Swiatek vs Rybakina: Doha Final Analysis (WTA 1000)
The first set was the match. In the middle of it, Rybakina hit her shin, Swiatek hit her stride. Here is a look at what changed after the medical time-out in a very long and entertaining first set.
cover 📸 credit: WTA Tour twitter
Elena Rybakina had a 4-1 double-break lead in the first set when she cut her left shin with the raquet through a serve motion. It drew blood, so a medical time-out was mandatory. While Rybakina was bandaged up, Swiatek used the moment to reflect and chat with her team.
It was the turning point of the match.
Once play resumed, Swiatek won 4 games in a row to get back on serve. Rybakina stopped the run by holding for 5-5 and she had the chance to serve out the set, two games later. But she failed to do it, so a tie-break was required. It turned into another nail-bitter. Swiatek saved a set point at 6:7 with a backhand winner. A couple of points later, Swiatek blasted 2 more backhand winners in succession to win the breaker by a 10:8 score.
After losing a 90-minute set, odds were against a fatigued Rybakina to make a comeback; she was playing a 9th match in 10 days (read Abu Dhabi here). Her slim chances evaporated when she failed to convert 2 break points in the 2nd game and lost serve in the following game.
By then, Swiatek was adapted to the gusty conditions. She played a quality second set to secure victory and extend her win-streak in Doha to 12 matches. It gave Swiatek a hat-trick of Qatar Open titles.
What changed after the medical time-out that turned around the first set?
There was a massive shift in first-strike tennis.
Before the incident, Rybakina had a 5-point edge on short points (won 14, lost 9).
After it, Swiatek built a 10-point gap by winning 22 short rallies and losing 12.
These alterations were brought by:
A complete reversal in return performance
Rybakina’s errors on “+1” shots
1. A complete reversal in return performance
In the early going, Swiatek was struggling to return. She was aced once and missed 6 returns (including 3 on 2nd serve returns). After the medical time-out, she reduced return errors to 2.