Elena Rybakina and Iga Swiatek set to meet for the first time in a final on Saturday at Qatar Open

In this exclusive preview we will look at Elena Rybakina and Iga Swiatek facing eachother for the first time in a final on Saturday, February 17, at the WTA 1000 Qatar Open.

Two of the main dominators of the Tour in the past year will now meet for the sixth time.

The official head-to-head record favours the Kazakh 3-1. Rybakina also won their last three meetings. Oddly enough, the bookies have placed the Polish World No.1 as the favourite. We think this will be a close battle (see prediction below).

The former Wimbledon champion Rybakina has had an impeccable year with a 15-2 record in 2024. She also won 2 titles in just 4 tournaments. She secured the Brisbane International and won the Abu Dhabi Open last week.

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Rybakina leads in victories, currently enjoying an 8-match winning streak. Moreover, few players can boast a favorable head-to-head against Swiatek. Only Maria Sakkari has a positive record with at least three victories over Swiatek, albeit in five matches (60%). Until now, no player has surpassed the Polish player in five encounters, a streak that could change this Saturday at the hands of Rybakina.

Considering that this is the first final between the two players, Swiatek can boast much greater success in this stage. The Polish player has won 17 titles in 21 finals (81%), while Rybakina managed 7 titles in 16 finals (44%).

The current world No. 1 has been relentless in Doha, with an 11-match winning streak and winning the last 21 sets played in the tournament. Swiatek is just one match away from claiming her third consecutive title at the Qatar Open. If Swiatek wins she becomes the most successful champion in the history of the tournament.

The finalists' journey to the Qatar Open Final

Rybakina arrived after an intense week in Abu Dhabi and debuted just two days after lifting the trophy, showcasing great form against Zhu Lin (6-2, 6-1). Her next opponent was the 16th seed Emma Navarro, who pushed her to the third set (6-1, 6-7, 6-4). Her following victims were two former Grand Slam finalist: Leylah Fernandez (6-4, 6-2) and Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (6-2, 6-4). Her problem might be, going into this final, fatigue. The so-called IceQueen will be playing her ninth match in ten days. Will she still have the energy after this brutal sequence of playing so many consecutive matches?

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On the other hand, Swiatek comes in fresher. It is her first tournament since the Australian Open. This means she entered the tournament three weeks after her elimination in Melbourne. The 4-times Grand Slam champion defeated Sorana Cirstea in the first round (6-1, 6-1) and then Ekaterina Aleksandrova (6-1, 6-4). The quarterfinals were against Victoria Azarenka (6-4, 6-0). She subsequently advanced directly to the final after Karolina Pliskova's withdrawal. If Swiatek wins this final, she will beat Elena Rybakina for the first time since 2021. Whatever the outcome this is a must watch. It's a final between 2 of the best players on the WTA Tour.

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Iga Swiatek's dominant run at the Qatar Open continues with a triumph over Victoria Azarenka, earning her a place in the semifinals

Karolina Pliskova’s run finally comes to an end, withdraws from Iga Swiatek semi-final at Qatar Open due to lower back injury

List of previous meetings (including exhibitions)

[21.12.2023 World Tennis League (exhibition special rules) Swiatek I. - Rybakina E. 1-0]

17.05.23 Rome Swiatek I. withdraws at 1-1 handing the win to Rybakina E.

18.03.23 Indian Wells Swiatek I.- Rybakina E. 0-2

22.01.23 Australian Open Swiatek I. - Rybakina E. 0-2

[24.12.22 World Tennis League (exhibition normal rules) Swiatek I.- Rybakina E. 0-2]

24.09.21 Ostrava Swiatek I. - Rybakina E. 2-0

Our prediction: this will go to 3 sets.

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The final two in the first WTA 1000 event of the season. Are you ready for it? 🤩 #QatarTotalEnergiesOpen

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