Aryna Sabalenka downs Sakkari for Madrid Open final

Aryna Sabalenka is the first Madrid Open finalist after she took down Maria Sakkari in two sets 6-4 6-1 to continue her magnificent season so far.

Maria Sakkari was playing a really strong event and was good for a good part of this match but it was still not enough to take down Sabalenka. The Belarusian is a former champion of this event having beaten Barty in a final and she's going to contest the final once more. It's been a trend for her this year as she's been in several finals to date.

This match opened with Sabalenka taking an early 3-0 lead as Sakkari was struggling to find her footing. She quickly did and the match turned around as the Greek was now up. Her serve was working and she was able to put Sabalenka under a lot of pressure. The crucial game in the first set came at 3-3 when Sabalenka held from 15-40 down during a time when Sakkari played better.

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It allowed her to escape with the first set when Sakkari threw away a 30-0 lead down 4-5 in the first set. From there her game rapidly deteriorated as her confidence went out of the window following that late meltdown in the first set. A great win for Sabalenka who was far more stable during the whole match.

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On a mission ⏩️ The 2021 champ is back in the final after defeating Sakkari on a sunny afternoon in Madrid! @SabalenkaA | #MMOPEN

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