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Barbora Krejcikova beat Iga Swiatek 6-4 6-2 in the final of the Dubai Tennis Championships on Saturday to end the top Pole’s run in the Middle East swing and claim her first WTA title of 2023 and sixth overall. .
“It means a lot. It was a good week and I improved in every game. Today I showed my best tennis,” said Krejcikova. “Iga motivates me every day, it was a good final and I’m always happy with the result.”
Victory meant former world No 2 Krejcikova became only the fifth player to beat the world’s top three in the same event and she started in dominant fashion by breaking in the first game with a searing crosscourt backhand winner.
A calm match allowed Swiatek to level at 3-3, but the Czech opponent – another Grand Slam champion who will win the Roland Garros title in 2021 – immediately attacked with an aggressive ball attack only to give up his serve again.
Krejcikova took the next game to love as Swiatek struggled to contain an unforced error and the 27-year-old held firm to wrap up the opening set when the Pole sent a long forehand.
It was the first set Doha champion Swiatek had dropped in two weeks and the 21-year-old was 4-2 down in the second set as Krejcikova took control of the match.
Krejcikova, who defeated Australian Open champion and world No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka in the quarterfinals and third-ranked Jessica Pegula in the semifinals, closed out the match on serve to join the elite club.
Steffi Graf, Serena Williams, Venus Williams and Sabalenka are the only ones to have beaten the top three ranked players in the same tournament.
“It’s a big achievement,” added Krejcikova, who won her first WTA 1000 title. “I like all the matches and I like to play on a big pitch with a good atmosphere. I hope there will be more matches like this for me.”
Krejcikova is set to rise from No 30 to 16 when the rankings are updated on Monday
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