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Iga Swiatek has achieved another impressive Serena Williams feat as the Polish tennis star is the first player since the American tennis icon to win three consecutive titles in the same tournament.
On Saturday, top-seeded Swiatek saw off No. 3 seed Elena Rybakina 7-6 (8) 6-2 in the Doha final. For 22-year-old Swiatek, it was her 11th consecutive win in Doha and also her third consecutive title in Qatar.
Before Swiatek, the last player to complete a three-peat in the same tournament was Williams, who claimed titles in three consecutive years at the Miami Open between 2013 and 2015.
After progressing into the Doha final via a Karolina Pliskova withdrawal on Friday, Swiatek became the first player since Williams to make three consecutive finals in a single tournament - the last time it happened when the American made three consecutive finals at the Australian Open between 2015 and 2017.
With that being said, Swiatek managed to emulate two Williams feats in back-to-back days.
1 - Iga Swiatek is the first player to win a WTA event 3 years in a row since Serena Williams, who won the Miami Open on three consecutive occasions between 2013 and 2015. Unstoppable. #QatarTotalEnergiesOpen | @WTA_insider @WTA pic.twitter.com/9unLuCKE7L
— OptaAce (@OptaAce) February 17, 2024
Swiatek wins Doha again without a dropped set
Last year, Swiatek successfully defended her Doha title from 2022 after winning the tournament without a dropped set. This year, Swiatek collected her third Doha title and again did it without a single set lost.
At this year's tournament, Swiatek had a first-round bye before clinching straight-set wins over Sorana Cirstea, Ekaterina Alexandrova, Victoria Azarenka and Rybakina.
Against Rybakina, Swiatek was very close to losing the first set as Rybakina had a 4-1 lead and was up by a double break. Also, Swiatek faced a set point in the first-set tie-break but managed to save it before converting her fourth set point.
After winning a very tight first set against Rybakina, Swiatek broke the Kazakh twice in the second set and gave no breaks to complete a two-set win.
Now, Swiatek is set to compete in Dubai, where she is the No. 1 seed and has a first-round bye.