Stat of the Day: Aryna Sabalenka becomes first player to win three WTA titles this year

A dialed-in Aryna Sabalenka has battled past Iga Swiatek, 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, to become the 2023 Mutua Madrid Open women’s champion.

It’s her second title in Madrid (also 2021), her third WTA title of the year (also Adelaide and the Australian Open), her fourth career win over a No. 1, her fifth WTA 1000 title and the 13th overall WTA title of her career.

Sabalenka is actually the first woman to win three WTA titles this year, breaking a three-way tie with Swiatek and Belinda Bencic, who have both won two so far this year (Swiatek in Doha and Stuttgart and Bencic at the second WTA event in Adelaide and Abu Dhabi).

The 25-year-old also snaps Swiatek’s six-match, 12-set winning streak in clay-court finals—the Pole had won her last six in straight sets:

SWIATEK IN WTA CLAY-COURT FINALS (6-2):
l. to Hercog in 2019 Lugano F, 6-3, 3-6, 6-3
d. Kenin in 2020 Roland Garros F, 6-4, 6-1
d. Pliskova in 2021 Rome F, 6-0, 6-0
d. Sabalenka in 2022 Stuttgart F, 6-2, 6-2
d. Jabeur in 2022 Rome F, 6-2, 6-2
d. Gauff in 2022 Roland Garros F, 6-1, 6-3
d. Sabalenka in 2023 Stuttgart F, 6-3, 6-4
l. to Sabalenka in 2023 Madrid F, 6-3, 3-6, 6-3

And there’s more.

Sabalenka is now the only woman to have multiple wins over the last two No. 1s, Ashleigh Barty and Swiatek, while they were ranked No. 1.

PLAYERS TO BEAT BARTY TWICE AS NO. 1:
~ Sofia Kenin (2019 Toronto 2nd Rd, 2020 Australian Open SFs)
~ Aryna Sabalenka (2019 Wuhan SFs, 2021 Madrid F)

PLAYERS TO BEAT SWIATEK TWICE AS NO. 1:
~ Barbora Krejcikova (2022 Ostrava F, 2023 Dubai F)
~ Elena Rybakina (2023 Australian Open 4th Rd, 2023 Indian Wells SFs)
~ Aryna Sabalenka (2022 WTA Finals SFs, 2023 Madrid F)