Motherwell manager Stuart Kettlewell believes Kevin van Veen deserves to be in contention for the Gallagher Premiership player of the year award.
The Dutchman scored his 25th goal of a stellar personal campaign in Saturday’s 2-0 victory over Kilmarnock, after Blair Spittal had given Well an early lead.
The Celtic trio of Kyogo Furuhashi, Cameron Carter-Vickers and Reo Hatate are expected to be among the leading contenders when the nominations are announced by PFA Scotland next week but Kettlewell also made the case for Van Veen.
He said: “If I was a player I would vote for him. But I’m not in control of any of that stuff. I think he’s had a brilliant season, not just his goalscoring.
“It’s about how he approaches it every single week. You have to pitch his personal achievements up against most in the division.
“It’s great that at Motherwell we’ve got a striker that everybody is talking about. He had a moment in the first half where he chops inside with a Cruyff turn after the ball came down with snow on it. That was pretty amazing as well.”
Van Veen is likely to move on from Fir Park in the summer but Kettlewell insists the speculation has not affected the Dutchman’s form.
He added: “We all know what he’s capable of but sometimes it’s not just about the player, it’s about the person. I thought he handled himself absolutely brilliantly as well.
“There’s plenty of hype and talk about him and it’s very easy to think the players are like robots and can keep just churning it out. I’m more delighted with the person today than the player.
“I’ve said it before but if Kevin – or other players – aren’t doing it then we’re not speaking about it.
“And we’ve now got a situation where we are talking about it – although I don’t want to talk about it too much. Just in general you want people to speak about your players when they’re doing well.
“Nothing changes from where we are. The players are all in it for the cause and approaching every game the way they should do, whether there’s speculation or not. That’s the demands I put on them.
“They’re not going out there thinking about what might happen in four or five weeks’ time. We’re just focusing on each game.”
Kilmarnock are now just one point off the bottom of the table but have three of their final four matches at Rugby Park.
Manager Derek McInnes hopes that will play in their favour.
He said: “We needed a win away from home because we can’t be totally dependent on our home form. But the stats show how strong we have been at home, and we’ve got to try and utilise that.
“We’re going to have a big support at home next week against Livingston. Livi are safe, and there is more on the game from our point of view clearly, and we need to demonstrate that in our performance.”
A gallant and gutsy performance from Jon Ryder was not enough to beat Mexican fighter Canelo Alvarez in front of more than 50,000 people in Guadalajara, Mexico.
A bruised and bloodied Ryder lost by unanimous decision in a heroic effort against one of the world’s best fighters in front of a raucous crowd at Akron Stadium.
The judges scored the fight 120-107 on one card and 118-109 on the other two to improve Canelo’s record to 59-2-2 in his first fight in Mexico since 2011.
Both fighters used the first two rounds to feel each other before a Canelo jab caused blood to pour from Ryder’s nose.
Canelo then knocked down Ryder with a clean one-two in the fourth round and it looked ominous for the 34-year-old from Islington.
But he got back up and fought through the 12 rounds, coping vicious punches throughout the fight while spitting blood from his mouth but held on until the last bell.
Ryder had previously lost five career fights to Billy Joe Saunders, Nick Blackwell, Jack Arnfield, Rocky Fielding, and the most recent being Callum Smith in 2019 by unanimous decision.
The loss ended his four-fight win streak with his record now sitting at 32-6.
American Wyndham Clark shot a bogey-free day to go two strokes clear of the pack while English pair Tyrrell Hatton and Tommy Fleetwood are still in the mix after day three of the Wells Fargo Championship in Charlotte on Saturday.
Clark finished the day with eight-under 63 to become the outright leader going into the last day on the tournament with 16-under at Quail Hollow, with American Xander Schauffele two strokes behind.
If Clark can hold on to the lead on the last day it will be the 29-year-old’s first ever PGA Tour win.
After finishing day two tied in first place with Clark and Schauffele, Hatton continued his good form but could not keep up with the top two.
Hatton had six birdies and three bogeys to end the day with 68 and tied in third with Australian Adam Scott who are both on eleven-under, five strokes behind Clark.
Tommy Fleetwood had a strong outing with five birdies and just one bogey which came on the last hole of the day.
He finished the day tied fifth with South Korean Sungjae Im and American Harris English on ten-under.
Rory McIlroy had another inconsistent day in Charlotte and looks out of the running for his fourth Wells Fargo Championship, finishing the day tied in 50th place.
McIlroy hit four bogeys and four birdies and finished the day one-under.
Lewis Hamilton’s Mercedes was criticised by Toto Wolff as being “a nasty piece of work” after the British driver qualified only 13th for the Miami Grand Prix.
As Sergio Perez took a surprise pole position – with Charles Leclerc’s late crash resulting in a red flag to leave Max Verstappen ninth on the grid – Hamilton endured another sobering evening in his unruly machine.
Fernando Alonso joins Perez on the front row following another impressive display by the evergreen Spaniard, with Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz third.
Kevin Magnussen qualified fourth for Haas ahead of Alpine’s Pierre Gasly and Hamilton’s team-mate George Russell. Leclerc, who broke his rear wing in the accident at Turn 7, qualified seventh.
On Friday, Hamilton described the performance of his lacklustre Mercedes as “a kick in the guts”, and his mood will only have worsened after he was eliminated from Q2, an eye-watering 1.1 seconds off the pace, and two tenths down on Russell.
He returned to the pits shaking his head and took aim at Mercedes for leaving him with too much to do by not releasing him early enough for his final attempt in Q2.
“We left that way too late, guys,” he said over the radio. Hamilton now trails team-mate Russell 4-1 in qualifying after the opening five rounds.
“There is not a lot to say to Lewis because the car is simply not fast enough,” said Mercedes team principal Wolff.
“Putting him in a situation on his out lap where the driver is not able to prepare his tyres makes it even worse.
“We are not trying to make mistakes. We are trying to give the drivers the best position on the track, and we have in the past got it wrong many times, and also got it right many times. But if things go badly, they compound the situation.
“I take no enjoyment from finishing sixth (with Russell) and it is the lack of comprehension of what is wrong that makes this car such a nasty piece of work.
“The car is not a good car. There are problems everywhere, with the base performance of the car and the lack of understanding of the car. The performance is just really bad. It is not acceptable.”
Hamilton, already 45 points behind championship leader Verstappen, started Saturday’s running on the backfoot following a near-miss with Haas driver Kevin Magnussen.
The 38-year-old was on his first speedy lap of the afternoon when he was blocked by the Dane under braking at Turn 17. Hamilton was forced to take evasive action, brushing the barriers in the process.
“Check the front wing”, said the Mercedes driver, who swiftly dived into the pits for repairs. “I just hit the wall.”
Commenting on his lowly grid slot for Sunday’s 57-lap race, Hamilton said: “We knew it would be very hard and there was a 50:50 chance we could get into Q3 so we needed to be better with our timing.
“But it’s done. I’ll try and get my head down tomorrow and see what I can do – 13th to God knows where.”
Verstappen looked set to secure pole after dominating practice, but he made a mistake in his first run in Q3.
Then, with less than two minutes remaining, Leclerc lost control of his Ferrari and thudded into the wall.
The session was red-flagged and did not restart, leaving Verstappen, who leads Perez by just six points in the standings, in the midfield.
“F*** sake,” said the Dutchman over the radio after he was unable to complete his final lap.
For Perez, his pole comes a week after winning in Azerbaijan, and provides him with the chance to assume control of the world championship.
“It has been a bad weekend,” said the Mexican, who had struggled to get up to speed in his Red Bull before qualifying.
“But we made a small change and everything came alive. Tomorrow is an opportunity starting from pole and we will go out there and enjoy this amazing crowd.”
Rodrygo's double steered Real Madrid to Copa del Rey glory as they defeated a valiant Osasuna 2-1 in Saturday's final.
The Brazil forward netted twice to guide Los Blancos to their second piece of silverware this season in front of a packed Estadio de La Cartuja.
For Carlo Ancelotti's side, victory ends a nine-year drought in Spain's most prestigious cup competition, with Madrid having last won in 2014 during the Italian's previous spell in charge.
But it is a tough result for Jagoba Arrasate's Osasuna to take, after Lucas Torro's strike had given them hope of an upset in their first appearance in a Copa del Rey final in 18 years.
Madrid lived up to the favourites tag inside two minutes as Rodrygo swept Vinicius Junior's dynamite cutback past Sergio Herrera.
That early concession spurred Osasuna promptly onto the offensive, with Ante Budimir forcing Thibaut Courtois into a string of saves, while Dani Carvajal had to hook Abde Ezzalzouli's effort off the line.
David Alaba struck the bar as Madrid aimed to double their lead, with Vinicius' hopeful appeals for a penalty falling on deaf ears on the stroke of half-time.
Madrid paid the price for those misses just before the hour mark, when Torro struck a superb low strike beyond Courtois from outside the box.
Yet Madrid recovered and, after Toni Kroos saw his shot deflected, Rodrygo was on hand to pick up the pieces and prod another finish home.
Karim Benzema was unable to add gloss to the scoreline and Los Blancos were almost punished again in stoppage time, but Carvajal made a last-ditch intervention to deny Kike Barja and ensure Madrid ended their long wait for a 20th Copa crown.
David Moyes has one last chance to avoid a damning statistic when West Ham host Manchester United on Sunday.
The Hammers, battling to stay in the Premier League, have yet to beat one of the traditional ‘big six’ clubs this season.
Home draws with Tottenham, Chelsea and Arsenal are the only points they have taken from 11 fixtures, with Wednesday’s 3-0 defeat at Manchester City completing a miserable set of six away losses.
Last season West Ham beat Liverpool, Tottenham and Chelsea on their way to finishing seventh, but this term has been a grim battle against relegation.
“I actually thought last year, we were due to beat some of the big teams and we did,” said Moyes.
“Some of the games we gave them really good games and of course, there were some games that we couldn’t really compete. I remember beating Liverpool and a couple of others last season.
“This year, we don’t feel as if we’ve been quite at that level, I am not saying we have been far off, but we’ve been trying to get back to it.
“I just think we are in a little bit better form than we were earlier on in the season. We played well at Old Trafford, we were a little bit unlucky at Chelsea away, even against Arsenal we were 1-0 up at half-time and we’ve just come back from Manchester City being 0-0 at half-time.
“So a lot of these games we have been in them and even Arsenal we got back to 2-2 after being 2-0 down. I think we’ve been close in a lot of the games, whether we’ve just been tipped over the edge to win them like we were last year, we’ve not shown it as much this season.”
Declan Rice, Tomas Soucek and Nayef Aguerd are expected to return after missing the City match due to being laid low by a sickness bug in the camp.
Newcastle boss Eddie Howe has praised Callum Wilson’s emphatic response to the challenge presented to him by record signing Alexander Isak.
The 31-year-old England striker has plundered eight goals in his last seven games, four of them from the bench with Howe having rotated the former Bournemouth frontman and his £60million summer capture in the face of a gruelling schedule.
Wilson, whose form was questioned in some quarters following his return from the World Cup finals, has twice been rested in the game after scoring two goals as a starter, but has channelled his frustration in exactly the way Howe hoped he would.
The Magpies’ head coach said: “He is certainly in great form. He is very focused at the moment. He knows he has to be because of the competition he has around him.
“The biggest compliment I can pay him is that he has always been himself – bubbly, bright, laughing, joking, a really positive character. He is someone that the squad needs to be positive, because he is such a big personality within it.
“That has helped him when he has come on the pitch and delivered for us. I’m delighted for him, personally, because he can react two ways to that challenge laid down to him – and he has responded how I hoped he would.”
Wilson made two appearances for his country as a substitute in Qatar without finding the back of the net, and went eight games without a goal on his return.
However asked if it had been foolish to question his ability to continue as the club’s main marksman at that point, Howe said: “It’s natural at this elite level that players are under scrutiny. Their performances are broken down to the ninth degree, and not just by me as the manager, but also by you guys in the press.
“I think he will understand that comes with the territory at this level.”
Wilson, who helped himself to a double in last Sunday’s 3-1 win over Southampton after being introduced as a second-half substitute, will hope for a chance to repeat the feat against high-flying Arsenal this weekend with Newcastle hoping to ease themselves closer to Champions League qualification.
Beyond that, a continuation of his current form could yet earn him a return to the England squad.
Asked about his international prospects, Howe said: “That is one for [manager] Gareth [Southgate], but he is certainly doing everything he needs to do. He is scoring goals and that is always going to get you in the headlines.”
Leicester boss Dean Smith believes Jamie Vardy can still flourish in the autumn of his career.
The 36-year-old has returned to form in recent weeks, scoring in the last two games to help the Foxes out of the Premier League relegation zone, having previously gone 19 outings without a goal.
The story of Vardy’s ascent to the top of the game is well known and Smith believes that him not coming through the system in a traditional way can help him now.
“It doesn’t surprise me at all – this is someone who’s scored 136 Premier League goals,” Smith said of Vardy’s resurgence ahead of Monday’s vital clash with Fulham.
“You don’t lose that. I expected that (pace) to still be there.
“What I’ve seen from him is the desire to still keep wanting it, from the runs he’s making. His running numbers are really good from Monday night.
“His story is synonymous with someone who came into the professional game a little bit later.
“So he’s probably not had all of those games before – at academy level for instance. So I don’t see why he can’t flourish in his later years.”
Much was made of whether former boss Brendan Rodgers played to Vardy’s strengths, something that Smith has seemed to do in the last few games.
“I didn’t watch too many of the games to see if he was playing to his strengths,” Smith added.
“He didn’t get as much pitch time as probably he would’ve liked, but I wasn’t here so I don’t really know.
“Shakey’s (assistant boss Craig Shakespeare) worked with him before and knows him as a person and a player.
“I know him as a player who’s been up against teams I’ve managed before.
“He’s always a threat on the shoulder – just talking to their coaches after the game, they just tell their centre-halves to keep an eye on their shoulders, because he’ll be on one of them, and he was.”
Erik ten Hag has long admired Sir Alex Ferguson’s successor David Moyes and knows Manchester United have to be at their best to beat his West Ham side this weekend.
Monday marks the 10th anniversary of the huge announcement that the Scot was stepping down after 26 medal-laden years in the Old Trafford dugout.
Ferguson bowed out on the back of a 13th league title – heights United have not reached since then, enduring their fair share of ups, downs and fallow periods.
Moyes was the first man to step into the breach and sacked before the end of the 2013-14 season, with the 60-year-old now in charge of a West Ham outfit hosting United on Sunday.
Asked if he was pleased to be the fifth permanent successor to Ferguson rather than the first, Ten Hag said: “It’s hypothetical, so you’ll never know.
“But it’s quite clear when you have to succeed Sir Alex that is a big challenge and that is a really difficult job to do.
“So, yeah, he did it, he had the bravery to do it, so that’s why I think I admire him that much. He’s also that long already with many clubs in the Premier League, so it’s a great manager with a lot of skills.
“I know my team has to be their best on Sunday. We have to play our maximum if we want to get the result we need, and that’s a win.”
United are looking to tighten their grip on a Champions League spot on Sunday with fifth-placed Liverpool hot on their heels.
Ten Hag’s side have two games in hand on their rivals but the gap sharpens the mind, which could also be beneficial given the all-Manchester FA Cup final against City looms on June 3.
“I’m telling them for every game, for every training – you have to be ready for every game in the Premier League,” he said.
“If you want to be in four competitions, you have to be so well prepared, you need so much energy, you need a good game plan and you have to go every game again.
“You can’t do it in 99 per cent, you have to do it 100 per cent and you have to do it over the full 95 minutes.
“That’s why we like it, top players like it, to have huge challenges, but it costs energy.
“But that’s our job, it’s our responsibility, we have to take it and we lay this aside Sunday. We go again and I’m sure we will be there.”
West Ham have had a free week to prepare for United’s visit, whereas United are reeling from being stung at the death in Thursday’s late 1-0 loss at Brighton.
It has been a relentless schedule as the Red Devils balanced domestic and Europa League exertions for much of the season, but Ten Hag believes they have handled it well.
“(The schedule) has already an impact on the whole season, and we are doing quite well,” he said.
“We’re not doing quite well, we’re doing really well. We have a big disadvantage against others. West Ham United, I think, is a team who has the worst schedule, but then us.
“But then we showed all season already we can deal with that. We are physical and mental very strong.”
United need to keep that going for another month without overstepping the mark.
“We have to keep our heads,” Ten Hag added. “Clear. But also I demand passion and desire from my players because if you want to win games, you need that and I think it brought us to where we are now.”
Nottingham Forest boss Steve Cooper switches off from the stress of the Premier League relegation battle by going running along the River Trent.
Forest are embroiled in a fight to retain their top-flight status in their first season back after 23 years away, with Monday’s clash against Southampton likely to be decisive in their bid to beat the drop.
Cooper has had plenty thrown at him this term, with concerns over keeping his job, a lengthy injury list and having to integrate 30 new signings into his squad, but the phone-free jogs along the river have been helpful.
“The thing I like to do is a lot of running,” he said.
“I enjoy it. I don’t take my phone with me. I’m not a big user of my phone anyway. The two places I definitely don’t have it are out on the training pitch and if I want to go for a run.
“It’s something where you can take your mind to where you want it to be and I’m sure there’s quite a few people who do the same.
“I make a lot of decisions when I’m out running. I think about a lot of things. It’s even good when you feel frustrated or stress.
“Whatever I’m feeling before a run, I feel better for it afterwards.
“I run along the river a lot. It’s lovely along there, especially when you’re running towards the City Ground.”
Lewis Hamilton will start Sunday’s Miami Grand Prix from 13th following a qualifying session to forget for the seven-time world champion in the United States.
As Sergio Perez took a surprise pole position after Charles Leclerc’s late crash resulted in a red flag to leave Max Verstappen ninth on the grid – Hamilton endured another sobering evening in his unruly Mercedes.
Fernando Alonso joins Perez on the front row following another impressive display by the evergreen Spaniard, with Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz third.
Kevin Magnussen qualified fourth for Haas ahead of Alpine’s Pierre Gasly and Russell. Leclerc, who broke his rear wing in the accident at Turn 8, qualified seventh.
Hamilton ended Q2 an eye-watering 1.1 seconds off the pace and two tenths down on team-mate Russell.
Hamilton, who returned to the pits shaking his head, took aim at Mercedes for leaving him with too much to do at the Hard Rock Stadium
“We left that way too late, guys,” he said over the radio. Hamilton now trails team-mate Russell 4-1 in qualifying after the opening five rounds.
Hamilton, already 45 points behind championship leader Verstappen, started Saturday’s running on the backfoot following a near-miss with Haas driver Kevin Magnussen.
The 38-year-old was on his first speedy lap of the afternoon when he was blocked by the Dane under braking at Turn 17.
Hamilton was forced to take evasive action, brushing the barriers in the process.
“Check the front wing”, said the Mercedes driver, who swiftly dived into the pits for repairs. “I just hit the wall.”
The incident will be investigated by the stewards.
Hamilton’s afternoon then took another major setback following a scruffy lap, leaving him way down the order for Sunday’s 57-lap race.
Verstappen looked set to secure pole after dominating practice, but he made a mistake in his first run in Q3.
With less than two minutes remaining, Leclerc then lost control of his Ferrari and thudded into the wall.
The session was red-flagged and did not restart, leaving Verstappen, who leads Perez by just six points in the standings, in the midfield.
“F*** sake,” said the Dutchman over the radio after he was unable to complete his final lap.
Perez’s pole comes a week after his victory in Azerbaijan and provides him with the chance to take the lead of the world championship.
“It has been a bad weekend,” said the Mexican, who had struggled to get up to speed in his Red Bull before qualifying. “But we made a small change and everything came alive.
“Tomorrow is an opportunity starting from pole and we will go out there and enjoy this amazing crowd.”
Both McLarens failed to progress from Q1 with Lando Norris 16th and rookie team-mate Oscar Piastri last but one on another sobering evening for the British team.
The television feed immediately cut to McLaren CEO Zak Brown whose pained expression was evident to see.
Williams driver Logan Sargeant, 22, who was raised in nearby Fort Lauderdale, will bring up the rear for his first F1 race on home soil.
Lewis Hamilton will start Sunday’s Miami Grand Prix from 13th following a qualifying session to forget for the seven-time world champion in the United States.
Hamilton ended Q2 an eye-watering 1.1 seconds behind pacesetter Max Verstappen and two tenths down on team-mate George Russell, who progressed to the final phase.
Hamilton, who returned to the pits shaking his head, took aim at Mercedes for leaving him with too much to do at the Hard Rock Stadium.
“We left that way too late, guys,” he said over the radio. Hamilton trails team-mate Russell 4-1 in qualifying after the opening five rounds.
Hamilton started Saturday’s running on the backfoot following a near miss with Haas driver Kevin Magnussen.
The British driver, 38, was on his first speedy lap of the afternoon when he was blocked by the Dane under braking at Turn 17.
Hamilton was forced to take evasive action, brushing the barriers in the process.
“Check the front wing”, said the Mercedes driver, who swiftly dived into the pits for repairs. “I just hit the wall.”
The incident will be investigated by the stewards.
Both McLarens failed to progress from Q1, with Lando Norris 16th and rookie team-mate Oscar Piastri last but one on another sobering evening for the British team.
The television feed immediately cut to McLaren CEO Zak Brown, whose pained expression was evident to see.
Williams driver Logan Sargeant, 22, who was raised in nearby Fort Lauderdale, will bring up the rear for his first F1 race on home soil.
Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah wants to keep breaking records after another landmark goal secured a 1-0 victory over Brentford.
The Egypt international struck from close range in the 13th minute for his 30th of the season – the fourth time in six campaigns he has reached that mark – and his 100th goal at Anfield.
He became the first Liverpool player to score in nine successive home matches and in doing so went level with Steven Gerrard in fifth place in the club’s all-time goalscoring list with 186.
“It means a lot to me. I said before, I feel (at) home here, I’m happy,” he told Sky Sports.
“It’s something that makes me proud, to be fair. I work really hard and everybody knows that, everybody sees that.
“I’m just motivated to keep breaking records and just scoring goals and winning games for the team.”
Manager Jurgen Klopp has almost run out of ways to describe the 30-year-old’s continued excellence during their time together at the club.
“The numbers he creates, we all know that after his career he will be seen as one of the all-time greats, that’s clear,” said the Reds boss.
“But now he is still in the career and some people might not appreciate him enough, but we do.
“He deserves all the praise he gets already and he will get even more after his career, that’s how it is, because in a club with the all-time greats we had in the past, being the first one who scores in nine consecutive home games is super-special.
“Scoring again 30 goals this season is super-special and setting up a lot of goals as well – he is so often involved in our goals, not only with the assist or the finish, very often with the second or third-last pass as well which is as important.”
A sixth successive victory – and their third in a week – moved Liverpool to within a point of fourth-placed Manchester United, who have two matches in hand.
“Winning three in a row at home is absolutely special. It will not be a game the people in the stadium tell their grandchildren about but it’s a game (where) there was a lot to enjoy because the fight was exceptional,” added Klopp.
“The focus level the boys showed was exceptional, the concentration top and again a lot of good signs for us, how we could look in the future.
“We have to do that more consistent, we have to learn, we have to adapt, but a lot of good signs and I am really pleased with that.”
Brentford head coach Thomas Frank felt his side deserved more from their display.
“I think, in many ways, we performed enough to get something from this game,” he said.
“I was very happy with the performance. The goal we could have done better in the second phase on a set-piece but besides that I thought we got better and better.”
Aryna Sabalenka turned the tables on Iga Swiatek to win a gripping battle in the final of the Madrid Open.
The world’s two leading female players were meeting in the final for the second event in a row after Swiatek successfully defended her title in Stuttgart.
But the top seed had to settle for second best here as Australian Open champion Sabalenka powered to a 6-3 3-6 6-3 victory to claim her third title of the season.
Although Swiatek still has a big lead in the rankings, the gap has certainly closed and Sabalenka confirmed her status as the best player in 2023 so far ahead of the French Open later this month.
Women’s tennis has been crying out for a rivalry at the top of the game for years and this is shaping up to be a good one, particularly as there appears to be little love lost between the pair.
They are contrasting players with very different personalities – Sabalenka bubbly and ultra-aggressive on court, while Swiatek is a self-declared introvert who uses her supreme athleticism to dominate.
Throw Wimbledon and Indian Wells champion Elena Rybakina into the mix, and the WTA can begin to look forward with optimism despite the lack of true household names.
Sabalenka was desperate to get revenge over Swiatek and she learned the lessons from Stuttgart with a controlled but relentlessly offensive first set.
The Belarusian looked frustrated after failing to take two break points at 3-2 but did not allow her head to drop and made the breakthrough to lead 5-3 before clinching her first set on clay against Swiatek.
The Pole responded impressively by opening up a 3-0 lead in the second set but back came Sabalenka to level with some tremendous power tennis and, had she taken her chance to make it four games in a row, the match might have been over.
However, Swiatek dug in and reeled off another three games in a row to level proceedings at the Caja Magica.
Both knew how important the start of the decider was and, with the intensity levels increasing still further, Sabalenka produced some of her best tennis of the match to move 3-0 in front.
Swiatek rallied again as she looked to maintain her proud record in finals – she had won 14 of her previous 16 – but, having levelled at 3-3, Sabalenka broke once more to lead 5-3 and overcame her nerves to clinch her fourth match point.
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