© Getty Images Sport – Clive Brunskill
Iga Swiatek has won her third consecutive Doha title after recovering from a slow start to beat Elena Rybakina.
Rybakina, who was bidding to win her first Doha title, was playing a very determined tennis early on and she was up all over Swiatek. But then, up by a double break and having a 4-1 lead, Rybakina hit herself in the leg as she was finishing her serve.
Since there was a cut and some blood on Rybakina’s leg, the match had to be briefly stopped so the 24-year-old Kazakh could get medical assistance. When the match continued, Swiatek won four consecutive games.
In the end, Swiatek went on to beat Rybakina 7-6 (8) 6-2.
While Swiatek undoubtedly started to play much better midway through the first set, there is no doubt that the moment when Rybakina injured herself and required a medical timeout was a turning point in the opener and ultimately the match.
How Swiatek defeated Rybakina?
Rybakina came out absolutely firing early in the match, breaking Swiatek in the first and fifth games for a 4-1 lead. Up by a double break, Rybakina had a chance to push her first-set lead to 5-1. But then, the unfortunate moment happened and Rybakina lost the sixth and…
