the awakening of Ashleigh Barty did not take long with the world number 1 who made the break in the first game of the second set before seeing Aryna Sabalenka pick up the score. What was in the end only a setback because, with two breaks and four of the last five games won, the Australian was able to return to a round everywhere with authority. From then on, the debates were balanced… at least until the fourth game. It was then that Ashleigh Barty had the opportunity to turn the game in her favor.

Two break points on Aryna Sabalenka’s service that could have changed everything if the Australian had known how to convert one. A missed opportunity that did not arise afterwards. On a shutout, the Belarusian, for her part, jumped at the opportunity to take control before concluding the service on a new shutout (6-0, 3-6, 6-4 in 1h41 ‘) for his second title of the season after Abu Dhabi. Before a potential revenge in the quarterfinals in Rome, Aryna Sabalenka ended a ten-game winning streak against top 10 members for Ashleigh Barty.

MADRID (Spain, WTA 1000, clay, € 2,546,105)
Title holder (in 2019): Kiki Bertens (PBS)

Finale
Sabalenka (BIE, n ° 5) bat Barty (AUS, n ° 1): 6-0, 3-6, 6-4

Semi-finals
Barty (AUS, n ° 1) bat Badosa (ESP, WC): 6-4, 6-3
Sabalenka (BIE, n ° 5) bat Pavlyuchenkova (RUS) : 6-2, 6-3