Krejcikova snaps Sabalenka’s winning streak to claim Dubai Tennis Championships semi spot

DUBAI: World No. 30 Barbora Krejcikova produced a stunning comeback to deliver Aryna Sabalenka her first defeat of 2023 and send last month’s Australian Open champion crashing out of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships under the lights. The Czech’s reward? A semifinal clash against American Jessica Pegula, who received a walkover when her opponent Karolina Muchova withdrew with an abdominal injury.

Krejcikova, a 2021 French Open Singles winner and 10-time Grand Slam Doubles winner, reached the Singles final at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Stadium in 2021. Yet she looked destined for defeat on Thursday when Sabalenka picked up where she left off in a from-behind victory over reigning champion Jelena Ostapenko the previous night. On that occasion, after losing the first set, Sabalenka had dropped just two games to close out the win, and that high level of play continued against Krejcikova, delivering a bagel to claim the first set 6-0.

It took Krejcikova 44 minutes just to get on the board with an imperious Sabalenka, ranked No. 2 in the world and having broken to take a 3-1 lead in the second set, looking all but confirmed to book her place in the final four.

But Krejcikova had other plans.

“I came with a strategy,” she said. “I mean, at the beginning it wasn’t really working, but I just felt like ‘keep going and ‘just try to do your best.’ I expected it was going to be really difficult, but then also, on the other hand, I felt like I have a belief that I can play with these girls. Even with the best ones, I believe I can beat them.”

And beat them she can. Turning devastation to elation, the 2021 Dubai finalist fought back to win 11 of the final 15 games and end Sabalenka’s 13-match unbeaten streak 0-6, 7-6(2),