World No.1 Iga Swiatek impressively won her third consecutive title at the Qatar TotalEnergies Open with a hard-fought 7-6(8) 6-2 victory over Elena Rybakina in the 2024 edition of the WTA 1000 tournament.
In a gripping first set, Swiatek mounted a stunning comeback from a double break down, rallying from 1-4 to lead with the score 5-4. Despite facing a tense moment serving to stay in the set, Rybakina held her serve to love and capitalized on her third break point in the next game, reclaiming her lead.
However, the Kazakhstani didn’t manage to serve it out. Swiatek once again fended off Rybakina’s attacks and impressed with a break that leveled the score at 6-6. Swiatek saved one set point and converted her fourth to clinch the first set in a tiebreak.
The second set was more of a one-way street for Swiatek, who earned breaks in the third and seventh games before comfortably serving it out to secure the victory.
After receiving a first-round bye, Swiatek opened her campaign with a 6-1 6-1 victory over Sorana Cirstea, followed by a solid win over Ekaterina Alexandrova with a score of 6-1 6-4. In a standout performance, Swiatek defeated the two-time Doha champion Victoria Azarenka 6-4 6-0 and received a walkover against Karolina Pliskova in the semifinals. The top seed then…
