Iga Swiatek defeats Aryna Sabalenka to win second straight Stuttgart title

WATCH: Iga Swiatek defeated Aryna Sabalenka to win the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix for the second year in a row.

Sunday's Porsche Tennis Grand Prix final between Iga Swiatek and Aryna Sabalenka had all the makings of watershed moment for women's tennis in 2023.

The first match between the WTA's No. 1 and No. 2 players in four years. The seventh all-time meeting between Swiatek and Sabalenka, but their first as the tour's consensus top players. Whispers that the in-form Australian Open champion has exactly what it takes to unseat the Polish star at the top of the women's rankings.

But after 1 hour and 50 minutes, Swiatek showed why she's still the player to beat: World No. 1 Swiatek edged world No. 2 Sabalenka in a high-quality, but ultimately straightforward, two sets to rule in Stuttgart for the second year in a row, 6-3, 6-4.

Swiatek is the first player to win back-to-back trophies (and custom Porsches) in Stuttgart since Angelique Kerber in 2015 and 2016. It's also the third successful title defense of her career, and second this year after she also went back-to-back in Doha in February.

"I don't even know what to say. I'm so excited ... It's hard to even get my thoughts together," Swiatek said in her winner's speech. "Aryna, you've had such an amazing season ... I'm really happy that we are so consistent and that we can play so many amazing matches together, because I think fans are enjoying it. It was such high intensity."

Swiatek came into Stuttgart having not hit a ball in anger in more than a month as a consequence of the rib injury that forced her out of both the Miami Open and Poland's Billie Jean King Cup Qualifier. Wins over 2022 WTA Newcomer of the Year Zheng Qinwen and former Stuttgart champion Karolina Pliskova (from a set down) put her in the semifinals, and she advanced to the final again after Ons Jabeur retired with a calf injury after just three games.

But any concerns that Swiatek was undercooked, particularly as a result of the abridged semifinal, were quickly dispelled in the championship match. She withstood bruising power from Sabalenka at the baseline and extended rallies with expert defense—no more crucially than in the eighth game of the opening set. Swiatek broke Sabalenka from 30-0 in that game en route to wrapping up a one-set lead, and held serve from 0-30 down in each of her first two service games of the second set after breaking Sabalenka's serve to open.

With her father Tomasz among those watching on at the Porsche Arena, Swiatek finished with a flourish: Her only love hold for the match came in the last game.

Thanking her team in victory, Swiatek added: "It's been such an intense time the last couple of weeks, tough decisions sometimes, but I'm so happy that we are making the right decisions."

Running her career record in Stuttgart to 8-0 with her run this week, Swiatek is now 13-3 in WTA finals in her career. She's also 5-2 all-time against Sabalenka. But, even though she's leaving Stuttgart beaten, Sabalenka still leads the tour with 23 match wins in 2023.