World No. 1 Iga Swiatek and Aryna Sabalenka are set to face off in the highly anticipated final of the Italian Open 2024 women’s singles on Saturday, May 18. This match comes shortly after their recent showdown in the Madrid Open final earlier this month.
In the first semi-final on Thursday, Iga Swiatek defeated Coco Gauff in straight sets, 6-4, 6-3. Iga Swiatek secured four breaks of serve, extending her head-to-head lead against Gauff to 10-1.
Later in the day, Aryna Sabalenka triumphed over Danielle Collins of the USA, who is set to retire at the end of the season. Aryna Sabalenka won the match 7-5, 6-2. Despite some initial nerves, the Belarusian found her rhythm and dominated, breaking Danielle Collins’ serve four times.
Iga Swiatek and Aryna Sabalenka have developed a notable rivalry since their first meeting at the 2021 WTA Finals, where Aryna Sabalenka emerged victorious 2-6, 6-2, 7-5. However, Iga Swiatek has since taken control, leading their head-to-head 7-3 and their finals encounters 3-1.
Their most recent final in Madrid saw Aryna Sabalenka nearly clinch victory, holding three championship points before ultimately falling to Iga Swiatek 5-7, 6-4, 6-7 (7-9).
Both players are also preparing for the upcoming French Open, which runs from May 20 to June 9. Iga Swiatek is the defending champion, having defeated Karolina Muchova in last year’s final. Aryna Sabalenka, a two-time Australian Open champion, aims to improve upon her previous semi-final loss to Muchova at Roland Garros.
