Iga Świątek vs. Barbora Krejčíková: world No. 1 dominant unbeaten stretch snapped in final of Dubai Tennis Championships

CNN
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After an impressive unbeaten run, Iga Sviatek was finally there beat up Because she was stunned by Barbora Krejcikova in the final of the Dubai Tennis Championships.

The World number 1 had only nine games left on the way final – the fewest ever to reach a WTA 1000 final – surpassing the previous record of 10 held by Serena Williams in 2013.

But in the final, she faced a motivated Krejcikova, which the Czech won 6-4, 6-2.

It is the second time he has beaten Poland’s Swiatek in the final of a tournament in recent months, having won the Ajle Open in his home country in October last year.

And the former world No 2 beat a scorching hot Sviatek in 91-minutes in Dubai to clinch a memorable title, his first of the year.

After victory at the Qatar Open last week, Sviatek was one of the in-form players making the short trip to Dubai.

And he maintained his red-hot form leading into the final, meaning he dropped just 14 games in the six matches he played before Saturday’s final.

Sviatek became the second player since Caroline Wozniacki in 2009 to reach six WTA 1000 finals before turning 22.

But in Krejčíková, he faced inspired opposition.

The 27-year-old did not concede a quarter throughout, breaking Sviatek midway through the opening set before claiming a crucial set lead.

And he never relinquished it, once again breaking the three-time Grand Slam winner to claim a famous victory.

It means Krejcikova has become the fifth player to beat the top three ranked players in the same event, after defeating world No. 2 Onas Jebuer and No. 3 Jessica Pegula in the previous two rounds.

He has beaten four top 10 players at the Dubai Tennis Championships this year, the same number as he has played in his previous 24 tournaments.

And as a result, Krejčíková is set to drop from No. 30 to No. 16 in the world rankings.