Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open presented by Abu Dhabi Sports Council: Bejlek reaches final

Czech qualifier Sara Bejlek continued her meteoric rise at the Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open on Friday evening, outlasting third seed Clara Tauson 7-5, 3-6, 7-5 to reach her first career WTA final. The 20-year-old left-hander, ranked No 101, showed remarkable physical and mental stamina to overcome the world No 16 in a grueling battle that lasted two hours and 49 minutes on Stadium Court.

Bejlek, who celebrated her 20th birthday just last week, entered the main draw after dominant qualifying wins over Ekaterina Ovcharenko and Chloe Paquet. Her giant-killing run in the Emirates has been clinical, featuring straight-set dismissals of American Ashlyn Krueger 6-3, 6-0 and seventh seed Jelena Ostapenko 6-4, 6-3. In the semifinals, the Czech displayed poise beyond her years, recovering from a second-set dip to edge the Dane in a high-stakes decider where she converted six of her 14 break point opportunities.

Tauson, 23, had appeared nearly untouchable reaching the final four, having dropped just 11 games across her opening matches against McCartney Kessler 6-3, 6-4 and Simona Waltert 6-3, 6-1. However, the Dane struggled with consistency against Bejlek’s depth, committing four double faults and winning only 38% of her second-serve points in the loss.

By reaching the championship match, Bejlek is projected to break into the Top 80 for the first time on Monday. She now faces second seed Ekaterina Alexandrova for the title. The world No 11 Russian secured her spot in the final after saving a match point to defeat American Hailey Baptiste 3-6, 7-6 (5), 6-3.