The World No.1 beat Aryna Sabalenka to bag her third title of the season
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World No.1 Ashleigh Barty came from a set down to clinch the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix title in Stuttgart on Sunday. The Australian defeated No.5 seed Aryna Sabalenka 3-6, 6-0, 6-3 to claim her 11th career WTA singles title. It was also her third title of the season. Besides, this is the third time in a row, Barty came from a set deficit to win the match. Her three successive come-from-behind victories were against Top 10 opponents.
She had beaten World No.9 Karolina Pliskova in the quarterfinals, No.5 Elina Svitolina in the semifinals before beating No.7 Sabalenka for the title. Barty has notably won her last 10 matches against Top 10 opposition. The Australian’s grit, determination, and never-say-die attitude played a big role in her winning these matches after a difficult start.
Sabalenka began the match with more composure and seemed the more likely of the two to earn the breakpoints. She put Barty on the backhand from word go as the 22-year-old Belarusian dominated the early proceedings. But the 25-year-old Australian somehow held on till 3-3.
She’s done it AGAIN ?
World No.1 ?? @ashbarty comes from a set down for the third match in a row to clinch her third WTA title of 2021!#PorscheTennis pic.twitter.com/UT1KJzwTVL
— wta (@WTA) April 25, 2021
After that Sabalenka was unstoppable as she went on to bag the opener 6-3. The Belarusian player’s confidence was evident with the variety of shots she used in the game. Barty refocused and showed her opponent what she is capable of in the second set.
On her third breakpoint at 1-0, Barty secured her first break of the day. It was the beginning of something special. She soon collected her second break with a stunning forehand crosscourt winner to go 4-0 up before wrapping up the set without losing a single game.
With momentum on her side, Barty then gained a 3-0 lead in the decider. Sabalenka did produce a mini-comeback, but the Australian World No.1 was up to the challenge as she held her nerve to seal the set and the match.
