Aryna Sabalenka’s wish from Madrid is set to instantly become a reality in Rome as the world No. 2 is set to take on Iga Swiatek in the final at Foro Italico after overcoming Danielle Collins.
On Thursday evening, No. 2 seed Sabalenka handed a 7-5 6-2 loss to world No. 15 and recent Miami Open champion Collins 7-5 6-2.
Before Sabalenka and Collins took to the court, world No. 1 Swiatek handled the business against Coco Gauff, beating the third-seeded American 6-4 6-3.
Going into the Collins match, Sabalenka had on the line her maiden Rome final appearance and also another meeting in a final versus Swiatek.
Just two weeks ago, Sabalenka fell just short to Swiatek in a thriller Madrid final as the Pole claimed a 7-5 4-6 7-6 (7) win. After failing to convert three championship points in just over three hours of play and falling to a 1-3 record in her finals versus Swiatek, the 26-year-old Belarusian told the Pole she wanted to meet her “many more times in finals.”
“I really want to see many more finals against her (Iga). I wanna see more wins than losses. But I really hope that we’ll be able to increase the level every year. I’m really happy to be one of these Big 3 as you call us. It’s really motivating me a lot to keep working,” Sabalenka said after the…
