The world’s top-ranked player had unfinished business with Svitolina. In 2021, she defeated her in Rome, but last year, she lost to her in the Wimbledon quarterfinals. In Dubai, the 29-year-old Svitolina was seeded 15th.

The first set lasted only 29 minutes. From a 1-1 tie, the Pole did not concede a game more to the Ukrainian. The second set was more evenly contested, with the players breaking each other’s serve twice to reach 4-4. The crucial moment came in the ninth game, when Svitolina made several errors and lost her own service game.

Świątek had to seal the deal on her serve, but her opponent resisted, even earning a breakpoint, which she failed to capitalize on. Świątek ended the match with a strong serve and a net attack. Svitolina, defending herself, attempted a lob, but sent the ball out.

“I felt like she played better in the second set. It wasn’t that easy to just finish points and win points,” Świątek told reporters after the match, praising improvements her Wednesday opponent has made over the recent years.

The next opponent for the world’s top-ranked player will be sixth-seeded Chinese player Qiang Wang, finalist of this year’s Australian Open.