Before facing Sabalenka, Swiatek looks back on her tournament: "I'm happy to be able to play like this"

To no one's surprise, Iga Swiatek's performance at the Madrid tournament came close to perfection: only one set lost, 20 games conceded, 26 breaks won and just 8 hours 17 minutes spent on court (an average of 1 hour 39 minutes per match).

As is often the case, the Pole enters the final of a tournament with an impressive statistical record, and is a huge favorite on Saturday. Indeed, she will be seeking revenge on Aryna Sabalenka (who beat her in last year's final). Interviewed in the press conference following her semi-final victory (6-1, 6-3 over Madison Keys), the world number 1 reflected on her tournament. She explained that, this year (in Madrid), things weren't as simple as the score of her matches might suggest: "In most of these matches, you can see the result, but there's a lot more than that to work on. [...] I wouldn't say it was easy, because at the beginning I didn't have much time to adapt to the conditions, and that's what I had to do during the tournament. But overall, my matches were pretty good, and I played efficiently. So I'm happy to be able to play like this and to be fresh even before the final. [...] Every tournament I play, I get pretty good results, so yeah, I'm very confident and happy to be able to regularly play semi-finals, finals, and sometimes win the title."

At a press conference held prior to the semi-final between Sabalenka and Rybakina, the world number 1 appeared confident. Nevertheless, she explained that she could still do better: "I'm delighted to be able to play a final against a top player. It's sure to be a challenge, whatever it is, and a tough match. But I'll be ready. I'll concentrate on myself. And we'll see. [...] I still feel I haven't played that match where you play tactically better from start to finish against those players. That's something I want to improve. It's not that we have to change a lot of things, but we have to stick to the plan and sometimes I have to apply it a little better."

See you this Saturday, not before 6.30pm, to follow a final duel that is already shaping up to be epic.