Aryna Sabalenka said she was delighted to end her one-sided claycourt rivalry with Iga Swiatek after the world No 2 defeated the top seed to win the Madrid Open title on Saturday.
The Belarusian prevailed 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 to capture the title in the Spanish capital for the second time. Until Saturday, Sabalenka had lost all of her three previous meetings with the Pole on clay without even winning a set.
"It's something unbelievable. I'm really happy that I'm able to fight against her and I'm able to get this win so it's not like so super boring for people to watch our matches," said the 25-year-old champion.
"I really enjoy playing on clay, because I have extra time. It's not super fast, so I can go for my powerful shots. There are longer rallies. It's like not just bomb, bomb."
The big-hitting Sabalenka gained revenge for defeat by Swiatek in the Stuttgart final a fortnight ago with a thrilling triumph to end the world No 1's nine-match winning streak ahead of her French Open defence.
Two-time Roland Garros winner Swiatek fought her way back into the match after an explosive start by Sabalenka, but the second seed came back strongly in the third set to win the first WTA 1000 final featuring the top two ranked players since 2014.
Sabalenka earned her 13th career title, and only her second on clay in two hours and 25 minutes, clinching victory on her fourth championship point with a forehand cross-court winner.
"I'm just super happy with this win, especially against Iga on the clay, it's always tough matches against her," Sabalenka said.
Despite the defeat, Swiatek has shown plenty during the claycourt swing to make herself the clear favourite at the French Open, which begins at the end of the month.
"Sometimes it's tougher; sometimes it's easier. That's why we have variety in tennis, and that's why sometimes players are playing better on some surfaces and some on different," said Swiatek.
The world No 1 aimed a jab at the tournament organisers for some of the late nights over the past week, with matches regularly finishing in the early hours.
"It's not fun to play at 1am though," she added. "I'm happy anyway I was able to get past this experience and survive and be in the final."
