In a thrilling comeback, Anna Danilina and Aleksandra Krunic defied the odds to claim the Qatar TotalEnergies Open title in Doha. The pair, ranked No. 4, mounted a remarkable rally from a 6-0, 5-2 deficit, saving a championship point in the second set to defeat the No. 3 seeds, Hsieh Su-wei and Jelena Ostapenko, 0-6, 7-6(3), [10-8] in 1 hour and 34 minutes. This victory marked their first WTA 1000 title as partners and their second overall, capping off a week of intense competition.
The match began with a dominant performance from Hsieh and Ostapenko, who broke for 2-0 and never looked back, winning the first set in just 23 minutes. However, the turning point came in the second set when Danilina and Krunic broke for a 2-1 lead, only to drop four straight games and find themselves trailing 5-2. Two games later, with a break point opportunity, they failed to convert, setting up a deciding point for the opponents. But, in a display of resilience, Danilina and Krunic came through in the clutch, converting the break and holding to level at 5-all, and then breaking Hsieh's serve to love for the second time in the set, taking a 6-5 lead.
Their run of four straight games ended when Hsieh and Ostapenko broke back to force a tiebreak, but Danilina and Krunic surged again, winning the last four points in the breaker to take the set and force a match tiebreak. The third set was a game of runs, with Danilina and Krunic winning five straight points to take a commanding 8-3 lead, only for Hsieh and Ostapenko to close the gap to 8-7. But the No. 4 seeds stood tall, converting their second match point to secure a dramatic title in Doha.
This comeback was a fitting end to a week in which Danilina and Krunic were pushed to the limit on three separate occasions. They survived match tiebreaks in the second round against Leylah Fernandez and Kristina Mladenovic and in the quarterfinals against Storm Hunter and Maya Joint, winning both with identical 6-2, 4-6, [10-4] scorelines. They earned a brief reprieve in the semifinals, defeating No. 5 seeds Gabriela Dabrowski and Luisa Stefani in straight sets, before finding themselves in another tight spot in Saturday's final. But by winning their third match tiebreak of the tournament, they proved more than worthy of hoisting the champion's trophy.
The victory felt like breaking a curse for the pair, who had struggled in previous finals, winning only one out of seven. Krunic expressed her relief, saying, 'It feels like breaking the curse. I feel like we were cursed in the finals. Of course, it's not our fault -- it's the curse. Today, I was like, 'Come on, again?' I was already waiting for the headlines to be like 'one out of seven' or things like that.'
Both players are set to reach new career highs in the PIF WTA Doubles Rankings, with Krunic projected to rise to World No. 11 and Danilina poised to move up to No. 7. Hsieh and Ostapenko will also climb following their run to the final, with both players set to re-enter the Top 10 at No. 8 and No. 9, respectively. This triumph marks a significant milestone for both players, with Danilina now boasting 12 WTA doubles titles and Krunic adding her ninth WTA doubles title to her singles title.
