World No. 1 Iga Swiatek has won her third Rome Open title after delivering an outstanding performance In the final to beat Aryna Sabalenka 6-2 6-3 in an hour and 29 minutes of play.
Playing in her third Rome final, 22-year-old Swiatek came out looking determined to get the job done and she succeeded in her goal after controlling the match pretty much from the start until the end.
Now, Swiatek has won Rome three times in her five appearances – the Pole previously won back-to-back titles at Foro Italico in 2021 and 2022. On the other side, 26-year-old Sabalenka fell short in her bid to win her first Rome title this year.
After beating Sabalenka in the Madrid final two weeks ago and now winning again in Rome to clinch back-to-back titles, Swiatek enters the French Open in the best possible way and as the top favorite to repeat as champion at Roland Garros.
Also, Swiatek now owns an 8-3 head-to-head versus Sabalenka.
How Swiatek defeated Sabalenka in the Rome final?
Right from the start of the Rome final, Swiatek looked completely locked in and threatened Sabalenka early on with a 0/30 on the Belarusian’s serve but just missed out on getting a break.
However, failing to get a break in the first game didn’t…
