Swiatek, Sabalenka reach Porsche Tennis Grand Prix final

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Wilson Blade 9

Top seed Iga Swiatek and third seed Aryna Sabalenka are through to the final of the 2022 Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart.

Iga Swiatek

After winning 26 sets in a row, Iga Swiatek dropped a set in her semifinal victory over Liudmila Samsonova, but continued her 2022 dominance by extending her match winning streak to 22. Making her debut at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix, Swiatek battled for three hours and three minutes to win 6-7(4) 6-4 7-5 and reach a fourth consecutive final.

Aryna Sabalenka

Earlier on Saturday, last year’s runner-up Aryna Sabalenka returned to the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix final with a 7-6(5) 6-4 victory over her doubles partner Paula Badosa. The second-seeded Badosa had a 4-2 lead and then served for the first set at 5-3, but Sabalenka pulled back on serve. In the tiebreak, it was again Badosa who went ahead first, establishing a 4-1 lead, but Sabalenka once again recovered and eventually won the set in 60 minutes. After the friends exchanged breaks in the second set, Badosa’s errors crept in and eventually she gave away the match with two consecutive double faults.

Swiatek and Sabalenka are 1-1 in head-to-head stats. Both their encounters were relatively recent — the Belarusian won at the 2021 WTA Finals in three sets, the Pole won at the 2022 Qatar Total Open.

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