Absolute Power: Sabalenka tops Kvitova in Doha for sixth career title

On Saturday, Aryna Sabalenka captured her third Premier 5 title and her sixth career WTA trophy at the Qatar Total Open. She overcame Petra Kvitova, 6-3, 6-3, to end the 2018 champion’s 10-match winning streak in Doha.

In a battle between two power hitters, it was the less experienced player who was fearless. The 21-year-old—already in her 10th WTA final—came out firing, taking the first set in 29 minutes.

Having saved six break points in the fourth game of the second set, Sabalenka broke the two-time Wimbledon champion at love three games later, and broke again in the ninth game to close out match in her Doha debut. Sabalenka is now 6-4 in finals, but has won six of her last seven.

"I couldn't really expect the title for the first time in Doha... I'm really happy, it feels so special for me," she said. "I was really focused on each point, and played every point like the last point and like I'm actually losing... I respect [Kvitova], I knew she is a big fighter, I know she will bring everything she have on this final. I tried to focus on each point because I knew that she will try to come back in the game and she will try to beat me."

Earlier, top seeds Barbora Strycova and Hsieh Su-wei captured the Doha doubles trophy with a 6-2, 5-7, 10-2 win over No. 6 seeds Gabriela Dabrowski and Jelena Ostapenko. It was their second title in as many weeks, having won Dubai a week ago.

"It also means a lot for us. It's not easy to always travel from Dubai, then here. You know, we play also singles, so it's a lot of matches, but also it's tough mentally and physically," Strycova said. We got together and it's great, I mean we are the second team [to do this], so it's really unbelievable. We should be proud of us."