Swiatek Stops Rybakina's Comeback Attempt To Beat Her At Qatar Open In Doha
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Iga Swiatek continued her incredible winning streak at the Qatar Open after she managed to beat even Elena Rybakina.
In the past, Rybakina has been one of the players capable of challenging the Pole. She has beaten her four times in their previous seven matches, which is why she led their H2H ahead of this meeting at the WTA 1000 event in Doha.
There aren't many players on the WTA Tour who have played against Swiatek multiple times and have beaten her more times than she has beaten them. In fact, Rybakina and Jelena Ostapenko were the only two players before this match.
But Swiatek was on a mission to change that. If there is one place where she knows how to beat the Kazakhstani player on the hard courts it's in Doha. The Pole has enjoyed unprecedented success in Qatar, having won the last three editions of the event.
Although she ended her streak of consecutive sets won in her third-round match against Linda Noskova, Swiatek once again started very dominantly in the match against Rybakina.
The Polish player was almost flawless on her serve in the opening set. She broke Rybakina's serve already in the second game to lead 2-0, and Swiatek then added one more break to win the first set 6-2.
During the entirety of the opening set, the WTA World No. 2 player didn't have to face a single break point. She served really well, which helped her to easily win the set 6-2.
But the same thing couldn't be said about her serving in the second set. The second seed was broken immediately in the first game. On top of that, she struggled to use her chances to break back.
In the first four games, Swiatek had a total of five break points, but Rybakina saved all of them, which is why the Kazakshtani player led 3-1 after the first four games.
But the 2022 Wimbledon champion wasn't able to hold the lead for too long. Swiatek broke back, and after saving two break points herself, it seemed that the second set would have to be decided in a tie-break.
But down 5-6, Rybakina felt the pressure when she couldn't convert a game point at 40-30. Swiatek won three consecutive points to win the match 6-2, 7-5, and secure a semi-final spot in Doha.
Her next opponent will be either Ons Jabeur or Jelena Ostapenko, who would be an interesting opponent for the Polish player. She's the only player who Swiatek never managed to beat before, as the Latvian holds a 4-0 record against her.
