World No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka hilariously roasts her team after losing the Italian Open final to Iga Swiatek. This is her fourth runner-up finish in 2024 and her second against the current World No. 1.
The top two players in the world also met in the Madrid final a couple of weeks ago, which was a close affair. Swiatek edged it out in a final set tiebreaker. However, once the first ball was struck, there was only one clear winner in the Rome final.
Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek (Via Imago)
Sabalenka has now lost four finals in a row in 2024. In addition to her runner-up finish in Madrid, she lost the finals in Brisbane and the Australian Open earlier this year. The World No. 2 finished as the runner-up to Elena Rybakina and Qinwen Zheng, respectively.
Of course, last but not least I wanna thank my team for helping me lose another final.Said Aryna Sabalenka
Normally, experiencing defeat in four finals within five months could be immensely frustrating for any player. Nevertheless, Sabalenka’s resilient attitude following her loss in the Rome final reveals her determination to persevere and overcome this string of final losses. What better opportunity to achieve this than by triumphing at Roland Garros?
Iga Swiatek destroys Aryna Sabalenka in the Rome final
In a rematch of their Madrid classic from a couple of weeks ago, World No. 1 Iga Swiatek thumped World No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka 6-2, 6-3 to win the Italian Open. The final was vastly different from the high-quality match in Spain, which went to a deciding set tiebreak.
Despite the contrasting nature of the matches, the current World No. 1 emerged victorious on both occasions, and that’s what counts. The Polish superstar needed just 1 hour and 29 minutes to defeat the second seed for the eighth time in 11 meetings.
Swiatek has now triumphed in her last nine singles finals. The last time the Polish star lost in a final was to Sabalenka in Madrid last year. This remains the only instance where the Australian Open runner-up has beaten World No. 1 in their five final encounters, all of which have been on clay.
