Qatar Total Open, Doha  

Women’s Final: [4] Garbine Muguruza (ESP) vs. [21] Petra Kvitova (CZE)

The winning streak continues for Kvitova, who has not lost a match since late January. Perhaps it was not a surprise given their history; however, Muguruza was the higher ranked player. Yet, Kvitova was the in-form player. They traded breaks in the first set until Muguruza broke again to secure the first set.

Not discouraged as she has a tendency to get when things are not going well, Kvitova dug in in the second set. One break was all she needed to secure the second set. Although Muguruza had four opportunities to get back on serve, the better serving from her opponent prevented her from doing so. Kvitova plays aggressive tennis and today was no exception; she was relentless in her attack, even when she faced break points against.

The variable if any was stronger conviction in one player. It probably did not help Muguruza’s cause when she took a medical time out to receive treatment for a left knee injury. She needed to be fully focused to withstand the attack and once Kvitova saw that she was vulnerable, she increased her attack further.

She pushed Muguruza from side to side and with the injury, the Spaniard was just a tad slower, which impacted her ability to defend with confidence. Defeat was inevitable once she failed to capitalize on three more break opportunities in the third set. Although a match is not finished until the last ball is struck, it was over the minute Muguruza lost her serve. She was no longer making any impression on Kvitova’s serve and once she started pressing, her unforced errors increased.

Kvitova defeated Muguruza 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 to win her second consecutive title in 2018 and extend her winning streak to thirteen matches. En route to the title she defeated four current top ten players and she will be rewarded with a return to the top ten tomorrow.

SOURCE OF IMAGE:  Zimbio.com (Cameron Spencer/Getty Images Asia Pac:  Petra Kvitova)