It was a picture-perfect match for Iga Swiatek in the Qatar TotalEnergies Open finals, soaring past Annett Kontaveit to capture her fourth career title and her second at a 1000-level tournament.
Swiatek dominated the 64-minute contest from the get-go and outmaneuvered Kontaveit, winning the match 6-2, 6-0. Swiatek now leads her head-to-head against the Estonian 3-2. With the Doha crown, Swiatek moved up to world No. 4 which ties a career-best ranking.
The 20-year-old Polish star had quite the run to the finals of the first WTA 1000 event of the season. She defeated in-form Viktorija Golubic and Daria Kasatkina, then breezed through top-seed Aryna Sabalenka and seventh-seed Maria Sakkari en route to the championship match. Swiatek only dropped a single set along the way.
In the finals, Swiatek and Kontaveit exchanged breaks early and were all-square after four games in the first set. Swiatek then switched into another gear and won the next 10 games in incredible fashion.
The 20-year-old had five aces, won 67 per cent of service points, and 64 per cent of return points. She showed the world how well-rounded her game is and that she rightfully belongs among the top players on tour.
When asked about her recent success, especially on hard courts, Swiatek pointed out that she’s playing with more spirit than she has in the past.
“It’s so nice to have these kinds of matches where you don’t have actually problems with, you know, keeping the pace and with staying aggressive,” Swiatek said. “Because right now I’m the more aggressive player, and I really love it because it’s giving me a lot of confidence on and off court.”
Swiatek’s next event will be the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells. She made it to the round of 16 at the last edition of the event.
