Iga Swiatek beats Aryna Sabalenka in straight sets to win Stuttgart title, Alcaraz wins in Barca

STUTTGART – Top-ranked Iga Swiatek cruised past Aryna Sabalenka 6-3, 6-4 to win the Stuttgart Open on Sunday in a repeat of the 2022 final, to confirm her status as a French Open favourite.

It was the first time a world No. 1 had faced the world No. 2 on clay since the 2013 French Open final, where Serena Williams beat Maria Sharapova.

On the men’s side, world No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz also retained his Barcelona Open title and established his own Roland Garros credentials with a 6-3, 6-4 win over fifth-ranked Stefanos Tsitsipas in the final in Spain

It was the 19-year-old’s third trophy of 2023, after winning in Buenos Aires and Indian Wells, and the ninth of his career.

With 14-time French Open champion Rafael Nadal sidelined since January with a hip injury and world No. 1 and two-time Roland Garros winner Novak Djokovic struggling with an elbow problem, Alcaraz will be a major contender to add the clay-court Grand Slam title to the US Open he captured last September.

Meanwhile, Swiatek,

back from injury

and gearing up for her French Open title defence in May, and world No. 2 Sabalenka traded powerful baseline blows before Swiatek earned a second break point at 4-3.

The Pole whipped a superb forehand down the line to go 5-3 up before easily holding serve to clinch the first set on her second set point.

Swiatek, fit again following a rib injury that forced her to

withdraw ahead of the Miami Open

and Billie Jean King Cup qualifiers after she hurt herself during her run to March’s Indian Wells semi-finals, broke her opponent again in the first game of the second set.

Belarusian Sabalenka started to pile up unforced errors and struggled with her serve at 2-0 before firing a cross-court forehand to hold.

But she could not break Swiatek back and the Pole held serve at 5-4 to seal her second title of 2023 and her first since February.

“I want to thank my team because it has been such an intense time. I am so happy we are making the right decisions,” the three-time Grand Slam winner said, following her well-timed return from injury.

“It is a pretty exciting time. I will be coming back because I love this tournament.”

On her opponent, she added: “Aryna, you’ve had such an amazing season... I’m really happy that we are so consistent and that we can play so many amazing matches together, because fans are enjoying it. It was such high intensity.”

While Swiatek won it for a second straight time, it was Sabalenka’s third consecutive loss in the final in Stuttgart.

The 21-year-old now holds a 5-2 record against Sabalenka and has won all eight of her matches on the Stuttgart clay.

In another final on Sunday, Holger Rune shrugged off injury and saved four match points in a dramatic third-set fightback to defeat Botic van de Zandschulp and claim a second straight ATP Munich title.

The 19-year-old Dane prevailed 6-4, 1-6, 7-6 (7-3) in a rematch of the 2022 decider in Munich, which he won when van de Zandschulp retired with chest pains when leading in the opening set.

The top seed took the first set comfortably but was blown away in the second.

World No. 7 Rune then began to struggle with a right shoulder problem and needed a medical time-out at 3-1 down in the decider, before van de Zandschulp raced to a 5-2, 40-15 lead.

However, he fought back, saving two match points to make it 5-3, then two more to force the tiebreak despite twisting his ankle.

He then went on to dominate the tiebreak to claim his fourth tour-level title. REUTERS, AFP