TennisSection previews the 2021 WTA Madrid Open as Ashleigh Barty (1) meets Aryna Sabalenka (5) in the Final on Saturday May 8th, 2021.
A very exciting Final is expected at the 2021 WTA Madrid Open. World number one Ashleigh Barty of Australia will face fifth seeded Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka in what is expected to be a blockbuster match. Can Barty win a WTA-leading fourth title in 2021? Or can Sabalenka spoil the party and claim her second?
Ashleigh Barty is seeded one here at the 2021 WTA Madrid Open, and is currently the world number one player. After missing the majority of the 2020 season due to COVID-19 concerns, Barty is seemingly back to her best, winning three titles so far this season. The Australian star has had some shaky moments so far here in Madrid, and has been tested by Zidansek and Kvitova, both who took her to two sets, but recovered well to defeat Paula Badosa Gibert 6-4, 6-3 in the Semi-Finals. Barty’s calm demeanor and steady all-around game make her one of the very best on this surface and she enters this match against Aryna Sabalenka as the firm favorite. The Australian is currently on a sixteen match winning streak on clay, and will seek to extend that by capturing the title here.
Aryna Sabalenka is currently ranked #7 in the WTA world rankings, and is the number five seed here at the 2021 WTA Madrid Open. The Belarusian star has been in amazing form this week here at the 2021 Madrid Open, not dropping a set en route to the Final. When Sabalenka is in this kind of groove she is extremely hard to beat, with her huge groundstrokes from both sides of the court. Naturally her power game leads her to commit a lot of errors, but she has kept that to a minimum here, brushing her opponents aside with ease. Now up against a familiar foe in Ashleigh Barty, she knows that she will have to be at her absolute best here to get the win, as the Australian is on an amazing winning streak on clay. While she is the underdog here, Sabalenka has beaten Barty before and will be confident here.
This will be the eighth match between the two rivals on the WTA Tour, with Ashleigh Barty leading the head to head series 4-3. They played each other twice so far in 2021, with The Australian winning both matches, needing three sets in each. This really has the potential to be a blockbuster Final of contrasting styles, with Barty being calm, methodical and mixing her game up well, and Aryna Sabalenka with her ultra-aggressive baseline game. I am expecting yet another three set match, filled with amazing tennis, and Ashleigh Barty to come away with yet another close win over Aryna Sabalenka. Ashleigh Barty will win and become the 2021 WTA Madrid Open champion.
Free Tennis Pick and Prediction: Ashleigh Barty to win.
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