World No.1 Iga Swiatek was fighting back tears after losing to home favourite Barbora Krejcikova at the Ostrava Open in one of the most thrilling matches all year on the WTA Tour.
The Czech followed up her Tallinn Open victory last week – her first title of the season – with an even more impressive 5-7, 7-6, 6-4 win in front of her home fans against Swiatek.
Something had to give with Krejcikova going for a ninth straight victory and Swiatek herself looking for an 11th straight match win in a run which started at the US Open.
And things got off to a brilliant start for the Polish World No.1 as she raced to a 5-1 lead in the first set.
However, Krejcikova fought back before eventually losing the opener.
Krejcikova then rallied to level the match after watching four set points come and go in the tiebreak.
In the decider, neither could make the key move until the eighth game, with Krejcikova finally earning the break that put her within a game of winning.
But in an extraordinary last stand, Swiatek survived five championship points before her resistance was ultimately broken to deny her an eighth tournament win in 2022.
Following the match, Swiatek was seen in tears during her runners-up speech and later admitted she was ‘too emotional’ after a long tournament.
She also praised Krejcikova for her back-to-back tournament victories.
Tennis fans react to Iga Swiatek and Barbora Krejcikova final
Fans quickly reacted to the remarkable match in Ostrava and the sportsmanship on display between the two stars.
Many also praised Krejcikova for showing compassion towards Swiatek during a tough moment in their post-match interviews.
