ORDER OF PLAY
CENTRE COURT - 6:00 P.M. START
[8] Petra KVITOVA (CZE) vs. [9] Aryna SABALENKA (BLR)
Thanks for another unforgettable battle @ashbarty ❤️#QTO2020 @QatarTennis pic.twitter.com/RN5k93PaO1
— Petra Kvitova (@Petra_Kvitova) February 28, 2020
MATCH POINTS
Former champion Petra Kvitova is bidding for her second career title in Doha in Saturday's final, while Aryna Sabalenka is bidding for her second consecutive title at Premier 5 level.
Kvitova defeated Garbiñe Muguruza in three sets to win her first Doha title in 2018, while Sabalenka earned her second straight title in Wuhan, China last fall by beating American Alison Riske in the final.
The Czech is bidding for her first title since winning the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart last April, and her first title on hard courts since triumphing at the Sydney International last January.
Saturday's championship match will be the fourth meeting between the two, with Kvitova holding a 2-1 head-to-head edge. They have not played in more than a year, with Kvitova having triumphed during her run to the title in Sydney, while Sabalenka's victory came at the 2018 US Open.
Kvitova is looking to join Russia's Anastasia Myskina (2003-04), Maria Sharapova (2005, 2008) and Belarus' Victoria Azarenka (2012-13), as a two-time champion at the tournament. In addition, a title victory would add Doha to the list of WTA stops that she has won more than once, joining the likes of Wimbledon, New Haven, Birmingham and Sydney.
In ranking news, if Kvitova wins the title, she will return to the Top 10 at World No.10, pushing out Naomi Osaka. Sabalenka would move to World No.12 should she finish as runner-up, and No.11 should she win. A defeat would put Kvitova at No.12.
