Barbora Krejcikova’s the 2023 Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships’ winner. The Czech defeated top seed Iga Swiatek in the final on Saturday for her last hurrah in the event. After an hour and 31 minutes of play, Krejcikova won 6-4, 6-2.
Swiatek had been in great form headlining the final and had been pegged to be the favourite. However, Krejcikova broke down her game convincingly from the first point. The opening set saw both players trade a couple of breaks before Krejcikova secured a third break on Swiatek’s serve in the ninth game. Thereafter, there was no looking back for her.
The 2021 Roland Garros winner won 70% of her first-serve points to Swiatek’s 57%. She also won 77% points on return on the Pole’s second serve. On her own second-serve, Krejcikova won 57% points. The 27-year-old had 13 more winners than Swiatek’s 10 and eight fewer unforced errors than her opponent’s 27. She finished the match with 64 points to Swiatek’s 44.
Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships: Barbora Krejcikova gets it done, all the way
Krejcikova’s win over Swiatek also brought an end to the three-time Slam champion’s winning streak that had begun in Doha, when she won the title here.
Meanwhile, speaking with the media after her win, Krejcikova shared, “I think I showed my best tennis this week. I’m really happy with the way how I played, how I was able to play my tennis but also hold the nerves, just enjoy everything that was happening during this week on the court.”
Barbora Krejcikova’s had an interesting week at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships. She needed to save a few match points in her second-round match against Daria Kasatkina before she won it. Then, in her quarter-final against Aryna Sabalenka, she got bagelled in the first set before she turned the match and upset the reigning Australian Open winner. For her efforts, Krejcikova’s now won the sixth title of her career.
Photo Credit: WTA Twitter