A walkover and a straight-set win. That’s how the Qatar Open sealed its two finalists. Iga Swiatek will face off against Elena Rybakina for the first WTA 1000 tournament of the year. After their premature exits in the Australian Open that no one had imagined, this final is a great opportunity for them to seal the deal after overcoming some great players. Swiatek, a two-time champion here, will be looking to make it a hat trick in Qatar. As for Rybakina, she’ll be gunning for her first.

Iga Swiatek vs Elena Rybakina: Preview

After a great run at the start of 2023, Swiatek stumbled a bit in the second half. However, she was back in form for the China Open and the WTA Finals. Coming into 2024, Swiatek began her season at the Australian Open. After hard-fought victories in the first two rounds, she lost to Linda Noskova after being a set up in the third-round clash. 

Swiatek began her stint in the Qatar Open with a dominating 6-1, 6-1 over Sorana Cîrstea, following that up with another comfortable 6-1, 6-4 victory over Ekaterina Alexandrova. Playing against Victoria Azarenka in the quarterfinal, Swiatek ended the Belarusian’s hopes by beating her 6-4, 6-0. Set to face Karolína Plíšková in the semifinal, the Czech pulled out, leaving Elena Rybakina standing in her bid for the title.

Rybakina’s 2023 was similar to Swiatek’s. The Kazakhstani player started her year strong, reaching the Australian Open final. However, she couldn’t defend her title at Wimbledon. She managed to win two Masters and then found herself struggling to win finals. Coming into 2024, Rybakina began the year with a bang and won the Brisbane International. An exit in round two awaited her in the Adelaide International and the Australian Open.

She gained momentum once again as she convincingly beat each player in the Abu Dhabi Open to win the title. At the Qatar Open, Rybakina has kept up that form, dropping only one set on the way to the final. And now, Iga Swiatek awaits. 

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Swiatek vs Rybakina: Head-to-Head

The two players have faced off four times. Their first clash took place in 2021 in Ostrava, and the first set was a tie-break contest. Going the way of the Pole, Swiatek comfortably took the second set to win the match. Their next clash was at the 2023 Australian Open, which ended with Rybakina winning in straight sets.

The third bout took place in the 2023 Indian Wells Masters. Rybakina came out on top once again with an even more dominating 6-2, 6-2. The quarterfinals at the Italian Open witnessed their fourth match, and both won a set off each other. In the third set, Swiatek retired when the scoreboard read 2-2, resulting in Rybakina reaching the semifinals and subsequently winning the title.

Prediction: Swiatek to win this time

While their head-to-head statistics favor Rybakina more than the Polish player, she has a better chance of winning the first WTA 1000 of the year. The slower court conditions in the Middle-Eastern tournament favor her more than Rybakina, who is on a roll at the moment. Their clash will likely be hard-fought like it always is, but the Polish player has a better chance of winning.

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