Liezel Rules Dubai Again
Published Feburary 20, 2011 10:05
DUBAI, UAE - Liezel Huber continued to assert her dominance at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships this week, as she picked up yet another title there, this time alongside María José Martínez Sánchez, with a 76(5) 63 victory over Kveta Peschke and Katarina Srebotnik in Sunday's final.
Huber has no more than two titles anywhere else in the world, yet has four in Dubai, the first three coming alongside Cara Black from 2007-2009. Coincidentally enough, Peschke and Srebotnik were beaten by Nuria Llagostera Vives and Martínez Sánchez in last year's final.
"If you told me a year ago I'd be here winning with a different partner, I would say you're kidding me, because I had such a long career with Cara," said Huber, who has a 19-4 career doubles match record in Dubai. "I've grown over the last year. I played with 11 different partners last year. But the main thing is I truly believed in my partner this week. She was really sick to start the week and we had only played one time before, but our games mesh. I actually played the other side of the court than I normally play, so it's really exciting. It's almost like I'm 21 again. It's a beautiful trophy."
Huber is now 44-29 in doubles finals, with the fourth-most titles among active players. Martínez Sánchez is 14-10 in doubles finals. This was just their second event together, and technically they're still undefeated, as they lost by walkover in the semifinals of Eastbourne last year.
In other doubles action this week, Olga Govortsova and Alla Kudryavtseva went to match tie-breaks in each of their four matches en route to the title in Memphis and Edina Gallovits-Hall and Anabel Medina Garrigues were victorious in Bogotá. It was the Spaniard's 17th career doubles title.
