Danilina and Krunic rally from 6-0, 5-2 down, save match point to win Doha title

Anna Danilina and Aleksandra Krunic had grown used to speaking first during trophy ceremonies, but that wasn't the case Saturday in Doha. The No. 4 seeds rallied from a 6-0, 5-2 deficit and saved a championship point in the second set to defeat No. 3 seeds Hsieh Su-wei and Jelena Ostapenko 0-6, 7-6 (3), [10-8] in 1 hour and 34 minutes.

In capturing the Qatar TotalEnergies Open crown, the reigning Australian Open runners-up earned their first WTA 1000 title as partners and their second title together overall.

"It was a very weird match with a lot of ups and downs from all four of us," Krunic said during the trophy presentation. "It was tough to play today, somehow. So I'm just happy we managed to stay there and grab our chances. We didn't have many the first two sets, so we did what we could.

"I'm happy we are not the first speech again, because I was kind of getting sick (of being) the first one to have a speech. It's been many times."

Five times, to be exact. Danilina and Krunic entered the final with a 1-5 record in championship matches and looked headed for 1-6 to after a lopsided opening set.

There isn't much to say about the first set: Hsieh and Ostapenko broke for 2-0 and never looked back, bageling their opponents in 23 minutes. And while Danilina and Krunic were the first to break in the second set for a 2-1 lead, they dropped four straight games to fall behind 5-2.

Everything changed two games later. Trailing 5-3, they failed to convert a break point, bringing up a deciding point that doubled as a championship point for Hsieh and Ostapenko. But in what quickly became the theme of the night, Danilina and Krunic came through in the clutch.

They converted the break and held to level at 5-all, then broke Hsieh's serve to love for the second time in the set to grab 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.

"We just tried to stay in this match, in the set for as long as possible," Danilina told wtatennis.com. "Keep fighting and looking for some chances and just believing that those chances would come."

The third set was a game of runs. Danilina and Krunic won 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.

Path to the title: The comeback was a fitting end to a week in which Danilina and Krunic were taken the distance 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 when they played their best match of the week 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.

"It feels like breaking the curse," Krunic said. "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.

"It means a lot to finally be like, 'OK, we've got a title.' I'm sick of runners-up trophies already."

New hardware: Though this is only their second title together, both players have enjoyed significant success on the doubles circuit over the course of their careers.

Danilina now owns 12 WTA doubles titles. The 2023 US Open mixed doubles champion is also a three-time Grand Slam runner-up in women's doubles, twice with Krunic, and now boasts two WTA 1000 titles on her résumé.

For Krunic, this is WTA doubles title No. 9 to go with one singles title. After finishing runner-up at last year's French Open and this year's Australian Open, as well as in Wuhan last season, this stands alone as the biggest title of her career.

Rankings watch: Both players are set to reach new career highs when the PIF WTA Doubles Rankings are released on Monday. Krunic is projected to rise to World No. 11 as she continues to inch closer to a Top 10 debut, while Danilina is primed to improve her career-best mark by one spot with a 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.