World No. 1 Iga Swiatek reigned supreme in Doha once again after a statement 7-6 (8), 6-2 victory over Elena Rybakina to claim her 18th career title on Saturday at the Qatar TotalEnergies Open.
Playing in her first tournament since a shock third-round Australian Open exit, Swiatek quickly reestablished her dominance over the rest of the field at the season’s first WTA 1000 event. The Pole dropped only 11 games en route to the final, where she faced her biggest test against big-hitting Rybakina.
Two-time defending champion Swiatek stayed calm even amid Rybakina’s barrage of groundstrokes, as well as the swirling, windy conditions, to clinch the title without dropping a set in a two-hour and 19-minute final.
"I'm happy that I kept working and just didn't really think about too many stuff during this week and just focused on the right things, because I think it was the key," Swiatek said during the trophy ceremony.
"Coming here and being kind of the double-defending champion wasn't easy. So I'm happy that I have this experience already, and hopefully I'm going to use it."
Swiatek is now the first player to win the Doha title more than two times in her career. And even more impressive is that she’s done it consecutively, winning 12 matches in a row—including 22 straight sets—at the Khalifa International Tennis Center.