Krejcikova stuns Swiatek to take Dubai title

DUBAI: Barbora Krejcikova defeated Iga Swiatek to claim the Dubai WTA title on Saturday, becoming just the fourth woman this century to defeat the top three players in the world at the same tournament

For former French Open champion Krejcikova, ranked 30 in the world, it was a sixth career title.

The 27-year-old Czech snapped world number one Swiatek’s six-match, 12-set winning streak with a 6-4, 6-2 result in one hour and 31 minutes, in front of a capacity crowd at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis stadium.

Krejcikova had also defeated second-ranked Australian Open winner Aryna Sabalenka in the quarter-finals and world number three Jessica Pegula in the semi-finals.

Only Venus Williams, Serena Williams and Sabalenka have managed to beat all top three players in a single tournament in the 2000s.

“It’s a huge achievement, what I was able to do this week. I was really enjoying all the matches, I definitely love playing on the big courts,” said Krejcikova, who will move up to 16 in the rankings on Monday.

It was a week of great escapes from Krejcikova -- who saved four match points against an eighth-ranked Daria Kasatkina in the second round and rallied back from 0-6, 1-3 down in her quarter-final against Sabalenka.

“This title definitely means a lot. It was a great week for me, I was improving every single game and today I showed my best,” said Krejcikova, who also defeated Swiatek in the Ostrava final last October.

They are now 2-2 head-to-head in career meetings.

“I have so much respect for Iga, to me she is a big inspiration, she motivates me every day. It was a great final and I’m definitely happy with the result,” she added.

A sharp-angled backhand from a nonchalant Krejcikova gave the Czech an opening service break that helped her to a 3-1 advantage.

Swiatek retaliated, getting back on level terms, but her break for three-all kicked off a series of four consecutive games where neither player managed to hold serve.