Garbiñe Muguruza put the feather on the cap to her impressive Middle East swing with an eighth career WTA title, winning the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships, 7-6(6), 6-3 over surprise finalist Barbora Krejcikova.

"It means a lot because it's never easy to win a title," the former World No. 1 said in her post-match press conference. "I'm excited it happened after a few finals that didn't go my way, and a nice relief to hold a champion's trophy instead of a runner-up's, but it was such a tight match. It could have gone either way, because a final is between the two best players of that week, and I had to work hard tonight."


Playing her third final of 2021, the Rolex Testimonee last lifted a WTA trophy at the 2019 Abierto GNP Seguros in Moterrey, and withstood a worthy challenge from the longtime doubles threat to emerge victorious after one hour and 55 minutes on Center Court.