Ultimately, the result reflected the pre-match expectations but it was far from comfortable for Garbine Muguruza as she clinched her first title of the season at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships on Saturday.
Muguruza, a two-time Grand Slam champion and former world No 1, was up against a player placed outside the top 60 and competing in just her second career final. Yet, regardless of rankings and past records, this was never likely to be a runaway final.
Barbora Krejcikova may have been the lowest-ranked player to ever reach the Dubai final but the world No 63 from the Czech Republic had enjoyed a superb week, dropping just 26 games and winning every set. On top of that, Krejcikova is an accomplished doubles player with five Grand Slam titles to her name.
Muguruza was always going to have to work for her eighth career title, and work she did, needing two hours and eight minutes to deliver a 7-6, 6-3 victory. In that time, the 27-year-old Spaniard saved a set point in the tiebreak, dropped serve twice in the first set, and saved five break points in the second.
"It's a great achievement," Muguruza said in her on-court interview. "I've been coming to Dubai many years in a row and I felt I was close, but today finally I got the trophy and I'm very happy to get this one."
The first set was a cagey and nervy affair. Both players started by failing to hold serve and breaks were again exchanged sixth and seventh games, before Krejcikova held to make it 4-4. Muguruza had the chance to seal the set 7-5 when the ninth seed earned three break points but Krejcikova held firm to force the tiebreak.
It was then Krejcikova's moment to squander a chance to take the opener and Muguruza responded by winning the tiebreak 8-6.
Krejcikova then disappeared for a bizarrely long break between sets, but if she hoped the 11-minute interval might reinvigorate her and disrupt Muguruza's momentum, the opposite happened.
The world No 16 increased her intensity and aggressive intent in the second set, turning what looked set to be a routine service hold for Krejcikova in the opening game into an immediate break.
Muguruza did need to survive some rocky moments but she was undoubtedly in the ascendancy and as Krejcikova became increasingly desperate, the errors started to mount on the Czech's racquet.
In the end, Krejcikova could no longer maintain her resistance as Muguruza raced through the last two games to wrap up the championship on her seventh visit to Dubai.
It is Muguruza's first title since 2019 and comes in her third final of the year, having fallen just short at the Yarra Valley Classic in Australia and last week at the Qatar Open.
It points to a renewed level of consistency from Muguruza, particularly when assessing her route to the Dubai final. Her past three rounds comprised wins over French Open champion Iga Swiatek, world No 8 Aryna Sabalenka, and world No 18 Elise Mertens.
"This week it all paid off. The other weeks I was close but perhaps I fought a bit harder this week," said Muguruza, who will move up three places to world No 13 and climb to second in the Race to Shenzhen. "I feel like the consistency is so hard to get and being able to play in three finals is a good sign that we are on the right track."
Despite the disappointment of defeat in the final, it has been a hugely successful week for Krejcikova, who is set to surge to a career-high No 36 in the rankings.
"It's been such a wonderful week for me," Krejcikova, 25, said. "It was my first time in the main draw and I was able to achieve such a wonderful result, so I'm really proud of myself."
