"She's so insane, what a title defense" - Tennis fans gush over Iga Swiatek winning Qatar Open in dominant fashion

Tennis fans react to Iga Swiatek
Tennis fans react to Iga Swiatek's Qatar Open title win.

World No.1 Iga Swiatek successfully defended her title at the Qatar Open on Saturday, February 18, defeating World No.4 Jessica Pegula 6-3, 6-0 in the final.

Swiatek, the top seed, beat the second-seeded Pegula comfortably to win her first WTA title of the year and 12th overall. The 21-year-old Pole got over the finish line while dropping only five games all week.

Doha was also Swiatek's first title last year, which kicked off a historic 37-match winning streak that included her second Grand Slam title at Roland-Garros.

Several tennis fans took to Twitter to celebrate Iga Swiatek's victory over Jessica Pegula. One user stated that Swiatek's defeat to Pegula in the 2023 United Cup triggered something in her and inspired her to come back stronger.

"She was laser focused and on a mission. When she loses it clearly triggers something in her and she comes back stronger with a vendetta. It’s great to see," the user wrote.

Another user thought that losing in the fourth round of the 2023 Australian Open to Elena Rybakina drove the three-time Grand Slam winner "mad," and predicted that she would win 90% of her matches this year.

"Losing in Aussie Open made her mad, she’s gonna win 90% of her games this year!" the user tweeted.

Another account stated that Iga Swiatek is the future GOAT, writing:

"AND THAT'S FUTURE GOAT!"

Here are a few more reactions from tennis fans:


"I'm focusing on smaller things that are kind of making me happy every day" - Iga Swiatek on coping with the pressure of being World No. 1

Iga Swiatek pictured with her Qatar Open trophy.
Iga Swiatek pictured with her Qatar Open trophy.

During her press conference after the Doha semis, Iga Swiatek was asked how she handles the pressure of being the World No. 1 tennis player and the expectations that come with it.

The 21-year-old admitted that she has moments when she feels like she can't bear the pressure. She went on to state that she tries to focus on the smaller things that make her "happy" every day, which she believes helps to a great extent

"Well, on one hand, like tricking your brain is always going to be tough, so you have to kind of accept that these thoughts are going to come. It's not easy. For sure I have moments where it feels like impossible to kind of fight it, you know," Swiatek said.
"So I'm just trying to, I don't know, accept that and focus on other stuff and not really overthink everything and just remember that I want to, yeah, as I said earlier, feel free on court. I'm just, I don't know, not wasting my time fighting about it. It's more like I'm focusing on different stuff and on smaller things that are kind of making me happy every day, yeah," she added.

Swiatek's remarkable run at the Qatar Open set a new record for the lowest number of games dropped in a WTA title run.

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