Barbora Krejcikova beats Iga Swiatek to win Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships
The Czech followed up her surprise wins over Jessica Pegula and Aryna Sabalenka with an even bigger upset.
Barbora Krejcikova completed a clean sweep of the world’s top three players with a stunning victory over top-ranked Iga Swiatek in the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships final on Saturday.
The Czech followed up her surprise wins over Jessica Pegula and Aryna Sabalenka – the world number three and two respectively – this week with an even bigger upset as she shocked Swiatek 6-4 6-2 in 91 minutes.
In doing so, the former French Open champion joined elite company with Steffi Graf, Serena Williams, Venus Williams and Sabalenka the only other players to have beaten the top three-ranked players in a tournament.
Krejcikova, herself a former world number two but now ranked 30th, was strong on the Swiatek serve but the Pole twice recovered from breaks in a tight first set.
Krejcikova took firm control with another decisive break to lead 5-4 in the first set and then confidently closed out victory in the second.
