WARSAW, Oct. 9 (Xinhua) -- Barbora Krejcikova of the Czech Republic beat Poland's world No.1 Iga Swiatek 5-7, 7-6(4), 6-3 to win the AGEL Open on home court in Ostrava on Sunday.
Krejcikova ended Swiatek's winning run, as before Sunday's final clash, the Pole had won her last 10 finals. She suffered a defeat in the decisive match of a tournament for the first time since April 2019, when she lost to Polona Herzog in Lugano, Switzerland.
Initially, Swiatek was on the right track to continue her stunning record as she won the opening set. The Pole broke her opponent twice to take a 5-1 lead. Former French Open champion Krejcikova fought to take three games in a row but the Czech squandered several chances to break Swiatek, who found her feet to close out the first set 7-5.
Krejcikova responded in the best possible way. She broke her rival in the first game of the second set, and then kept up a strong pace. The Pole brought it back to 4-4, but in the tie-break, it was Krejcikova who handled the pressure in the decisive game.
In the third set, both players kept their serves, but Krejcikova took a 4-3 lead after breaking Swiatek. The favorite was not able to seize the initiative mainly due to the Czech's big serves. The 26-year-old prevailed over Swiatek 6-3 to close the final, which lasted for three hours and 16 minutes.
"Iga, well done to you. The whole season you have been beating everybody on the Tour. I'm really sorry for you today, but I'm really glad that I beat you. It was a great match. We gave our all and I am grateful that you're playing. You're such a star and have been doing an incredible job this season," Krejcikova said after the match.
The Pole could not hide her disappointment as she burst into tears shortly after the clash.
"I believe we showed great tennis. It was a special experience as the fans created a stunning atmosphere. I tried to come back but it was hard in the fourth hour of the game. Barbora, you're such an amazing player. I'm pretty happy that you're coming back as you have such solid tennis," Swiatek said. ■
