Iga Swiatek said conditions at the Qatar Open are “tricky” after she beat Maria Sakkari 6-3 6-2 in the second round.

The world No. 2 is aiming for a fourth consecutive title at the WTA 1000 tournament, having dominated the previous three editions in Doha.

But she admitted there was a need to be “patient” in her victory over Sakkari, adding that her performances in Qatar have not been “perfect”.

Asked why she has been so successful in Doha, Swiatek said: “Honestly, hard to say. From what I remember, it’s not like I’ve been playing flawlessly, so it’s not like these tournaments were perfect, but at some point always I found some solutions.

“I think the conditions here are pretty tricky, and I was patient enough to just keep focussing on my game.

“Every year it’s different, every year there is a different story, so it’s hard to compare and hard to find one thing that worked exactly.”

Though she eventually made her superiority tell against world No. 29 Sakkari, Swiatek had a difficult start on her return to Qatar.

Sakkari, having fallen 2-0 behind in the first set, won three straight games to lead 3-2, suggesting a difficult afternoon could be in store for Swiatek.

But the Pole appeared refocussed and determined after the minor setback, stepping up her game and taking the set away from Sakkari, who faded away after such a promising start.

The second set was even more convincing from Swiatek’s perspective. She raced into a 4-0 lead and took the set 6-2 to seal a comfortable victory.

It was a 13th straight win in Doha for Swiatek, who has now won 25 consecutive sets at the tournament. But the 23-year-old has not won a title since her French Open success in June last year.

“I know how tennis works,” she said. “It doesn’t always depend on you if you win titles or not. You just have to put 100% effort and commitment, and you’ll get your chances if you play well and if you work hard.

“For sure, it will be nice to win some tournaments, but it’s never helpful to think about it before. You have to focus on every match specifically and do it step by step, so I’m going to try to do that again.”

Swiatek will now face Kazakh Yulia Putintseva or Czech Linda Noskova in the round of 16 at the Qatar Open.