World number one Iga Swiatek faced a disappointing defeat in the final at the Centre Court against Czech Republic’s Barbora Krejcikova in straight sets on Saturday (February 25). Krejcikova finished the match in over an hour and 30 minutes to outclass the Pole 4-6, 2-6 to clinch her maiden Dubai Tennis Championship. It was her first WTA title of the year and the sixth of her career.
“It definitely means a lot,” Krejcikova said of her first WTA 1000 title. “It was a great week for me. I think I was improving with every game, and today I finished on my best. I’m really happy with the result.” Also Read: Nick Kyrgios Claims He Hasn’t Done Anything Crazy To Be Branded The “Bad Boy” Of Tennis
Iga Swiatek was the favorite to win the title as she entered the tournament after lifting the Qatar Open earlier this month. She reached the final by beating Coco Gauff in straight sets in the semifinal.
Check how Twitter reacted Barbora Krejcikova’s win over Iga Swiatek
Earlier in the match, Iga Swiatek earned two points in the first set but her opponent went to claim the left ones. It seemed the Pole had lost her rhythm in the second set. Despite getting four chances to break Krejcikova’s serve, she faltered to convert even one.
Now Krejcikova became the first woman to beat Swiatek twice, having beaten the Pole in a marathon final in Ostrava last October 5-7, 7-6 (4), 6- 3. Not only that, she became the fifth woman in WTA history to beat number one, number two, and number three at the same tournament. This title has become the biggest of her career since her claiming the Roland Garros in 2021. Also Read: Andy Murray Saves 5 MPs To Defeat Lehecka, Reaches Qatar Open Final
Krejcikova, who is currently ranked 30th, advanced to the final after conquering three players in the top 10 of the WTA Rankings. At first, she defeated Daria Kasatkina, then 2024 Australian Open champion Aryna Sabalenka, then world number three Jessica Pegula. Also Read: Novak Djokovic Looks Forward To Playing In US Despite Being Unvaccinated
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