World number one Iga Swiatek saved three championship points to beat reigning champion Aryna Sabalenka 7-5 4-6 7-6 (9-7) and win her first Madrid Open title.

The match, the season's longest WTA Tour final, lasted 3 hours and 11 minutes and it marked the 20th career victory for Swiatek and her third of the season.

With her Madrid Open crown, Swiatek also became the first tennis player born in the 2000s, male or female, to capture 20 career tour-level titles.

The only other tennis players born in 2000 or later with double-digit tour-level titles are on the men’s side - Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner, who both have 13 ATP titles to their names.

4 Grand Slams: 2020 Roland Garros, 2022 Roland Garros, 2022 US Open, 2023 Roland Garros

1 WTA Finals: 2023

9 WTA 1000s: 2021 Rome, 2022 Doha, 2022 Indian Wells, 2022 Miami, 2022 Rome, 2023 Beijing, 2024 Doha, 2024 Indian Wells, 2024 Madrid

5 WTA 500s: 2021 Adelaide, 2022 Stuttgart, 2022 San Diego, 2023 Doha, 2023 Stuttgart

1 WTA 250: 2023 Warsaw

The 22-year-old Pole is also the youngest player to win 20 career WTA titles since Caroline Wozniacki in 2012.

A three-time champion at Roland Garros, Swiatek has now won both WTA 1000s on clay. She is also a two-time champion at the Italian Open.

"For sure when I look back in maybe a few years, it will mean a lot. But for now, I'm just happy that I won this tournament anyway. Doesn't matter for me if I won it before or not. I try to win each tournament that I play," said Swiatek.

Dating back to her loss to Sabalenka in Madrid last year, Swiatek has now won her past seven finals.

She is tied with No.4 Elena Rybakina for the season lead in titles (3) and match-wins (30). Her win on Saturday, which gave her a ninth WTA 1000 title, improved her record against Sabalenka to 7-3.

On the other hand, Sabalenka, who could not complete the hat-trick of Madrid Open titles, was pleased with her efforts.

"I'm happy with the level I played, with the effort I put into this match and into this week. It's a lot of good things to take out of this tournament, and I think I'm leaving Madrid with positive thoughts," Sabalenka said after the final.