Sara Errani lifts Dubai tennis title

Sara Errani

Sara Errani saved her best for the last.
After having shown her ability to snatch wins from the jaws of defeats in the previous rounds, Errani was in the zone as she came up with some captivating tennis to become the first Italian woman to lift the beautiful Dubai Tennis Championships trophy.
Barbora Strycova, so impressive in her wins over Frenchwoman Caroline Garcia in semis and former French Open champion Ana Ivanovic of Serbia in the quarters, was no match for the 28-year-old Errani on a beautiful Saturday evening as the Italian won the final in straight sets 6-0 6-2 at the Dubai Tennis Stadium.
Earlier in the doubles final, Taiwan's Chuang Chia-jung and Darija Jurak of Croatia beat Caroline Garcia and Kristina Mladenovic of France 6-4 6-4 for the title. The turnaround in fortunes was remarkable for Chuang and Jurak who were on the brink of losing the doubles semifinal to Errani and Carla Suarez Navvaro when they were trailing 3-5 in the second set after losing the first.
Yet they staged a stunning comeback to deny Errani - who had already reached the singles final - a shot at two titles in Dubai. But the baseliner from Bologna more than made up for that disappointment with a performance to remember in the singles final.
When Strycova, who lost her serve five times in a match that lasted only 66 minutes, sent a forehand long, an emotional Errani ran to her coach to celebrate the victory.   "It's an unexpected title for me. Last year was really tough for me. So I went to my coach who has helped me a lot in the tough times," the world number 22 said after winning a tournament where all top seeds fell before the quarterfinal stage.
"So to win here is amazing. I wasn't sure if I would come here as I thought of staying at home to recover after the Australian Open.
"But I changed my mind only to find myself in really tough matches here. Every match was tough. I was down (5-1) in first round against Zheng, and even in the quarterfinal with Brengle, I was trailing 1-4 in the third. So I had a lot of tough times.
"I had to pass a lot of bad moments to come to this stage to have this trophy," the 2012 French Open runner up said.
The five-time doubles Grand Slam champion was surprised with the ease with which she won the biggest match of the tournament.
"Yes, I was surprised. Maybe it was not her best day. But, of course, I was just trying to stay focused and not miss balls.
"I was prepared for her serve which is her strength. I was also not trying to think that this was a final. I thought it was just another tough match. I played with that mentality even when I had championship points. "So I am really happy now with the result."
Results
Women's singles final
Sara Errani (Italy) beats Barbora Strycova (Czech Republic) 6-0 6-2
Women's doubles final
Chuang Chia-jung (Taiwan)/ Darija Jurak (Croatia) beat Caroline Garcia (France)/Kristina Mladenovic (France) 6-4 6-4  
Men's Qualifying Singles
1st Round Mikhail Youzhny (RUS) beats Sam Barry (IRL) 7-6 6-2; Nikoloz Basilashvili (GEO) beats Yannick Mertens (BEL) 7-6 6-0; Ivan Dodig (CRO) beats Roberto Marcora (ITA) 7-5 6-2; Thomas Fabbiano (Italy) beats Cem Ilkel (TUR) 6-3 2-6 6-2; Kyle Edmund (GBR) beats Radek Stepanek (CZE) 6-3 6-4; Franko Skugor (CRO) beats James Ward (GBR) 6-3 6-4; Lucas Pouille (FRA) beats Roy De Valk (NED) 6-1 6-0; Ruben Bemelmans (BEL) beats Mischa Zverev (GER) 6-4 6-7 6-3.        
Men's Qualifying Doubles
1st Round H. Chung (KOR)/J. Vesely (CZE) beat R. Junaid (AUS)/J. Marray (GBR) 6-4 3-6 10-7; T. Fabbiano (ITA)/F. Skugor (CRO) beat L. Mayer (ARG)/L. Rosol (CZE) 6-4 2-6 10-7.  
Order of Play
Men's Qualifying final round Singles
Court One Starting at 12pm Kyle Edmund (GBR) v Franko Skugor (CRO) Lucas Pouille (FRA) v Ruben Bemelmans (BEL) Court Two Starting at 12pm Ivan Dodig (CRO) v Thomas Fabbiano (Italy) Court Three Starting at 12pm Mikhail Youzhny (RUS) v Nikoloz Basilashvili (GEO) After Suitable Rest Men's qualifying final round Doubles H. Chung (KOR)/J. Vesely (CZE) v T. Fabbiano (ITA)/F. Skugor (CRO)
rituraj@khaleejtimes.com

• Dubai