Two years ago, as Iga Swiatek swept to her first title win in Doha, her performances were characterised by a newfound aggression. Encouraged to play to her strengths by Tomasz Wiktorowski, the experienced coach with whom she had started working in the off-season, the Pole demolished the field, hugging the baseline, shrinking the dimensions of the court, denying her rivals time with her power and accuracy off the ground.
It was the start of something big.
Swiatek would go on to compile the longest winning streak the women’s game has seen this century, a run of 37 consecutive victories that earned her six straight titles and, following the retirement of Ashleigh Barty, the world No 1 ranking. Yet attacking tennis was not the natural forte of a player schooled on clay courts and, as the 22-year-old’s game has evolved, the need to find the middle ground between defence and attack has frequently been apparent.
It is a theme to which Swiatek has returned on more than one occasion at this week’s Qatar Open, but on Saturday, in a messy but majestic final against Elena Rybakina, she overcame a faltering start to find the perfect balance. In blustery conditions that recalled her victory over Jessica Pegula in last year’s final, Swiatek lost four of the first five games, denied Rybakina as she served for the opening set, and saved a set point in the ensuing tiebreak before going on to prevail 7-6 (10-8), 6-2.
The Pole becomes the first player to win three straight titles at the same event since 2015, when Serena Williams claimed a third successive Miami Open crown. In extending her winning streak in Doha to a dozen matches, she also ended a run of three consecutive losses to Rybakina, and reignited her season following a shock third-round exit to Linda Noskova at the Australian Open.
“The time before this tournament was really tough,” said Swiatek, “so I’m even more proud of myself that I believed that I can still play well, even though I felt like, after Australia, it just wasn’t easy.”
Rybakina certainly has a habit of making life difficult for Swiatek, and when she broke twice to establish a 4-1 lead, the contest seemed to be settling into an uncomfortably familiar pattern for the Pole. Time and again in those early stages Swiatek sent balls sailing beyond the baseline as she struggled to control her forehand. She faced a similar situation against Victoria Azarenka in the quarter-finals, overhitting early on before recognising that she needed to build the points more patiently and select the right moments to press. This time, however, Swiatek appeared to be at a loss, casting anxious looks towards her box and gesturing agitatedly.
It took a strange stroke of fortune to turn the tide. As Rybakina served at 30-15 in the sixth game, she inadvertently struck herself on the shin with her racket as she completed her motion, drawing blood. Swiatek took full advantage of the ensuing medical timeout, consulting at length with Wiktorowski while the physio went to work on Rybakina for what seemed an eternity.
“I had the momentum and it was quite tough,” said Rybakina. “Of course, it was a bit unlucky, because if it was not really [bleeding], I would have continued, because it was not the right moment for me to stop. Unfortunately, it took too long. I don’t know why.”
When play finally resumed, the tenor of the match began to shift. A reinvigorated Swiatek broke with a crunching backhand return. There was a palpable increase in her racket head speed as she began to strike her forehand with greater purpose and shape. It was not a perfect recovery but, as her errors became less frequent, it was enough to win four games in a row. Swiatek was on her way.
“The beginning of the first set, I really couldn’t find any idea what to change and do,” said the Pole. “It was a mess. I’m happy that I used coaching, and I came to my coach to hear a little bit of what he thinks, because for sure for him it was easier to analyse and to just tell me some easy stuff to focus on.”
It remained a close-run thing, but Swiatek slowly began to find the balance she needed. That was never more evident than when, having dropped serve again in the face of some bold attacking play from Rybakina, she produced a brilliant piece of counterpunching to break back immediately, scrambling to reach a heavy approach shot, rifling a backhand pass off the overhead that followed, then racing forward to bury a short ball.
There were still some unsightly mistakes. Wiktorowski winced when Swiatek netted a backhand down the line to squander the second of two set points in the ensuing tiebreak. But the world No 1 atoned by bravely hammering the same shot for a winner to deny Rybakina a set point of her own at 7-6, then flicking away a pass on her fourth set point. It wasn’t always pretty – 28 of Swiatek’s 37 unforced errors came in that 90-minute opening set – but it was undeniably courageous.
“I’m happy that I just started playing a little bit more solid,” said Swiatek. “I just had to accept that I’m going to make some mistakes, more than usual, because for sure it was hard for us sometimes to put it in when the ball went crazy [because of the wind].”
By the end, Swiatek was more than just solid. As she closed in on victory, the Pole once again turned defence into attack, sprinting forward to close down a short, angled volley from Rybakina before coolly taking over at the net. Having pulled Rybakina right and then left with a pair of assured volleys, the Pole thumped away an overhead before sharing a quiet smile with her team. After the disappointment of Australia, her season is up and running.