World No.23 Barbora Krejcikova battled for three hours and 16 minutes to defeat world No.1 Iga Swiatek 5-7 7-6(4) 6-3 in the final of the Agel Open in Ostrava and win her fifth WTA title.
After lifting the champion’s trophy in Tallinn last week, Krejcikova pulled off a fairytale home tournament triumph with a hard-fought victory over the Tour’s most dominant player who had won her previous ten championship matches.
The top-seeded Swiatek eventually clinched the first set, after letting a 5-1 lead slip away and saving three break points at 5-5. Krejcikova edged the gruelling second set in a tiebreak, in which she won six of the first seven points and had enough advantage to survive a late Swiatek rally.
In the third set, neither player established a lead until the eighth game, when Krejcikova earned a love break and got in the position to serve for the match. The finish was as thrilling as the entire match, as Swiatek saved five championship points before a seventh ace handed Krejcikova her first win over the Pole in their three career meetings.
The marathon Ostrava Open final featured 231 points. Earlier in the week, Krejcikova defeated Shelby Rogers in the first round, Belinda Bencic in the second (walkover), Alycia Parks in the quarterfinals and reigning Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina in the semis.
The best final of the year bar none. Well done and here’s to many more if the same. Also what an awesome crowd all week. Please keep Tournaments in Europe, particularly avoiding China.