Canadian Gabriela Dabrowski and partner Luisa Stefani downed defending champions Katerina Siniakova and Storm Hunter 7-5, 6-4 to win the Wuhan Open on Sunday.
It was the sixth title of the season for the duo and third in a row, following their victories in Beijing and Sao Paulo. The duo now holds eight WTA titles as a team and improved their record on tour to 79-19.
This is the 26th career WTA doubles title for the 34-year-old Dabrowski, and her eighth WTA 1000 crown.
“I'm really pleased with where we are and where our level is. I think we're doing a lot of the right things, whether it's in practice or matches. So it's really nice to see it pay off in results consistently throughout the season,” the Ottawa-born Dabrowski said in her post-match press conference. “Very grateful for these last couple of weeks, but we certainly have our eyes still on a few more events.”
Read also: Dabrowski, Stefani beat top seeds Siniakova, Zhang to win China Open
As they did against the Siniakova-led pair in the Beijing final last weekend, Dabrowski and Stefani got their opponents to blink first and earned the first break of the match, this time to take a 3-1 lead in the opening set. The pair had a glorious chance to take full control of the first, earning a double break point with the chance to go up 5-1 and serve for the set.
Instead, Siniakova and Hunter would flip the match on its head and steal all the momentum. The tournament's No. 3 seeds saved both break points to hold and would follow up with their first break of the match in the ensuing game. They would consolidate the break to tie the set at 4-4.
Dabrowski and Stefani were still in the driver’s seat on serve, but were broken for the second straight time as Siniakova and Hunter won their fourth straight game to put themselves on the brink with a 5-4 lead.
With all the momentum seemingly with their opponents, Dabrowski and Stefani would turn the back-and-forth match in their favour once again, earning their second and third breaks of the match to storm back and take a wild first set.
Read also: Dabrowski and Stefani ease into Wuhan Open Final
"I thought we had a strong start. And with teams like this, you have to be on the whole time,” Stefani told the media. “I think I'm happy about how we finish in two sets. A really great team and tough, tough opponents."
Unlike the first, the second set would play out mostly on schedule, with neither team able to earn the key break early. Dabrowski and Stefani would be the first to gain that advantage, as they earned their fourth break of the match to take a 5-3 lead.
Siniakova and Hunter bounced back quickly with a break of their own, fending off a match point in the process, but the top-seeded team would not be denied. Dabrowski and Stefani would fittingly finish things off with another break, their fifth of the match, to earn the win in straight sets.
The pair will look to continue their excellent form as the WTA’s Asian swing continues, before heading to the WTA Finals at Indian Wells, which are scheduled to begin on Nov. 8.
Read also: Fernandez’s Wuhan Run Ends in Round Three to Ostapenko
Feature Photo: WTA
