Barbora Krejcikova showed up at the Dubai Open and completely changed the narrative on Iga Swiatek.

Iga seemed unbeatable on her way to the final, having lost only nine games on her way to the final. In the week previous, she had shown up at Qatar and easily lifted the trophy there dropping a total of four games. So, it was easy to assume that she’d also steamroll Barbora. After all, she’s ranked outside the top 10 and has not had the type of results Iga has had. Also, many of us were starting to expect another crazy winning streak from Iga, just like the one that happened around this time in 2022.

It was not to be though. The narrative here was all about how amazing Barbora looked and how easy it all seemed to come to her. Barbora is a legit top 10 contender. Also, let’s not forget that she’s a former French Open champion and a brilliant doubles player. So, the talent is there. However, to dismantle the number one player in the world as she did in the final at Dubai is truly commendable. Also, it wasn’t just Swiatek who she dismantled. She took out Australian Open champions Sabalenka, Kasatkina, Pegula, and Kvitova on her way to the final. Now she will head to the sunshine swing of Indian Wells and Miami with a ton of confidence, and then on to the clay court swing where she will be considered a favorite at Rolan Garros. Things are certainly looking up for Barbora.

As for Swiatek, she’ll need to regroup. Although ranked number one in the world, she’s been taken out at the last three important tournaments. At the WTA finals, she lost to Sabalenka, at the Australian Open it was Rybakina. Now in Dubai, it was Krajcikova. Some people are now saying that she may only be dominant against weaker opposition. It’s too early for that kind of criticism. However, if you’re going to be number one, you have to win these finals at the important tournaments.

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