Barbora Krejcikova, 27, joined an exclusive roster featuring Serena Williams as she is the fifth player to beat all three top 3 players en route to winning a title, according to OptaAce. At a WTA 1000 event in Dubai, Krejcikova’s run to the title included wins over world number 1 Iga Swiatek, world number 2 Aryna Sabalenka and third ranked Jessica Pegula.
On Saturday, Krejcikova defeated top seed Swiatek in the Dubai final 6-4 6-2. Now, Krejcikova has joined a list that includes Serena and Venus Williams, Sabalenka and Steffi Graf.
5 – Barbora Krejcikova is the fifth player to win v #1, #2 and #3 in a tournament in the last 40 years after A.
Sabalenka at the 2022 WTA Finals, V. Williams at the 2008 WTA Finals, S. Williams at Miami 2002 and S. Graf at Roland Garros 1999. Collect.@WTA | #DDFTennis pic.twitter.com/QwrC0HMoqV —OptaAce (@OptaAce) February 25, 2023
Krejcikova’s run to the Dubai title also included wins over world number 15 Daria Kasatkina and world number 15 ranked Petra Kvitova.
Krejcikova ‘didn’t expect’ it to go well when she arrived in Dubai
Krejcikova’s tour of the Middle East did not get off to a truly positive start. In early February, Krejcikova suffered a 7-5, 7-6(6) loss to Liudmila Samsonova in the round of 16 in Abu Dhabi.
After suffering a tight loss in Abu Dhabi, Krejcikova experienced the same thing in Doha when Veronika Kudermetova outclassed her 6-4, 3-6, 7-6(5) in her opening match in Doha. After two heartbreaking losses in Abu Dhabi and Doha, Krejcikova didn’t come to Dubai expecting to do well, but she did want to try and have fun on the pitch.
«Well, to be honest, no, because the last two tournaments I played I lost in the second round. Last week I lost in the first round. I mean, I was fighting. It was, like, very close matches, but it just didn’t work out. t go my way. I mean, this week I came here and I said to myself, okay, let’s enjoy it.
I feel like I’m playing well. I need a little more luck. I mean, as the matches went on, I mean, I saved four match points in the second round. I finally felt like, okay, this is luck, this is what I’ve been waiting for. I think from there my game got better,» Krejcikova explained after her Dubai semifinal win over Pegula.
