Swiatek swamped as Krejcikova wins Dubai

Barbora Krejcikova denied Iga Swiatek a second title in as many weeks with a 6-4, 6-2 win on Saturday in the final of the WTA Dubai event.

The Czech who claimed the Roland Garros trophy two years ago, kept her top-seeded Polish opponent from backing up the title she earned last weekend in Doha.

Swiatek, a three-time Grand Slam winner went down in 90 minute, losing serve five times.

She came to the final with the loss of just nine games this week and a 5-0 record in Masters 1000-level finals.

She is the fifth woman on the WTA to beat the first (Swiatek), second (Aryna Sabalenka)and third-ranked (Jessica Pegula) players in the world in the same week.

“This victory means a lot to me,” the winner said. “Today I showed my best tennis. I’m so happy with the result.

“I have so much respect for Iga, she’s a big inspiration.

“This was a great final for both of us, I hope there will be more finals like this for me.”

The first set was a lengthy affair, with five breaks of serve in 10 games, including a run of four in a row.

2021 Dubai finalist Krejcikova put an end to the uncertainty as she converted on her first set points to claim the opening lead over Swiatek as she won the last eight points of the opener.

In the second set, a break of the world No. 1 in the fifth game was enough for Krejcikova to move on to victory as she won the sixth title of her career..

The Czech landed a lob on the baseline to break for 5-2 and kissed the line on her first match point a game later.

WTA calculations show that Krejcikova will climb to 16th in the world as a result of her success.