For any tournament, having the number one and two in the world clashing for the title is a dream conclusion. At the Mutua Madrid Open, the stars have not aligned in this way since 2013, when the American Serena Williams (1) took on Maria Sharapova (2).

This time around, it will be Iga Swiatek and Aryna Sabalenka, the first and second seeds, respectively, on either side of the net in the Manolo Santana Stadium. The Pole brought an end to the day’s play by taking out Veronika Kudermetova 6-1, 6-1 in one hour and 19 minutes.

Swiatek is in the final in the Caja Mágica for the first time on just her second participation in the Spanish capital. The Warsaw native will be bidding for her second straight title on clay after the one she picked up last week in Stuttgart, where she also played Sabalenka in the decider.

Today’s victory means that Swiatek has now equalled the nine consecutive wins she claimed on clay last year before starting her second successful French Open campaign (2020 and 2022). This year she will again have plenty of momentum as she begins her title defence in Paris.

Last year’s US Open champion will now be aspiring to claim the sixth WTA 1000 of her career at the MMOPEN, and the fifth in a set of nine events in that category, where she also has titles in Rome (2021 and 2022), Doha, Indian Wells and Miami (2022).