Iga Świątek in Doha was undefeated since 2022. However, she faced a great challenge in the final, because Jelena Rybakina was extremely unsuitable for the Polish tennis player. She won once morest her once in 2021, but lost to her three times in 2023. Maciej Synówka explained how to defeat Rybakina in an interview with Sport.pl.
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And the very beginning of the match showed that it would not be easy. Already in the first game, Świątek was broken following Świątek overshot her shots several times and the ball landed behind the end line. Interestingly, Rybakina made similar mistakes in the second game. Świątek was already leading 30-0 and had two break points, but Kazaszka did not let herself be broken. Only in the third game did Świątek succeed, although things got heated following Iga was leading 40:0 and suddenly it was 40:40. The scenes from the first games only made us realize how difficult the match would be for Świątek.
Unfortunately, it was still bad. In the fifth game, Świątek was broken once more, and to make matters worse, the Pole began to become more and more irritated and argued with the staff. And Rybakina played calmly. In the sixth game, the match was interrupted because Rybakina accidentally hit her leg with her racket following serving. Świątek used this time to talk to the staff.
And as it happens in tennis, such a harmless and seemingly insignificant situation can be a turning point. Because following this break, everything changed. Świątek first made up for one break and won the next game on her serve, although not without problems. Rybakina, however, began to make mistakes more often. Effect? After 55 minutes of play it was 5:4 for Iga Świątek! The Pole won four games in a row, defeating Rybakina twice.
But Kazashka didn’t fall apart. In the 10th game she pulled herself together and won by zero. Moreover, in the next game she broke Iga and led 6:5… only to lose the next game! Everything had to be decided by tie-break.
And this one was crazy like the whole set. Both players had match balls. Fortunately, in these key moments, Rybakina’s first pass failed. The tennis player, who is one of the best servers in the entire group, did not use her advantage this time. And so Świątek won the tie-break 10:8 and the entire set 7:6.
Considering the circumstances, this was an amazing turn of events. Let us remind you that the Pole was already losing 1:4 in games, and in the sixth game her opponent served. Then it was 6:5 for Rybakina and she served once more. And in the tie-break she also had to defend the set ball when Kazaszko served.
The beginning of the second set indicated that there would be no change in the game. Rybakina easily won the first game and had a chance to break in the second, but Świątek persevered. And what’s best – she broke Rybakina herself in the third game!
Kazashka began to show signs of impatience, but also fatigue. She spent more time on the court in the tournament than Iga, and the first set was killer. She made more mistakes, which resulted in Świątek breaking it a second time and taking the lead 5:2. And in the next game, she did not allow another twist and won 6:2, becoming the champion in Doha for the third time in a row!