Sabalenka bids to find her clay-court footing in Paris

Aryna Sabalenka, the unchallenged numero uno in women's tennis at present, and clay courts make for a curious case study.

- Rutvick Mehta

MUMBAI: Aryna Sabalenka, the unchallenged numero uno in women's tennis at present, and clay courts make for a curious case study. The Belarusian has triumphed at the Madrid Open, the prestigious WTA 1000 tournament on the European clay swing, three times including this year, matching the tally of Petra Kvitova, the crafty left-handed Czech. Sabalenka has beaten some of the more reputed clay-courters, including Ashleigh Barty and Iga Swiatek, and played her part in elevating the 2024 Madrid final with Swiatek to be among the most iconic battles in recent memory. Yet, of her 20 titles, only those three have come on clay.

The 27-year-old has notched up 62 match wins on clay since 2021, as per stats by WTA. It's the second-best on the women's tour after four-time French Open champion Swiatek (81). Sabalenka's 5759.25 points on the WTA Clay-Court Power Rankings—an average of the points collected on the surface from the 2021 season—are also only second to Swiatek's (9336.75). Yet, the three-time Slam winner and two-time Wimbledon semifinalist has made just one semi-final at the French Open.