Sabalenka thanks the public: "I had to fight".

This Saturday evening (not before 6.30pm), Aryna Sabalenka will take on Iga Swiatek in the Madrid final. After reclaiming the Madrid crown in 2023 (already titled in 2021), she will now try to retain it. It won't be an easy task, as once again she'll have to topple the world number 1 to do so.

The defending champion has had to fight hard to get this far. Of the five matches she won before this final, four were played in three sets. The toughest of all, of course, was her semi-final against Elena Rybakina. Largely dominated, the Belarusian managed to turn the match around somewhat miraculously before winning on the wire (1-6, 7-5, 7-6).

When asked about this marvellous comeback, the world number 2 was especially keen to praise the public, who supported her right to the end. According to Sabalenka, she could never have won without this popular support: "Today (Thursday), honestly, without the public, I would probably have left this court losing 6-1 6-1 and I would have been very sad. I felt all this support and I heard someone shout: "We want to see you on Saturday!", which really motivated me at the time. I told myself I had to fight."