Iga Swiatek, the world number one, triumphed over fourth-ranked Elena Rybakina to claim the Qatar Open title for the third consecutive year, winning 7-6, 6-2 in the final on Saturday. The 22-year-old Polish player, who secured her 12th consecutive victory in Doha after defeating Rybakina, becomes the first player to win a singles title at the same tournament three years in a row since Serena Williams won in Miami from 2013 to 2015.
Swiatek improved her record against the Kazakh player to 3-2, following her losses in all three encounters last year. She had a slow start, falling behind 4-1 in a tumultuous opening set, before recovering to level it at 4-4, with both players holding their serve to send the set to a tiebreak. No player was able to dominate the tiebreak until Swiatek concluded the 90-minute set with a stunning backhand.
Rybakina took time for treatment after injuring her leg during the first set, and it seemed to hinder the Kazakh player, as Swiatek wasted no time in clinching the second set and securing her first title of the year at the prestigious 1000-point events.
