Ostrava (Czech Republic): Czech Barbora Krejcikova rallied from a set down to topple World No.1 and top seed Iga Swiatek 5-7, 7-6(4), 6-3 in a thrilling final to win the Ostrava Open women’s single title, here on Sunday.
Krejcikova handed Swiatek just her second career defeat in 12 tour-level singles finals, and first in three years. The 26-year-old trailed 5-1 in the opening set, and though she couldn’t turn the set all the way around, eventually won the match in a staggering 3 hours and 16 minutes.
After losing an opening set that neared 80 minutes, Krejcikova led for much of the second set after she broke Swiatek’s serve for a third time in the first game. However, the World No.1 got the break back for 4-4, and was twice a game away from victory prior to the tiebreak.
Swiatek was also two points from an eighth title of the season with Krejcikova serving at 30-30 in the 12th game. Coming through that hold, though, was the springboard the Czech needed to force a decider: She won the first four points of the tiebreak, and six of the first seven-giving her more than enough cushion when Swiatek erased her first three set points.
Neither woman faced breakpoint over the first seven games of the final set, and Krejcikova struck first with a love break to serve for the match. Having lost just two points on serve before then, the 2021 Roland Garros champion was forced to find her best form to seal her fifth career WTA Tour title.
Swiatek played inspired tennis to save five championship points, but a seventh ace handed the Czech the championship.
The match equals Angelique Kerber’s triumph over Kaja Juvan in Strasbourg, France in May as the longest championship match of 2022 so far.
It’s also Krejcikova’s second three-plus hour victory in as many weeks. She won a 3 hour, 23-minute semifinal match against Belinda Bencic last week en route to the title in Tallinn, and the resurgent Czech has now won nine straight matches.
–IANS