Sara Bejlek, a 20-year-old Czech qualifier ranked No. 101, captured her maiden WTA singles title at the Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open by defeating No. 2 seed Ekaterina Alexandrova 7-6(5), 6-1 in the final. The victory marked Bejlek's seventh straight win in eight days, including two qualifying matches. She became the first qualifier to win the event in its five-year history.
Sara Bejlek's remarkable run at the WTA 500 Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open culminated in a straight-sets triumph over Ekaterina Alexandrova on Saturday, securing her first career WTA Tour title. The 20-year-old left-hander, entering the tournament ranked No. 101, overcame a tense first set to prevail 7-6(5), 6-1 in 1 hour and 39 minutes. Alexandrova, the World No. 11 and No. 2 seed, saved two set points in the 12th game and led 4-2 in the tiebreak, but Bejlek rallied to win five of the final six points. In the second set, Bejlek broke serve in the opening game and later reeled off 10 straight points to build a 5-1 lead en route to victory.
Bejlek's path to the title included two qualifying wins to enter the main draw, followed by a second-round upset of World No. 24 Jelena Ostapenko—her career-best win by ranking at the time—a 6-0, 6-2 quarterfinal victory over Sonay Kartal for her first WTA semifinal, and a 7-5, 3-6, 7-5 semifinal win over No. 3 seed Clara Tauson, her first Top 20 victory. The final against Alexandrova marked her second Top 20 win in as many days, doubling her career total in that category.
Alexandrova advanced to the final by saving a match point in her semifinal against Hailey Baptiste, winning 3-6, 7-6(5), 6-3 in 2 hours and 24 minutes for her 13th career WTA final. Bejlek, the former Roland Garros junior doubles champion, is the second straight unseeded winner in Abu Dhabi, following Belinda Bencic's 2025 triumph as a wild card. As the event's first Czech champion and first qualifier winner, Bejlek will rise into the Top 50 of the PIF WTA Rankings next week, surpassing her previous career-high of No. 75 from November 2025.
