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Vinay Nayudu
Doha
There couldn't have been a more deserving winner than Petra Kvitova in the $3,173,000 Qatar Total Open 2018 Premier 5 category tournament which saw the world's top 64 players slug it out for seven long days and nights at the Khalifa International Tennis & Squash Complex.
On Sunday, the 27-year-old Czech overcame an awful start to eventually beat World. No 4 Garbine Muguruza of Spain 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 in two hours and 16 minutes and lift the Golden Falcon trophy for the first time. Kvitova also won $591,750 for her effort.
The final, which was witnessed by the Emir HH Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al Thani besides several other top dignitaries and a packed Center Court audience, lived up to the expectations with southpaw Kvitova putting up a fine display of high serves, forehand and backhand volleys, measured top-spin slice and drop shots to prevail over Muguruza, who after taking a tweak of the knee had to call for medical time out in the final set.
The victory was Kvitova's 13th consecutive match win, and the title her second in three weeks since winning at St. Petersburg.
It wasn't easy though as the left-handed Czech, who is now making a comeback into top flight tennis since suffering a surgery to her hand following a knife attack by an intruder in December 2016. In Doha, she beat three of the top-five players including World No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki in the semi-final.
The triumph will see Kvitova's ranking rise from World No. 21 into the top ten in the WTA rankings on Monday.
A delighted Kvitova speaking soon after the final, said,"I have no idea (on how she did it). I just tried.~
"I came here from Prague (Czech Republic), where I was playing the Fed Cup and coming here was moving from indoor to outdoor. I had to get used to the conditions and even today fighting Muguruza, who is a top player, fight back into the match was not easy. I hope the fans enjoyed my performance."
On her top-ten world ranking, Kvitova said,"I remember, sometime last year, when I was asked about this I couldn't even dream of it then. It's a very special feeling to be back and I couldn't have made it without my team -- my coaches, my family and friends. I am very grateful to them."
A graceful Muguruza too commended Kvitova's win saying,"I'm happy. Petra is such a good opponent.
"I think she has great shots, so she puts you in difficult situations. She has a good serve. She has a very good first, second shot, so it's always tricky to find your game or your rhythm."
On her own show in the tournament, Muguruza said,"I had a little big of struggle in the beginning with injury but I'm happy that I made the final in Doha which is such an important tournament for us and it will give me a lot of confidence going ahead into the year."
Strangely, Kvitova began the final having lost the first five games. Down 5-0, she then worked up her serves and found some rhythm to hold the next three serve games. By then Muguruza was already through with the set at 6-3 in 35 minutes.~~
The big Kvitova climb began in the second set where she broke Muguruza in the sixth game and went on to hold the next two to make it 6-3 and restore parity.
A see-saw decider looked to be in store as the two six-feet tall players pushed each other. Kvitova survived three break points in the fourth game to ensure a 2-2 score. She then served superbly in the fifth and mixed her ground strokes to fetch the big break in the fifth game to go up 3-2.
Muguruza, who tweaked her knee in the process called for medical attention and returned with two bandages on her left leg.
It was, however, more a matter of finishing it well for Kvitova who won the next three to claim the set 6-4 and with it the match but not before Muguruza had saved one championship point.
Later with the trophy in hand, Kvitova was all smiles as she expressed herself.
"It feels great. It's a beautiful trophy. It took a while to have it, for sure definitely. Today it was a big fight. Coming from one set down was very difficult. I spent two (hours) and something on the court again. So I don't know how I did it. But it's worth it!"
In the women's doubles, Gabriela Dabrowski of Canada and Latvian Jelena Ostapenko completed a week of overcoming more established pairings with a straight-sets victory over Andreja Klepac of Slovakia and Spaniard Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez to take the Qatar Total Open 2018 title.
Playing just their fourth tournament together, Dabrowski and Ostapenko captured their first title as a team with a 6-3, 6-3 defeat of No.8 seeds Klepac and Mart'ednez Sanchez in the final.
For Dabrowski, it marked her seventh career doubles title and second of the year.
Ostapenko, meanwhile, maintained an unbeaten record in doubles finals to claim her third title with as many partners.
