Swiatek snaps losing streak versus Sakkari, reaches Doha final

The former Roland-Garros champion was in irresistible form against a player who has proved the most impossible of opponents in the past

Iga Swiatek of Poland in action during the quarter-final of the 2022 Qatar TotalEnergies Open (Panoramic)

Carrie Dunn

February 25, 2022

Iga Swiatek snapped her losing streak against Maria Sakkari in the semi-final of the Qatar TotalEnergies Open, winning 6-4, 6-3.

It is the Pole’s first-ever win over the Greek, and it took her through to her first WTA 1000 final – and as she sat down on her chair at the end of the match, she was obviously emotional.

Swiatek came back from a break down in both sets, but she made a wry comment about how she dealt with that particular bit of pressure in her post-match interview, saying: “I always go a break down against her, I was prepared for that.”

Happy tears 🥲

🇵🇱 @iga_swiatek defeats Sakkari for the first time to advance to the Doha final!#QatarTennis pic.twitter.com/iLmYi8uaeN
— wta (@WTA) February 25, 2022

She also explained her overwhelming feelings after such a big win against a player who had been her nemesis.

“I don’t know how that happened!” she admitted. “I’ve been doing so much work to play well in those matches. Maria, I have a really bad head-to-head against her so I knew this was going to be an important match for me mentally.”

The 20-year-old thanked the noisy Polish fans for their support, and added that she was looking forward to the prospect of a final against Anett Kontaveit, advising the crowd: “Get some snacks – bring popcorn, I think it’s going to be a nice match.”

Swiatek: I want to be a leader

Swiatek spoke in her post-match press conference about her progress towards being able to play with a sense of fearlessness.

“For sure, this week has shown me that when I’m playing fearless it’s giving me points, so basically, I mean, it has to do with my attitude, with my mentality – you know, just coming into the match with thoughts that, ‘Hey, I want to be a leader right now, and I want to be in control of that match.’

“Sometimes people are able to do that; sometimes not. It depends also on the opponent. It’s the kind of sport where you have to think about that. So I’m pretty happy that this week I was the one to be on top of the game.”