Swiatek beats Elena Rybakina to win third title
World number one Iga Swiatek claimed the Qatar Open title for the third year in a row with a straight-set victory over Elena Rybakina.
Poland’s Swiatek trailed by a double break in the first set but regrouped to beat Kazakhstan’s Rybakina 7-6 (10-8) 6-2 in Doha.
Swiatek lost her three matches against Rybakina in 2023.
It is four-time Grand Slam champion Swiatek’s first WTA title of the year and her 18th overall.
She is the first player to win a WTA singles title three times in a row since American Serena Williams claimed the Miami Open from 2013 to 2015.
Swiatek trailed Rybakina 4-1 in the first set but found her rhythm, forcing things back on serve and saving a set point before closing out the tie-break after 90 minutes.
Rybakina had to take a medical timeout after hitting her leg with her racquet while serving in the first set, and she quickly went down a break in the second.
Swiatek broke the Rybakina serve once more before serving out for victory.
Both are scheduled to play in the Dubai Tennis Championship, which begins on Friday.
Elsewhere, Australia’s Alex de Minaur marked his 25th birthday by beating Grigor Dimitrov 6-4 6-3 to reach the Rotterdam Open final.
De Minaur will face Australian Open champion Jannik Sinner on Sunday after the Italian beat Tallon Griekspoor 6-2 6-4.
Wimbledon champion Carlos Alcaraz missed out on a first final of the season as he lost 7-6 (7-2) 6-3 to Chile’s Nicolas Jarry in the semi-finals of the Argentina Open.
Spaniard Alcaraz was the defending champion at the clay-court event.
At the Delray Beach Open in Florida, Julian Cash will take on fellow Briton Neal Skupski in Sunday’s men’s doubles final.
Cash and American Robert Galloway beat Hugo Nys and Jan Zielinski 6-4 7-5 in the semis, while Skupski and Mexican Santiago Gonzalez were 7-6 (11-9) 7-6 (7-5) winners
over Diego Hidalgo and Cristian Rodriguez.
BBC/ Jamiu Ogunshe
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