Iga Swiatek has emerged as the champion of the Doha tournament for the third year in a row, overcoming a slow start to defeat Elena Rybakina. Rybakina, who had hopes of securing her first Doha title, displayed a determined performance in the early stages of the match, dominating Swiatek. However, her lead was disrupted when she accidentally injured herself during a serve, resulting in a brief pause for medical attention. When play resumed, Swiatek seized the opportunity and won four consecutive games. Ultimately, Swiatek triumphed over Rybakina with a score of 7-6 (8) 6-2.
Although Swiatek’s performance notably improved midway through the first set, it is undeniable that Rybakina’s injury and subsequent medical timeout marked a turning point in both the opening set and the overall match. Rybakina began the match with incredible intensity, breaking Swiatek’s serve in the first and fifth games to secure a 4-1 lead. With a double break advantage, Rybakina had a chance to extend her lead to 5-1. However, the unfortunate injury occurred, leading to her loss of the sixth game and the subsequent three games. Consequently, Swiatek went from being down 1-4 to leading 5-4.
In the tenth game, serving to maintain her position in the first set, Rybakina successfully held her serve and then broke Swiatek in the following game, granting her a 6-5 lead. Just as it seemed that momentum was once again in Rybakina’s favor, she failed to serve out the first set. Swiatek capitalized on this opportunity and broke back, forcing the opener into a deciding set. Despite facing a set point, Swiatek managed to save it and ultimately converted her fourth set point, securing a tightly contested first set.
Following her loss in the first set, Rybakina missed out on two break points in the second game, paying the price as Swiatek secured an early break in the third game. With a set and break advantage, Swiatek further broke Rybakina’s serve in the seventh game, establishing a 5-2 lead. She then served out the match in the following game, clinching the Doha title.
According to the Source tennisworldusa.org