Vera Zvonareva defeated top-ranked Caroline Wozniacki 6-4, 6-4 Saturday to win the Qatar Ladies Open final. The third-ranked Russian earned her 11th career WTA title and first since a victory in Pattaya City a year ago.
"I was just going for my shots. Caroline is a great player," Zvonareva said. "So I was just fighting for every point."
Wozniacki was hoping to add the Doha title to the one she won in Dubai six days ago. But the Dane lost her serve in the first game, and lost momentum early. Zvonareva rallied from 0-40 down in the eighth game and eventually served out the set. The second set followed a similar pattern with Wozniacki breaking in the second game, only to see Zvonareva break back in the next. After eight deuces in the seventh game, Zvonareva made the decisive break with a forehand winner. Wozniacki hit wide to end the match, dropping her record in finals to 13-7.
"Not a great tournament in the end. But I'm happy to be here," Wozniacki said. "Vera is playing a very good match. She played at a very high level. I had my chances, had quite a few break points. I didn't convert."
Zvonareva evened her record against Wozniacki to 4-4 in their sixth meeting in 10 months.
"I'm very excited at the moment," she said. "It was definitely a special moment for me on the court."
