Swiatek eases past Sabalenka in Rome final

At the second consecutive WTA 1000 tournament, Iga Swiatek secured victory in the final against Aryna Sabalenka, adding to her Mutua Madrid Open title with another triumph at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia.

Just two weeks after their thrilling encounter in Madrid, where Swiatek emerged victorious in three sets, the Polish player continued her winning streak with a convincing 6-2 6-3 win over Sabalenka in Rome. This marked the second time since the WTA 1000 format’s inception in 2009, that the same pair met in consecutive finals; the first instance was 11 years ago when Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova faced off in Miami and Madrid.

Swiatek secured victory over Sabalenka for the eighth…