Iga Swiatek pulls off perfect performance to lift Doha trophy 

Clear evening skies, 70 degree weather and a fairly-fast hard court at the Qatar TotalEnergies Open in Doha proved to be the winning recipe for Iga Swiatek. Standing across the net was hard-hitter Anett Kontaveit who was on a nine-match win streak after claiming St. Petersburg. But her momentum came to an abrupt end at the hands of the 20-year-old that showcased incredibly aggressive tennis to claim her second 1000-level title with a 6-2, 6-0 score.

The only thing that didn't go Swiatek's way on Saturday evening was the coin toss. It was clear she understood the assignment of not giving up the court and falling into defensive battles. Against a player that holds an abundance of power from the baseline like Kontaveit, it's almost a lost cause to wait for errors. If Swiatek was going down, it surely wasn't going to be because she was scrapping to get balls back. From start to finish she sent a message to the Estonian that she could not only handle her pace, but take it up a notch.

The 2020 Roland Garros champion stayed on top of the baseline and moved the ball with outstanding precision, not going for too much and striking shots three feet in. Once the first set was under her belt, she remained focused on the task at hand and never allowed the moment to overwhelm her.

The world No. 8 was an absolute bully on Kontaveit's second serve, which ultimately applied pressure. This led to a 44 percent first serve and 20 percent second serve percentage late in the second set for Kontaveit. It seemed as almost Kontaveit's hands were tied—it didn't matter how big she went because the Grand Slam winner was going to fire back even harder.

Kontaveit's winning streak came to an end and she won't see her ranking soar to world No. 3 after the tough final-round loss. However, it was a stellar week as she took down another red-hot player in Jelena Ostapenko who was also riding a nine-match winning streak in the semifinals.

As for Swiatek, her first WTA 1000 hard court title sees her jump past Kontaveit in the rankings and into the world No. 5 spot. Eight of the Top 10 competitors vied for the Doha crown this year, which makes the No. 7 seed's victory that much sweeter.