Tennis weekly round-up: Novak Djokovic wins milestone 90th title in Astana, Taylor Fritz triumphs in Tokyo, Barbora Krejcikova edges Iga Swiatek to reign supreme in Ostrava | October 3-9, 2022
The past week featured several high-octane matches across four tournaments. Novak Djokovic brushed aside the competition to capture his 90th title at the Astana Open.
Taylor Fritz wasn't even sure about participating in the Japan Open as he was in quarantine the week before due to COVID-19. He arrived at the last minute in Tokyo and capped off a rollercoaster week by winning the title.
World No. 1 Iga Swiatek, meanwhile, reached yet another final in Ostrava but was stopped by Barbora Krejcikova from capturing her eighth title of the season in an epic final.
Here's a recap of all the action from the past week:
Novak Djokovic wins historic 90th career title in Astana
21-time Major champion Novak Djokovic sent a warning to the rest of the tour by capturing his 90th title at the Astana Open. He defeated Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-3, 6-4 in the final to capture his second consecutive title, following last week's victory at the Tel Aviv Open. This was his fourth title of the season.
Djokovic lost just one set en route to the title and is currently on a nine-match winning streak. The Serb is in great form at the moment and it's looking increasingly unlikely that his winning ways will come to an end any time soon. He's set to compete in the Paris Masters after this, unless he takes a wildcard to participate somewhere else prior.
Taylor Fritz captures his 3rd title of the season at the Japan Open
Taylor Fritz withdrew from the Korea Open due to COVID-19 and spent the week in quarantine. He arrived late to Tokyo for the Japan Open and expectedly, was far from his best. But the American soldiered on, defeating James Duckworth and Hiroki Moriya in three sets.
Fritz received a walkover from Nick Kyrgios to advance to the semifinals, where he defeated Denis Shapovalov in three sets. He was up against compatriot Frances Tiafoe in the final, who had a relatively easy road to the title clash. But it was Fritz who came out on top in the end, winning 7-6(3), 7-6(2) to clinch his third title of the year.
The American's run in Tokyo has propelled him into the top 10 of the rankings, making his debut at No. 8.
Barbora Krejcikova puts an end to Iga Swiatek's winning streak in finals, captures the Ostrava Open title
Despite some incredible results in doubles, Barbora Krejcikova struggled to replicate that success in singles. However, that changed when she defeated Anett Kontaveit to win the Tallinn Open last week, her first singles title of the season. She continued her good run of form in Ostrava, scoring wins over Shelby Rogers, Belinda Bencic, Alycia Parks and Elena Rybakina to reach the final.
Krejcikova faced the difficult task of taking on Iga Swiatek in the title round. Since losing her maiden WTA final in 2019, the World No. 1 has won 10 in a row. But the Czech proved she was up for the challenge as the duo played out one of the best matches of the year.
Krejcikova ultimately defeated Swiatek 5-7, 7-6(4), 6-3 to capture her second consecutive title. She also became just the second player to defeat the World No. 1 in a final. She'll now head to Romania to compete in the Transylvania Open this week.
Elise Mertens wins the inaugural Jasmin Open
World No. 2 Ons Jabeur was the favorite to win the first edition of the Jasmin Open, which was held in her native Tunisia. However, she lost in the quarterfinals to Claire Liu. Elise Mertens and Alize Cornet contested the final, with the Belgian scoring a dominant 6-2, 6-0 win.
This was Mertens' seventh career title in singles and her first of the season. It was yet another missed opportunity for Cornet, who hasn't won a title since 2018.